maze of angled walls and postmodern decor is the first thing you’ll see when walking into the recently opened Jul’s Grille. Curtains hang from the half-tiled ceiling and various paintings hang on the walls. A server dressed in formal attire will seat you at one of the small number of tables or booths in the restaurant. ?

?So far, this is the normal eating out routine, but not much about Jul’s Grille is normal. The inside looks more like an art museum than a restaurant, and while nice decorations can create an alluring atmosphere, it is overdone in this instance.

?My dining companion, Andrea Ornelas, senior elementary education major, disagreed with me.

?”I thought the decorations were very unique, not like anything around,” said Ornelas.

?The restaurant is inviting, as is the kind staff. The menu is very diverse, offering a wide selection of appetizers, sandwiches and items from the grill. I ordered the New York club sandwich, which is a popular selection, according to our server. ?

?The dinner prices were on the high side, as were the lunch prices, depending on what you order. The food portions were large though, and certainly worth the extra money.

?”The homemade potato chips were what sold me,” said Ornelas.

?By far the most intriguing aspect of the restaurant is the location next to the nightclub that shares its name. There is a seamless quality in the way the restaurant ties into the nightclub, almost as if one should eat and then go dance. This was also reflected in the prominent bar in the restaurant. I found this a little peculiar because there’s already a bar in the club. It appears to be more a factor of convenience.

?Another interesting aspect of the restaurant appeared on the sign posting the hours of operation on the door. They are open from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. Saturday morning to serve breakfast, I assume for the nightclub patrons to sober up before the drive home.

?The sophisticated atmosphere and dining experience is really where Jul’s Grille shines. It’s an experience truly unique in the Topeka dining scene.

?”It was a place I would go to on a date, but not with my girlfriends,” said Ornelas. “We like to go to places where we can be loud if we want to. You can’t really be loud there.”