Capital Club 16 Now Open

JT#2
06/24 02:19 PM

Doesn’t make sense that Champa Thai couldn’t make it in this space.  Closing at 7PM seemed like a great business plan.

Same Old Raleigh
06/24 02:33 PM

So does it open today Thursday June 14th or TODAY JUNE 24th???  Any editing going on at NR?

hackles10
06/24 03:01 PM

It also mentions on facebook that they are only opening the bar tonight, and to come “stop by for a drink”.  Not sure if that means they don’t have food, are serving a limited bar menu, or are opening both.  Just don’t want anybody to go for dinner if they aren’t serving food yet.

INSTIGATOR
06/25 09:30 AM

I don’t understand….Capital City Club has been open for many years….what’s the news here ?

I hope this guy didn’t pay too much for a naming consultant.  I gotta believe there are better names THAT ARENT ALREADY BEING USED.

Rename to “McDonald’s”

gspot
06/25 09:40 AM

coming soon…. Angus Barn 27

JP
06/25 10:52 AM

Went last night, it is a really nice corner space with lofty ceilings and huge arched windows. The decor is simple but well done and a refreshing take on the restoration trend downtown. Greg Hatem was there checking it out and chatting up the owners. Jake (one of the owners and chef I think) came by our table and asked how things were and shared a bit of their story.

They had a limited menu of mostly apps and salad, but the rest of the menu was there to see and it looks very tasty. They had Guglhupf bread for us at the table, and the bratwurst I had was great. On draft is PBR, Reissdorf Kolsch, Aviator American Wheat, and Big Boss Bad Penny, and maybe one other beer i can’t recall. I also noticed they have a few signature cocktails.

The classic bar is really gorgeous and I think it will be a new highlight on the downtown circuit of boozers. I’m looking forward to going back soon.

hackles10
06/25 11:02 AM

Anybody have a link/info on the menu?

HeMan
06/25 03:06 PM

I went by there last night and was definitely impressed.  I had one of the freshest salads that I can remember; absolutely perfect for the hot weather.  The brats were the heat and the mac and cheese definitely rivals Poole’s.  I would certainly recommend Capital Club 16 to any and everybody. Great food and atmosphere!

Tony Woodard
06/25 08:39 PM

@INSTIGATOR I assume the name comes from the fact that this building is known as the Capitol City Club Building. It was the original home of the club I think you reference. The top two floors are particularly lovely. The penultimate floor was the ballroom, the site of many of a Raleigh debut and currently the home of the law firm, Manning and Crouch. They are are some of the best capital murder and DUI lawyers in town, should you need counsel for one or the other.

Chico
06/27 05:59 AM

Tony,

It’s the Capitol Club Building, not the Capitol City Club Building, and it was built in the 20’s. The top floors housed the Capitol Club, a “literary and social organization (for men only) founded in 1891. The Capitol City Club was founded in 1977 (or 79) at a different location. “Capitol 16” is a combination of the name of the building and the address. And the food is fantastic! It’s simple, well made comfort food at a reasonable price.

rdugirl
06/27 12:34 PM

We had dinner Friday night and it was SO good! We had the potato pancakes with carmelized onions, applesauce and a super fresh salad and the mac and cheese.  Both were very good but the pancakes were by far the better of the two.  Staff was very friendly and the decor is beautiful.  A lot of history.  Be sure to take notice of the detail of the chairs, they were salvaged from a restaurant in NYC and are gorgeous. The ceilings are high, which looks great, but adds to the noise level. Not a big deal, but noticable.  Looking forward to the addition of lunch and the full dinner menu.  I have no doubts that this one is a keeper.  Enjoy!

Walker
06/27 01:05 PM

Can someone post the hours/days of operation?

I can’t seem to find their website.

INSTIGATOR
06/28 09:44 AM

Chico - If I’m reading you correctly….there is a Capital City Club, a Capital Club, and now…a Capital Club 16.  NOW IT ALL MAKES SENSE!

