Paragon Restaurant and Bar

I was here only three months ago so the fact that it is closed is something very confusing to me. I’m not sure why it’s closed since I was there just a few months ago and I still see the sign when I drive by on First St.
i thought they had great food but I was there on company budget with happy hour unlimited on hand. Overall the service was great and their beef and chicken skewers are out of this world! I also loved their mini burgers and their various dips for fresh vegetables.
I think the most fun you can have here is bocce ball! I’ve never played before coming here and they have two bocce ball lanes that you can play and compete on. It was a great time and I’m sad if it was really closed!

I’ve been a little more than reluctant to come here to dine since I had a pretty horrible experience for a new years party. But all the doubt just about vanished as I devoured their awesome pot roast and some of my friends salmon! The atmosphere and ambiance is clean and relaxing, though the dim lighting kinda made me sleepy and reminded me of Cheesecake factory, it isn’t obnoxiously loud. The service wasn’t too shabby but not out of this world either.
Minus –1.5 stars for running out of oysters, and the bartender was super slow and didn’t seem to know how to make some of their specialty drinks. Lame.

It was a beautiful friday afternoon. I was on Unilocal and noticed that it was the day of my Slow Burn. And on top of which there was a thread about happy hour in SJ. I had to chime in. And low and behold Ron chimed in as well and mentioned Paragon. Ron had said the place was so nice that he thought that he might swing through there after work.
And not having been there I encouraged it. I got there a tad early and enjoyed a couple beers before Ron and Ed showed up. The venue is nice, dare I say sheik. They have same good looking clientele. I’m not too fond of the little stools but the out door patio would have been great — if it had not been sucked up by another party. Now if only their happy hour lasted all night? then i’d never leave
;D

As far as fine dining goes this place is alright in my book. I wouldn’t go back just because for the money, you can get a better meal elsewhere. I had the pan seared mahi with yukon golds and truffle oil, my friend had the hanger steak. The Mahi was cooked pretty well, but it felt like it was lacking flavor in some aspect, the truffle oil did it’s part in saving the dish, although i still think this could be better. My friend’s hanger steak probably would have been delicous but she ordered it well done, so i’ll blame that on her and not the restaurant, it looked very nice though.
The atmosphere is very quite here, almost akward quiet, but i did go on a thursday night.

Downtown San Jose has some real gems. Its just hard to find them amongst all the dross. The Paragon happens to be one of them.
We’ve been back here three or four times this year alone. The servers always do a good job of selling their specials — I end up usually salivating once the sales pitch has been completed. The fish is always cooked well — not overdone. The Italian sausage flat-​bread is amazing and should not be missed. My only regret is they never put enough of that freaking bread on the plate. The wine list is extensive, with some really nice Cabs.
The musical talent of the jazz bands that reside in the lounge is of an impeccably high standard. I always leave this place feeling really down about my drumming skills after hearing a triple para-​diddle poly rhythm expertly hammered out on the cymbals… such is life… we cant be masters of all trades.
I only have one issue with the Paragon — as with most restaurants in downtown San Jose. Pity the fool who gets a window table. If you’re not distracted with the weekend revelers swaggering past in their Saturday-​night-​specials, then you will be by the hungry bums who stop to drool over your food and smile fondly through their towel covered head with their one remaining yellowing tooth.

Only four stars since I haven’t tried any entrees to know how everything is.
Story starts that one magic day my friend and I had a craving to be glutonous and get some desserts. With our incredibly bad luck all the places we wanted to go were closed and so Unilocal comes to the rescue. She called her brother to find out what’s a good place for bread pudding (don’t question a woman with a craving). And low and behold there was an awesome review for bread pudding at Paragon.
When we got there we found it to be a very nice place. atmosphere is awesome for a date but we made it a friend date. We of course got the bread pudding along with a side of mac-​n-​cheese and french fries. She also ordered a drink. It was all so amazing and the bread pudding was NOT a let down!
So, we came again another time and ordered the heavenly bread pudding once again. I decided to get the watermelon sorbet and we both got drinks. She had a jalepeno peach cocktail that sounded kind of scary but tasted really good! There was a kick of jalepeno that was subdued by the sweetness of peach.
Definitely going here more often for drinks, dessert, appetizers, and one of these days a real full on dinner!

