I’m still on a high after my fantastic dinner at Capitol last night. On their current menu they have gnocchi with leeks and prawns. Well, yuck at the prawns. But I needn’t’ve been concerned.
- The first time I ordered off this menu I asked that the prawns be left off – after putting the order in with the kitchen the waiter returned to the table and asked if I would like something in place of the prawns, pancetta perhaps. I accepted and it was delicious.
- Second visit I ordered the gnocchi again, no prawns, and asked the same waiter if they had the pancetta again instead of the prawns, or anything else they could add that wasn’t mushrooms or shell-fish or anything ‘strange’. My dinner turned up and it was a specifically specially created dish of gnocchi in tomato and mozzarella sauce. I was blown away – speechless and almost in tears as they’d made it just for me, out of things I love. I couldn’t say thank you enough and the waiter said that they pretty much had those ingredients all the time so I could probably ask for that again, and it would be no trouble. Man, it was divine.
- Third visit last night, same order of gnocchi, no prawns, but because of a different waiter I didn’t ask for anything different. Didn’t want to be one of those customers who self-importantly say “when I come here they usually do such-n-such for meâ€. The order went out to the kitchen, it was noticed, and the waiter from previous visits came to the table and asked if I would like something different with the gnocchi. I asked for the tomato sauce – but there was none – so I was offered a cheese sauce. Of course I was overwhelmed by the trouble they seemed to be going to and said so, and was assured that they were not too busy and would be happy to make it – so I accepted – as long as it didn’t have blue cheese or anything resembling blue cheese or anything ‘strange’ in it. My gnocchi quatro fromaggio was delivered, and with great flourish followed by the waiter with a grater and a nutmeg nut (or is that meg? In any case it wasn’t pre-ground from a Gregg’s spice box) and grated at the table. Other diners looked on.
OH MY GOD it was FANTASTIC. I really did have tears prickling my eyes. Partly due to feeling very special that I had another personally created meal and partly due to the sheer deliciousness of it. The Mister looked on, with his chicken, feeling decidedly left out! But lucky for him, as usual, I couldn’t finish it all so he got to be overwhelmed by it too. What a night! Capitol remains at the top of my list for dinner destinations and they are certainly doing well interpreting my requirement for ‘nothing strange’.