A Little Corner of Heaven, Paradise Grille by Apryl Parcher

Has the economic crunch put a crimp in your “eating out” budget? Wish you could feed the entire family with a nice meal and pleasant atmosphere and still be able to afford dessert?

Paradise Grille Crew, left to right: Brittany Schultz (barkeep), Katelynn Shelby (waitress), Patrick Whalen (chef), and Carol Halsey (co-owner). Carol’s partner, Jeff Isaacs, ducked out before we could get his photo!

Well, North East is now home to a little corner of paradise that suits those needs perfectly…Paradise Grille…where you can feed everybody, even the kids, great food (and lots of it) on a shoestring budget.

Partners Jeff Isaacs and Carol Halsey (first cousins) pulled out all the stops to get Paradise up and running in December of 2007, and it seems they’re as busy as ever a year after they opened. When Jeff isn’t working on the building, he’s bussing tables and many of their relatives work in the restaurant as well. In fact, 95 percent of the staff is related. These Cecil County natives have learned the value of “family enterprise” when it comes to the restaurant business.

It took 11 long months to renovate the old building where Paradise Grille now resides. Old timers may remember when it was John D. Spence’s place, or later when it was Harold’s or JenJuBee’s. But from the open country décor to the old-time photographs of North East that adorn the walls, Paradise Grille fits right into the neighborhood and both locals and out-of-towners love it.

Enjoying a “Down Under Snowball” cocktail together, Corey Cebula (North East), Aaron Diebold (North East), Jessica Adkins (Elkton) and Harry Hepbron (Rising Sun) raise a glass to their favorite meeting place.

In fact, you would never know there was a recession going on when Ken and I visited Paradise in mid-January. The place was packed with couples enjoying a dinner out, friends laughing over drinks and a basket of fries, families young and old, and everyone seemed to be having a great time. It was contagious! One table of local “regulars,” young friends who grew up in the area, said they eat at Paradise every week and love coming in for the weekly specials (especially Sunday Football and Burger Tuesday).

“We couldn’t have asked for a better response,” says Carol. “Our patrons are very loyal, and everybody knows everybody. We love the community connection.”

What makes Paradise special? Well, apart from the fun atmosphere (3 flat-screen TVs), a roomy bar and warm country interior (large, spotless restrooms, too), the food is excellent. No one leaves without a doggie bag, and their prices are some of the best around, such as lunch specials every day for $5.95, including a drink.

Ken and I started off our evening sipping a nice, cold glass of White Zin while enjoying a fresh salad of crunchy baby greens. We also nibbled grilled shrimp-and-bacon appetizers (very yummy dipped in sweet and sour sauce), followed by cups of creamy crab bisque.

Plenty of room...tables surround a roomy, well-stocked central bar, with more seating available outside.

“Wow,” Ken told Carol, “This is just about the best crab soup I’ve ever had!” It was very creamy and buttery, with just enough sherry to bring out a nice tang (almost lemony). He said it was so good it would be a shame to spoil it with crackers.

After our soup, we shared a big bowl of shrimp scampi over linguini and a crust of garlic bread. Don’t forget to ask for a sprinkling of Parmesan Cheese…it really adds a nice touch.

There are lots of home-made favorites on the Paradise menu including burgers, hot meatloaf sandwiches, pasta, steaks and seafood. And for happy hour, the kids will enjoy watching the old-fashioned popcorn machine overflow with fragrant, buttery popcorn.

If you’re in the mood for surf-n-turf, their new radiant grill does a great job. We were served a big fat rib-eye steak, still sizzling, with a combo of sweet fried clams, fried oysters, grilled crab cake, scallops, flounder and a twice-baked stuffed potato. Everything was delicious, and the portions more than ample.

Dessert was a real treat, too—fried cheesecake with ice cream---a soft flour tortilla stuffed with cheesecake, rolled and fried to a golden crisp, then sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, drizzled with chocolate, and served warm with a dip of creamy vanilla ice cream.

When the weather gets warmer you can enjoy these goodies outside. Paradise has expanded seating for 24 outside where a creek runs next to the building. It’s a great spot, complete with Tiki torches for evening ambience, a gold fish or two in the creek for the kids, and grills for pit beef and ham.

Next time we’ll be sure and visit when we can enjoy the outdoor seating—but don’t wait for spring! With its warm, friendly atmosphere, good food and great prices, you’ll be just as glad as we were to find Paradise Grille …a little corner of heaven in North East. —CSM