(Credit: Robert Jacobs)
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What it didn't have—until now—was food. Let's face it: knocking back shots of J.T.S. Brown Kentucky Bourbon and making like "Fast Eddie" Felson in "The Hustler" can work up an appetite. By your third drink and your fourth game of pool, you want some grub. Listen up, players, and allow us to introduce you to the Sidecar Grill; the yin to Bedrock's yang.
Food: Bedrock may have spent its first year without chow, but it seems as though it's making up for lost time. The food here is dynamite. There are no real surprises on the menu (aside from the deep-fried cheesecake), as it features pretty straightforward fare. The difference here is Sidecar's attention to detail, which became immediately evident when we received our grilled Portobello mushroom sandwich. Aptly named The Humongous Fungus ($7.95), it's hard to believe something so healthy could taste so good.
Quality ingredients are key, and obviously play an important role to the cooks at Sidecar. The restaurant also serves wings, sliders (mini-Angus beef burgers), salads, BLTs, crab cakes, gourmet stone hearth oven pizzas and a range of desserts, including a deep-fried candy bar. Sidecar offers daily specials, and is available to host private events.
Drinks: As mentioned, Bedrock and the Sidecar Grill are really two halves of a greater whole. If you want booze, Bedrock offers around a dozen really good draft beers and several shelves of liquor. If you're just looking for lunch, though, and actually hope to leave sober, well, that shouldn't be a problem. (But it does make us question your priorities.)
Digs: Sidecar looks and feels like a really cool diner or a hip, colorful cantina. Like the food, the decor doesn't indulge in fanciful decoration. Rather, it's more about quality and simplicity. Grab a booth or pull a silver chair up to a table, and dig in. And don't worry about conversation, flat screen TVs are on hand in case you can't think of anything worth talking about.
Vibe: Like its neighbor, The Hippodrome, Sidecar is a breath of fresh air on the West Side. It's hip without being pretentious and classy without being stuffy. In other words, it's cool. And fun. And cool and fun is a combination that works for us.
