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Since I started this journal, I’ve written lots of reviews of movies and a few scattered music and book reviews, but I’ve never tried my hand at a restaurant review before. I suppose this is partly because I know the majority of Gaians don’t live anywhere near me and so probably wouldn’t be all that interested in reading about a restaurant where they’re never likely to eat. And since I don’t have a newspaper paying my expenses, I can’t go back to the same restaurant over and over again to try different dishes. But I felt like writing about my lunch today, so why the hell not?

Tomorrow is my mother’s birthday, but since she has to go to the dentist to get a tooth filled we decided to have her birthday lunch (a long-standing tradition) today. We went to Opus 9 Steakhouse in the still-developing New Town section of Williamsburg (and I mean that quite literally: at least one major construction project is visible from just outside the restaurant). I’d taken a look at the menu a couple days ago and saw some appealing items at fairly reasonable prices—though of course for my mother, born and raised in the Great Depression, even McDonald’s prices in 2008 seem unreasonable. xp

Anyway, Opus 9 looks far fancier than its prices would suggest. The musical theme implied by its name runs throughout the décor—there’s a grand piano sitting in the middle of the floor (though no one was playing while we were there; instead, jazz was playing on the sound system), and pictures of instruments and musicians along the walls. The color scheme emphasizes muted tones, lots of gray and black and dark blue; but it also doesn’t feel oppressive or overly dark, thanks to the large windows that let in plenty of light from all angles. The room where we sat also had a strong emphasis on wine, with one wall set up as a faux wine cellar. But since I was driving, I couldn’t take advantage of the extensive wine list.

I ordered the “Mozart Burger”, a mixture of ground beef and andouille sausage that turned out to pack a much stronger kick than any burger I’d ever eaten. There were plenty of options for customization, though I was a little disappointed that provolone wasn’t on offer, only Swiss and American—but still, it was cooked exactly as I ordered it, and the accompanying French fries were crisp and flavorful. It was, however, a somewhat difficult sandwich to eat, as the bun was enormous. My mother had similar problems eating her grilled chicken sandwich; but again, the quality of the food was excellent, and the portions were extremely generous—there was enough potato salad on her plate to feed two people.

The service was also top-notch; our waiter was attentive without ever being overbearing, and from what I observed the rest of the staff was just as good. So despite some minor reservations, it was a very good meal, and I definitely plan to return to try some of their other selections (next time, I’ll probably go for the crab cake sandwich).