Paragon Bar & Kitchen

Queen Anne's neighborhood bar

Every neighborhood should have its own 'Cheers' - a place where someone knows your name. For Queen Anne, that comfortable place is Paragon on top of the hill.

Next year, 2015, marks their 20^th anniversary, so clearly the neighborhood (and beyond) has embraced the concept. It seems commonplace in Seattle now, but in 1995 the idea of offering great quality food, high-end craft spirits, wine and beer in a casual atmosphere with professional yet friendly service was not the norm. This was the idea of the owners who started Paragon in San Francisco, and Seattle's owner Todd Ivester has kept it in place. "If you went high-end on food and beverage, the service was often 'nose-in-the-air.' You should be able to have a great steak, a $12 glass of Cab and sit at the bar and watch a game, without a snooty-pants waiter," he says.

The San Francisco Paragon owners opened the Seattle location in April of 1995. They wanted Todd to run it. Throughout their interviews, they'd tell him about Seattle and the bar and he'd say "that sounds great, but I don't want to leave the Bay Area." Finally, they said "just go up and take a look." He arrived on a crystal clear spring day, flying in over mountains and water. "It was beautiful. Then I got to the bar and it was brand new and I thought how much I'd love to own a bar like that someday." He owned a small percentage of a restaurant in San Francisco, so he was back and forth until that was sorted out. He arrived full time about a month after the bar opened.

When co-owner John Swanson came to Seattle and told him they wanted to sell, but was hoping he'd stay on until the sale was complete, Todd (photo) surprised them by saying he wanted to buy the bar. They told him he had a week to pull the financing together. He teamed up with the chef, a family member and the Small Business Administration and made an offer they accepted. "At the time, I had a vision of having maybe 3-5 places like the Paragon in various spots; good, solid neighborhood bars. That hasn't happened." Todd bought out his partner in 2007.

Paragon has always been a spot for great music. "It's an integral part of the concept. We have live music five nights a week, Tuesday through Saturday. We used to book more R&B, Motown, soul and still do some. But now it's more Americana, folk, and non-head-banging rock. It's tough to do, especially since we don't charge a cover, but we want to continue doing it."

Weekend brunch is another early concept that has stayed in place. In the last few years, they've added their twist on it: bottomless mimosas. Pay extra on top of your food and the mimosas keep coming. Perfect for those days when spending hours at brunch is your top priority. Over the years, sports viewing in bars has increased tremendously, so they've added TVs above the bar to be competitive, without becoming a sports bar.

Compartmentalizing what a place is drives Todd crazy. "People say you have TVs so you're a sports bar, but you have music, so you're a club, you use local ingredients so you're Pacific Northwest. We're a lot of things on purpose; we want to meet the needs of the neighborhood and also be a draw to others if possible. Depending on the time of day you're at the Paragon, you're going to have a whole different experience. Some people use it as their lunch spot during the week; some bring their families for dinner (kids are welcome); some come for happy hour; some for late snacks, drinks and music. They're all different crowds coming for different reasons."

It's the same food-wise, you can get some Southern items based on Todd's background like fried green tomatoes and collard greens. They also offer salmon, steak, fish and chips, and a great burger. "I may take the menu in a more interesting Southern direction and would like to add more seafood, but you have to build that business. It's expensive to stock up on high quality seafood; you want to know that's what your customers want."

They have space for larger groups-up to 25, but don't have a private dining room. "Our kitchen is very small, so trying to serve a large group along with the rest of the restaurant gets tough. We want to make sure we're serving our customers well. We used to cater and I still have all that equipment, including a catering truck. But it's so labor intensive and, again, with that small kitchen, we stopped doing it."

Friendly but professional, the Paragon staff has a fun-loving side. They hold the annual running of the bulls (shopping carts filled with liquor) down Queen Anne Avenue to a local park. Everyone dresses in white with red scarves. They dubbed Paragon "The Lodge at Queen Anne" one year during a major snow storm as neighbors all came in after sledding down Queen Anne Avenue.

Bottom line, Paragon is a place where everyone is welcome. "It's a house of hospitality. My proudest moments are when I look down the bar and see the lawyer, construction worker, young hipster all sitting next to each other, laughing and having a good time. It's what I like best about the culinary industry-the camaraderie and team play. I love Queen Anne and love being part of the neighborhood."

If you haven't been for awhile, pick your favorite time of day/meal/beverage and head on in.

Paragon Bar & Kitchen
2125 Queen Anne Ave N
Seattle, WA 98109
206-283-4548
www.paragonseattle.com

Pagragon has closed permanently.

Connie Adams/November 2014