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We're all counting the days until The Capital Grille officially opens in our building (120 Broadway). I'm particularly excited because I often need to take visitors to lunch, and have yet to find many quiet, reasonably-priced places to conduct business lunches in out downtown neighborhood.

(Delmonico's is too pricey for most lunches, Les Halles too crowded, and a few of our other nearby options are frankly awful.)

I have no clue how I got on the roster (perhaps because I just rejoined the Met museum) but I rec'd an invite to the "2009 Guggenheim Director's Luncheon," and my colleague Anthony Paonita, editor-in-chief of Corporate Counsel magazine was kind enough to join me.

The invitation said the lunch would feature a discussion between Richard Armstrong, the director of the Guggenheim Foundation and Museum, and renowned architect Frank Gehry. It took me about 2 seconds to say yes to that invite! (I love architecture!)

The folks at the restaurant acknowledged that the event was a way for them to test drive the new restaurant which is scheduled to open on the 28th. We were joined at our table by two architects from Perkins Eastman: Eric Brodfuehrer and Ty Kaul, who proved to be terrific company.

The food was excellent -- Anthony and I both had the salmon, which was crisp and savory, with sides of creamed spinach (superb), really good "Sam's Mashed Potatoes," and baby squash. (The architects both opted for the Roasted Tenderloin with Cipolini onions and wild mushrooms). A flourless chocolate express cake hit the mark for dessert.

"It was fun to see that the professional lunch crowd is alive and well," observed Paonita, of the guest list that was clearly dominated by Guggenheim supporters. "The friendly staff tried really hard to make 

us feel wanted."

The aspect of the restaurant I liked the best -- the acoustics allow you to easily hear your companions -- proved to be the factor that made the Armstrong/Gehry dialogue disappointing. The two speakers were not visible via the naked eye -- the discussion was played on flat screens with marginal audio. Unfortunately, the content was also marginal: the conversation was rambling not terribly enlightening.

It was a great idea, but the restaurant's nooks and crannies (which make it great for meals) undermined the attempt to offer an effective program. So thumbs up for the meal, thumbs down for the "Actor's Studio"-style interview session.

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