Grand Tavern Rochester Hills

FOOD

Grand Tavern’s weekend buffet combines breakfast cooking stations with a substantial savory selection. Eggs and griddled sweets are prominent, but the menu also makes room for barbecue ribs, salmon and pasta. Sunday adds slow-roasted prime rib and shrimp cocktail; those two dishes are Sunday features, so they shouldn’t be the reason for choosing a Saturday reservation. The rest of the spread gives either day plenty of range.

The chef’s omelette station gives eggs a made-to-order place in the meal. Scrambled eggs are also on the buffet, so an omelette isn’t the only way to have them. Bacon and sausage bring the familiar breakfast meats, with Southwestern skillet potatoes alongside.

Crêpes, waffles and pancakes are made to order as well. That is a generous choice of three griddled breakfast preparations, from the thin crêpe to the patterned waffle and the pancake stack. Each has its own form, even before any finishing choices enter the picture.

Buttermilk biscuits and gravy offer a different breakfast dish from the eggs and griddle stations. Together with the skillet potatoes, they give the early part of the spread some substance beyond bacon and sausage. Macaroni and cheese brings another familiar comfort-food choice, while a separate pasta dish expands the savory selection. These are substantial dishes in their own right, not just a collection of garnishes for a roast.

Salmon appears in two forms: salmon Florentine and smoked salmon. They give the buffet distinct fish preparations, rather than one interchangeable salmon tray. Barbecue ribs add another main-course choice alongside them. On Sunday, the slow-roasted prime rib takes its place in that company, while shrimp cocktail adds a cold seafood option. Saturday diners still have the ribs and both salmon preparations within the regular buffet selection.

Garden salad, pasta salad and fresh fruit supply the lighter selections around those main dishes. Assorted pastries and desserts finish the buffet, with no fixed cake or pastry list promised. Waffles and pancakes may already have settled the sweet part of breakfast for some diners; the pastry selection leaves a separate choice for anyone who prefers to finish brunch that way. Beverages are priced separately from the buffet.

The Friday all-you-can-eat fish and chips is a separate dine-in special. It offers repeat servings of that fish supper, rather than access to the weekend brunch spread. The distinction is simple but useful: Friday is for fish and chips, while Saturday and Sunday are the broad buffet, with prime rib and shrimp cocktail reserved for Sunday.