Blue Hippo

Blue Hippo: Very Hip and great food!

The Blue Hippo - Hip, Trendy and Pricey: Perhaps I'm not the best person to review this place as I've only been there once. However, I'll share my experience as what I've heard from others is pretty much the same standard
The restaurant itself is small, trendy and colorful. The bathroom is one toilet, not terribly impressive, but hey - you won't be eating in there, so it doesn't matter ultimately.
The waitstaff was friendly enough and knowledgable about the wine list - they were very helpful in our decision as to which wine to order. I had fish, he had beef - what goes with both? Turns out, a nice fruity pinot noir. It was $37 a bottle, and one of the cheaper ones. I was thirsting for a martini, but the cheapest of those was $10 - I opted to stick with the wine, which was delightful.
The food was presented beautifully on the plate. Even the appetizer (a shrimp dish, though I cannot remember precisely what it was called - it came with a glaze/sauce) was pretty on the plate. I had tuna, medium rare that was coconut crusted with a spicey orange sauce beneath it and an interesting couscous and mousse layered "tower". My husband had a steak (don't ask me what kind, it was months ago) with garlic mashed potatoes and a sauce that was bbq flavored, but tasty nonetheless. For dessert, I had espresso and we shared an order of creme brulee. All of it was delicious!!!
We went in with a $100 dollar gift certificate, and still had to pay $45 out of pocket to cover the cost of the entire meal, plus tip. Was it worth it? Everything was delicious, the servings were just right, the service excellent, the atmosphere was nice, but personally I would not go back unless I had another gift certificate in hand. The prices were too high in my book (the entrees we had averaged about $35 each) and I can get a meal that's just as yummy somewhere else. However, if you have the money to spend, and aesthetics are important to you as well as service and quality of food, you would probably enjoy this place. All in all, I would definitely recommend it to those who can afford it!