Home > Metrospective

Cafe not Paramount of diners
By Clarke Reader
creader3@mscd.edu

Photo by Jason Small • jsmall4@mscd.edu Lunden MacDonald, assistant professor of Spanish in the modern language department at Metro (left), mother of Gus, and Tami Gove, mother of Josh, with her son J.J., 2, at the 3rd annual Josh & Gus’s Run For A Reason held on Sept. 23 at Clement Park in Littleton.

Paramount Cafe
519 16th St.
Denver, CO 80202
303-893-2000

Though the Paramount Cafe is inviting and colorful, its fare is unremarkable and its service lacking.

Situated on the 16th Street Mall, inside what used to be the entrance to the Paramount Theater, the Cafe’s walls are full of pictures of celebrities past and present. From Marilyn Monroe to Kurt Cobain, it’s hard to look around and not see a famous face. There are televisions everywhere – most of them tuned to sports – and with an always-lively crowd, the Cafe makes a good spot for checking out the game. It’s a welcoming restaurant great for people-watching, with a casual atmosphere and a relaxed vibe.

Black-and-white tile lends the Cafe a hint of classic ambiance, but a jukebox with both oldies and new jams obscures which era, if any, the Cafe is trying to embody.

One thing is certain: the service and the food are below par. The servers, while friendly, have a knack for bringing the wrong order twice – if it shows up to the right table at all.

The BBQ Ranch Burger ($7.65) is stacked with American cheese, bacon, barbecue sauce and chipotle ranch dressing, but the meat was dry and overcooked. This is one of a wide selection of burgers ranging from the Old Fashioned ($6.45) to the Parisian, which comes with Béarnaise sauce and straw onions ($7.45).

Every day the menu includes a blue-plate special. Thursday’s was a massive Italian Chicken Sandwich ($8.75). The breaded chicken was too crispy outside and stringy inside. The mixture of tangy marinara sauce and pepperoni with mozzarella cheese was good, but the meat’s low quality made the sandwich hard to appreciate. The fact that there were only two pieces of pepperoni on it made it that much more difficult to swallow.

For those who want to try something different, the Cafe offers a bowl of Buffalo chili ($5.50) or the Won Ton Juan appetizer ($6.50), a plate of wonton-skin-wrapped jalapeños with cheddar and jack cheese.

For dessert, the Cheesecake Burrito ($4.95) is a unique take on a ubiquitous item: a fried, cheesecake-filled tortilla topped with caramel, strawberry sauce and whipped cream. Now, that’s smothered.

If atmosphere were the sole factor in making a dining choice, the Paramount Cafe wouldn’t be a bad place to pick. It’s lively, local and filled with the revelry of a familiar downtown haunt. But if good food is the goal, diners would be better served continuing on their stroll down the mall.