Hunny and I started with one of the house specialties for our appetizer -- fried pickles. Thinly sliced dill pickles with a light cornmeal batter, deep fried to crunchy perfection, and served with a sweet horseradish dipping sauce. The sour, salty, zesty, sweet tastes combine with the light breading to create a flavor explosion that can't be compared to any other dish we've ever tried. Yum!
For the entree, I chose the Calypso Chicken Salad, but elected to substitute Blackened Shrimp for the chicken. At $10.99, plus $1.99 extra for the shrimp substitution, my expectations were high for the exotic-sounding salad. The mixed field greens were fresh and crisp, gleaming with just the right amount of Citrus Vinaigrette dressing. The shrimp were well seasoned and nicely blackened with a fresh, light texture. Firm but ripe sliced strawberries and juicy segments of mandarin orange were mixed with the right balance of tartly sweet pineapple bits, crunchy pieces of apple, and thin rings of red onion. The candied almond slivers added an unexpected but welcome texture and flavor. If not done properly, this variety of flavors could amount to a confused mish-mash, but at Cheeseburger in Paradise, it's done precisely right. The result is delightful reminder of savory summertime tastes that work together to make this salad worth the $13 price.
Parrot Island Salmon was Hunny's entree choice. It's billed on the menu as "grilled" but it was more on the seared side and could even pass for blackened. Being the salmon-lover that he is, he found it a bit more browned than he's used to, but was nonetheless quite happy with it. I'm not as fond of salmon as he is -- in fact, I consider salmon inedible if it isn't cooked to my exact liking. But, the couple of bites he was willing to share with me were very tasty. Most important, in my view, was the pleasantly mild flavor that signifies freshness. Odd as it may sound, I don't want my fish to taste "fishy." The accompanying Island Rice was nicely seasonedd. The Teriyaki Broccoli was tender-crisp with a slightly sweet taste. Hunny thought the BBQ sauce was a bit too sweet. Fortunately, he had accepted our server-Islander's thoughtful offer to have it on the side. I thought the salmon held its own with no need for any kind of sauce -- not something I'm apt to say often about salmon.
A truly satisfying dining experience requires both good food and good service, and here again Cheeseburger in Paradise delivers. We typically visit on Friday evenings (as we did this time) or during other high-volume times, but we've never been disappointed with our service (or food). On this visit, Shannon supplied the friendly and attentive care that we've become accustomed to at CiP. Our entrees arrived quickly, before we had finished our appetizer, and she graciously offered to hold our meal in the back, but we were ready to dig in. We expect our servers to keep our beverage refills coming, as Shannon did, but we especially appreciated that, as we lingered in conversation, she continuted to offer refills after the tab had been paid -- something servers don't typically do anywhere. Speaking of beverages, if you enjoy fruit-flavored iced tea, as I do, you'll be happy to know that Cheeseburger in Paradise will add any flavor syrup from the bar to your tea, as you like. I prefer blackberry or mango, but there are plenty more to choose from.
Another unexpected bonus was having the proprietor, John Sparkman, check on our table a couple of times over the course of the evening, stopping at one point to introduce himself. We like "hands-on" management and personal concern for customer happiness. With tasty food, attentive service and a relaxing atmosphere, Cheeseburger in Paradise delivered a pleasant winter "getaway" for a tab of less than $40 (sans gratuity).
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