Today’s choice off the Breakfast Menu was the Sunday brunch Buffet at Grande Finale in Glendale.
Today the wife and I had to be in the Springdale area to finish paying on a couch we had ordered that no longer exists (but that is another story) so in an attempt to save gas I decided to take advantage of our need to be over on that side of town to try a place I had been meaning to hit up, The Grande Finale. I was thinking that the place wouldn’t be packed the weekend between Easter and Mother’s day but I was mistaken. It was packed today too. The staff commented that it was unexpected but they appeared to handle it well. We had a very good experience there and would definitely put it on our list of places to return to.
Restaurant:
The Grand Finalle was a great place. It had a nice atmosphere and a really cool wait staff. According to their literature the place has been there for 3 decades after opening up in the summer of 1975. It is in a nice Victorian building. There was a courtyard but it was closed due to weather. It had an old world homey feel to it. The customers were mixed. There were many families and people enjoying brunch by themselves. There was a mother daughter group having brunch over at a long table near us. The noise level inside was a little loud but not too unmanageable.
The brunch at the Grand Finalle offers a few different options. They have scrambled eggs, eggs Benedict, and quiches. They also offer cheesy grits, biscuits and gravy as well as several meats. Your brunch comes with one fruit drink, with a choice of OJ, Apple, pineapple, and cranberry. You also get the choice between a Belgium waffle and multi-griain pancakes. Alongside these breakfast dishes they have several samples of their signature desserts in little dishes.
The Food:
It was a buffet, so I just grabbed a little of everything to try it out.
The verdict:
The food was pretty good. It was leagues above the typical brunch buffet at a chain restaurant. The eggs were probably the best I had eaten off a buffet. They were fluffy and delicious. My wife really enjoyed the cheesy grits. She said they were creamy and cheesy. I have never had eggs Benedict before and I really enjoyed it. It was like a boiled egg without the shell. My wife and I debated how they make that dish, lookout for a possible recipe review down the line.
I thought the quiche was a little dry, particularly since I recently tried making quiche myself so I know what it should taste like. Glendale also has the Bluebird Bakery which I also had recently, so I know what it should taste like. The quiche was a downer.
The multigrain pancakes were really good. They had blueberries and were really tasty. They were definitely superior to the Belgium waffle which tasted like a typical Belgium waffle with no frills. They also had savory crepes which were good. I usually avoid crepes that don’t have fruit and or cream in them but these made me rethink that decision.
Coffee corner:
My wife said that the coffee was pretty good. She gave it a 3.5 out of 5 sugar packets.
Overall Experience:
I give the whole experience 4 out of 5 broken eggs:
The food was good. It had some elements that were better than the average buffet. The service was great and the food was good. There were some things on the buffet that I didn’t love but it wasn’t a major disappointment. Grand Finale has earned a best of Cincinnati rating several years (only to be recently beat out by First Watch, don’t get me started on that.) I could see how they are a cut above, but I wouldn’t call them the best. I could be understanding and attribute that to the heavy crowd. It was definitely a quality experience, but not in my top tier. I would return again for the variety of options, and the hopes that they will be better when they aren’t being bum rushed.
For more information on the location:
Grande Finale
3 East Sharon Road,
Glendale, Ohio 45246
513-771-5925
Hours: Sunday Bunch Buffet: 10:30 - 2:30
Regular Hours:
Lunch: Tues. - Sat. 11:15 - 4:00
Dinner: Tues. - Thurs. 4:00 - 9:00
Friday and Saturday 4:00 - 10:00
Sunday 4:30 - 9:00
Website: http://www.grandfinale.info/
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