Baron BMW | Center of Excellence Award Winner Banquet

Group 1 Automotive CEO Earl Hesterberg

Recently Baron BMW played host to Earl Hesterberg, CEO of Group 1 Automotive, and several senior level execs from Group 1 and BMW to celebrate Baron BMW being named a 2009 Center of Excellence Award Winner. The Center of Excellence Award is given to the top 10% of BMW dealerships in the U.S. based on a wide ranging set of criteria. Of the thirty-four recipients, Baron BMW ranked number thirteen! 

To celebrate, Baron BMW Employees gathered at Jack Stack Barbecue in the Freight House district to dine on world-class ribs, brisket, ham and turkey and my personal favorite…the cheesy corn bake! We couldn’t have won this award without the hard work from our staff of sales and service professionals and the loyalty of our Customers.

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The Capital Grille | Kansas City’s Finest

This past Thursday night (07/16/09)  I had the opportunity to eat at the Capital Grille. Located in the Country Club Plaza, the Capital Grille is a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence recipient and known across the country as a bastion for well executed food. Arriving promptly at 7p we were immediately ushered into the main dining room. Myself and five others were seated a round table with a wall of wine as our backdrop and great view of the dining room. Tonight the restaurant was filled. The wait staff moved at a frenetic pace and while somewhat noisy, we were still able to carry on a conversation with little interruption. We were greeted by two service staff and were given menus and offered drinks. We ordered a bottle of 2005 Souverain Cabernet Sauvignon and a 2005 Beringer Knight’s Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The Souverain could have used a little more time to open up as it was still a bit tight throughout the glass. The Beringer was rich and smooth. Calamari and Shrimp Cocktail was the first salvo in what was to be a great dinner. The Calamari is sautéed in garlic butter, then tossed with a blend of peppers and scallions. Spicy, it helped offset the still “green” Souverain Cabernet. The Shrimp Cocktail was good with ample, well chilled and firm shrimp.

Salad Course was next and I ordered the Caesar. Not over-dressed, it was delicious and the anchovies were tangy and firm, for me, this Caesar Salad was spot on. So far, so good!

Dinner arrived with much anticipation. I ordered the 10oz Filet Mignon medium rare. With it, we were served a variety of sides: roasted mushrooms, fresh asparagus with hollandaise, creamed spinach, Sam’s mashed potatoes and the lobster mac-n-cheese. The Lobster mac-n-cheese is unbelievable! Rich and creamy with chunks of lobster…They need to sell it out of the back door by the quart! If I had to choose my last meal, I would want this and nothing else. I’m misting up thinking about it!

My steak as you might guess was perfectly cooked. Warm and red throughout, it was perfectly seasoned and exceedingly tender and the juice covered my plate. My knife had little resistance on its way through the three-inch thick filet. The Beringer Knight’s Valley Cabernet is sturdy enough to compliment the filet and as someone who enjoys preparing my own cut of meat, I was more than impressed. Could be the best filet mignon I’ve ever had; certainly in Kansas City.

Dessert for me was a glass of Graham’s Six Grapes Port. Full bodied, it has deep extraction and massive black fruit. An initial blast of black licorice softens to a rich finish. Nice and neat. Should have had a slice of the Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake to go with it, but I was done, done, done.

 As I write this, it occurs to me that if you over think food and get too cute you run the risk of coming up short. If instead, you break it down to well seasoned and well executed food, you will always be satisfied. There was nothing we ordered that was over-done, over-sauced, or under/over-seasoned. Simple, clean flavors will always win out over complicated and finesse food because there is less room for error. Capital Grille does it right and I look forward to my next visit. The overall experience at the Capital Grille was exceptional.

I give it 9 out of 10 Roundels!

Until Next Time!

 The Baron