Dec. 7, 2022

This paid piece is sponsored by Vanguard Hospitality.

Paramount Cocktails & Food officially has returned to the downtown dining scene.

The cocktail lounge attached to Minervas is open again after shutting down during the pandemic.

“We did it to optimize our staffing and while we waited for crowds to return to more normal levels downtown again,” said Ken Bashore, CEO of owner Vanguard Hospitality.

“In the meantime, we focused on what Paramount is going to be in the future, and now that we feel like we’re moving in a good direction downtown, we felt like the time was right, especially for the holiday season as people are looking to spend more time downtown and get together.”

Paramount will serve a chef-created menu of small plates.

“I love the menu,” Minervas executive chef Brad Herr said. “You can use your imagination more with small plates. It’s adventurous, and the plating techniques are playful.”

Like all Vanguard restaurants, which include Minervas, Grille 26 and Morrie’s Steakhouse, the emphasis is on locally sourced cuisine.

Buffalo meatballs feature South Dakota buffalo, slab bacon, smoked blue cheese and raspberry barbecue sauce.

The pheasant pide is made with pheasant cognac sausage, shoulder bacon, alfredo, fontina, tomatoes, hydo basil and smoked barrel-aged balsamic.

Other dishes include a signature shrimp cocktail, burrata and tomato, and charcuterie.

Diners also can walk through the signature Minervas Market Bar.

“Minervas’ dining is all about being technically sound, but here nothing is off-limits, and you can have some fun,” Herr said.

The menu will change often and be “very nimble,” Bashore added. “Our focus is on executing fully and supporting our volume. We don’t want to put additional pressure on the kitchen, so these dishes are ones we’re really proud of that still allow us to serve diners efficiently. We want this to be a place you can stop by at the end of your workday, before dinner out or to end your evening.”

The Minervas dessert menu will be offered at Paramount as well. And the beverage list features an assortment of classic and newly crafted cocktails, including favorites from within current and former Vanguard restaurants.

Guests at Paramount will enjoy the music of jazz and classic Rat Pack-era favorites but will find the venue is lighter on live music to allow for more conversation.

“We heard from guests that while they enjoy live music, it is a smaller venue, and sometimes that made it difficult to socialize,” Bashore said.

“A lot of people missed it during the pandemic and are really excited we opened it back up because it is a great place to have a conversation and it fits easily into your day or night.”

Paramount, 307 S. Phillips Ave., is open from 4 to 10 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday and 4 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with the kitchen closing an hour before the bar.