Grand

Okay... so my date and I came here for the first time on a Friday night for dinner and didn't know it was about to turn into a club, aka "fistpump extravaganza". ugh.

When we arrived we weren't greeted with a "Welcome to Grand" or "how many in your party?", nope, just a "$20 each" w/much attitude... we stated we were here for dinner and the hostess says, it's still $20 each...okay, fine. So we pay and THEN they check to see if they were still serving dinner...it was about 9:30pm and maybe we are just used to how things are done in the city or BK or anywhere else with better customer service skills (that is a funny statement, NYC=good customer service, but I digress)... we were seated at a high table across from the bar. There were about 10-15 other people in the place, some at the bar and some having dinner. We asked to sit in the more intimate, cushioned section, but were told that area was reserved...a few minutes later they placed reserved signs in that section. We ordered drinks and dinner. The food was okay and the drinks were also just okay ( a little watered down).

We order another round of drinks and we could tell that the atmosphere was changing as more ppl started to file in and the horrible wanna-be house music started to blast. All of a sudden a so-called hostess comes over to our table and states "you guys have to get up because we need this table for a reservation. They've already paid and they are on their way". Ha! Really?! You're buggin! (my internal reaction).. my date calmly states to her that we were not finished with our dinner, we might order desert and our second round of drinks are coming. She states "you can drink your drinks at the bar. Sorry, but you have to get up." We are both calm despite her nasty attitude, I state, "I'm sorry, but we aren't leaving until we finish with our dinner". She then walks away...She returns repeating the same line about the reservation on their way and blah blah blah... I tell her that the reservation will have to wait. I told her that while I understand all of their time rules/restraints, whatever, that we came for dinner, were seated for dinner, were never told that we would have to get up at some set time whether or not we were finished with our dinner experience and so,  we will be happy to leave when we are finished with dinner. I also told her that her customer service skills sucked at that moment. (She needed to know! :-p)

The waiter brought our drinks and tried to make the situation better by stating that he would comp our drinks., but we had to get up. I told him that while we appreciated the gesture, the free martini meant nothing to us. He offered to have the manager come over and we agreed. The manager arrived about 15 mins later, and yes were still sitting there, enjoying our drinks (stronger the second time around). We told the manager what the hostess and waiter said, and he said they were buggin, a little anxious about club night, he apologized for their behavior, offered us another round of drinks... (the manager is the reason Grand is getting two stars!)... the waiter eventually came back to apologize as well (i'm sure he was hoping for a decent tip, don't blame him for that). No apology from the hostess, who was the rudest and started the whole mess...

Funny thing was, after we did get up, the table was never used for a reservation. It was cleared out and taken to the back...hmmm...where was that paid reservation that was on its way and needed it's table?? ha! so silly...

Needless to say, I won't go back and I don't recommend this place. Maybe it's better on a weekday or earlier in the evening, but the food and drinks weren't impressive enough for me to give it another try.

Now that the Burger Bar & Bistro chef has taken over the menu, I'm a fan.

I'm an early bird so the atmosphere hasn't matched the food the last 2 times I have been - around 6:30/7 on Wednesdays. It is EMPTY. Not going to complain, I don't like crowds but I guess they eventually get busy because it seems to stay open.

Love the complimentary chips/dip they bring you.

You can't go wrong with a burger - I have a soft spot for places that actually cook the burger the way you ask for it; I like mine medium rare; most places won't do it.

Bing burger is nice for something different! (mozzarella + cherry preserves? It works!)

Sides are all great as well; used to be a no brainer fries + onion rings but now they have tater tots and fried green beans to make our decision more difficult.

Definitely come hungry!

It's our first time here. My hubby, son and I ventured to Stamford because I had a Groupon that was expiring and I wanted to get its full usage, as would any serious consumer (of food).  What drew me to try out a location so far from home was the lure of Adult Milkshakes. Yes! Adult Milkshakes made with various alcohols and ice creams. How could that be a bad thing??

So, we headed out, were seated after somewhat of a wait but it was well worth it. I felt bad for the hostess.  I think her name was Lisa.  She definitely wore MANY hats on this evening but she held it together with a smile and a hop in her step.  

We started off with a shared appetizer of Truffle Mac & Cheese and I also ordered some Oysters.  It was a burger night and hubby ordered a BYO (Build Your Own) Bacon Cheese Burger.  My son opted for the Bacon Bleu Burger and I ordered a BYO burger with Goat Cheese, Mushrooms and Onions.  It was good!  We all shared a couple orders of Parmesan French Fries which were loaded with fresh cheese.

Hubby and I enjoyed our Adult Milkshakes, he got the Root Beer Float and I had the Vanilla Cake.  My son enjoyed a classic Coconut Milkshake, too, sans the spirits.

Our experience warrants a return visit and I can not wait.