I figured out Paragon’s service strategy. And after 3 hours for dinner, that gives me plenty of time to do so objectively.
Step 1: Keep the guests preoccupied with jazz music, bread, dip, water, and alcohol until they forget they’re hungry. My mojito halfway made me buzzed due to the vacant hole in my stomach.
Step 2: By the time the food arrives an hour later, guests will either be too starving or too much in a drunken stupor to complain. The hope is that in the process of ravaging the dinner like vultures, no one will notice how fantastically BLAND the food truly is.
I had the privilege of sampling most of my friends’ less than stellar entrees — to which my taste buds yawned. No seasoning on dry mahi and chewy salmon, chunky mashed potatoes without sauce and sass, along with a large serving of rubbery batter-​fried pork chop. Perhaps even salt and pepper, at the least, was scarce in the kitchen?
The saving grace for folks at the table was my juicy pot roast. My friends each took a stab to fulfill their longing for some salty goodness and flavor.
Service? Our waitress was actually friendly, given that we were a large party of 12 for a birthday dinner. On a busy night, I could have forgiven slow food arrival, but if the restaurant is half empty? Not so much.
The final insult was the check; it usually is. An overpriced $ 40 — 50 bucks per person for a meal that tasted like it was packaged in a frozen food box. No offense Lean Cuisine.
Tsk tsk Paragon, you should invest the same amount of energy and care to the food and service as you do to your frou-​frou ambiance and evening entertainment.

Today, I had a jones for a martini. I’m not a martini afficionado. But sometimes sometimes calls to you, and you must heed. I shot out the message to a few people and heard back from RJ. He called back with one question, one word, «Where?»
I replied, dunno. I’m just heeding the call. So he recommended Paragon, as there was food as well, and I said game on.
I have two holy grails, steamed mussels and tiramisu. Things that if they are on the menu, I’m pretty much guaranteed to order. It’s like trying to relive that first kiss and mostly disappointing.
I spent a few months in Switzerland and one of my co-​workers Graziela (Italian, obviously) asked me if I ever had tiramisu. I said never. So she promised me something special. It was her grandmother’s recipe, as cliché as that sounds. It was what a cloud would taste like if you could eat one. I’ve said that a thousand times, so if you know me, you’ve probably heard me say that with a tear in my eye. Forever since, I’ve been searching for it’s equal. I’ve never had a tiramisu to match. Doubt that I ever will.
Earlier than that (just after high school, a loooonnng time ago), I was backpacking through Europe when I had my first encounter with steamed mussels. I couldn’t tell you where I was. Just that it was an café with an outdoor seating area on a sidewalk that extended in a long triangle, oblique, if you will. I had a salad, a bowl of mussels and a raspberry beer. So basic, and like so many things, to do it well, just doesn’t happen often. It cemented my love of mussels and beer. I still couldn’t give a rat’s ass about salad.
To bring it all together, a few days later, I traveled up to Calais, where my friend’s grandmother lived and stayed at her place for a few days. My friend explained to her how much I loved the mussels, and she, being amazing as only grandmas can be, determined to outstrip my previous experience. I must have spent three hours, eating through a hundred plus (that might be an exaggeration, but go with me on this) mussels. I was competing with my buddy on who could eat more, and we left NOTHING left over.
Which brings me to Paragon, and the steamed mussels. Well first off, I ordered my slightly dirty martini. Probably a little sweeter than I was hoping, but definitely hit the spot. Considering my gut was empty… it was HAPPY time.
I ordered the mussels as a matter of habit. Truth to say. I’ve had so many mediocre in the decades since, well decade and a quarter at least, that I expect to be disappointed.
Every moment of that, was brought back. Okay, so my main dish was excellently prepared, and the service was attentive, but they could have served me Oreos and milk afterwards and I’d be good.

