I ordered the same meal at STK and Capital Grille. One steak was the best I've ever had, but the other was the opposite.

I love a good Caesar salad, so I was excited to see how these top-tier establishments would do them. Unfortunately, the starter as STK was kind of a disappointment.

First of all, I thought it was overdressed — not to the point of sogginess, but it had more dressing than I prefer. Worse still, the croutons were almost impossible to stab with a fork.

The wide, flat squares cracked apart, so I had to awkwardly scoop them up if I wanted any good crunch.

It wasn't necessarily a bad salad, but it wasn't great. For $26, I expect a great salad.

The $15 Caesar salad at Capital Grille was excellent — and a bit more reasonably priced.

The lettuce was chopped into relatively even, bite-sized pieces, there were broad shavings of fresh Parmesan cheese, the croutons were thick and easily forked, and the dressing was light but flavorful.

With a sprinkle of cracked black pepper added to the top, it was an excellent starter.

The lunchtime New York strip steak at STK costs $71 and I paid an extra $13 to add umami butter.

Yes, $13 for butter. But it's butter made with wagyu steak drippings that was melted atop my steak with a blowtorch — the spectacle alone was worth a few extra bucks.

Although paying $84 total for a steak is a lot, it was also one of the best steaks I've ever had.

It was cooked to a perfect medium, with an even pink center throughout and a wonderful sear on the exterior. The meat was almost entirely free of gristle or fat deposits and delightfully tender.

I only took one bite with the steak sauce delivered alongside the entrée because it was honestly an affront to the perfect flavor of the meat.

The deliciously satisfying steak might even be worth paying over $100 for at dinnertime.

The bone-in, dry-aged strip steak from Capital Grille was a much more reasonable $41 for lunch. For reference, you'd pay about $10 less for a similar cut at a place like Outback Steakhouse.

Even at dinner, it goes for $72.

I was expecting a fine steak — even if it wasn't going to be another core-memory-level experience. What I got was a piece of meat that was blackened on the outside and unevenly cooked inside.

After slicing it open, I could see that the top and bottom were almost gray from being overcooked and pocked by fat. But somehow, the red center of the cut looked like it had hardly been touched by heat at all.

I managed to slice off a few bites that didn't look too bad, but the meat was pretty tasteless and chewy.

I was tempted to (politely) send the steak back right away — even though I loathe doing that.

STK was already going to be the more expensive meal, but surprise surprise, I had to pay $20 extra for a side. My steak came with fries, but I wanted to compare the chains' mashed potatoes, so I shelled out.

Like the steak, these were — sadly for my wallet — delicious.

I'm someone who loves mashed potatoes with something approaching passion, and these were somehow airy and dense at the same time — almost like a mashed-potato foam.

The top of the potatoes was seared brown, with the look and texture of crème brûlée. They were warm, lightly salted, and buttery throughout.

The mashed potatoes at Capital Grille came with my steak, but I would've paid $12 to $15 for them à la carte.

Although they were quite different from those at STK, they were tasty in their own right.

The pile was creamy and almost had the consistency of a very thick potato soup. They also had a pleasant buttery taste and some dried herbs sprinkled over the top.

Both restaurants were enjoyable to visit overall, and each one had its strengths, so I wouldn't mind returning to either one.

I very much hope that the kitchen simply whiffed on the strip steak I ordered at Capital Grille. Maybe the next one I order will be divine, but I'm not sure I'm willing to take the risk.

I'd order the Caesar salad and mashed potatoes again, but maybe alongside the roasted chicken.

On the other hand, I'm dreaming of the next time I can shell out for STK's delectable strip steak and mashed potatoes.