Capitol Pub – Dallas, TX
A good example of how poor service can ruin a meal. I had high expectations for this quasi-gastro pub based on the owners it shares with the Old Monk, a Dallas institution with great pub fare. Alas, the food was mediocre at best, the atmosphere was acceptable but nothing special, and our server managed to be both surly and incompetent—a deadly combination.
The fries we ordered for an appetizer were the highlight of the meal—themselves pretty average but served with your choice of three innovative and yummy dipping sauces. I was a fan of the smoked tomato ranch, but the loaded baked potato sauce and the aioli were all good.
A steak frites entree had that low-quality, previously frozen taste to the meat. “What did you expect for a $12 steak?” my wife asked. Logic notwithstanding, I responded “why sell something that sucks to begin with?” Fortunately her fried goat cheese salad was a lot better, and a hamburger was decent—totally average but edible.
But our waitress was so rude and incompetent none of this matters. It took forever to order anything, many of the drink orders were messed up, plates were thrown on the table, then never picked up after we were done. The food might have been resuced by the experience, but it was not to be.
I don’t expect this place will last long—we were there on the patio on a great, warm Saturday night and the Capitol Pub was barely half full. My guess is others got turned off as well.
Skip it.
