Since its grand opening in January, FIVE has managed to carve out its niche as that restaurant you’ve heard about but haven’t actually tried yet.

The concept is simple enough. FIVE offers five appetizers, five entrees, five cocktails, etc. and to round out the theme they even opened on 1/11/11 which, when added together, equals five.

Gimmicks aside, the online menu looked promising, despite its slim pickings. Currently they’re offering pork pad thai, fried chicken, cheeseburgers, shrimp primavera and ribeye steaks and a daily special – although word has it they change up the menu every month.

If FIVE’s menu is sparse, the décor and atmosphere more than make up for it.  Mismatched chandeliers contrast against exposed brick walls, original artwork and a prohibition-style bar area, which combine to accomplish an effortlessly cool vibe.

The weather was nearly perfect the Monday my friend and I decided to go, so we took advantage of the indoor-outdoor seating. Sometimes sitting outside means service is sporadic at best, but our waitress was friendly and attentive. She was constantly checking up on us without being annoying and genuinely seemed to enjoy where she was working.

The good thing about a small menu is that it doesn’t take too long to decide what to order. I got the pork pad thai and my friend ordered shrimp primavera. Be warned, FIVE certainly drops their theme when it comes to prices. Entrees range from $11-$22 and wine and cocktails are $6 and above.

The food took just long enough to arrive that we knew it hadn’t been sitting under a heat lamp for a while, but also timely enough that we weren’t constantly checking our watches and whipping our heads around every time a server came near.

Our waitress set out two substantially portioned dishes, but unfortunately their flavors were inconsistent. The shrimp primavera was light and flavorful with several large shrimp nestled in beds of fettuccini and sauce.  But my pad thai lacked oomph. Maybe I am judging FIVE too harshly compared to actual Thai restaurant dishes, but the flavor was bordering on bland and the chunks of pork were dry and overcooked.

Bottom line, some of the dishes may not be worth their price tag, but the atmosphere is so fun and the service so attentive that, despite my lackluster entrée, I still had a thoroughly enjoyable evening. So if you’re looking to try out FIVE for yourself be sure you have enough money to swing the prices and enough time to sit back and enjoy the surroundings.