I've been to Capital Grille in Providence, RI several times but never for lunch so no burger. But, it's got diced onion, bacon, & Havartii cheese in the meat mixture. If it's anything like their steaks...the problem will be getting really good beef depending on where you live. Here, in New England, seafood is the star & grocery store beef is mediocore, at best. When we lived in Colorado it was just the opposite. I'd recommend going to the best butcher in town & telling him what you want. He'll, probably, suggest a mixed grind.

Good luck! I love Capital Grille also.

/tricia

Okay, you talked e into it--I'm heading over to the Capital Grille for lunch this week. Coincidentally I'm on a mission to find a great burger; granted it will be a pricing taste test.

Salt your burger meat and let it sit at least 2 hrs before forming into patties. Also, grind in an extra 2-1/2 oz fat to a standard 80/20 ground chuck. Chuck has better flavor than sirloin, and it's the fat that makes the difference.

I go to Capital Grille when in Ft. Lauderdale, but have only been there for the evening meal, not at lunch!

Good place to eat, sorry I can't help you with the burgers, but will be watching this to see how to make a great burger.

Thanks for the input, everyone! I'm also anxious to hear how the field trips work out. LOL yum!

I do have a good butcher in town and I'll have him put together a good sirloin mix. The onions mixed into the burger has me curious, though. Will they have enough time to cook when I cook the hamburgers or should they be cooked ahead of time. Same thing with the bacon. Or, should I chop everything fine enough that it will have enough time to cook through?

I haven't had a Capital Grille burger, but chopping everything fine seems like the way to go. I'll bet your burgers will be delicious!

Their website says they serve aged beef steaks. Would they use aged beef to make their hamburger meat? I don't know enough about aged beef to know if it is ever used to make burgers.

I always put a beaten egg in my burger meat, 1 per pound, as if I was making meatloaf. It doesn't seem to affect the flavor but the textural improvement is wonderful, and everyone agrees they are more juicy.

I also add onion but I puree it, usually with a few cloves of roasted garlic. I put that in with the egg and any other spices we are in the mood for, beat well, then mix into meat with hands. Even the smallest mince of onion in a burger will cause them to fall apart more easily. Any seasonings you put ON the burger are better mixed in before making the patties, IMO.

A little steak sauce in the meat is a common "secret." The method of cooking can have a huge impact, too. Even the same method - grilling - can have huge differences depending on wood vs. charcoal vs. gas.

Well a month later I finally made it to the Capital Grille to try out their cheeseburger. It was definitely a very good burger, but I don't think so outrageous that it can't be replicated at home. The bacon flavor is quite pronounced, so I'd grind a good bit of it into the sirloin. And the onion, too, I suppose - there were no visible chunks of minced onion. The way the menu read I was expecting the havarti cheese mixed in, too, but it was in fact just melted on top, the normal way. A quality onion roll of course helped make this a special burger.

I was actually more impressed with the side of Parmesan Truffle Fries. Now those were some good fries!

So was it worth $18? Maybe, who knows, but I don't suppose you go to the Capital Grille for anything if you're watching your budget. I'll probably treat myself again sometime, but with two vodka cranberries the bill came to $44.09 so there's no danger of this becoming a regular lunch hangout!

So, has anyone else tried it?

The Capital Grille in Nashville is in a swanky hotel (Nashville's oldest. Nicole Kidman stayed there when visiting Nashville until she moved). The food is fantastic, but I don't think I'd get a burger there. It's our highest rated restaurant, so why settle?

I'd be more likely to get their completely and utterly sublime sweet onion bisque if I was eating on the "light side", instead of a burger (sandwich). However, if I knew I was going to get to eat heartily, it'd be one of their fantastic entrees with meat, veggie, and starch. The whole shebang. It's too good not to!

I don't care for egg or filler in a burger. Pure beef for me. It is all about the beef.

I would think that bacon, especially a smokey bacon would over power the beef.

I guess it just depends on what you like. I'd rather add sliced onions as a garnish than add onion to the raw beef.

Rob, I'm with you. If I'm eating at a high end restaurant the last thing I would order would be a hamburger.

Ann

I've never been there and there isn't one anywhere aound here, but Elery's son says it's a half and half mix of sirloin and bacon, he thinks. If the bacon flavor is pronounced, I'd probably start with that or something close.

Annie

I'm not opposed to mixing some pork or pork sausage with the beef for a burger but if I want meatloaf, I'll make meatloaf and I do like meatloaf but to me, meatloaf is not a burger. And for me, meatballs should be somewhere in-between. A little filler but not just meatloaf made into little balls.

A good burger with a bit of seasoning mixed in, on a toasted, quality bun (or open face with toast), maybe a couple paper-thin slices of raw onion and occasionally some good cheese can usually stand on it's own and doesn't need pickle, relish, tomato, lettuce, or "special sauce". Bacon can make anything better but usually I wind up eating the bacon as an appetizer, then eat the burger. As quality dwindles, then add some steak/BBQ sauce and other stuff.

If I want to go for something unusual or more decadent, I'll try a Juicy Lucy.

When I'm at a restaurant, I guess I look more at what they do best. I don't order steak at a bar. I don't order lasagna at a seafood place, etc.

We made burgers tonight and I added ground bacon and onions. It was really good. We used a hot pepper cheese on top but didn't put any cheese inside.

Thanks for the suggestion. I think we will be making our burgers this way from now on.

Karen