Paramount Room - Great Neighborhood Restaurant

I read in the other Paramount Room thread that the official subject name could not be changed due to editorial integrity. Kudos for the professional journalistic approach (and as a journalism student I truly mean that), but shame on LTH for letting a misleading subject title (or so I first assumed) thwart the truth behind the Paramount Room.
ronniesuburban said a new thread must be started, so here we go.
This place is NOT expensive and well worth the money, in my opinion. The burger/beer deal is wonderful and the steak tartare I had there was delicious. Our server was cool and quite nice to explain a lot of the beers we weren't familiar with.
I met Chef Stephen about seven years ago while stageing at mK, where he was the Chef de Cuisine at the time, and haven't seen or spoken to him since. He was a confident, intelligent chef then and I feel that his more casual venture here at the Paramount Room conveys the same impression. Good food, relaxed setting and great service are what I'm looking for in a spot on my days off from the kitchen and when I grab a bite with friends after work.
Kennyz is right about the Tuesday special and what a steal it is and one that I wish I could get off for every now and then to participate in.
Keep slinging the great food Chef.

Cary Taylor
"Sweet T"
Executive Chef
Chaise Lounge

I agree, the shot(tequila) and beer(PBR) deal($5) is the best drink deal I have found in the city, I also enjoyed the mussels(I could have drank the broth), and the croque madame & I thought the food prices were modest for the quality of food received. The food, drinks, and service were excellent, I hung out for 4 hours on a Saturday, and had a good time.

Paramount Room is one of my favorite GNR's that I have visited, its just too bad I live so far away(78 miles each way) or I would go more often.

brilliant mussels:

I have to say this is one I truly don't get. I've been there 3 times. I've had good (not great) food once, adequate food once and unacceptable food once. Hardly what I would consider requisite for a GNR.

In my opinion "great" similar to "awesome" or even "chef" is quite overused these days.

I concur with Jazzfood. I think Dunne has great ideas, but neither my meal at Paramount nor at Volo were memorable. PR, however, is a great space, a needed space for the nabe, and is a pretty good value.

And, yes, get the mussels. Skip the fish and chips, though.

Jazzfood wrote:I have to say this is one I truly don't get. I've been there 3 times. I've had good (not great) food once, adequate food once and unacceptable food once. Hardly what I would consider requisite for a GNR.

I haven't been yet, but based on the many glowing reviews I read in the old "bring your wallet" thread, I want to head over there & give it a try.

But out of curiosity (and in the interest of balance), what did you eat/experience there that you found to be unacceptable?

I evaluate this place more as a tavern than a restaurant. It's got great atmosphere, great beers, drink specials. It's a cozy place to hang out. What makes it special though, is you can get pretty darn good food there.

I don't want to rant, singling out the items or missteps that I've long forgotten and moved on with. I like the guy. I like Volo as well. In my 3 experiences eating there, I just can't say much more than what I've already said. The inconsistencies I experienced are common in the food industry and that is the real issue. Good help is hard to find in whatever business you're in.

I've done this for a living for over 25 yrs. No one respects the effort of running a "great" restaurant more than I. The synergy when things are "on" which is often sought and rarely delivered. It matters not if it's a mom and pop hole in the wall or a 3 star Michelin. What I find most troubling is to have to endure that inconsistency which I truly believes kills restaurants and does in no way shape or form contribute to a "great" experience or a "great neighborhood restaurant". In fact, I find it sad just how much the public will put up with and still delude themselves into thinking it's alright, let alone, great. The mediocrization of the United States of Generica is a social issue I find unacceptable. But I'm a picky bastard that makes his living being a snob. Consider the source. Plus, I had a hard time sleeping last nite. There must be a pea under my mattress.

I will say this though. Beware of the basement.

Jazzfood wrote:I will say this though. Beware of the basement.

I think this is pretty sound advice overall. If a restaurant tells me I can sit in the basement, I take a pass. Unless it's Va Pensiero.

teatpuller wrote:

Jazzfood wrote:I will say this though. Beware of the basement.

I think this is pretty sound advice overall. If a restaurant tells me I can sit in the basement, I take a pass. Unless it's Va Pensiero.

I don't get it. Please elaborate.

I've had mixed experiences at PR, but I've not connected the restaurant's success rate with the variable of my sitting in their basement.