Just look at the title of this piece:  “Capital Club 16 Opening Tonight”.  To the right is a Google map showing the location of “Capital City Club 16”.  WTF?  Has naming creativity gone out the window?  I’m guessing the web site for this restaurant is “gewgle.com” ?

Not trying to pick on this location, but it always amazes me the mistakes people make when starting a business.  Seems to me (a non-restauranteur) that you really need to stand out in people’s minds if you’re gonna be successful in the downtown food scene…..why not name yourself something unique?

hackles10
06/28 10:17 AM

Its a cool name.  Some respect to raleigh’s history and the address all wrapped in one.  And you sir are a megadouche, but I am guessing that was your goal based on your name.

C
06/28 10:43 AM

INSTIGATOR,
The only thing being instigated are perceptions of your douchiness.

Brian
06/28 12:14 PM

If you can’t tell the difference between a street-level restaurant that’s open to the public and a top-floor private club that’s, well, PRIVATE, then you’ve got a problem.

Chico
06/28 03:46 PM

I can appreciate the confusion. The Restaurant is called “Capitol 16”, which is located in the Capitol Club Building at 16 W. Martin St. The Capitol Club is an organization that I think no longer exists, but info about it (past or present) is hard to come by. The Capitol City Club is located at the top of the BB&T bank building, and is often confused with the Cardinal Club which is located at the top of the Wachovia Bank building. And if you think this is confusing try finding an address on Peachtree St. in Atlanta.

150
06/28 04:41 PM

I can see the confusion too, and I think INSTIGATOR has a fantastic point.  As for Brian’s snarkiness….is it really that difficult to comprehend a scenario where one isn’t at the location already, and can’t see that difference?  I haven’t been to either place, so when people are describing them, I don’t have any idea which is which.  Also, I guarantee you that people will tell someone the wrong name when describing the restaurant.  Hey, we’ve got reservations at Club 16.  Or, um, actually 16 Capitol Club.  No, wait, Capital something.  Oh I don’t know.  It’s going to happen, and it’s something the restaurant will have to deal with.

sally
06/29 08:59 AM

Well, if you’re a member of the Capital City Club, then you know where it is when you have plans to go there. If you’re not a member, who cares where it is? Who goes there anyway?!

This place sounds much cooler. It’s at street level and the “16” is the number.

INSTIGATOR
06/29 10:24 AM

My point was simple:  you can name your restaurant whatever you wish - so why NOT name it somethng VERY unique?  Why not call it “The Hawaii Five-0” or “The Barnaby Jones” ?  Again - I’m not a restauranter - but I do know the value of your name being unique.  And like it or not, this place will have to deal with confusion.  And if you don’t think so, then you’d have no problem with gspot’s example above:  call it Angus Barn 27.  Or, let’s go with hackle’s brainchild above,....something to do with raleigh’s history and address all wrapped into one…hmmmm….WAIT! I GOT IT!  “The Sir Walter Raleigh Inn 16”.  There ya go hackles - mission accomplished!  History, address, and NO POSSIBLE CONFUSION.  Good point you make there.

C - what the hell does that mean?  is that the best you can do?

Brian - you make an excellent point!  given that I am taken to both locations and told “this one is the private club at the top floor of the BB&T Building and this one is a non-private restaurant located at the street level at 16 West Martin Street”, I should have NO FUCKING PROBLEM telling the difference between the two.  However - as 150 points out - not everyone in raleigh is gonna get that guided tour, and not everyone in raleigh is all the familiar with ANYTHING going on downtown.  So you get a married north raleigh couple who get a babysitter for an evening, wanna find out what’s going on downtown these days, and they head down to the capital club 16.  You wanna guess where they might end up?  Or the guy’s boss invites them to the capital city club for dinner.  Look at the google map at the top of this article….wanna guess where they might end up?  Brian:  maybe today is a good day to pursue that GED you keep putting off.  What the hell, right ?

hackles10
06/29 10:38 AM

First of all the Capital City Club is at the top of the Progress Energy Center on Fayetteville St.  And its a private club. 

