so here is my quick review of Grand Lux Cafe in Garden City, NY:
first of all, the place is very big and impressive looking....huge ceilings, fancy decorations, semi-dim lighting - sort of like Cheesecake Factory, but a tiny bit more elegant and European (which is apparently what they were aiming for)....it sort of gave me the feeling of being in a nice hotel in Vegas or some other vacation hot spot (also appropriate, because I think the first one was modeled for a Vegas hotel)....you could spend half the meal just looking around
pricing - i'd say the majority of entrees were $16 - $24, with salads and sandwiches/burgers being a bit cheaper....so not outrageous, but a bit more than your average chain
service was pretty good....a little slow to get our main course, but the GM came by and apologized, and it didn't bother us much anyway....waitress was friendly and helpful....one thing that was nice is that when walking around, if you ever came to an intersection at the same time as a member of staff, they would always let you go first, even if carrying something...also, when i asked a random busboy where the bathroom was, he actually walked me over to it, instead of just pointing (may have something to do with the fact that the place is pretty big)....small touches, but nice
food - LOTS of choices....almost too much, but not quite.....i ordered the veal saltimbocca (or something like that) - thin strips of veal topped with prosciutto and fontina cheese, then coated in parmesan breadcrumbs and pan fried till a bit crispy, served over pasta....very good portion....i honestly didnt love it....it was very tasty, just sweeter than i expected....it also left me feeling very full and gross, even though i didnt even finish, but having some bread (good, btw) and a large beer may have had something to do with that....my wife loved her chicken - i dont remember which dish it was, but it was pounded thin until it was literally the size of the plate....it was the most tender piece of chicken i have ever had, no joke....father in law seemed to very much like his pot roast
we also ordered two of the "baked to order desserts" - a chocolate melting cake, and the french beignets ....the cake was as good as any i have had (easy to find that just about anywhere nowadays) and the beignets (you get like 6 HUGE ones) were surprising light compared to carnival zeppole....those came with three dipping sauces - dark chocolate was good and tasted just like the choc melting cake, whiskey cream was the best one, and the raspberry was tasty though i preferred to just dip my spoon in that one instead of the beignet
so, overall, i would say it was a very good meal (and not only because it was free!)....its perfect if you want an impressive atmosphere, a slightly more upscale experience, above average but decent prices, and the consistency of a chain...i would def go again, but i think i want to go back to Cheesecake first to really compare the differences....i wouldnt order what i got this time, largely because they have so many other choices that looked good, and partly because it didnt blow me away
feel free to ask questions