I have not sat in their basement per my "no basement" policy so I can't comment on the PR particulars.

As someone who routinely moves delicate menu items great distances throughout 40,000 sq foot facilities with minor deterioration, a mere walk downstairs shouldn't compromise the product or service to the extent we were on the receiving end of. No one wants excuses for dinner.

Not if you're a "great" restaurant @ least which is my point.

Jazzfood wrote:Not if you're a "great" restaurant @ least which is my point.

Alan,

To me Paramount Room is a solid GNR, it's one of my favorite places to have a drink in the city and I have had terrific food there as well.

Far as Paramount Room food and the basement room, part of the benefit of interacting on LTHForum is to garner tips and tricks for enhancing the restaurant experience. For example, Great Sea is all about the spicy sweet/hot chicken drumettes, Habana Libre has terrific fried chicken and 'Little' Three Happiness is about so much more than Chinese/American.

Just because a restaurant is a GNR that does not mean everyone who participates on LTHForum has to find it to their liking. LTHForum is a discussion board, it would be boring as hell if we all liked the same thing, what would be the fun in that?

Paramount Room's Croque Madame



Enjoy,
Gary

Wow...

I don't know how I missed it before, but I'm adding that croque madame pic to my mental "LTH pics that make me drool" catalog.

She's a beaut (the pic and the subject)!

Good. Glad we got that over with.

Then for the last time, my opinion is that Paramount Room is NOT a great restaurant for the reasons I've listed based upon the experiences I've had there. I prefer to frequent places I like and as you know, am not shy either way with my opinions.

Love throwing a little wood on the fire but stick a fork in it. I'm done.

Jazzfood wrote:Love throwing a little wood on the fire but stick a fork in it. I'm done.

Alan,

Four posts in this thread, so far, I'm guessing you got your point across.

Enjoy,
Gary

After this excellent meal:

viewtopic.php?p=249471#p249471

something was left behind by one of our party, and the Paramount went out of their way to (rather creatively) find out how to contact that individual, with characteristic friendliness. It's this warmth that brings me back multiple times per month.

This is a pub, and an ingeniously-conceived one, at that. Try getting a juicy sandwich and a pint of a good draft beer even at the Hopleaf for $10, or a generous flight of three drafts for $8, or a basketful of bacon, or a croque madame (and monsieur) that impress even European patrons. There is an auteur's hand in the kitchen, not some corporate checklist of thawed SYSCO boxes. I'm as ornery as jazzfood from time to time, but challenging Stephen (or Cary's) chefdom crosses a line for me.

That said, it's natural for LTH for the negatively-titled thread to develop into a paean, while the positively-charged title witnesses a devolution, so this all makes some strange, equalizing cosmic sense.

I didn't even notice this place was a GNR. A friend of mine took me there a month ago, and I instantly fell in love with it. I enjoyed the beef tartare (my only criticism was that it was perhaps a little more horseradish-y than I would have preferred), and my dining companions' burgers looked spectacular. Atmosphere was mellow, beer selection was decent, kitchen was well above average for a pub, prices were beyond reasonable. In those ways, it reminds me a bit of Skylark, but slightly better on the food side (although I do enjoy Skylark's menus quite a lot.) After one visit, it rocketed to my Tier 1 beer & food pubs.

I didn't even notice this place was a GNR.

Neither did I. When exactly did this place win a GNR? I thought this thread was to discuss the OP's opinion that it be considered as a GNR, not that it had won an award & I find the title to this thread very misleading. I was particularly disturbed when I saw this

http://www.paramountroom.com/index.html

Can one of the mods please clarify what is going on?

I'm not a moderator, but the Paramount Room was awarded a GNR in Fall 2008. (viewtopic.php?f=28&t=21684)

Much of the discussion was in another thread, as noted in the original post. This thread was started because some took issue with the title of the original thread.

nr706 wrote:Much of the discussion was in another thread, as noted in the original post. This thread was started because some took issue with the title of the original thread.

You are correct, sir.

For a full, current list of GNRs, please click here. Please note, this list will be updated soon, with the 2009 renewals.

