The Capital Grille may be a mere link in a steakhouse chain, but you’ll swear there’s nothing cookie-cutter about this Dallas favorite. Stern portraits of the city’s historic luminaries embellish the walls of this clubby Uptown restaurant. With its starched tablecloths and deep booths, this Grille could easily pass for the dining room of an exclusive country club, which might explain why the dining room is so often filled with the city’s powerbrokers and politicos.

Standouts include Kona coffee-crusted, dry-aged Prime strip steaks, French onion soup, and one of the most fairly priced wine lists in town. Portions are generous and meant for sharing. While the setting looks intimate and grand, the dining room can get very loud on busy nights. Service is usually attentive and unobtrusive. General manager Greg Cavanaugh has run the restaurant since it opened, and he’s among Dallas’s best. If something’s not right—and that rarely happens—he’ll fix it.