Every damn restaurant doesnt have to have a unique name.  It would suck if everything was called “Slice” or “Squeeze” or “Palate” or any other modern marketing wet dream.  Its nice to maintain the History of the building with a restaurant named after its location.  As has been said before numbnuts, its the CAPITAL CLUB BUILDING, they don’t have to apologize for that, they don’t have to avoid confusion for that, they don’t have to go out of their way to change the name or make it stand out for North Raleigh couples to figure it out.  There are 37 Applebees, 24 Outbacks in North Raleigh but those couples seem to find the right one more often than not.  Whats the difference.  In this day and age if you can’t google map the address of the restaurant you are going to, and then go to it, you have other things to work on.  This is a street level restaurant, that is open to the public, and has a distinct address.  Any confusion will be negligible and easily attributable to user error.

INSTIGATOR
06/29 10:57 AM

CC16 Owner:  “we had less than stellar sales in Q4 and are requiring a bridge loan to cover operation costs”

Bank:  “Hmmmm….let’s take a look….before we make further loans available….any idea why the slowdown in demand?”

CC16 Owner:  “there was confusion in our name, which is easily attributable to user error.  People just aren’t using google maps and GPS like we’d hoped.”

Bank:  “GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY OFFICE!”

Yeah - that makes sense hackles.  Good point.

INSTIGATOR
06/29 10:59 AM

oh - I almost forgot….if you get confused about which outback or applebee’s, IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE, as they are franchises of the same corporation.  The restaurant chain still gets your business. 

Keep trying.

hackles10
06/29 11:07 AM

I was working off the “Guy’s boss” example.  If you are meeting someone for dinner, the location would absolutely matter. 

Your trolling effort will now fail because I am not gonna feed you any more. 

They chose a cool name, in a historical location, and the address is also in the name.  Easy to find, easy to enjoy, with great food from what I hear. 

By the way:  worst case scenario, the dude at Capital City Club doesn’t let the lost no-ral couple up the elevator and they get a romantic walk down the city’s main street with a great view of city center, the capital building, and memorial auditorium.  Then after that devastating 2 block walk they are at the right place.

C
06/29 11:51 AM

I was going to go check this place out, but I got confused and ended up sneaking into a private club on the top floor of the Progress Energy Center.  The Goddamn names were too much alike.

150
06/29 12:18 PM

To all of those claiming INSTIGATOR is just getting his jollies off of being a troll…..he’s not.  Open your minds to his comments across the threads on this site.  He’s got very valid points that just happen to disagree with the popular sentiment on this site.  Guess what, he may speak for a larger group than the NR crowd.

INSTIGATOR
06/29 12:22 PM

Thank you 150.

Further, I’d like you all to join me on my new site,

NEWRALEIGH16.COM

I am sure this won’t cause any confusion.

hackles10
06/29 12:28 PM

I don’t have to open my mind to anything 150, this is a troll effort if I have ever seen one.  Its an opinion, and I think its wrong.  I am not siding with any popular sentiment, in fact on here you never know where people will side on a topic.  I just think its a cool name, and won’t cause any problems. 
The Angus barn 16 and NewRaleigh16 examples prove how foolish the argument is.  We live in the Capital City, this is a generic term, not a specifically chosen name.  There are all sorts of infringment issues with taking someone elses name.  This is the usage of a generic term, clearly within the public domain.  If you think its going to cause them problems in the long run, you are entitled to that opinion, but its just an opinion at this point.  What you are supporting your argument with is what I take issue with, because its generally childish, troll-like, and foolish.

