The Good Life Cafe — Restaurant in Park Rapids

The "Good Life Café" is a gem that hits all areas. If you like Good drinks, great food, and a sleek, modern feel, this is the place.

Food: Not a massive selection, but carefully crafted recipes that have their own niche to fill. Walleye BLT and Bison Philly are both excellent items and just several of the creative options. The potato chips are HOUSE MADE, and for once I look forward to having chips; a little salty but not too much.

Drinks: A standard-sized but strong selection of wines, cocktails, and beers that satisfy that craving. 4 reds, 4 whites, and a lot of beer! The wine is also chilled at a nice 54-56 degrees (depending on how many times it was opened) that keeps it cool and refreshing, really bringing out the flavor more; it's great.

Price: Good price point for everything surprisingly with its more modern aesthetic and more unique menu combinations. My cabarnet glass was 6.5, the walleye Philly was about 15.5, which for a fish dish is a standard price point, but a deserving one for the quality. Overall worth the cost.

Service: Servers aren't over the top or anything; they're authentic. However that is a plus, as they are authentic while being attentive and courteous but industrious. If anyone is sitting around, they're cleaning something or with a customer, so if your wait time for a check smis a bit longer, you know why.

Atmosphere: Sleek, classy and modern. Angular, earthy colors on straight, angular countertops, unassuming wooden tables with cushioned booths, minimalistic decoration, with indie-title band art adorning one particular corner and some occasional greenery that adorns the walls. It's overall a very spacious but pretty look; one reminiscent of downtown Minneapolis/Saint Paul.

Overall, I recommend for the curious foodie or for a...

This place is a bit deceptive on the outside. It could just be a place to grab a not so special sandwich. A quick bite to eat as you shop the downtown. But it is so much more! Their cocktail list alone makes me wish it was just a thirty-minute ride and not a 3-hour road trip. I had a fantastic raspberry sangria made with cabaret, peach schnapps, lemon lime soda, and pureed raspberries. I've found sangria can be hit and miss, but this one, albeit with out fruit floating in it, was a definite hit. (It was garnished with a slice of orange and a cherry.) I then ordered the parparelle --am I spelling that right?-- basically a wide fettuccine noodle -- in cream sauce, with roasted Brussel sprouts, chicken, and prosciutto. Mamma Mia, it was good! I don’t even like Brussel sprouts; that's how good it was. (So glad I didn't see them listed on the menu or I would have missed out. Like Mom always said, just give it a try.) They served the entree with a half loaf of salted garlic bread, still warm. It didn't look like a lot of food, but I had to get a box to take half home. You know why, of course. I was thinking about the dessert list! The lemon cream cake caught my eye. Took that to go, too. Hey, it's not like I wasn't going to be hungry later! The cream was definitely tasty, but the cake was a little dry. Ah well, I'm not complaining. I've got my lunch all set for tomorrow. Oh, and terrific service. They seem to have a good team. Note: You'll splurge if you go here. $43 bucks with tip. And if I wasn't driving, I definitely would have had a second sangria. I gotta feeling it would be even better than the first. So, nope, not a sandwich shop. But...

EDIT: Appreciate the response from Good Life and know they are capable of better (and seemingly good people!), but no one came by our table to replace the walleye. That would've went a long way, but that didn't happen.

The good: fries and ice cream. The bad: … everything else? Walleye was visibly burnt (and still served to us!). Grilled chicken was overcooked (see: dog food). Coleslaw was outright bizarre — tasted like Fruit Loops (???).

I was very excited to go — Good Life is my favorite spot in Park Bunny. This was genuinely one of the worst dinners I’ve had in a long time. More like a one star experience but throwing an extra star in because I believe they are capable of much, much better. That said, this was unforgivable. To not only burn the walleye but to serve it? That means the kitchen was too lazy to make another batch AND our server somehow missed the fact that the deep fried fish was literally black in some spots? Sheesh. I tried harder as an Applebee’s server when I was 19.

This is without mentioning price point on the fish and chips. Nearly $30 per plate for burnt walleye, cereal-flavored dry coleslaw and some pretty fast fries (although I believe these aren’t as special as they once were — not as battered, maybe?)

Again, I wouldn’t turn my nose up at that price point because I’ve had food at Good Life that is fantastic but this level of food and service at that price point is reason not to come back.

When we passed the Burger King on the way back home my father said “probably would’ve had better service and food there” and, well, he might be...