Grand Cafe

All Form - No Substance. I just bought a building (for my office) in Union Square. Was looking for a daily go to white table cloth in the area. Grand Cafe I thought . . . wrong. Decor - Beautiful Service ? Unsophisticated waiter with heavy Hispanic accent trying to describe ?Brasserie classics.? Disaster. Ketchup came with my wife's burger, but not my fries. When I asked for ketchup, no response. Then I asked again and finally got some ketchup. Waiter did not once do the obligatory "howyadoing." My individual teapot had top turned up for 15 minutes - no refill. Took me another 10 minutes to flag someone else?s waiter down for hot water. My waiter gives me credit card slip to fill out, I sign. Takes me 10 more minutes of looking around the room like I'm an idiot for the waiter to finally see me so he can come get the signed credit card slip.

Final Straw - Coke was $3.50 ok I can live with that. Tea was $5.00! Don?t remember last time tea was more than Coke. Moreover, anyplace that charges $5.00 for tea better provide a hellava lot more than the Grand Cafe.

Management - If you're reading this. Visit was on 1/21/09 1145a-1245p. Either lower your prices or improve your service. Try you again in a year.…

An authentic brasserie in a great setting.. I travel to SF often on business, and usually entertain clients at dinner. So I worry about my restaurant choices. I'd heard some interesting comments about good things happening at the Grand Cafe, and decided to try it. It was a wonderful experience! The room is beatifully designed and interestng, whith it's high ceilings, and open kitchen.The food was authentic French Brasserie. I found the servers attentive, but not overbearing, Our waiter explained intricacies of the preparation on request, and made some great suggestions. All in all, a great experience, and the food was the star!. I'd eaten at Les Halles, in Paris, and this was as authentic but far more sophisticated. The charcuterie, the puree of cod potatoes and garlic, and the skate wing stand out in my memory, but everything was done to perfection. A great evening!…

Beautiful Parisian Brasserie. The Grand's dining room is so beautiful - it speaks to another age when a room could take your breath away. The new Chef has given the food the attention & flavor to match. During a recent trip to Paris, we dined in all the famous brasseries, this one really takes the cake (or foie gras).

I love eating at this restaurant!…

Classic French fare sparkles at this striking Theater District brasserie.. The Scene
Housed in the Hotel Monaco, the cafe attracts guests who mingle in a front bar filled with upbeat pop tunes. Further back, a sculpture of an acrobatic trio balanced atop one another sets the tone of a truly grand dining room. Pillars support 30-foot-high ceilings and sunken tables are surrounded by booths. Caricature-like sculptures, including one of a plump waiter adjacent to the open kitchen, add more playful touches to the majestic space.

The Food
The French onion soup may be the best you'll ever experience--if you enjoy brown-sugar-kissed broth and soaked rye bread that somehow maintains a crisp crust. Smooth and savory defines the spreadable "brandade de morue" (gratin of cod, potato, garlic puree). Entrees range from a relatively mundane tomato-fennel-broth bouillabaisse to transcendent Pacific halibut--each plump, pristine chunk falls off the fork and then dissolves.

Hits: Fun French tunes dancing in the background help to establish an upscale-yet-whimsical ambience.

Misses: Said tunes are not performed live from the dining room balcony.…