Old Chinese proverb: Indecisiveness leads to good choices in the end
Okay okay, not a Chinese proverb but when this whole job thing stops working out for me, you may find my knowledge in a fortune cookie near you… I was on the Chinese kick because my BF’s were in town, one of which just got back from China and the other from new York, which in retrospect is like China (fast paced, lots of people, great knock off bags)
We could not decide on where we were going to eat last night, round and round we went and then we settled on Paragon, after all one of the lovely’s was staying there for work.
The place was dead, which was perfect because we had the full attention of the two wonderfully talented and darling bartenders… thanks boys! Drinks were great and I love love love the vodka selection — the best in San Jose, I am convinced…
In an attempt to please the girl on a diet, the gluten free girl and the quasi vegetarian girl, dinner consisted of a plethora of appetizers
mushroom cigars — long cigar like mushroom filled filo pastry with parmesan cheese on top and dipping sauce… fungus in flour…3 stars
side of mac and cheese — a small tub of cheese pasta entombed with a thick cheese crust… its cheese and pasta…4 stars
side of bacon brussels sprouts — charred sprouts with a load of thick cut applewood smoked bacon on top… veggies and pork fat…5 stars
mussels — a bowl of fabulous mussels with a delicious taragon butter and shallot confit… I could have poured the sauce in a glass and drank it… delicious…5 stars
tuna tartar — and yet another fabulous concoction of sea life… ginger lime vinagrette with taro chips… the taste of tuna was clean and refreshing and not disguised under the dressing… superb…5 stars
Food was delectable, service was friendly and wonderful… and the ladies were in their fabulous form as always… the Chinese were right: To attract good fortune, spend a new penny on an old friend, share an old pleasure with a new friend and lift up the heart of a true friend by writing his name on the wings of a dragon.

Tucked on the bottom floor of the Hotel Montgomery, lies this stylishly-​elegant dining room that I’ve walked past a million times. I’ll never be able to walk past again. I’ll be compelled to stop in, even if it’s only for a drink.
It started off as a conversation about how the Hotel was renovated. A conversation about how it was San Jose’s only first class hotel when it opened in 1911. A conversation about how it has shag chairs in the lobby?!?
So, over to First to see the shag chairs and lo and behold to what to my eyes appears? A snazzy little bar, oh wait, a restaurant too, these are a few of my favorite things!
First things first, I ordered a perfectly dirty martini; he ordered the Earl Grey something or other with lemonade. Both were delicious, my complements to our bartenderess, and around $ 9 (I’m sick of $ 12 drinks). Specializing in vodka, you have a choice from around the world.
The menu is sparse but meaningful. We decided to share the calamari appetizer with chipotle aioli. You can tell a lot about a place by how the calamari turns out. Unfortunately, the batter overpowers the flavor of the calamari but the pepper rings thrown in really sets this dish apart. Even the oil & vinegar for the bread was special, with a dash of spice.
The special was a must for me. A rib eye garnished with blue cheese atop truffle mashed potatoes and a splash of grilled asparagus. They were a little too light on the blue cheese atop the rib eye, just a crumble or two, but it would have just interfered with the flavorful meat anyway. It was like butter, baby, but with nothing interfering it. Just pure beef. The mashed potatoes we amongst the best although a selling point to the special was that they were supposed to be truffle. I didn’t taste that succulent delight.
Overall, the staff was great, the ambiance was just right and I had a wonderful evening.

Food — 5
Drinks — 4.2 … yea, I’m kinda anal.
Service — 3
I went to Paragon last night with my co-​workers. We went all out. Appetizers, drinks, entrees, more drinks, and just chillin in the small lounge areas after some bocce ball in the courtyard. Let me say that the décor and ambiance at Paragon is tres chic, the food was delicious, the drinks were well-​made, but the service was not so fun.
They seated the 12 of us quite snugly, and the waitress forgot to take one of our orders. The delicious food would make me overlook that small mistake, but the waitress didn’t seem that thrilled to have to take care of a large party… understandable, I suppose.
For appetizers, we ordered the Tuna Tartare, Crab Cakes, and the Calamari. I loved the Tuna Tartare. While I’m not a fan at ALL of cilantro, it was still quite delicious, with just enough cilantro to bring a new flavor to it without being overpowering. The crab cakes were yummy — not too rich or thick, and breaded enough to add a lil crunch. The Calamari was addicting… it came with fried green beans, onions, and small green bell peppers mixed in, adding some different textures to a common dish.
We all ordered something different, I had the Pan Seared Mahi. I have a thing for mashed potatoes, and I loved these. OMG. It wasn’t fluffy, but good, wholesome, handmade mashed potatoes cooked with butter and onions. If I didn’t fill myself up on the appetizers and bread. I would’ve eaten the potatoes itself! The Mahi was cooked just right, and was fresh — no yucky smells and it almost melted in your mouth when you put it in your mouth. That’s the way I like it! I didn’t try what my co-​workers got, but they all said it was really delicious — the steaks were tender and flavorful, as was the pot roast and chicken.
Drinks… everything was perfectly blended! Not too strong, but not weak, you can still distinctly taste the alcohol you ordered. May I add that I had the best lemon drop martini there at Paragon that I’ve had in a while.
All in all, a great experience… I’d definitely recommend it. Next time I’ll try the macaroni and cheese!!! Fancy frou frou mac and cheese?! I’m SO there.

