09/13/09

very disappointing

by nic13

Sunday morning: we waited for a while... then the food finally came, and it was the most tasteless, bland food I have ever eaten. And I was so hungry!! The contents of half a salt & pepper shaker couldn't make this food taste any better....

VERY VERY bland and too much money for that....

• Pros: you can sit outside
• Cons: the food!!

09/05/08

I was so disappointed!

by dnsd2008

I really wanted to like this place! Three of us went, and after a long wait to get a table we ordered and started the long wait to get our food. An hour later the waiter told us the kitchen had lost our ticket. Two of us got ours eventually, but another hour after we got our food my husband FINALLY got his burger! And when he got it it was RARE!!! And I mean bloody and cold inside! The waiter did give us a free dessert for our trouble, but we were too tired of sitting there to wait another hour and a half for my husband's burger, especially since the rest of us had been done with our meal forever! I did give the place another try (may have just been a bad night for them?) and went with a friend for drinks and appetizers in the bar. The first 4 appetizers we ordered were sold out. We finally got their bread stuffed with cheese which was excellent, and our waittress was great. I general, I am very dissappointed with this restaurant. Hopefully they will get their "S" together.

• Pros: Staff is friendly, great atmosphere
• Cons: Staff is SLOW, parking in Ballard can be hell.

05/14/08

Nice spot for a relaxing date night

by getfuzzygurl

My boyfriend and I decided to give The Hi-Life a shot after going to The 5 Spot, it's sister restaurant, so many times. The Hi-Life was very nice in that it had a quieter and classier feel than the 5 Spot but still had several of the signature 5 Spot dishes on the menu. I had a wonderful Greek dish, the Mezzes Platter, that had just the right combination of flavors without being too overwhelming. The bottle of Greek wine that was paired with it was decent enough. My boyfriend enjoyed a penne dish which was nothing extraordinary but the chicken on top was very tasty. We finished our meal with an espresso cheesecake that was the perfect finale to our experience; not too rich but incredibly yummy! Our waitress was attentive and friendly and we loved that the atmosphere allowed us to have a more intimate dining experience as the restaurant was not crowded but wasn't dead either.

I will probably go back again to induldge my Greek food cravings!

• Pros: attentive wait staff, good food, classy without frills
• Cons: limited street parking, wine list could be better