Free Review! Paragon Cafe Story.

Now that I have your attention.
Free review time!

As many of you know, or should, if you are following this blog, I'm pregnant.
Along with pregnancy comes some interesting new relationships with food. I used to be a huge carnivore. Meat and potatoes kind of girl. It worked well, as my husband is also a carnivore. (Though he will undoubtedly point out that we are omnivores and have a wide range of likes about food and la dee da - Science.) I used to say, and often, that if the plate didn't have meat on it then it was a snack and not a meal.
Oh, how times have changed. Along with some very interesting food cravings (see Cravings - A Fruity Story post, coming soon) I got some interesting food aversions to go along with them. The worst aversion to food that I got because of pregnancy is the aversion to meat.
Anything meat bothers me now. I miss it. But the thought of meat makes me mentally see oil and fat and just gross. I can't take it. If I could, I would cut meat out of my diet completely for the next 20 weeks or so. But I'm low on that iron, so I need it more than ever.
Wailing on about my food woes is not the point of this post. The point is that I found a place where the meat is just as wonderful as I remember.
On a bad day where I was not going to cook (bad Domestic Goddess!) and knew I really needed meat, Lovely reminded me that I hadn't had any all week, we decided to try a new-for-us place in town. It had great, if not numerous reviews. I hadn't had a single friend I knew personally that had eaten there.
It was a mystery. A food mystery. We had to go to that side of town for reasons that day anyway, so we decided to give it a try.
The Paragon Cafe is in a hospital. It is the hospital's food source. Many of you are probably already leaning back away from your screens at just the thought. Hospital food creates images of separated gelatinous fear and unidentifiable solids. Bare with me.
The hospital in this town is geared almost entirely on the Maternity Ward. Yes, they have emergency care and ICU and all sorts of things, but this is Baby Central. We live in a high concentration of LDS and university students. And the only thing the LDS community are better at than making internet memes is making babies. So the Maternity Ward is the nicest thing you have ever seen. Think first class for hospitals.
Well, with a nice Maternity Ward comes a freak-ton of hungry postnatal Mommas. You would be hungry too after the work out of an all-nighter labor and delivery. So, the hospital determined that feeding these postnatal bellies should be a high priority. And I'm so glad they did. (Not only because we are having our baby here.)
The Hospital has hallways that don't feel creepy and medical. While we were walking towards the Cafe, following very well placed and easy to read signs, Lovely and I both commented that this didn't feel like a hospital. Yes, everything was cleaned within an inch of it's life, but it didn't have that sterile to the point of dead feeling. It felt and looked like we were in a nice hotel. Which is a much better association than hospitals, if you ask me.
We made it to the Paragon Cafe, and I was a bit shocked. I was expecting a hole in the wall vending machine and paltry grill type of situation. There were not very many reviews that I could find on the place. That usually means word hasn't gotten out, either because it was bad food, service, or just inconvenient to eat there. Paragon was none of those things.
The tables were very clean, well placed, and each had a small vase of fresh flowers on them. We felt them. They were real, and not even starting to wilt. There was plenty of light, both artificial, and coming from windows all along the room. It felt like a nice sit down place that we currently can't afford.
Surprised, but willing to at least look at the options, we went through to the food area.
(We have been known to go into places, and even sit down, but leave if the prices are too high. We are foodies, but we are frugal.)
The food area is unique. It is set up so all the seating is surrounding the area on three sides, separated by walls. There was not a lot of space dedicated to the food area, but they used their square footage well. There is a full salad bar. And I mean full. Anything you could want on a salad, and all items not touching. I inspected, not a single green was browning or wilted. All fresh.
There was a fountain drink machine, of course. Also a smaller version for what I like to call funny-water. Those energy/nutrient induced waters. There was a coffee machine, with hot cocoa packets next to it if people would prefer hot chocolate to coffee. (Which, in this town, is a pretty good bet.)
There was even an ice cream soft serve machine. With cup or cone options.
We were interested in meat, though. I needs it, and I needed to find a place it town that I could eat it. Anything greasy was out for sure, so I haven't wanted much of any fast food options, but as it was in a hospital I figured they would at least not deep fat fry style the food.
The Grill options were amazing. Not only did they have daily specials, but the prices are just beautiful. We are nearing broke, so are being careful. They had a chicken wrap that I was at once wanting. It was only 3.99. I ordered that, and Lovely grabbed a chicken sandwich. (In his usual style he asked the person working what their favorite things was and ordered that. It worked out this time.) He also grabbed a Guava drink, and I grabbed a candy bar to share for dessert.
The whole side wall was just bottled drinks, by the way. Everything from milk, chocolate milk, guava, to ginger beer. With all the normal sodas in between. It was a cooled fridge wall, and they even had muffins and cheese sticks in there. Cool.
The center area in the middle of all this had desserts. From pie, to cheesecakes, to fruit bowls, to I don't know what it was but it looked delicious. (You have come across those desserts before, don't kid yourself) It was very exciting, but I stuck with my little candy bar.
The system the Paragon Cafe used was a little different. The Grill master, as I will now deem him, printed off a tiny reciept of what we ordered at the grill. As he made it fresh, as is their way, we grabbed what ever else we wanted and headed to the little register at the corner wall divider from the seating. A very cheerful woman then scanned the receipt and our drink and candy, then said that any of the tables would hear our number being called very clearly, so we were welcome to sit down and be comfortable.
Oh, and that chicken wrap, sandwich, guava soda, and candy bar. It all came to about 11 dollars. I was giddy.
We sat down by a window. The wait wasn't long, but enough time to know the food was being made, not reheated. Then our number was called on the oversound.
Because the bill was so small, and they didn't have any pictures to illustrate the foods, we were expecting the portions to be fair if not small. 3.99 for a chicken wrap that includes chicken, bacon, cheese, lettuce, and ranch is a fantastic price, but usually means it might be the size of my handspan. Which isn't all bad, as I can't eat as much anymore with baby taking up all the tummy real estate.
The portions were huge. The wrap was as tall as my face. I needed two hands just to lift it. Very pleased. So pleased. And it was hot enough that even I had to wait before digging in. Lovely's sandwich was equally as huge. Fresh bun with chicken bigger than bun. He was chuckling with glee.
And they didn't skimp on any ingredients. You know those places that make big burritos but it is really all just filler? Not the deal here. The wrap was mostly chicken and bacon. Cheese plentiful. Good amount of lettuce without being a salad wrap. And you could taste the ranch in every bite without having to slurp.
I was so pleased. But then it was the test. Would I be able to eat the meats? Oily is my enemy, and bacon has a bad habit.
It was perfect. It wasn't greasy at all. Moist and hot and fresh, but I didn't feel like I was eating meat flavored oil bites, which had been what my mind thought with all food lately.
The wrap was huge. And I hadn't been able to eat more than about a yogurt cup lately before having to stop.
I nearly finished that wrap. While nearly doesn't seem that impressive, it was a huge achievement for me. Lovely polished off his sandwich with only a slight pause to let me try a bite (true love) and was happy to finish off my wrap for me as well. So yummy.
By the time we were done with those, we were almost too full to eat the candy bar for dessert.
It was a Carmello. Four tiny squares of chocolate and caramel. But we would have saved it for later, except it is blistering hot and wouldn't have even made it to the car without turning into a puddle of sticky at the bottom of my purse. So we each had two squares.
And we were content, satisfied, and full for the rest of the day.
I five starred Paragon Cafe at every place I could think to review when I got home.

