East End Eats: Paradise Found
Like the charming Variety five-and-dime store nearby, the Paradise diner on Main Street, with its fried eggs and home fries, once was a link to an earlier, less fashionable Sag Harbor. Then, about a year ago, it was as if some fairy godmother waved a wand and said, "Yes, Paradise Diner/Lounge, you shall go to the ball."
All the hard-core diner accessories are still there - slippery vinyl-clad booths, bare tables with strange ridged metal trim, waist-high wainscoting, sugar containers with metal tops, black and white linoleum tiles - but under the new owners the lighting is different, the decor is suddenly chic rather than shabby, and the place has acquired a funky, razzmatazz, party atmosphere.
It is a subtle blend of the homespun and the sophisticated - ketchup bottles and bowls of gardenias, meat loaf and warm goat cheese - which is a combination not easy to achieve.
On most January nights in Sag Harbor you could be forgiven for thinking that the town had been evacuated, but on an evening last week the Paradise was packed. Big fans turned slowly overhead as attractive young men table-hopped up and down the room, which has something of the aura of a railroad dining car in a Busby Berkeley musical.
Appetizers, which run from $3.95 to $8.95 (grilled shrimp are more), included excellent fried calamari; they weren't rubbery and they included the crunchy little tentacles, the best part. The mixed green salad, with red leaf lettuce and a balsamic vinegar dressing, was springy and fresh but - let's hear a groan - served with grated carrot.
The soup of the day was a shrimp and lobster bisque that was very pleasant. On the other hand, the grilled Portobello mushrooms over greens, the most expensive item chosen, was the same salad, just topped with slices of mushroom (cold), and didn't justify its price.
Although it wasn't chosen that evening, The Star's food columnist, Miriam Ungerer, recommends the white bean soup with collard greens and spicy Cajun sausage.
Gumbo is the Paradise's specialty (the chef has the Cajun andouille shipped from the source), with a price that varies according to what goes into it. On this evening it was a huge bowlful of spicy, steaming delight with firm okra, hot sausage, and a good half pound of shrimp.
As with two of the other dishes there was enough, and more, for the following evening's dinner. The gumbo was almost better the next day.
Another hearty winter dish was red beans, rice, and andouille served with cornbread. The rice and beans would have insulated you against a blizzard and the sausage had been crisply grilled before being added to the dish.
Two giant grilled pork chops arrived with first-rate mashed potatoes, wonderful collard greens, and strewn with a confetti of cooked apple chunks.
The crayfish pasta of the day was less successful, however, as too much garlic swamped the delicate flavor of the crustaceans, but the penne with sun-dried tomatoes and roasted vegetables came with a better balance of flavors and passed muster. A Paradise cheeseburger was, well, a cheeseburger, but just fine as such.
Entrees, which are an eclectic mix of Mom&Pop American and Cajun, mostly run from $11 to $15, with steak - which on this occasion had been wrested from the fire at the point of absolute perfection - clocking in at $19.95. Old-fashioned meatloaf, a daily fish dish, vegetarian chili, and chicken are some of the other entrees.
The inexpensive desserts include items that probably come from a good local bakery, such as cheesecake and a good flourless chocolate cake, but the bread pudding was obviously made on the spot and, although the bourbon sauce was too sweet, was very good. The man at our table who ordered the fresh fruit was happy, but the recipient of the creme caramel wasn't and gave it an emphatic thumbs down.
Charming Waitress
The Paradise's wine list is small but adequate, though there were those among us who felt that the markup was a bit high - maybe to compensate for most of their customers going home with the next night's dinner.
The service? There were no delays and no mistakes and we had an exemplary and charming Irish waitress who came to tell us toward the end of the meal that someone else would take our bill as "I have to be getting back to Montauk, now."
The Paradise may not be everyone's choice. One member of our party didn't like it at all: She wanted a tablecloth, she didn't like the noise or the funky '60s music, she asked for extra garlic and was offended that it came from a jar. But if you want hearty, inexpensive food and a lively, offbeat atmosphere, it'll suit you just fine.