The Grand Finale

07/21/2008 Posted by talm1

Service average ... parking impossible! food...sausage swiming in grease, no real crapes, no omlet stand and no lunch items. Read their menue ahead of time .."buffet"...was not breakfast and lunch...just breafast. Their 'famous' blueberry pancakes arrived cold at the end of the meal...bread pudding the only good thing on the line.... it was Golden Corral (quality) food at twice the price.

Pros: bread pudding

Cons: Too many tables added to the dining area

01/15/2008 Posted by riddlers

This restaurant proves difficult to navigate in many ways. First the parking lot proves difficult if you drive anything larger than a unicycle. My car has never survived the parking lot without getting bumped. When you enter this cozy establishment walking toward the hostess proves cumbersome and tight. Some chairs adorn the passageway to further complicate movement and provide respite for the long wait you'll likely encounter. One cannot sit in this cute establishment without getting jarred. The back room entertained a party of 50 in an area about 15 by 20 feet. This facility in all its quaint fashion is NOT in the least assessable to folks with disabilities (wheel-chair). The owners hang monuments to themselves on the entrance wall in a self-congratulatory manner further enhancing the overly pretentious environment. Employees of great eating establishments know it and don't need to convince anyone with framed outdated reviews, they continually prove it with fabulous meals. The building is divided in two, and the back half seems to be an afterthought with extremely uncomfortable low-quality chairs. After eating there several times it appears as though you get better service in the front half of the building. The staff are always quick and friendly and the management has someone watching over the guests in the front half of the building, more in an obsequious manner than professional. The food here always seems decent, and the ginger chicken is good. The food is well prepared and fresh, but about a seven on a scale of one to ten. Nothing here seems to justify the hype or the pricing - it's similar to paying for a Cadillac and finding you really purchased a Chevrolet. Nothing is wrong with the Chevrolet, but you paid for the Cadillac. The prices are very high for the food provided, and undoubtedly you pay for the Cadillac reputation. Expect to pay approximately $35 a person if you avoid alcohol and keep appetizers to a minimum.

Pros: Friendly staff, decent food

Cons: Pretentious as they come, expensive, inaccessible, LONG waits

11/25/2007 Posted by sailingjunkie

Recently married, I have been talking about the Grande Finale "Brunch" non-stop, for months. My wife, although familiar with the restaurant (her sister had her wedding shower there), she had never been to the Sunday Brunch. So, today, after church, we decided it was time to go. As we drove, I was eager for a return visit ,and my wife was equally excited with anticipation of what was to come. Well, what a disappointment. I have literally had better food and service at Frisches. The food quality was terrible, at best. The eggs were luke warm, as were the crepes' and the poached eggs. The link sausages were "Jimmy Dean" ( we eat them regularly) and they were floating in liquid, the bacon was paper thin and cold as well. The sausage gravy was more like soup, as were the garlic cheese grits, the pastries, (their "trademark"), too, were very disappointing. A word of warning...they charge a dollar for every refill, no matter what the beverage (non-alcoholic). Then, while in line, the gentleman who seemed to be orchestrating the food noticed that there was a piece of bacon missing from the poached egg. I was very surprised when he reached into the pan of bacon, removed a piece with his BARE hands, broke off a portion and placed it on the egg ( a VERY sanitary activity). That was, to say the least, a very nauseating act, and it was then, that we decided to leave. Sadly, once a place that I would recommend to anyone, I will be sure to let anyone know who cares, NOT to waste their time or money at the Grande Finale...for ANY meal. If you enjoy a Sunday brunch with a widely varied selection of food of exceptional qualiity, we would recommend the Greyhound Tavern in Ft. Mitchell, KY.

05/21/2007 Posted by trudys

The brunch that is supposed to be so good is highly over rated. There was no salad, no pastries, no carved meats, no omelets, and no desserts, except for teaspoonfuls of some type of mousse. And I was charged for a refill on my juice. A brunch, by definition, is a combination of breakfast and lunch, and this didn't even come close. When we go out for brunch, we expect see the usual breakfast items, plus entree items, such as carved roast beef, au gratin potatoes, salad, omelets, and desserts, such as cake, pie, cookies, ice cream etc. This brunch had none of these, and I wonder where others have been dining to rate the brunch highly. It was lacking and disappointing.

Pros: None

Cons: Not enough parking

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

10/15/2006 Posted by camptontoo

To borrow Lincoln's line "People who like this sort of thing will probably like it." I found the self-congratulatory complaceny of the restauraunt somewhat overdone. It simply is too cute by far. On a recent trip to Cincincinnati, I much preferred Pho Paris or the simple Greenup Cafe in Covington than this but give it one accolade: It's not easy to write a menu that is a total cliche

Cons: Too cute by far

07/17/2006 Posted by nifty_2009

My boyfriend and I went to The Grand Finale for the first time on our 4 year anniversary. The red raspberry martini was one of the best I've ever had. Our entrees were also amazing. He had the crepes lawrence and I had the double lobster linguini. Both were filled with amazing flavor. I am a dessert person, so I was most excited about that. I tried their special cheesecake, a chocolate cheesecake in white chocolate sauce with fresh strawberries. If you are a chocolate fan, then this is your heaven. He got the apple cinnamon cheesecake, which tasted exactly as it sounded. It was served with a small helping of warm icing on the side. Everything was amazing that evening. One our most romantic dates. We enjoyed it so much that we took his parents there the following weeking. I would go back again and again.

Pros: with reservations you get right in, amazing food, beautiful building

Cons: not a quick meal kind of place, not good for young children at dinnertime

07/12/2006 Posted by ulayla

Housed in an old historic Inn at the corner of Sharon Rd. and Princton Pike the atmosphere and food is to dye for. Try the fried oysters and steak, great combo. Extensive wine list and in the summer they sometimes offer free corkage on Sundays. Take a few friends, your favorite bottle of wine and have a party...I have and the service was wonderful.

03/16/2006 Posted by speckles

I love this restaurant. The menu selection is great. Some of my favorites are the crab cakes and the grilled shrimp. They make all their own desserts, a different cheescake every day. The service is wonderful and you get a good portion for the money.

Pros: cute older house, great food, good service

Cons: get there early

12/27/2005 Posted by cincyrestaurantmaven

Best brunch in Cincy. No NASCAR fans or hill folk. Great food in a great space. The dinners are also good and the desserts are top notch. A great place to impress out of town guests.

Pros: Food, Atmosphere

Cons: bunch wait

06/10/2005 Posted by newflover

Have been going there for years, only place in town that has consistenty great steaks and the lobster is heavenly.