Capital Burger Brings Gourmet Burgers, Elevated Shakes To Reston

RESTON, VA -- Which came first? The hamburger or the hamburger restaurant? In the case of The Capital Burger, the new Reston Town Center restaurant, the hamburger came first, specifically a French-onion style burger with caramelized onions, Wisconsin Grand Cru Gruyère and shallot aioli.

That burger happens to be the signature dish of The Capital Grille, the venerable steakhouse on Pennsylvania Avenue in D.C. It also serves as the inspiration for the company's new Reston venue, which boasts a menu of gourmet burgers, a world-class wine list and spiked shakes.

"We saw some great opportunities to bring a luxury of experience to the burger category," said Adam Christian, general manager of The Capital Burger.

An example of the type of luxury of which Christian speaks would be the Roasted Wild Mushroom and Swiss Burger, which happens to be his wife's favorite. Starting out with a proprietary beef blend from Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors, the burger is topped with Swiss cheese and roasted wild mushrooms in 15-year aged balsamic vinegar on a brioche bun.

"It's just a lot of love goes into making those every morning," Christian said. "It's a process that you really have to keep an eye on it and really spend like an hour in front of the stove and make sure the mushrooms reduce right. And then we've got our truffle aioli on the bottom of this to round out that flavor profile."

Beyond the burgers and drinks, The Capital Burger is also betting on its breakfast menu, a meal that the D.C. location doesn't even serve. From breakfast sandwiches to chicken and waffles, you'll find many parallels with a standard all American breakfast, including healthy options.

Even so, you'll find luxury on the breakfast menu as well, such as Ducktrap River Smoke Salmon served with shaved onion and cream cheese on a toasted bagel or an Avocado and Tomato Melt, featuring a vine-ripened tomato, Jarlsberg Swiss on a scrambled egg patty that sits atop a bed of smashed avocado on a soft brioche bun.

Even though The Capital Grille already has an established location nearby in Tysons Corner, the company saw Reston as an attractive place in which to expand.

"We just saw it as a growing community with just a lot of opportunity on the hospitality side of things," Christian said. "We had the great opportunity to find this space where Tavern 64 used to exist and we just pounced on it. I think the town will be very receptive to our dining options and we'll become a good part of this community."

Christian is not only interested in embracing the Reston community as the manager of a Town Center restaurant, he and his wife recently relocated to the community from a high-rise in Ballston. On their days off, they've been driving around to see what Reston has to offer.

"It's sort of a community feel that I haven't felt in Northern Virginia in a long time," he said. "I'm coming from Arlington. It's been a little busier. It's starting to get that sort of D.C. rat race sort of vibe to it. And out here, everybody's very community oriented. We all talk to each other. We stop on the street and see how things are going. It's been a very nice change, so we're thrilled to be here."

Located in the former home of Tavern 64 in the Hyatt Regency Reston, The Capital Burger not only caters to travelers but Restonians looking for a quiet breakfast, tasty burger, hearty meal, or a quick drink. Happy Hour runs from 3-6 p.m., seven days a week.

"Happy Hour has been very popular," Christian said. "We've got some sliders on the menu. We've got some discounted wines, some draft beers, a couple of specialty cocktails on there as well. And our guests are just falling in love with that."