Paragary's

After opening with a pinch of public criticism a few months ago, Stocktonians are asking in chorus, “Have you been to Paragary’s?”. Well, after tons of pressure, Dawn and I finally dined at Paragary’s Bar and Grill in the Hotel Stockton. Ok, to be honest, there was no pressure, but we’ve been wanting to visit downtown Stockton’s newest restaurant.

We walked in right before 8 o’clock last night and were seated immediately by a very friendly hostess. It wasn’t very crowded, probably less than half the tables were occupied but we still waited a few minutes before being greeted by our server. After getting our drink order she disappeared for another few minutes before coming back to get our order.

Dawn ordered the grilled salmon and I ordered the pork chop. Dawn was disappointed when the server returned to break the news that they had run out of salmon. She settled on the sole based on the server’s recommendation. The pork chop, served with a delicious apricot chutney, came with onion rings and french fries and was grilled perfectly. Even though Dawn had her heart set on the salmon, she enjoyed the sole. The food was wonderful, definitely a welcome to Stockton. It’s the service, however, that might keep us from coming back.

Our server was not rude, in fact, she was quite friendly. The level of service just didn’t match the ambiance (or price) of the restaurant as a whole. Our server didn’t ask if we wanted an appitizer, soup or salad. We waited longer for drink refills than you’d have to at Moo Moo’s. We asked for more bread (which was delicious by the way) but never got it. We never saw a manager the entire evening. Call me old fashioned but I think “table touching” is vital in any restaurant, especially at Stockton’s new fine dining establishment.

All in all, Paragary’s is a great new addition to Stockton and a wonderful addition to downtown. We loved the location; we loved the ambiance; we loved the food; we didn’t love the service. It wasn’t the worst service we’ve ever received and we still had a wonderful evening together. Will we go back? Not sure. We probably won’t be bringing any out of town friends - there are other places in town where we can show off Stockton.

Check out other reviews on yelp and The Record.