| Food | * * * |
| Service | * * |
| Ambience | * * |
| Value | 4.5 |
| Cost | $ $ $ |
| Dish | Price |
Value | Rating | |
| Sampler Pizza (Choice of 2) | $13.95 |
* 1/2 | * * * | |
| Chicken with mustard crust sauce | 14.95 |
* * | * * * 1/2 |
| Fresh mozzarella & tomato salad with basil, olive oil, and pepper | $6.95 |
| Calzone with goat cheese, fontina, prosciutto, artichokes, onions | 14.95 |
| Bruschetta with prosciutto, roasted garlic, shiitake, arugula | 7.50 |
| Antipasto | 7.95 |
| Ravioli with goat cheese, prosciutto, and leeks | 11.95 |
| Grilled pork loin with apricot barbecue sauce | 15.50 |
| Grilled beef loin with Maytag blue cheese butter, mushrooms, carmelized garlic-onion sauce, & Yukon gold potatoes | 19.50 |
Paragary's (Fair Oaks location) is not particularly appealing from the outside; it's very noticeable, however. There is a bright neon sign, along with an ugly shake roof with island-style thatch protruding downward. The interior is not particularly well-lit, but that does make the dining experience a little more intimate. There are also two parts to the eating area: the front bar area, which has a nice view of the street, and the back room which almost has a view of the front window. The effect is that of a 'cafestaurant'--a little informal and loud like a cafe, but all dolled up like a restaurant. The back room is also decorated with fake columns in the corners and Italian apertif ads on the walls. The color scheme consists of pleasant white walls and a burgundy ceiling and tables.
Aside from the apparent darkness, Paragary's is not particularly intimate. We were able to hear bits of the other tables' conversations throughout our meal (and the tables weren't particularly close together, either). The table was preset nicely, with real napkins, and empty water glasses (which were filled in a timely fashion by the water boy). The menu looked quite appealing and we had trouble deciding what to get which sounded good and was reasonably priced. J was very interested in the Grilled Beef Loin, but at $19.50, was the most expensive dish by a few dollars and we didn't even yet know the quality of the food.
While we perused the menu, the waiter came over to see what drinks we wanted. The drinks were not on the menu (and we later discovered, they were on a little placard on the table), so we were uncertain as to the price and quantity. When we finally opted for Coke, the waiter became a little cold and hardly revisited our table, except to bring our food and bill. By the time he returned with the Pepsi with maraschino cherries, we were ready to order. I opted for the "Chicken with Mustard Crust sauce with Mashed Potatoes, Aioli, and a Cherry Tomato, and Bacon & Arugula Salad." J decided on a pizza sampler, from which you can choose two halves from a selection of 8 pizzas - the "House Sausage, Mozzarella, Pepper Ragout, Basil, Roasted Garlic, and Parmesan" and the "Chicken, Shiitake Mushrooms, Scallions, Sesame Seeds, Mozzarella, and Ginger-Hoisin Sauce." (At the very least, a very interesting combination of flavors!)
While we were waiting for our food, the overeager waterboy brought over some fresh bread (not completely cut and the crusts were tough) and a really little slice of butter (for both of us to share). Also, before our meals came, we finished off our soft drinks. When the waiter asked us if we wanted a refill, we had to prod him into admitting that they give 1 free refill. Oh... (And this is also when we found out the price, and that they also have Italian sodas. Very confusing.)
After about a 10 minute wait, my Chicken came. It was light and moist, not at all dry, and the mustard crust had an excellent flavor, with a sweet, but not overpowering mustard flavor. The combination of lightly cooked red & yellow cherry tomatoes with arugular and just a little garlic aioli and bacon (looked like a Hollandaise, tasted like mayonnaise), created a smoky bittersweet warm side salad and was a refreshing complementary change from the chicken. The mashed potatoes were a little on the buttery side. Of course, the more butter the better, right? Still, I felt that once these cooled, I would be left with potato-coated butter.
About 5-7 minutes after I received my entree, J's pizza came. It was about 14" around, served on a simple large white plate. She sampled a bit of the crust, for the taste test proves whether the crust can stand alone. It was not too heavy, especially even in thickness from the center all the way out to the edges. The flavor was a little sweet, but not salty or bulk-pack tasting. The overall appearance of the pizza was excellent as well: the surface was well-covered and there was a clear division between the two parts of the pizza. The ingredients were all high quality, especially the mozzarella, which adhered to the shell and broke away fairly easily when separating pieces.
She tried the House Sausage pizza first. The base consisted of sweet pepper ragout, with the mozzarella, basil, roasted garlic, and parmesan. It was similar to the ol' Sausage and Cheese standard, but the flavors were heightened by the high quality of the food products, and so was head and shoulders above the most excellent Round Table offering.
The second pizza, the Chinese Chicken, was completely different. Instead of a tomato-based sauce, they used the ginger-hoisin for the base. It had that indomitable Chinese plum sauce taste, but was a little spicy, so as to give the pizza a little extra kick. The chicken had a lightly smoked taste, and the scallions were cut small enough so that they didn't impact the overall flavor, and the shiitake mushrooms were hardly noticeable.
So, which one was better? I favored the Sausage and Pepper Ragout, because the sausage had an excellent texture and flavor, and was very pleasing to the palate. J preferred the Chicken pizza, because it was so different, but agreed with me that both were equally good.
In the end, we opted against coffee or dessert, because they were just another unknown quantity, not on the menu; plus, we didn't particulary want to deal much longer with our waiter. He brought our bill and then tried to take it back 5-10 minutes later, even though we hadn't moved it from the spot he placed it, put in cash or a credit card, or indicated we were ready. Was he in a hurry to get us out of the restaurant? For shame!
Paragary's was a wonderful California Cuisine experience. The food (an extremely important part of any meal) was excellently prepared, well-presented, and had a great flavor. However, the service was not great: 1) The waiter was indifferent, perhaps because we didn't order drinks; 2) There was a gap between the serving of our main courses, people don't like to wait and watch others in their group eat; 3) There seemed to be some sort of rush to get us out of the restaurant. In addition, the ambience did not serve itself well to a nice dinner out: Too loud, too dark, and an ugly exterior. Finally, the prices were not unreasonable, but not value-laden for the quantities of food; salad or soup was all a la carte. The prices were in the upper range and we didn't get to sample a complete meal.
So, if you don't mind paying a lot for good food or not being able to enjoy a quiet conversation during dinner, Paragary's is the ideal restaurant!