Simple, Straightforward, and Satisfying

Photo By John Anderson

Capitol Brasserie

310 Colorado, 472-6770

Lunch: Monday-Friday, 11am-5pm

Dinner: Sunday-Wednesday, 5-10pm; Thursday-Saturday, 5-11pm

Late Night: Monday-10pm-12am; Tuesday-Thursday, 10pm-1am; Friday-Saturday, 11pm-3am

Brunch: Saturday & Sunday, 11am-3pm

Capitol Brasserie is the newest venture from Reed Clemons, a local restaurateur who has always demonstrated a knack for identifying dining trends and creating restaurants to capitalize on them. When Southwestern cuisine and open kitchens were all the rage, he had his first hit with Granite Cafe. The public's taste turned to pasta and designer pizzas from wood-fired ovens, so Clemons responded with Mezzaluna, where the swank, industrial interior; busy bar; and award-winning wine list helped develop a see-and-be-seen downtown scene in the nascent Warehouse District. The Texas legislature made brewpubs legal in the Nineties, and Clemons' answer was the Bitter End, which became well-known for quality, handcrafted beers and highly regarded upscale pub food. He reacted to the renaissance of swanky steak houses with Reed's Jazz & Supper Club, and when Atkins mania and changing tastes undermined the profitability of Mezzaluna, Clemons gambled on a complete makeover. The stylish Capitol Brasserie debuted with a French menu in November of 2005. By the looks of things, Clemons has another success on his hands.

The word brasserie actually means brewery, but, over time, in common French usage, it has come to describe large, informal bars that also serve simple, hearty food. Indeed, the decor at Capitol Brasserie evokes an early-20th-century French neighborhood cafe: From the black-and-white mosaic tile flooring and pressed tin ceilings to the dark wood posts and walls washed in warm cream with oxblood accents to the poster art, bentwood chairs, and comfortable banquettes, the look created by designers Suzi Dunn and Kevin Gallaugher is very Gallic, and the atmosphere most convivial. As befits a brasserie, there are plenty of good Belgian beers on tap, and the wine list is heavily weighted to admirable and affordable French choices. Capitol B offers a schedule to accommodate just about everyone, with different components of the same menu tailored to fit the time period. We experienced some hits and misses on a recent brunch visit but found only solid winners at dinner.

The $17 prix fixe brunch features a basket of pastries, unlimited fresh squeezed juice, coffee and/or mimosas, plus the choice of a main course. With a little more attention to detail, it could become one of the very best deals in town. Most of our party of five was hungry for breakfast, so we sampled several of les oeufs. While the poached eggs and hollandaise in the eggs Benedict were just fine, the English muffins on which they rested were as tough as shoe leather, and the roasted potatoes on the side were barely cooked. The fluffy scrambled eggs had a rich, buttery flavor and paired well with crisp strips of applewood-smoked bacon, but the artichoke and asparagus quiche was somewhat rubbery. The one friend who ordered lunch chose one of the three house preparations of mussels: The Basquaise, bathed in white wine, butter, and garlic, was truly superb, and the pommes frites that came with it were so good, the rest of us couldn't leave them alone. That plate was the clear winner of the day. The weakest links were, unfortunately, the pastries. The house pastry basket offered three greasy, undercooked croissants, a good carrot muffin, and, instead of yeasty pillows of dough, the plate of beignets ordered ã la carte were small, greasy batons still raw in the middle. These things need some fine-tuning.

We returned for dinner on a Tuesday evening and had just begun our meal when a group of 35 people arrived from a local hotel with only a few minutes' notice. Despite juggling a rapidly filling dining room and a large special party, both the kitchen and the floor staff appeared to handle every aspect of service with aplomb. Our server described the food enthusiastically and made well-informed wine suggestions that complemented my friend's food choices. The dinner menu offers a great prix fixe deal: salad or onion soup; an entrée of Roasted Chicken, Steak Frites, or Atlantic Salmon; and a choice of dessert, all for $20 before 7pm and $25 after. While that deal was tempting, there were so many inviting French standards that I wished for a much larger group of dining companions. However, the two of us managed to sample quite a few dishes.

We chose the Stout Onion Soup Gratin ($6), Escargots Bourguignons ($7), Asparagus Salad ($8), Lyonnaise Salad ($7), Steak Frites ($16), and the Tuesday special, Braised Beef Short Ribs With Butternut Squash Ravioli and Wilted Greens ($22). We reveled in every bite. Executive Chef Andy Sasser and his kitchen team do an exemplary job of executing the classic fare. Their food is presented quite simply, without sauce paintings or architectural froufrou – just straightforward, soul-satisfying meals. For example, the only thing that could possibly have improved the rich, robust onion soup was crisp, 40-degree weather outside; the shaved fennel, radishes, orange sections, and almond slices partnered with the elegant roasted asparagus were dressed in a light, fresh citrus vinaigrette that created a delightful counterpoint to the warm, Panko-crusted goat-cheese crouton; the Steak Frites here elevate plain steak and potatoes to an art form; and the hearty, fork-tender braised beef is a luxurious meat lover's dream. The crowning glory of our dinner was the marvelous Lemon Tart ($6), a tender cookie crust filled with silken, puckery lemon curd that is crowned with a blueberry reduction and a tangle of candied lemon peel. Considering my weakness for lemon desserts, I'll definitely be having that tart again. As for the rest of the menu, there are plenty of other inviting options to explore in the future.

Much like its progenitor, Mezzaluna, Capitol Brasserie has all the basic elements in place to become a major attraction in the Warehouse District: It's a stylish yet comfortable space with a boisterous, big-city vibe and a schedule that offers something to every segment of the market; the food and service are very good; and the bar and wine list are well-conceived. Reed Clemons still has the knack.