I’m on the never-ending quest to find the epitome of comfort food. Dishes and meals that not only put a smile on your face but also evoke childhood memories and transport you back to a place and time where “mortgage” and “income tax” were strange words you heard your parents say. I grew up with juicy dumplings, chewy noodles in flavorful broths and smoked meat sandwiches. I’m sure my comfort foods differ from your creamy mac and cheese, slow-cooked smokey chili or fresh-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies. Although our definitions are different, we can all agree that the warm fuzzies are the same when it comes to seeking familiar dishes and foods for comfort. I recently hit up this new local neighborhood spot Paradis BBQ located in the plateau for “comfort food”.
Paradis BBQ offers refined classic comfort foods prepared via the savoir-faire of chefs. The menu is concise and straight forward where their claim to fame is both traditional rotisserie chicken and fried chicken. Roasted florets of fresh broccoli and cauliflower mixed with fresh dill, radishes, tossed in a light creamy dressing and garnished with crispy fried chicken skin. What kind of jerks intrudes on the pureness and sanctity of a wholesome salad with deliciously golden chicken skin. These guys. I don’t know where this salad has been all my life but it’s here. It’s the only way I’ll eat salad from now on. It’s a thing.
We asked the waitress if she recommended the rotisserie chicken or fried chicken. She suggested the fried, but we opted for the rotisserie chicken. Why bother asking if we already had our mind made up? Familiarity. We grew up on BBQ chicken. It was something we wanted to… needed to try. Comfort. The skin was crispy and amazing. We thought we were accidentally served the fried version. The meat was tender and incredibly juicy. The gravy was salty and amazing. I would have usually ordered an extra gravy anywhere else – one for dipping, one for sipping. But since it was my first time there, I wasn’t ready to embarrass myself right off the bat. I resisted rubbing the chicken over my bare chest already. I’m only human.
The full rack of ribs were not the best I’ve ever had, but they were decent, if not a bit over cooked. The meat was flavorful from the dry rub and ladleful of sweet heat from Paradis BBQ’s homemade barbecue sauce. Sides included various salads, potatoes served in various preparations, mac and cheese and bacon. They have fucking bacon as a side dish. Bless them.
Paradis BBQ is a quite local spot that should definitely be on everyone’s radar. Service was amazing as was the food. Chef overheard our chicken debacle and our inability to decide and sent out a fried chicken sampler. Ridiculously delicious. The crust was thick and had tons of purely fried batter nuggets hanging off of it. Definitely something I’m going back for.
Rotisserie Paradis BBQ
4165 St Hubert St
https://www.paradisbbq.com
