\jeff{krimmel}

Jax Bar and Grill

Last night, Ariele and I went to the Jax Bar & Grill in Glendale for her birthday dinner. Why did I choose to take her to Jax? Because they have live Jazz playing while you eat, and I thought it would be a neat thing to try.

We didn’t know too much about the place before we went. I had looked up some information on Los Angeles Citysearch, but all I really found out was what I stated before: Jax is a restaurant that has live Jazz playing. The reviews online were mostly positive, with one negative review complaining of an over cooked steak. Jax also had a “Best of” rating of 9.2, which meant it was generally recommended.

We left the apartment around 6:30pm or so, and we got to the restaurant in about 20 minutes. We parked in a parking lot positioned directly behind the restaurant, on the western side of Brand Blvd. We were able to walk up the alley behind the street and enter through the restaurant’s rear door. The wait staff sat us immediately and brought a basket full of sourdough bread to the table. Ariele had a water to drink; I had a New Castle. The chilled bottle and chilled glass to pour the beer into was a nice touch, since New Castle wasn’t on tap.

Ariele wanted to order the spinach and artichoke dip for an appetizer. That dip may have been the prize of the evening, food-wise. It was a moderately sized bowl full of dip, with a layer of melted cheese on top, served with a plate of toasted bread. It was a very nice appetizer.

For the meal, Ariele ordered one of the dinner sized salads, and I got the chicken fried steak, which was claimed on the menu to be a cut of filet mignon. That’s quite a nice cut of meat to turn around and chicken fry, but it was certainly appreciated. I had a cup of New England clam chowder with the meal, and that was very nice as well.

While we ate, Jax had a house pianist playing some Jazz-like tunes. Citysearch claims the music is “low enough to hear your conversation”. That was definitely true. We had no problem hearing the music while we ate, but it in no way got in the way of conversation or the occasional banter with the wait staff. We found out after we got to the restaurant that the Jazz lasts from about 5:30pm to 8:30pm, and live bands start playing at 9:00pm. The live bands play until 1:30am. We came to the conclusion that next time, we will likely eat dinner elsewhere and go to Jax for a dessert or a drink and listen to the live band.

So, the food was good, not great. I was pleased with my meal; Ariele will order something different if we go back for dinner. Appetizers ranged from $5 to $10; the entrees from $10 to $25. The food was mostly American type food, with salads, hamburgers, steaks, ribs, seafood, and some pasta dishes. The music was very pleasant, of the right variety and volume to enjoy while eating a meal.

I would definitely recommend it for someone looking for a change of pace in their meals away from home.