Here's the latest installment in our quest to find a decent cheap meal that won't kill us or our budget.
The after-school crowd was taking over when we went in to check out Paradis-To-Go, but Carly, who was working the counter, was nothing but friendly and helpful in explaining the menu over the adolescent diners. She recommended we take advantage of the specials, as their menu changes daily, so we ordered the very last of the potato leek soup with bacon and asparagus, which came with half a mushroom flat bread, all for $7. The soup was chunky and flavorful, and the flatbread was light and crispy, without too much grease. The staff was extremely friendly with customers, talking about vacations and offering them food they hadn’t yet tried.
Before we left, Carly told us, “You have to get a cookie. They’re kind of famous in the neighborhood.” She said kids from the St. George’s school swarm the place everyday for them. And no wonder; the chocolate chip cookies ($2.25 a pop) are the soft-and-gooey variety, just how we like them. And, according to Carly, they won over the hearts of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes when they lived nearby and sent their "minions over all the time."
The East Village eatery also serves breakfast foods, quiches, sandwiches, salads and fair trade coffee. But don't go in and expect to get too comfortable; there aren’t a lot of tables, hence the name Paradis-To-Go.
Paradis-To-Go // 114 Fourth Avenue // (646) 416-6709