San Jose has great restaurants if you know where to look. Located inside hotel Montgomery, this place is great for large groups whether you’re dining or lounging. High ceilings and a huge bar, it’s also a perfect place for couples.
The Tuna Tartare is delicious!

The Ambiance:
The ambiance was very nice at this location. They had a great bar and bar area. I saw tons of people relaxing and having drinks.
Service:
The service was average. It wasn’t exceptional but it wasn’t bad either.
Dinner:
We started with the calamari and the sausage bread. I also had a Ferrari cocktail. The calamari and the sausage bread was tasty. My main course was a Mahi Tuna. The fish was of average taste so I can’t say it was super tasty. I was quite full after appetizers and the entrée so I did not have dessert.

We decided to try this place before the theater. It’s close enough that you only have to park once.
I was pleasantly surprised. The food was really good, although, the service was just so-​so.
Prices are really reasonable for what it is.
The cocktail i had was incredibly good. I also really enjoyed my fish entrée. It was cooked well, and had good flavor.
The only negative of the night was my concussion. The stall door in the bathroom swung at me, and almost knocked me out. I’ve never hit my head that hard, so I’ll probably have that association with the restaurant for awhile.
Eventually, we’ll be back.

(12/​14/​2007)
FANTASTIC VENUE! Paragon already [easily] won me over for 4-​stars from previous visits, but being there last night for the Unilocal event simply won me over for that 5^th!
The bartenders were excellent! I never had to wait more than a moment, even with the bar full of patrons, before someone’s attention was directed my way and my libatious craving fulfilled!
*Dangerously tasty house drinks!
And on a side note «You, the one with the deep dark red highlights? YOU ARE STUNNING!!»
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(10÷15÷2007)
The Paragon Restaurant, just like the Hotel Montgomery its attached to, is very posh!
With a low-​lit ambient atmosphere and stylish dining tables for both groups and intimate tabling for couples, Paragon is a great option for fine dining and entertaining and dates. The lounge/​bar area is both approachable and chic, with atypically nouveau highchairs (these aren’t bar-​stools, they’re classier by far!) and cul-​de-​sacs of low-​seated couches and cocktail tables.
The house cocktail menu offers some terrific drinks; Montgomery Sidecar, El Mojito Grande, Pomegranate Ginger, and Peach Jalapeño are just some of the tasty libations…
From the bar menu, I particularly have enjoyed the Paragon burger with Rosemary Fries, the Mushroom Cigars, and Marinated Olives… other options make for some luxurious lunching.
A great place to start a night on the town…

Review x2
1^st Review: Drink/​Bar/​Lounge Review
— — — — — — –
Came here last night for an un-​official Unilocal event last night. Sat in the lounge area in front of the bar… with the Friday night Jazz Band to the side. Had a pleasure of trying a couple local vodkas recommended by the bartender: Hanger One and (White) Lotus — served with Soda. Didn’t like the «you must stay seated at the bar to keep an open tab (even if you’re sitting the chairs/​couches right in front of bar)» rule… but I’ll let it slide (I think it had to do with making sure the servers who were (wo)maning the tables were able to do their thing).
Definite plus that the Executive Chef hooked us up with ~15 shots (for being cool Unilocalers — oh what the heck I’ll give them the 5^th star now).
Review #2 — Dinner Review
— — — — — — –
Came here in August (2007) on a date… and i realized I hadn’t reviewed this place after coming here last night. So here’s my (based on my non-​existent memory) review.
Don’t think we had reservations, I believe it was a Tuesday or Wednesday night, but we had no problem getting seated.
Don’t remember the appetizer we (may have) ordered, but I do remember ordering their Pot Roast… and remember it tasting it very good, with way more than I could’ve finished that night.
The service was great, the server recommended a good wine to complement my food, and… from what I remember, my date enjoyed her food as well.
Very pleasant dinner experience… and would definitely come back again.

