MidMoDiningGuide.com staffers were put to the challenge by our Facebook fans to try out Sky Hi Bar & Grill and report back with our observations.
Sky Hi is located in down old 63 in Columbia in the Grindstone Village strip mall. When you first walk inside you'll see a full bar and plenty of seating--perfect for a lunch or dinner atmosphere. The prices were pretty standard, $7-$12 for entrees. The menu is stacked with American favorites like burgers, Memphis-style pulled pork sandwiches and brick oven baked pizzas. They also have larger options for dinner like salmon, steak and catfish. Many of these options have a unique twist, like the Southwest Mango and Bison Burger, which can be topped with egg, carmalized onions, avocado, a variety of cheeses and pretty much anything else your heart desires.
If you're in the mood for a drink, they have an extensive (more than 20 options!) wine list and new brews on tap almost every week. One of our MMDG crew members definitely had an IPA or two during our outing!
We arrived at Sky Hi around 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday and the restaurant was fairly empty. We had to wait a bit before we were seated, but our server was very accomodating and patient when the men couldn't figure out what drinks to get.
Each of us ordered something different to taste, enjoy and experience for our readers. Here's a summary of each of the menu items we tried, in each staffer's own words:
Puller Pork Memphis Style with O'Fallon 5-Day IPA
I really enjoyed the tasty, moist pork with the tangy cole slaw--a great combination. I barely spoke during the meal because I was enjoying my sandwich too much! The portion was also very large--I could've saved it for two meals, but it was so good I ate it all in one. The brew was good, not my favorite IPA, but it washed down my lunch just fine.
BBQ Chicken Pizza
Everytime I go to Sky High I tell myself "I'm going to try a burger or a sandwich." Then I get there and I can't pass up their brick oven pizzas. This time I went with their 7 inch BBQ Chicken Pizza. It was phenomenal, as are their other brick oven pizzas. The BBQ sauce is sweet with a little bite to it for a blast of flavor. The chicken was tender and the bacon was crispy. All together a great lunch pizza to make you feel full but not too heavy.
Pepperoni Pizza with Side Salad
I ordered the 7-inch pepperoni pizza that was part of their lunch special that came with a side salad. The pizza came out piping hot and tasted great. If you love cheese on your pizza then Sky Hi's pizza will be a perfect fit. My only complaint is that it was smaller than I was expecting, more like a personal pan pizza size from Pizza Hut. I will go with the 12-inch option next time.
Bison Burger with Fries
I was feeling adventurous for lunch that day and wanted something packed with protein but not too greasy or unhealthy. Bison has significantly less calories, fat and cholesterol content (and more iron) than beef burgers. Our server described the meat as tasting "tougher" than your average burger, but I really couldn't tell a difference. I topped my medium-cooked 1/3 pound burger with pepper jack cheese, lettuce and tomatos--delicious! The entree filled me up and was just what I needed after my small breakfast hours earlier. The fries were pretty basic, I wish I had opted for the sweet potato side instead, but overall, it tasted great and I will definitely be eating another bison burger in the near future!
Sky Burger with Sweet Potato Fries
Sky Hi is definitely a restaurant on my "visit again" list. The atmosphere was very comfortable with big, roomy booths, clean bathrooms, friendly staff and the burger with bacon and an over-medium egg was delicious! The sweet potato fries could've used some brown sugar and cinnamon, but otherwise, they were very good!
Still want to know more? Sky Hi has a website at www.skyhigrill.com and a Facebook page.
