Sidecar Bar and Grille Review
Authored by Nina Wilson and Dynisha Murray
November 8th, 2022
From top to bottom, The Not So Flat Flatbread ($15), Apple Cobbler French Toast ($14), and The Porchetta Benny ($15.50). Photo Courtesy of the Brunch Besties.
Hello and Welcome back to our blog! This week we are reviewing The Sidecar Bar and Grille. We’ve dined at Sidecar once before, during the winter of 2021. We enjoyed it so much that we decided to go back to review it.
A bit of history on Sidecar, It was originally owned by Adam Rittner, and he opened the restaurant in 2005. He abruptly sold Sidecar and Kermit Bakery, his other food venture in 2016 (Inquirer). This was due to him and his family having moved out of state. The restaurant was sold to real estate developer Ori Feibush, who sold again in 2019 to its present owners Mike Strauss, Mike Metzger, and William Lindsey. The three men were not unfamiliar to the restaurant industry prior to owning the Sidecar Bar and Grille.
Strauss is locally known for being the owner and founder of Mike's BBQ. Although he does not have any formal culinary training, he has over 10 plus years of experience in the restaurant industry.
Metzger and Lindsey on the other hand, both received formal culinary training. They met while they were working as line cooks at White Dog Cafe. It was soon after they met, that not only did a friendship bud, but they began to toy with the idea of opening their own restaurant together. They wanted to create a restaurant that provided high quality ingredients, sustainable, quick to serve, and affordable. This led to the creation of the Stockyard Sandwich Company, which opened in the Fall of 2015. All three men have had successes with their own respective restaurants, so it is not surprising when they came into ownership of Sidecar that they would be successful.
We visited Sidecar on October 8th, 2022 around 11:30 am. It was a sunny day, in the low to mid 50’s, so there was a bit of a chill to the air. The interior of the restaurant itself had an industrial vibe. Lots of rusted metals, and distressed woods. And the space itself was narrow and long, so it felt like you were inside of a sidecar on a train, which is probably where the name of the restaurant comes from. Sidecar Serves Brunch Saturday and Sunday from 11am - 3 pm. We ordered three items from the menu, The Porchetta Benny ($15.50), Apple Cobbler French Toast ($14), and The Not So Flat Flatbread ($15).
Porchetta Benny
Pictured above is the Porchetta Benny ($15.50). Photo Courtesy of The Brunch Besties.
This dish was an interesting twist on the usual eggs benedict. The menu describes it as “ spinach, provolone, long hots , poached eggs, hollandaise sauce.” The only thing that was omitted from the description is that the english muffin was substituted for an everything bagel. Which was definitely unique to say the least. The presentation of this dish was somewhat messy. It looked like everything was just thrown on to the plate, which I guess was intentional.
In terms of taste, the use of the bagel was a unique choice, because it added a crunchy texture which was nice. The eggs were poached perfectly, and the yolks complimented the other elements within the dish. There was a level of complexity that was added to the dish with the inclusion of the provolone cheese and spinach, which added a very savory rich flavor profile to the dish. But it was not overpowering. This is definitely not your traditional eggs benedict.
The side of hashbrowns was nice, as they were seasoned but subtle which worked out because the eggs benedict packed a very strong flavor profile. Additionally the side salad, although pedestrian, was a nice palette cleanser. Overall, we enjoyed this dish. There were some additional things that could have been done in order to improve the flavors present in the dish to really set it off. Thus, why we gave this dish a 3 out of 5.
Apple Cobbler French Toast
Pictured above is the Apple Cobbler French Toast ($14). Photo Courtesy of The Brunch Besties.
This dish caught our eye once again because of how unique of a dish it is. Very rarely will you find a restaurant that created an apple cobbler french toast. The menu described this dish as “ 2 thick slices of brioche, apples, caramel, and Streusel whipped cream.” The presentation of the dish was really nice, it looked like a mountain of apple caramel sweetness topped with whipped cream. Definitely one of the better plated dishes.
The french toast was fluffy and soft, but because of the crumble that was on top there was a slight crunch on the outside. The sauteed apples were a tad bit overcooked and had a consistency more in line with applesauce, but it still wasn’t too bad. The apples were sweet but still a tad tart, so it wasn’t overwhelmingly saccharine. The whipped cream was dense and creamy, and was reminiscent of ice cream and was a tad bit too sweet but it was still delicious. Overall, it tasted like a dream and we absolutely loved this dish. Which is why we gave it 5 out of 5 stars.
Not So Flat Flatbread
Pictured above is the Not So Flat Flatbread ($15). Photo Courtesy of The Brunch Besties.
Last but certainly not least, we have the Not So Flat Flatbread. If you can imagine a dish, that has everything that would want in a brunch dish and more this is that dish. The menu describes it as having “ Sausage, bacon, marinated roasted peppers, sunny eggs, cheddar jack, hollandaise, mixed greens.” The presentation of this dish was absolutely beautiful. It made our mouths water.
The flat bread itself was very hearty. The hollandaise sauce was very tangy, which juxtaposed the sweetness of the sausage and the bread. The mixed greens and marinated roasted peppers balanced out the rest of the elements on the flatbread. And the cheese was nice and gooey but didn’t make it taste greasy. The only thing that we would critique about it is that it was a tad bit too salty, and whether that was because the flatbread was too loaded or not, we’re not sure. Either way, we gave this dish 3.5 stars out of 5.
Conclusions
In closing, this restaurant is one that we always enjoy when we go. The service we received was phenomenal, our server was extremely attentive and was ready to get us whatever we needed.
There isn’t much more to say here except that if you’re in the graduate hospital area and want to try some uniquely delicious dishes you should check out the SIdecar Bar and Grille. Our final score of Sidecar is a 3.85 out of 5 stars.
For more reviews of other brunch spots within Philly, feel free to check out our previous posts. If you want to receive the most up to date notifications about new posts to the blog please follow us on social media!
Until Next time…
XOXO,
The Brunch Besties