Great Food, Bad Decor

It's graduation season, and like so many other families, we spent Saturday celebrating my brother's newly-minted master's degree (congrats!). We headed over to the new Capital Grille in Wayside Commons in Burlington.

We ended up having to wait a while for our table despite our reservations, which would normally be no problem, but don't keep telling me it will only be one more minute... for half an hour. Just tell me it's not ready; I can understand that.

Before I go any further, let me just say that we had a fantastic meal. The food was delicious and plentiful - calamari, crab cakes, wedge salad, steaks all around, creamed spinach, mushrooms, giant onion rings, and parmesan fries. Yes, it's pricy, but for a special occasion, well worth it.

Which is why the decor and layout of the restaurant astound me. I have never been in a restaurant that was louder. We had to literally shout to each other and the waiter, which made things like ordering and holding a conversation quite difficult. At one point, with some guy behind us laughing like his head was going to explode, my mother leaned across the table to me and said (shouted) "I feel like I'm eating at a carnival!"

So why is it that a high-end restaurant would build a new branch that is so deafening? The Capital Grille in Chestnut Hill doesn't have this problem. Despite the great food, I doubt I'll be heading back if it means leaving with a full stomach and a headache.