A friend and I went to Paragon for dinner recently, upon a coworkers recommendation.
We both loved the low lighting, the loungey atmosphere, the sheer gold curtains and the pleasant jazz trio that was playing. Very elegant inside.
My friend had the Heirloom Tomato Salad with Goat Cheese Puffs, Mache and Port Syrup as her starter. It was quite good… and unusual in that it was one whole tomato, quartered. rather than a mix of a few kinds. The little cheese puffs were very lightly breaded and quite delicious. A huge hit.
For her main she had the Paragon burger which is a good value at only $ 11. She said it was a little lean for her taste but well prepared, and she adored the rosemary fries. She also praised their housemade pickles and said that next time she wants an entire plate of those to herself.
I skipped a starter and had the Pan Seared Mahi for my main. A beautiful piece of mahi came perched atop lemon roasted fingerling potatoes, and shaved roasted fennel … in a pool of beautiful, creamy English pea broth and accented with truffle oil. The aroma was heavenly and I couldn’t help but finish the entire dish… complete with dipping crusty french bread into the broth. SO delicious.
With dinner we had a bottle of J Sparkling Wine… 2002. Cause bubbles go with everything. ;) It’s also a pretty decent value on the menu.
Our server was friendly and efficient… we really liked him. Parking was easy in the nearby garage or they have Valet if you like. I wouldn’t hesitate to go back or recommend Paragon to others.

I will write this review quickly before I get sucked in by reading other people’s opinions. Went here last night to have din with a group of friends. The only res we could get was at 8pm. I really wanted Pomegranate juice, and yet I wanted a mimosa at the same time, so I had them make me a mimosa but sub the OJ with pomegranate juice. It was really good, and it wasn’t too pricey.
After that I had the chicken, mac & cheese and spinach meal. That was delicious. The chicken was crispy skinned, tender, and moist all at the same time.
We also had the cigar portabello mushroom rolls for an appetizer and that was heavenly. Overall a great meal. Some in the group said it was a wee salty, but as I like my things salty it was perfectly wonderful. Service was great too.
Addendum: I forgot to mention that they had jazz playing. It was super soothing.

The price per person is about $ 23 after tax/​tip and if you add an appetizer, a beer, and a dessert, then it’s $ 35 for two. It is casual but somehow i felt a bit under-​dressed when you have guys pulling up in a Ferrari and businessmen wearing suits after work in the down town area.
These mushroom cigars were absolutely amazing. Somehow, even though its asian fusion, they get it right and I’ve never had asian fusion that lives up to real quality asian food. The roasted chicken was done just right with a great aroma that only perfectly roasted chicken can have. My pot roast is delicious but was very very slightly too salty for me. I had a fat tire there and it was from a tap from the taste of it, and very very fresh. The dessert wasn’t too great being a chocolate tart. The tart was so hard that we had a hard time cutting into it with our spoon. Overall, I definitely will be going back sometime even if it is just for the beer.
Oh, parking is free with validation at the restaurant. The street in front of it is one way and the parking lot is just next the the restaurant.

Paragon is not one of those restaurant/​bars where you can’t even move, it’s more understated and elegant. I like that.
Service — Decent. She told us that the special for the night was steak & scallops. Little did we know it was a scallop potato thing… not actually scallops. It was still good though so it’s okay. The host on the other hand had a bit of an uppity attitude about him.
and now moving onto the important stuff… the FOOD!
Calamari — Nothing special. Just like any other calamari from any other restaurant.
Oysters — The sauce they gave us to eat with the oysters was very light and yummy. I believe the server said it was rice wine mixed with… I don’t know, but it was good!
Rock crab cake — Don’t get fooled like us and assume it’s crab cakes. It’s crab CAKE. Meaning… one…crab…cake.
Roasted chicken — Alright. The sauce was a little to salty for my taste. The mac & cheese that came with it was delicious though!
And now for the best part of the night… the bread pudding. GOOD GOD. It was so scumptious! Every last bite of it! It was a big portion to share between four people so it’s not one of those «I can finish this in two bites» dessserts.