High-class soup and salad

When heading into an almost three-hour-long movie you know is designed to make the audience uncomfortable (“Beau is Afraid”), it’s important to fortify yourself with a good meal. My friend and I have a favorite pre-NCG ritual that, while not the cheapest, is convenient, consistent and satisfying. 

Capital Prime is a fancy kind of place. There are often couples on dates, dressed to the nines, or businesspeople meeting for after-work drinks in suits and well-tailored dresses. This is probably the one downside to my ritual, for I always feel a little self-conscious in my uniform of yoga pants and Crocs. My companion is at least usually wearing real pants, with a zipper and everything. The staff is always gracious, though, as they show us to our desired seats at the bar in the back of the dimly lit, swanky dining room. 

Capital Prime’s menu is full of options you’d expect from a steakhouse, but my friend and I only have eyes for two items: the wedge salad and the French onion soup. The pro tip is to order the side portion of the salad, which is $10 cheaper and still quite substantial. For the uninitiated, a wedge salad consists of a crisp, cold wedge of iceberg lettuce that’s laid upon its side and covered in blue cheese dressing, red onion, tomato and bacon. Capital Prime’s dressing is creamy and decadent, with just the right amount of blue cheese funk, and it pairs perfectly with the fresh, crunchy lettuce, sharp, tangy red onion and sweet baby tomatoes. 

The French onion soup is exactly what you’d expect, and that’s why it’s great. Served in a huge crock, the broth is a rich, luxurious brown color and delights with the taste of slow-cooked beef, caramelized onion and maybe even a little red wine. There are slices of soaked-through French bread and a layer of the requisite melted gruyere. I would happily eat French onion soup without these elements because, for me, it’s all about the broth, but when the soup is your entrée, they really round things out. 

Our server gave us complimentary warm rolls and asked if we wanted lemon for our water, and another staff member opened the door for us as we left. It was a pretty classy soup and salad date, but the meal was substantial enough to get us through the exhilarating and experimental cinema experience that followed.