MAY 18, 2005
With its ongoing remodeling project, Paradiso Mexican Restaurant on South Washington Street now has seating for 350. And that makes it one of the largest restaurants in Grand Forks. The restaurant is planning a grand reopening and has a new menu coming out in June.
Paradiso has a new reception area and additional dining rooms. I was seated in a new dining area with nicely tiled wainscoting when I went there for lunch the other day. The booths have high backs, and the place has new leaded-glass windows, new lamps and new artwork.
I ordered the Luncheon Taco Platter ($4.39), a large corn tortilla filled with seasoned beef and served with lettuce, Spanish rice and refried beans. This was plenty to eat and good enough to order again. The tortilla was crisp and thin. The meat within was lean and well-seasoned. The Spanish rice has a nice tomato taste with a touch of garlic. Even the refried beans were tasty—and I am not a big fan of most refried beans.
Sia Anvarina, the general manager, invited me on a tour of the kitchen when I interviewed him after lunch. It is huge, and well-arranged with four different entryways. In the back, Michael Briones was tending a huge vat of Spanish rice and keeping check on chicken cooking in another enormous pot. Briones has been with Paradiso 11 years.
Most people who go often to Paradiso have their own preferences for enchiladas, burritos and tacos. Fajitas are far and away the bestsellers, with 900 to 1,400 going out the kitchen each day. When Anvarina eats in one of the Paradiso restaurants in North Dakota, he orders the Santa Fe Salad. It’s made with char-broiled mesquite chicken breast with greens, Mandarin oranges and red onion rings and poppy-seed dressing ($7.99).
Paradiso started in Grand Forks in 1975 and first was known as La Campana. Anvarina has been associated with the Mexican restaurant for 25 years. He also is general manager for the Paradiso restaurants in Fargo, Bismarck, Jamestown and Minot. With its renovation, Paradiso almost has doubled in size from 3,000 square feet to 5,500 square feet. There is space for parking in two lots. The restaurant has 140 full- and part-time employees. As many as 40 to 50 people show up every day to get a free dinner on their birthdays with proper identification.
Paradiso’s four North Dakota locations, including the one in Grand Forks, continue to operate.