Stopped en route to Tremblant for lunch....my lobster club was bland and the duck pancetta was barely evident...there was no flavor and expensive for
What it was..side salad had wilted bits of lettuce...husband had a burger and fries...nothing special but good. Service was polite but rather indifferent. would not come again.
I had not been here in over three years, but since I remember it being good, I took a friend for dinner.
He ordered the fish, I ordered the stuffed chicken. His fish was rubbery and bland, my chicken was not hot enough, and it was bland. Vegetables were over cooked. Server was friendly.
I wouldn't return; I was surprised how much it had changed. The couple beside us also commented on the bland food. For our $153 bill, we were both very disappointed.
And they must get bonus points for upselling water, as she tried twice to get us to buy it.
Have been there a few times, and loved it thats why i keep going back.
Then when I was recently there the food was awful.
They changed the menu so my favorite dish is now no longer there, the tuna steak they used to do was amazing, but this time it was not fresh or tender they couldn't serve it to me the way i like it because it was not fresh, but did not tell me this before i ordered it.
The atmosphere is still exciting to be in, and the service is pretty good.
I have gone here with my family twice before and both times I have enjoyed the experience. The last time I went I had a salad to start, which was fresh and delicious, though a little bit on the tiny side. The real show stopper is the dip platter, which is served with hot pita and a selection of five dips, each tastier than the last. Great service, but the decor is a little odd. Sitting on the patio made this a little easier on the eyes. I shared the platter with my parents and it was a good size for three people. The last time I shared it with my whole family (5 people) we had to ask for more pita bread, which they accommodated.
Great place for lunch!
Would have been Ok if the expectation was not there for good food.. when you pay $45 for a steak you expect everything will be great. We ordered two appetizers to share and either no taste for the calamari or a very uncomfortable serving of venison carpaccio.Carpaccio should be cut into slivers to help it melt into you rmouth and this just didnt get there.. My biggest beef was the use of one size fits all for wine servings..We ordered a $150 red from tuscany and it was poured into a white wine glass which seemed to be the norm at this restaurant. Why bother carrying expensive bottles if you can't serve them properly. They seem to be very concerned about presentation at this place so this should extend to all servings.. All was not lost though as the lamb was enjoyed by one at our table.
We went for Sunday brunch - Clean and pricey. Pretty good food and prices but slow service and kid servers. I had the Eggs Benedict, which were pretty good. My wife had the burger and eggs - very good.
I went to this restaurant with my husband one night. It was not busy in the restaurant an average number of people. I ordered the Salmon and my husband ordered a Venison special. When our meals came mine was "out of the fridge" cold and my husbands was not much better. We sent them back. I got a new plate and mine was still very cold in places and lukewarm in others. When the waitress returned to ask if it was hot enough I said that it was still cold. She said "That's immpossible I saw them take it out of the oven myself" then added "it must be the sauce that is cold the rest of it must be hot" Then she asked if I wanted yet another plate and I refused - what's the point. My meal consisted of one small piece of salmon with cold milky sauce, two slices of tomato and a bunch of steamed brocolli. My husband had a small piece of venison, brocolli and something else. He said his dinner was tasteless. My salmon was extremely dry and also tasteless. When the bill arrived we were shocked to see the amount. The tasteless "special" venison was 45$ which the waitress made no mention of. Our entire bill came to 163$ for two salads (nothing special), main course there wasn't much to it and one bottle of wine. Apparently at this restaurant all the main course sides are all extra - they are not included. So if you were to get a steak for instance you would have to order a baked potato or rice or whatever extra. So you would think that after all the cold food issues we had the waitress would have made some kind of arrangements to either take some money off of our bill or give us something for free but no. Nothing was done, no apologies were made. The table beside us also sent their food back for various reasons. This restaurant is way over priced for what you get and the food is terrible. Service is not up to par with what it should be for those prices.
Waiter's behaviour was very odd, seemed very reluctant to bring plain water to my tablemates, offering instead to bring a large bottle of Perrier and then trying to pour it for those who had declined. They had to get quite insistent about their tapwater. Food was good but it took almost an hour for the six of us to get our sandwiches even though the place was half empty. It took another 20 minutes for the bill. I would return only if someone else insisted.
Went to Empire Grill with my Girlfriend for our one year anniversary. Our Server was pleasant and very kind. I was amazed at the noise level in this restaurant, it felt as if we were eating dinner with 450 people in a 1000 sq dining room with amplified acoustics. We ordered a Grilled bread app with an assortment of delicious dips (tzatziki, truffle white bean, herbed chevre ,curried lentil, red pepper salsa) which came with hot grilled flatbreads and an assortment of of olives and peppers. This app was delicious! The Crabcake had an off taste, similar to pollock. We both ordered the filet mignon and shared 3-4 sides ( roasted fingerling potatoes , green beans sauteed in sesame oil w/ shaved almonds, creamed spinach, roasted tomatoes w/ aged balsamic). Our steaks arrived cold, i sent mine back seeing as it was "blue" when i had ordered med-rare. our sides were basic cooking school 101. So all in all besides the grillbread app the meal was a letdown. We will not be returning to this restaurant any time soon. Just very disappointing when you pay 175$ without drinks for two, for that ammount I expect near perfection.
This is a mediocre restaurant on a good day. They offer nothing unique or special. It doesn't feel like a "grill" at all and the decor is suited for ladies. Prices are way above reasonable and you feel a little ripped off at the end of the night. Server was excellent but terribly overworked for a high calibre restaurant. This place will always be busy because of its location but I doubt they get alot of repeat customers.
Food was delicious, wine selection was fabulous...
Food was delicious, wine selection was fabulous. The server was attentive without being intrusive. Water glasses filled often, bread in abundance. Everything was cooked as ordered and hot on arrival. Overall, a great evening out with friends was made better by the Empire Grill.
Way too dark! Couldnt our my plates. Food presentation was awful. Server was rude. Over an hour wait for dinner. Table was added due to over booking.(we had a reservation) Overall was super disappointing espesially since it was a birthday dinner! We will never come back. And have told many ppl about our disapointments with The Empire Grill.
This place is fun. From Toronto & in Ottawa on...
This place is fun. From Toronto & in Ottawa on business. Was a guest of a vendor. 3 of us had steak & the other lamb. Real nice food. Server was on top his game. Great spot.
The service was awful!!! And it's not because it...
The service was awful!!! And it's not because it was Canada day, the restaurant was less than 1/2 packed! Our waiter (we think is also the floor manager...seemed to be the one making decisions) did not bring us bread after we ordered (but he brought some to the table next to us...). Our drinks came out in cheap plastic beer cups and water was served in wine glasses?? He did not come to check up on things (he did check up on the table next to us..) so we had to flag another waitress to bring us utensils.
At the end of the dinner he assumed we didn't want desert and gave us the bill and left...This was by far the worst service I had ever had (in Ottawa). Will never visit again.
The reputation of being casual, cool and comfortable is well-earned here – unless you choose a shaded patio table on the street in the height of one of Ottawa’s humid summers, that is. If you want a tender Canadian-grown Angus beef steak, a charcuterie or cheese sharing board – where you can observe how your colleague copes with sharing – this is the place for you. Summer’s humidity and heat may dictate a salad, so here’s where lime coconut chicken works impeccably with romaine.
Empire Grill is an urban eatery that serves brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Start small with their Ottawa valley gazpacho (a lemon basil crème fraîche) before tackling their brunch board for two. It consists of a croissant cheese melt with scrambled eggs, French toast, bacon, sausage and mushroom on toast, crispy beef nibs and a fruit cup.
