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Happy to taste the blues

By Dennis R. Getto
Journal Sentinel dining critic

Published: April 13, 2007

It was 9:30 on Saturday night and two traditions were being observed at the Paramount restaurant in Grafton.

The few diners lingering over their entrees, desserts or coffee were simply enjoying the tradition of a Saturday night dinner out.

And the man at the microphone was celebrating the tradition of blues music to which the restaurant has hitched its name.

Paramount

Photo/Karen Sherlock Salads at Paramount restaurant in Grafton are too bright to have the blues. Asparagus Salad ($8) features steamed spears over organic greens with grape tomatoes, pancetta and shallots covered in a shiitake malt vinaigrette.

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Chicken breast ($19) stuffed with andouille and mozzarella, accompanied by corn salsa and cheddar mashed potatoes, and the Paramount Crab Cakes appetizer ($11, background) 8 are among the offerings.

For those who might not know, Grafton in the 1920s and '30s was home to a recording studio where many of the great blues artists of the day recorded their music. While in town, many of those artists stayed at a place called Bienlein's Central Hotel.

Today that hotel has been converted into the Paramount Restaurant.

Opened Dec. 4 by owners Joe and Tami Krupski and Mike Stodghill, the Paramount offers upscale dining in a casual but white tablecloth setting at lunch and dinner.

The restaurant also pays homage to Grafton's musical history with stylized pictures of musicians playing instruments and a life-size sculpture of a musician in the main dining room.

On this Saturday night, it was paying tribute to the building's blues heritage with a performance by one of Milwaukee's best bluesmen, Jim Liban, whose harmonica playing has won him worldwide attention.

For me, this marked my fourth sampling from the eclectic menu assembled by Paramount chef Adam Carson, who has dotted it with just enough Southern spice to reflect the restaurant's blues heritage.

One of his entrees, Charleston Seafood au Gratin ($23), showed its Southern roots in the cherry-tarragon cream sauce that bound the half-dozen large shrimp, three scallops and three oysters that had been sautéed lightly, then laid over penne pasta in a small oval baking dish.

Seasoned crumbs and some time in the oven turned the dish into a sweet, pleasantly chewy delight from which the individual tastes of the seafood emerged just enough to be noticed without hogging the spotlight. Best of all, the sherry-tarragon cream sauce had set into a velvety coating that clung perfectly to each pasta quill.

The other entree with which the chef scored a direct hit was titled "333" ($33). True to those numbers, it delivered a 3-ounce filet mignon (topped with velvety truffle cream), three large tiger shrimp (slightly sweetened with black currant liqueur) and a 3-ounce grilled quail on top of a wonderfully mild, lightly seasoned bread stuffing.

This clever combination of earth, sea and sky not only looked impressive atop bright yellow saffron rice, but it also offered the kind of variety that kept the palate busy tasting a variety of flavors and textures.

And each separate piece was perfectly done: The steak was bright pink; the quail, cooked through; and the shrimp, just firm enough to be completely cooked without a trace of toughness.

I'd rate two other entrees, ahi tuna ($24) and an 8-ounce filet mignon ($31) as very close seconds to the first two. The tuna had been prepared sushi style - grilled just enough to sear the outside of the fish while leaving its interior cool and deep red.

This was top-grade fish, and the chef's jalapeño vinaigrette had been drizzled on in sufficient quantity to let its presence be known without searing our palates.

And I can't say that all Southern touches were missing, because sweet potatoes, a Southern staple, accompanied the fish in two forms: Some of the potato had been sliced and fried into crisp, crinkly rounds, while others had been cubed and cooked carefully with onions to create a hearty hash.

Paramount's filet mignon had been barrel cut, which is to say with the grain of the meat rather than against it (the more common cut). As a result, it stood 3 inches high, and impressed us with its tenderness and full flavor as well as its looks. This was top-quality meat, and it delivered plenty of beefy richness.

The only main dish that left me flat was the 12-ounce pork chop entree ($22) that really offered nothing beyond the ordinary in the taste department. Even with the house Southern Comfort-laced barbecue sauce, the pork was just so bland that it was hardly worth finishing.

Soups, salads and sides didn't eclipse the entrees, but they played important supporting roles.

All of the soups that the Paramount offered - Rhode Island clam chowder, herbed beef-mushroom and potato-and-leek were topnotch. The most interesting, the clam chowder, fell midway between New England and Manhattan versions of the classic soup, with a little tomato and some cream.

The chowder had enough clams, carrots, celery and other vegetables to present a pleasant array of tastes and textures. The beef soup was plenty hearty, with bold beef flavor that seemed to cling to the spoon even after we emptied it. And potato leek was delicate, made on a light chicken stock with just a touch of cream to enrich it.

Salads were young spring greens with grape tomatoes, shredded carrots and onion, and the meals were delivered with warm bread.

And the Paramount's Friday fish fry is well worth a visit. I tried both cod ($11) and perch ($12) and was rewarded with excellent battered cod and breaded perch (both deliciously deep-fried and served hot). Beside them was a crispy, thin potato pancake, sweet creamy coleslaw and a slice of hearty rye bread.

I had no business eating all four of the twin perch fillets, but they were so fresh and so sweet that I couldn't resist.

Beyond entrees, I'd recommend tomato and artichoke crab dip ($8), even though some of the toast rounds with which it was served were stale, and New Orleans barbecue shrimp ($9) were big, tender and dusted with lively Louisiana spices. Only the house popcorn crawfish ($6) missed the mark - they were so heavily breaded and so overcooked that it was nearly impossible to taste them.

The same could not be said for desserts, which may have been the most impressive course of all. I'm still reliving each bite of the rich chocolate Guinness cake ($6), served warm with chocolate buttercream frosting. It was so rich that it almost tasted like classic mousse.

While that was my favorite, I could easily return and finish a dinner with tart Key lime pie ($6), a nuts and berries martini ($7) served in an edible praline martini glass or peach cobbler ($5) and have been just as happy.

But I would like it on a future visit if the servers don't stumble over themselves to refill water glasses every seven minutes or to check back on our table every 10. I don't know whether the staff suspected that I was a restaurant critic, but I was dining with friends and I would have enjoyed a little more time to talk without interruption.

And I'll definitely sit at a table. The pedestal base of the booths' tables leaves very little room for your feet.

Paramount Restaurant 1304 12th Ave. Grafton,WI 53024 (262) 375-0555   11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday., Sunday-Saturday (All hours listed are subject to change.) Cuisine Type:   Meals served: Lunch, Dinner. Handicap Access: Yes, Yes. Smoking: The entire restaurant is non-smoking. Children's Menu: Yes, Yes. Prices: Lunch $7-$13; dinner $13-$33; breakfast $5-$9. What All Cuisines American Bakery Barbecue Brew Pub Cajun/Creole Chinese Coffee House Continental Critic's Choice Deli French German Greek Indian Int'l Misc Italian Japanese Mexican/Tex-Mex Middle Eastern Pizza Polish Seafood Soul Food Soups Steak House Tea Room Thai Vegetarian Vietnamese Where Southeast Wisconsin Milwaukee County Milwaukee Downtown/East -- Kenosha County Ozaukee County Racine County Washington County Waukesha County -- Fond Du Lac County Dodge County Jefferson County Sheboygan County Walworth County -- Green Bay/Door County Madison/Dane County All Wisconsin When All Meals BreakFast Brunch Lunch Dinner Late Night Choose One Full Restaurant Directory Dining Guide Only Restaurant name (optional):