September 30, 2013
Average Joe Chances are you have heard of Brion’s Grille, a small but popular sports bar located in University Mall. Some of the best places I have eaten happen to have been in the small sports bars scattered throughout Virginia. Though I wont be adding Brion’s Grille onto that list, it was still an average experience. What makes a good sports bar to me, is not necessarily its size, but the atmosphere, the quality of food, and the service. The location of the diner had a fairly, good start. It is fairly close to campus, only a twenty minute walk. Even upon entering Brion’s, my attitude maintained it high ranking. Inside, the place was noticeably dark. It gave the restaurant a mellow feeling, which I like! I feel more comfortable in an atmosphere where I am allowed to relax and unwind. However the most disappointing part of the atmosphere would be the crowd or lack of, I should say. It was moderately empty, for a Sunday around six o’ clock. Nevertheless, I was seated and served quickly. Even though it was basically empty, altogether I could tell it has a great atmosphere. The Redskins game was on and everyone inside cheered and watched the game together. This place is GMU-central. Every inch of the wall is covered in university gear, and all the burgers are named after Mason people, which I thought had a nice touch. Brions Grille definitely a college vibe to students looking to loosen up after classes. The menu was pretty straight forward. Burgers, deli sandwiches, and appetizers fill the pages inside. Overall it was average American food. So upon ordering I kept it simple and ordered The Jay Marsh burger but add a little zest I also ordered pepper sticks on the side. A simple burger, with American cheese and bacon. Honestly the burger was decent. Medium rare, with onions, lettuce, tomatoes and pickles on the side, nothing looked weird or tasted funny. Straightforward as it was, it was also about as dry as the Sahara Desert itself. Now I will take the blame for my disappointment at its ordinariness, though, seeing as how I did inquire about what the burger consisted of in the first place. What I will not take the blame for, however, is the fact that the burger was lukewarm and served on stale bread. My french fries were hot, at least, but otherwise nothing special, and the side of pepper sticks had no kick or zest whatsoever. They were warm but made of nothing but unfrozen mozzarella sticks with a dash of pepper. Full, but not satisfied I ordered a fried cupcake for dessert. I admit I was excited because I am a big fan of fried Oreos. Least to say I was not disappointed, as I was ingesting this cupcake, I was also mentally scheduling an appointment to the gym. This was definitely the