Paradise Found: Lake Of The Ozarks’ Tropical Restaurant Serves Caribbean Flair

by Deanna Wolff

If you’re in the mood for delicious food, unique tropical drinks, and a breezy atmosphere with a spectacular Lake view, then the Paradise Tropical Restaurant and Bar on Lake of the Ozarks goes at the top of the short-list for lakefront dining this weekend.

New to Paradise is Chef Nathan Bohning, who insisted that the restaurant get a char-grill and helped craft their new menu, with the addition of bowls and wraps for customers wanting healthier options. Lounging on one of the many colorful covered decks waiting to taste Paradise’s signature dishes, a server brought two of Paradise’s signature drinks. Talk about a slice of paradise! The Nectar of the Gods and the Jamaican Ten Speed deserve their own treatment: read about it here (and get the recipes)…

Dinner entrees at Paradise are available beginning at 4 p.m. with your choice of sides. The Bleu Cheese Encrusted Filet is steak done right, and the Crab Cake Entrée made me think I’d died and gone to the good place. This is the food they serve in Paradise…

Perhaps the most brilliant social-distancing innovation yet, guests can also enjoy Paradise food and drinks dockside via their zipline delivery system. Videos of bagged food gliding down the zipline have already won the Internet. The restaurant is also dog-friendly and offers a special menu for your pooch.

Paradise is open every day at 11 a.m. and has live music Tuesday – Sunday, through September. A brunch buffet available on weekends and holiday-Mondays at 9 a.m. features made-to-order Eggs Benedict as well as specialty Mimosas and Marys.

With three bars, an arcade, a wall of TVs to watch sports, and a quaint air-conditioned dining room with bar, every day is paradise at Paradise Tropical Restaurant and Bar! Visit at 430 Tropical Trail in Sunrise Beach or by water at the 24MM. Curbside pick-up available by calling 573-374-4777.

www.paradisetropicalrestaurant.com

THE DRINK

Picture yourself lounging on a tropical beach: what’s in your hand? A frozen drink, of course! And at Paradise Tropical Restaurant and Bar on Lake of the Ozarks, the frozen drinks take you right where you want to be.

First up: the Nectar of the Gods. The presentation itself made this frozen cocktail almost too beautiful to drink! With an ideal blend of light rum, Hiram Walker Peach Schnapps, mango and strawberry puree, this delicious drink is highly deserving of its name and is definitely my favorite. This fruity combination is not too sweet and is so refreshing that you’ll end up ordering another, on a hot summer day.

Another delicious frozen treat, the Jamaican Ten Speed, is served in a real pineapple! This perfect balance of Malibu Coconut Rum, Hiram Walker Melon Liqueur, Banana Liqueur, fresh banana, coconut cream, and coconut and pineapple juices is what every smoothie on the planet wishes it could be. If you like piña coladas as much as I do, you’ll love this combination with its melon twist, making you feel like you’re vacationing in the Caribbean.

The pineapple was the perfect flourish, and if you’re craving that extra flair, for $5, any and all drinks can be served in a pineapple – complete with umbrella – just like in a tropical paradise!

THE FOOD

As I sipped my drinks and took in the colorful tropical vibes and boats crisscrossing the Lake, Chef Nathan served the first of Paradise’s signature dishes: their Crab Cake Entrée, consisting of three pan-seared crab cakes, topped with homemade mango salsa on top of a sriracha aioli drizzle. The presentation is truly a piece of art.

These crab cakes seriously take the cake! They were perfectly crispy on the outside with mouth-watering, real jumbo lump crab and just enough breadcrumbs to keep the cake together on the inside. The mango salsa is zesty and fruity with a bit of a zing, and the sriracha aioli is wonderfully creamy.

Then Chef Nathan presented his Bleu Cheese Encrusted Filet, with a side of perfectly-cooked broccoli and the creamiest and cheesiest baked mac n’ cheese that I’ve ever had. The prime Angus filet, an 8 oz. hand-cut in-house and char-grilled to perfection, practically melted in my mouth. Combined with English Stilton bleu cheese, this pairing is a lip-smacking explosion of texture and flavor that will have you coming back to Paradise again and again.