=R=
for the moderators

Seven of us met at Paramount on Wednesday this week for a pleasant, laid-back midweek meal and good conversation:

viewtopic.php?f=19&t=23302

For my standard order at the bar, I can't stay away from the burgers, tartare, and Amish Chicken when it's available, so had relatively little exposure to the rest of the current menu, and it was nice to sample their offerings more broadly. Everything is just a little different, a tad more adventurous, a squeak more creative, than your standard pub grub, which I appreciate even when it fails, as I thought it did with the Scotch Eggs, which currently seem to be pre-boiled, quartered, and then breaded and fried. Easier for sharing and a generous portion, but missing the succulent runny goodness of the best versions. The veal sausage was moist and snappy on a nice bed of cabbage with stone-ground mustard, and the croque madame was very well-executed with a golden egg, nice toast, and half a pound of butter (and cut into miraculously precise sixths by Wendy, since we had one abstention who very graciously allowed our meat excess, and I owe her a beer for my heavyhanded ordering, K!). We did think some of this richness was missing in a few other dishes including the mashed potatoes.

They did deliver on a request for a mound of crispy bacon, and some excellent hand-cut fries, a world of improvement over earlier versions. Served with a tangy aioli and ketchup, I'll be picking these over the wasabi green beans for my next few burger orders. The Amish Chicken (explained by our server as if it were attending services and shunning electricity) is a little different every time I've had it, and Wednesday's preparation was heavy on the anise and allspice in the crispy breading. The accompanying scratch sage gravy was delicious, but didn't necessarily go with the chicken. To say we had some vegetables, we did get the house grilled asparagus with lemon and parmesan, the Caesar salad, and the truffled beet salad, which were all tasty. I look forward to the report on the onion soup, which looked great.

For me, Paramount scratches the itch with its excellent beer and cider list, burgers, specials, and selected apps. I've been complacent enough not to be tantalized by the other entrees, sides, and veggies before, but was pleased to see they're handled competently. The mezzanine offers a nice balance between the quieter dark booths in back on the main floor and the remote conviviality of the basement, akin to sitting on the balcony at Hopleaf. I've never recommended the place for big group fine dining, but I really do think it's a cut above for homemade food at the bar or with an intimate group of friends on our scale or smaller.

Thanks to Santander for setting up a fun evening with a fabulous group of LTHForum conversationalists. I had a very nice time.

Matt (and other Paramount supporters on LTH) and I agree way more than we disagree on culinary matters, but this time I think our opinions depart. Someday I may be able to recalibrate my expectations to where I can enjoy Paramount Room again, but for now I'm still left mostly with feelings of disappointment. From several meals here, I know that the kitchen is capable of putting out stuff that's way better than standard bar food. Maybe it's too bad that I ever had those experiences, because I'm stuck comparing more recent meals at Paramount Room to those, and they keep coming up short. The crispy and generous serving of bacon was really good, and I'm thrilled that the kitchen finally seems to have heeded feedback about the fries, but I had some significant problems with other items.

The fried chicken had nicely seasoned breading, but although this really isn't too big a deal, a kitchen of this caliber ought to be able to bread a piece of chicken so that the coating doesn't slide right off when you bite into it. Something went astray in the standard dry-wet-dry method of breading a piece of meat. Sure, it was juicy and still tasted good - but it was unnecessarily sloppy to eat. More importantly, this "signature dish" - the evening's special - was served with some really atrocious mashed potatoes, which were grainy and devoid of much-needed cream and butter. These tasted like they had been pulled out of the icebox and nuked before service.

I thought that our various veggie dishes looked much better than they tasted. The pretty golden beets were bland, though the truffled soft cheese served with them did provide some nice fragrance. Had I been blindfolded before tasting the grilled asparagus with lemon and parmesan, I would not have been able to identify what vegetable it was. It was either some off-season tasteless Chilean stuff that doesn't belong on a plate, or it had been stored or prepared in a way that removed the essence of the main ingredient. The tempura green beans, which I have enjoyed in the past, were too greasy this time. The onion soup, which did look great, was missing the rich meatiness of a well-made beef broth, and the onions tasted like they had been sweetened with too much sugar, rather than natural caramelization. They had sweetness without depth of flavor. The caesar salad, which I have lauded upthread, is still tasty, but it was limp and had spots of brown rust.

Paramount Room has friendly service, a very nice beer list, and better wines than most beer bars. The food's probably still better than your average corner tap, but these days that's about as much praise as I'm willing to give it.