You might have notice the picture at the top of this post is of neither a chicken wrap or a chicken sandwich. Well, it is because we were so excited about the place and the food and the yumminess, that I forgot to take a picture. Yes, I'm that person that Instagrams her food.
So I arm twisted (More like hand-held) My Lovely into going back to Paragon Cafe again. Because I needed more meat in my diet, and it had been the only place we found that didn't turn my stomach. And I was sure to order a burger, something I haven't been able to touch since pregnancy hit, and actually snap a picture this time.
That above is a simple bacon cheeseburger there. 4.95 after tax - I checked the receipt. And I was half way through it before realizing I had forgotten to put any sauces on it. No mayo, ketchup, or mustard. And I hadn't even noticed because it was so juicy. They didn't skimp on pickles (five circle slices) or tomatoes (Two thick slices) which is my usual frustration. Plenty of fresh lettuce as well, to the point that I didn't put it all on. And they give it to you open faced, so you can put on the toppings, or not, as you please.
That time Lovely had grabbed the chicken wrap because he liked the taste of mine he got from last visit. I couldn't get a picture because he isn't the Instagram kind and was too busy actually eating his food. (I know - weird. ;) right?)
We are very pleased. And I'm already wanting to go back.

I was not asked to give this review. I was not paid anything for the review (who is gonna pay this little blog for my rambling sassy thoughts?). But I love this place, and you should go and eat there.
And I'm suddenly craving Paragon Cafe so hard.

Smile Always.