Cindy and I were fortunate enough to find time to visit Capriz yesterday - only their 2nd day in operation. It's very easy to find - right between the Broadway at the Beach Carousel and Wonderworks building:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p7/D ... -539-1.jpghttp://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p7/D ... ge-566.jpgWe arrived shortly after they opened at 4PM; a very warm welcome by their front-end staff:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p7/D ... ge-562.jpghttp://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p7/D ... ge-561.jpgWe were immediately seated; the entire interior is spacious, well laid out, and all tables seem to have a great view out the many large windows.
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p7/D ... ge-545.jpghttp://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p7/D ... ge-555.jpghttp://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p7/D ... ge-559.jpgOur server, Jim, welcomed us again, provided a basket of perfectly-prepared breadsticks, and explained the entire concept of their dining experience. Initially, you are welcome to visit their many-feature and both-sided salad and appetizer bar:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p7/D ... ge-547.jpgI grabbed small samples of several various items; most notable were the Italian Chicken Salad, Italian Mozzarella and Prosciutto Pinwheels, Cheese Tortellini, Eggplant Parmesan, Italian Sausage with Peppers, and others. ALL were excellent!
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p7/D ... ge-548.jpgJim had also explained their serving method: each diner has a square table card - red on one side, green on the other:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p7/D ... ge-551.jpgWhen you are ready for table service of the many provided main fares, just turn the card to green. OK, so when I was done with the salad/appetizer items, I turned over my card to the green side - and...
I suddenly was pounced upon by servers from all directions. Have you ever seen the Seinfeld episode about the overdue book and the Library Cop (SWARM! SWARM!!")? Yep, just like that. I felt like Frankenstein being caught by the angry villagers. Jerome "The Bus" Bettis being gang-tackled. Etc, etc - all that, but in a good way.
There were young guys and gals each carrying rods with perfectly-cooked pork ribs and chicken legs ... pans with Manicotti in Red Sauce, Lasagna, Gnocchi with a Pesto Cream Sauce, Shrimp Alfredo, Pasta Carbonara, Rigatoni al la Vodka with Meatballs ... and much much more. I suddenly noticed 3 bowls on the other side of the table - one contained several pieces of special-recipe Rotisserie Chicken, one had spaghetti in a heavily-seasoned marinara sauce, the other had 2 huge meatballs in a very smooth tomato sauce. I don’t remember anyone placing them there, due to the flock of servers who offered their dishes - and my willingness to "try a small sample" of most:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p7/D ... ge-552.jpgAfter trying each, I decided on seconds of my favorites: the Manicotti, Shrimp Alfredo, and Pasta Carbonara. The only 2 items I didn’t really care for were the Spaghetti (way too seasoned and a rather weak sauce) and the Gnocchi (cream sauce seemed a bit bitter).
One very noticeable thing about the staff was that some of them - those serving the pork ribs and chicken legs - wear the uniforms of Rioz Brazilian Steakhouse. Of course, as stated in the title post and in the company’s releases, both restaurants are partnered and under the same ownership and management. Thus - they share resources, serving methods, etc. We were approached by and had a very pleasant and cordial conversation with operating partner Orlando Preissler after we were done, who confirmed all this and seems very satisfied with how all operations are going so far while seeking comments and input to improve in any way possible.
Though they have an admirable wine menu, we passed on this as I don’t drink and Cindy rarely does - and especially if she is working the next day. We also passed on the inviting dessert menu (extra cost); we were just too stuffed with the main fare.
Overall cost of the 2 adult full-buffet meals, drinks (sweet tea and Sprite), and taxes came out to $45 and some change. Adding a reasonable tip brought it to not much over $50.
Will we return? Absolutely. Though our favorite Italian Buffet in this area is still Pizza A La Roma (5th Ave & Kings Highway/Business 17 in Myrtle Beach, buffet is during the summer months only), we plan to make this our favorite during the rest of the year.