Binko wrote:After one visit, it rocketed to my Tier 1 beer & food pubs.

I'd love to read the rest of your Tier 1 picks. We're always looking for these types of places.

For beer AND food? Hopleaf is the obvious one. As I alluded to, I enjoy the food & beer at The Skylark, as well. Goose Island (Clybourn), has gotten back on my list after fluttering in and out (because of the food, not the beer--I've always been a staunch advocate of Goose Island Brewery). I haven't been there in about a year and a half, but Three Floyd's in Munster, IN, fit the bill, atlhough I've heard they've changed around the menu quite a bit. Duke of Perth and Prairie Moon in Evanston are right on the cusp. Another one that's a bit of a cheat is barbecue from Honey One, followed up with the beer from Quenchers, just up the street. I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting and many I have yet to visit, but the LTH folk will help fill in the gaps.

Edit: Flossmoor Station in Homewood is one I forgot. Also, places known for their food and beer that I haven't been to: Bluebird, Publican, and Gage.

Finally made it to Paramount Room, after drooling over all of your descriptions & pictures for so long, and I am already plotting my return.

We had a reservation for four, but since it wasn't too busy one of the servers told us to grab whatever table caught our fancy. All the tables upstairs were taken, so we went to checkout the basement...what a weird setup! The basement is cavernous (I'd guess that it's 20 feet deep, give or take), and struck me as a bit unsettling. The "mezzanine" (an odd little balcony 10 feet above the main floor of the basement with 2 four-tops on it) was available, but the rest of the basement tables were occupied. None of us liked the vibe down there, so we went back upstairs, grabbed four barstools, and ordered beers & apps while waiting for a first floor table to open up. The staff was 100% cool with this - they let us know that they'd give away our basement table and give us first dibs on any four-top that opened up upstairs.

I started out with a La Chouffe (delicious as always), and we got 2 scotch eggs, which I didn't totally care for (already discussed in the scotch egg thread).

However, two of us also split an order of the steak tartare...WOW. This was my first steak tartare experience, and made me a believer. I'd always imagined that tartare was made with ground beef, but this one was made with nicely-sized chunks of some really tender wagyu beef that was clearly top-quality. The steak tasted fresh and just beefy enough, and was nice & cold in a way that made me feel at ease about eating fully-uncooked beef for the first time There was a bit of a sour flavor that I forgot to ask about, but I got the impression that someone who really knew what they were doing had added just the right amount of mild white wine vinegar (I see now that it was dijon mustard). The finely-diced shallots were also added in a well-thought-out way, as there were just enough to catch a bit of their flavors, but not so much that that's all you tasted. The egg yolk was also clearly very, very fresh...it tasted only slightly eggy, but added a really nice richness to the dish when mixed in.

Someone upthread mentioned that they thought the horseradish flavor was a bit overpowering...either someone at Paramount Room read that post, or that was an off day, because I didn't specifically taste any horseradish, but we did note the tiniest bit of kick...maybe that was it, but it was done correctly this time. Finally, it was served with three crusty pieces of garlic toast...they had no real taste to them, which perfectly fit what I thought was their job description: crunchy plate-to-mouth steak transfer devices.

We were seated in one half of their "Barcelona-style banquette", which was comfortable and roomy. Our server was a friendly, personable girl (joked around with us, made good suggestions, poked good-natured fun at us as if we were regulars, etc.). The bartender was a friendly guy too, and was especially adept at knowing when to join customers' conversations, and when to leave them be (this is a rare & valuable skill, in my opinion). Actually, one of my friends, who is not normally the type to notice or care about these things, later commented that the service "is what makes that place stand out". I thought that summed it up well, and couldn't agree more.

I had my mind made up to order the croque madame, but when it was my turn to order the word "burger" came out of my mouth, so I went with it. Medium rare, with vintage cheddar and bacon, hold the veggies (they just get in the way), and tempura green beans...then the waitress pointed out that I'd already had raw egg and boiled egg, and suggested I go for the trifecta by getting a fried egg on my burger. Her logic was flawless, so I got the egg. If a burger is really top-notch, I prefer not to muck it up with condiments, so I asked for the "special sauce" on the side.

The burger was fantastic... cooked to a perfect medium-rare, and in contrast to the last "gourmet" burger I had (a "meh" burger at The Counter), it was deliciously beefy-tasting. The egg was a great addition...it was cooked just enough that the white was solidified (but not a single speck of brown or rubbery overdoneness) and the yolk was liquidy but not overly runny. It made for a great spread.

