In the old Oregano’s building, 74 George Street in the Byward Market is The Grand. Boasting a wood burning pizza oven with hand pressed dough and homemade pasta, I was really looking forward to my visit.
Price – for most items on the menu the price is quite reasonable. You are looking at anywhere from $16 – $19 per dish. Which was a fine price for my pasta with sausage, cherry tomatoes and ricotta – but there were others at the table that paid the same amount for cheese pizza and spaghetti with meatballs. So be sure to choose your menu item wisely.
Ambiance – The Grand has a gorgeous modern looking dining room with the pizzas being created right in front of you beside the bar. Classy and elegant looking, all of this is ruined by the acoustics. It sounded like I was sitting in a chucky cheese. Which of course is fine if you are there with friends before a night of fun – not so good if you are there on a date.
Menu Options – a very extensive menu with several different kinds of pizza and pasta – many of which sounded amazing. Again, just be sure you are getting your money’s worth, go for something a little fancier than the plane Jane pizza or pasta.
Food – I really enjoyed my meal. Those who ordered pizza said it was good, but hard to eat as it kept sliding around the plate and was very difficult to cut. Fun to watch though.
Overall – Servers here were very nice. Even when I had to send back our dinner rolls because they were frozen solid in the middle. We waited over an hour for our order, and even then one of the guests in our party continued to wait another 20 minutes for his meal. He was given a $30 gift certificate in the hopes he would come back. Personally I’m not that eager to return and probably would have used the gift certificate right then and there. 3 out of 5.
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April 20, 2010 at 9:22 am
Don
I’ve read and heard so many lukewarm thoughts on the Grand that I’m not sure I want to go there.
There are many restaurants in the ByWard market at the same price point that are more reliable in food and service.
For pizza in the market I actually recommend going to Black Thorne, so long as you like thin crust. There, you will pay less and it has a tremendous patio.
Frozen in the middle rolls? An hour wait for food and yet not everyone was served at the same time? Sounds like the kitchen was in disarray that evening.
April 20, 2010 at 9:30 am
simplyfreshottawa
I obviously can’t be sure if this is a common occurrence for The Grand or just an off night. But I will say that we were sat right in front of the wood burning oven where you can watch the chefs preparing the pizzas and no one seemed to be in any kind of hurry. Nor did anyone give me the impression that this was not business as usual for them in terms of quality and pacing.