A very Beverly Hills-style Happy Hour

This week, I hosted a Beverly Hills Happy Hour event at The Capital Grille for 75 of my closest friends, fellow bloggers and a bunch of people who have been especially kind to me through the years.

The occasion was to showcase the newly launched Happy Hour menu currently only available at the Beverly Hills location. The Happy Hour menu is available Monday to Friday between 4.30pm and 7pm. The event was made even better because I had photographer extraordinaire Allen Lee Taylor capturing the evening’s shenanigans in a style only he is capable of.

We arrived to find bowls of house-made potato chips on the tables as we walked onto the patio.

As my guests started to pour in, trays of gloriously prepared goodies from the Happy Hour Menu made their way around to a famished crowd while they sipped on specialty drinks from the bar (all bar menu items and specialty cocktails are only $6). Of course you can choose any beverage you desire  and the drinks menu is HUGE, but their signature cocktails are what they are known for!

As I glanced at the trays passing by, I notice my favorite — Shrimp Cocktail — come out of the kitchen. You can be sure that the Capital Grille only serves the plumpest and biggest shrimp you’ll ever come across. I’d been waiting to try these and when the tray arrived in front of me, I made our lovely server, Jason, stand there while I chomped on two of those jumbo shrimp before I allowed him to move on.

Lobster salad sandwiches are little slider-sized sammies with big lumps of lobster. What I loved was I could see and taste the crustacean and I wasn’t trying hard to detect little bits of seafood amongst the fillers some places use. They don’t go for that here. It’s all about the quality and the quantity and they sure pack those chunks of lobster into a small sandwich.

A little later, I managed to swipe a Mini Tenderloin Sandwich off a passing tray and it was juicy and definitely lived up to its name — it was tender alright although a little more salt wouldn’t have hurt!

The guests kept pouring in and I found myself distracted and now was unable to catch any of the food trays. Yes, I know, I was being a good host and making sure everyone was having a good time.

By the time I reached another group of friends I saw they were all eating Lobster and Crab Burgers and Miguel had one in his hand. I eyed it longingly and he was so sweet to give me a bite of his because I know I wouldn’t have been able to try it otherwise.

These are like little crabcakes except they are crab AND lobster! Nicely textured and served with lemon and a creamy sauce on the side.

Some plates of Fried Calamari were placed on the tables and I remember this from my initial visit to the Capital Grille at South Coast Plaza. Eat these quickly because they’re definitely not as good cold. I love the tentacles!

The upstairs patio where our party was can easily accommodate 200 people! The 75 of us barely dented the venue and there were more than enough tables and chair for everyone. The bar spanned across almost the entire length of the room making it easy for everyone to order their drinks. One of my friends — not going to say who — mentioned “the bartenders are kinda cute too, definitely a PLUS”.

Mozzarella, Prosciutto and Basil sandwiches were little decadent morsels of gooey goodness. A little greasy, but who doesn’t love that when delicious mixed drinks are involved? This comes with a small side of ‘ratatouille’.

I managed to grab a few Parmesan Truffle Fries from a basket my friends were munching from — if I didn’t I know I wouldn’t be having any! These had a pungent truffle aroma which permeated the room when they were brought out. The parmesan added a nice touch of saltiness — yeah, you know how much I love my salt — and I didn’t even have to break out my condiment pouch!

Unfortunately, I never got the chance to try the Mini Signature Cheeseburger. I was too busy running around making sure I managed to get a few minutes with all of my friends.

When the cheeseburgers came around earlier I already had my hands full and by the time I was ready to try one, I guess my friends had devoured them all. Still, I think sampling 7 of the 8 bar menu items was a pretty good feat.

I wish they were offering this awesome Happy Hour at the Orange County location, but the LA lushes and gluttons I call my friends will heartily partake in this debauchery with vigor. Regardless your “drug” of choice, you can be sure you’ll be satiated by the time you walk out of there!

It’s not an easy job trying to feed 75 hungry Yelpers, food bloggers, food industry folks as well as regular gluttons and gluttonistas! Thank you to the staff for making our evening go so smoothly!

The Capital Grille
8614 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90048
Tel: 310-358-0650

Complimentary Valet Parking