As someone mentioned upthread, the tempura green beans were good, but I thought the regular fries were better. I can now say I've tried them, and will stick to the normal fries in the future. However, I really enjoyed the spicy, hot-sauce-like dipping sauce that came with the beans. I'll consider asking about a mix & match next time - the fries with the hot dipping sauce.

Overall it was $50 per person (including tax & tip, and automatically adjusted for the $10 pint-and-a-burger deal) for 3 apps to share and a burger w/ 3 toppings & fries/beans and 3 beers each. The verdict was unanimous: for the quality of the food, drink & service, it was a steal.

Next time, croque madame

Khaopaat wrote: Our server was a friendly, personable girl (joked around with us, made good suggestions, poked good-natured fun at us as if we were regulars, etc.)....then the waitress pointed out that I'd already had raw egg and boiled egg, and suggested I go for the trifecta by getting a fried egg on my burger. Her logic was flawless, so I got the egg....

Becky, perhaps?

Glad you enjoyed it!

Just back from my inaugural $10 burger/pint experience...

I guess any place where the bar and kitchen area are larger than the seating areas is pretty serious about food and drink! (I didn't go downstairs.)

I had the burger w/cheddar & bacon. It tasted pretty amazing, though I ordered it medium rare and the center was pretty raw, but I ate and enjoyed it all without complaint. The fresh, herb-y/beefy flavor was almost revelatory, unlike any other I've had. The shape of the patty resulted in a pretty mangled bun. I'm of the opinion that a burger patty should conform to the shape of the bun, resulting in every bite containing some meat. Bites of meat w/out bread are ok, but mouthfuls of bread without meat are not, and piles of bread on the plate after you're done are totally unwarranted. After I finished the burger, there was a puddle of melted cheddar on the plate; maybe it was the beef drippings that the cheese was marinating in, but that was the richest, creamiest cheddar I've ever had. Tempura green beans were ok; the sauce was satisfyingly spicy, and I have a fairly high spice tolerance.

My verdict; great quality beef, interesting beer selection, (lots that I haven't seen at Map Room or Small Bar, slanted towards Belgian/French selections, though my preference tends towards American), pleasant service, nice space, but not the best preparation, IMO. The special is definitely a good deal. Cobra Lounge has better cut/quality veggies, better patty shape, (IMO), and better char flavor, cooked more to my specification of doneness. If there was PR meat cooked at/by CL, it would likely be the best burger ever. Does it deserve the title of GNR? I don't know; there are other pubs that are comparable, IMO. I'd place Paramount Room in league with Goose Island, Kuma's, and Cobra Lounge.

Went to PR tonight for the first time - it was a long time in coming given how close it is to my humble abode!

I'll definitely be back, as will my dining partners. Among us we had two burgers and one fish and chips, along with tempura string beans, fries, and the brownie for dessert.

The two of us with the burgers agreed they were great, though we'd both ordered them medium and got them well done, which was a bummer given how much that can kill the flavor. My only other complaint was that a topping of gruyere seemed to be American cheese instead (these are, um, NOT the same). However, the meat was excellent, and while the bun was admittedly too large, it did at least have some body. The fries were nothing special, but the tempura string beans were a fun new thing for a string bean lover like myself (and my eating partners loved the dipping sauce). Tempura can be overwhelming sometimes; the string beans were only lightly battered and came hot and just perfectly delicious.

One of the highlights was the service - we were told it would be a 45 minute wait initially, which was really more like 25 minutes, and to thank us for our patience (they were short-staffed) they comped our beans. Our waitress (also the hostess and bartender) also went out of her way to give me the $10 burger and pint deal, despite the fact that I don't drink (she made one of my EP's wine into my beer, so that the wine was essentially free). She was also chatty, but not too, and quite attentive.

We'll be back. Thanks for the rec, LTHers!

ak934 wrote:The two of us with the burgers agreed they were great, though we'd both ordered them medium and got them well done, which was a bummer given how much that can kill the flavor. My only other complaint was that a topping of gruyere seemed to be American cheese instead (these are, um, NOT the same).

I like the Paramount Room, too, but those seem like fairly major mistakes.