150
06/29 01:34 PM

Come on, hackles10.  You’re one of the better commentors on this site, and you’re certainly better than that last comment.  You don’t want to open your mind to an opposing opinion?  That’s really mature. 
You may not agree with them, but I think INSTIGATOR has hit on some points in several threads that NR reader would be wise to at least consider.

hackles10
06/29 03:18 PM

You have got to be kidding me 150.  The argument being made by instigator is at best 3rd grade level.  I would take back nothing I have said anywhere in this section.  GO TRY THE RESTAURANT, TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS, ENJOY A GREAT NEW RALEIGH ESTABLISHMENT.  To get on a website, hiding behind a screen name and essentially call two new raleigh restauranteurs idiots for their naming choice is poor form and you or anyone else who supports this sort of thing should be embarrassed.  I don’t speak for the populous, I don’t choose the most popular side of every argument, I just state my opinion.  This place just opened, they chose a valid name, with a nod towards the history of the building they are opening in and the address #16.  Seems logical and valid to me.  Its not the Sir Walter building, its the Capital City Club building.  I personally like the name, and don’t think the confusion is going to be an issue.  If anything, the owners went in eyes wide open, as experienced resteraunt folks, and chose their name.  Hell they could face all sorts of new opposition from similarly titled establishments in the future.  Capital City Dogs, Capital City Tavern, The Capital City Bowling Lanes, Capital City Chinese Buffet, but its their F**cking choice (to borrow the oh so eloquent words of INSTIGATOR).  Just go try the food, its an easy building to spot, and I appreciate the fact that its not named Grape, or Spice, or Doodlebop bar, you can stay busy lamenting that its not!

Jenne Scherer Mondry
06/29 03:59 PM

You guys are really getting your blood pressure up for no reason!  I can’t wait to try the restaurant as soon as I can!  I loved their sign and the building looks beautiful from the outside.  I think their “traditional American” focus, with European influences, will really add to the array of choices downtown.  I’m really looking forward to giving it a try.

INSTIGATOR
06/29 04:16 PM

Doodlebop Bar rocks.  Just sayin’.

150
06/29 04:23 PM

Now THAT was trolling (although funny)!

INSTIGATOR
06/29 04:27 PM

yeah….I was borrowing the oh so eloquent words of hackles10.

Hackles10:  located conveniently at 10 Hackles Building.  Not to be confused with Hackles City Club, or Hackles Club.

Matlock
06/29 04:33 PM

I believe “INSTIGATOR” and “150” are the same person.

150
06/29 04:38 PM

We’re not, Matlock.  INSTIGATOR, true to his name, is much more antagonistic than I am.

INSTIGATOR
06/29 07:38 PM

I believe that “Matlock” and “Andy Griffith” are the same person.

the voice of reason
06/29 11:05 PM

get over it.  If you are too stupid to figure out where the place is, then maybe you don’t need to eat there.  just sayin’

rdugirl
06/30 10:56 AM

The food is amazing (pound cake is to die for)and the staff is very friendly. I hope all of people who are bitching about the name, or can’t google the address, stay at home and leave this new found gem for those of us who can appreciate the history.  I find it laughable that people will trash a place they know nothing about.  Clearly, those of you who have done so, don’t appreciate much in life.

Keith Crabtree is the INSTIGATOR
06/30 01:47 PM

Did anyone trash the restaurant?  I don’t see that anywhere in the posts.

Glad the pounds cake is awesome.

hackles10
06/30 02:45 PM

I think the part where you created a hypothetical dialogue with a commercial lender where the restaurant failed and was denied future financing was the high point for me.

INSTIGATOR
06/30 03:02 PM

hackles!

HYPOTHETICAL!

good boy!

BBBUnit
07/01 05:46 PM

you all suck.

i’m just trying to find the phone number for this place, ideally to make a reservation.  and i have to scroll thru all your garbage.

someone tell me what it is.

K
07/04 11:53 AM

The number is 919.747.9345.

CSP
07/09 10:56 AM

I think if the food is good enough, priced correctly, and a fun place to go, I can find the location if I wanted to, I don’t see what all the fuss about the name is, I read about the place on this website, and I am going to check it out soon. I don’t think the name will make or break it, if it is good soon everyone will know how to get there.I have ate at many restaurants with cool names, but didn’t make it because the quality and service just wasn’t there. Call it anything you want, I’m happy I have another place to try !

wrinkleintherug
08/20 01:12 AM

had my first dinner tonight.  atmosphere fantastic, setting elegant and food absolutely great.  fun people as well; really enjoyed it and will be hitting sunday brunch this week.