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AFTER DINNER
- at Glam Cocktails at Ixia 
You could call Ixia an overachiever if it did not accomplish all that it set out to do. You could call Ixia over-the-top if you did not feel so damned relaxed when you are there.
You could call Ixia trendy or pretentious if only the staff were not so polite and attentive - if only Ixia did not seem so content to be the subtle, night-blooming flower for which it was named. You could call Ixia a lot of things. Mainly, it's a restaurant (Mediterranean-Asian Fusion), lounge, and bar infused with detail, rather than polluted with eccentricities. Passing through the split-level dining room and heading towards the expanses of the lounge, the seating area looks like a lowly lit showroom. Chaise lounges mingle with divans, circled around glass-top coffee tables and end tables sporting lamps. Miniature chandeliers diffuse light against the deep, vibrant blue walls. Lounging isn't such an easy thing to do anymore. Places fill up quickly and are often harried and cramped. But here there is plenty of room to grow, to mingle and to stretch out. Picking out a place to settle in is really all that you need to do. Everything else just comes to you via the attentive and friendly wait staff. You don't just have a waiter. Everyone from the bartender to the busboy is attentive and ready to jump in to freshen your water, get your check, or prepare one of their 31 glamorous specialty martinis! The best surprise though, may be the passed hors d'oeuvres which are offered in the lounge from 5pm and 10pm on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings. Ixia's Chef, Kevin Miller, prepares a creative array of lavish little treats (mostly vegetarian) to warm your taste buds and accompany your cocktails. Treats like Gorgonzola quiche and shrimp salad on a tortilla crisp with a goat cheese mousse are a couple of the delights. The full dinner menu is also available and dining in the lounge on Jazz Nights can be a complete evening; check their web site for the performance schedule. Ixia even provides valet parking ($10) in one of the more difficult parts of town to find a parking space. Ixia takes all the effort out of lounging. And isn't that the way it should be? See you there, after dinner... - Jon Waters Ixia, 518 North Charles Street, In Mt. Vernon 410.727.1800 www.ixia-online.com ARCHIVES MAIN PAGE |