Sidecar

Side Car 577 College St 416 536 7000

Annette and Estelle are very special friends of long standing. Annette and I go back to our high school days. Both were celebrating birthdays and in my opinion nothing was too good for either of them. Annette had mentioned that she was unfamiliar with my favorite street in the city, College at Clinton. I knew just the place to celebrate their birthdays. Side Car is the busiest restaurant on the street (and also the best) I know because I always check out all the restaurants on this busy block. Every second shop is a restaurant. There is such vitality on the street. It is a must to take a stroll either before or after dinner and get in the spirit of the street.

During the week Side Car offers a $25.00 Prix Fixe. It is phenomenal value and the food is outstanding. At the risk of using too many superlatives I have to state that every bite was perfect and totally satisfying to the palate.

We began the evening with champagne and appetizers at my place. We overate there and then continued to eat everything placed before us. When food is that good you just go for it and worry about the dieting the next day.

Two soups were being offered on this evening. Annette was delighted with the Mushroom Soup. I could tell it was creamy and even the aroma was tantalizing. Annette expressed delight with the full flavor. It was a very generous portion. Estelle enjoyed the Gazpacho. It also was very creamy and thick. We were off to a good start. I was very pleased with the Caesar Salad with parmesan shavings and garlic crouton. I asked our excellent server to skip the double smoked bacon and he was very accommodating and gracious. In fact he did an excellent job throughout the evening. Good service adds so much to fine food and aesthetic plating. We had it all.

Casey is the manager of this outstanding restaurant. He has the finesse to make the patrons feel welcome. He also keeps the place flowing and the food is amazing. I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting partner Bill but perhaps on my next visit.

All three of us chose the Atlantic Salmon for our main curse. It had such a ‘wow’ factor. The portion was huge. It was so perfectly prepared that I didn’t even need a knife. The salmon had a honey mustard glaze and was sitting on a bed of Swiss chard over a Beurre Blanc sauce. I think this was the best I have ever tasted.

I was tempted to order the Fettuccini with black tiger shrimps in a tarragon shrimp broth. Crispy Oven Roasted Chicken was also available with garlic seasoned mashed potatoes, asparagus and a red onion vinaigrette. Steak Frites were the other item listed on this special menu. The menu changes often.

The main menu has so many tantalizing dishes to offer. On my last visit a friend ordered the Mushroom Risotto. It was amazing.

Our dessert was Flourless Chocolate Torte. Two triangle dense sections of scrumptious decadent chocolate were artfully placed on the plate with a raspberry swirl and scoop of whipping cream. Too delicious to even put into words.

Our evening was complete. Estelle and Annette enjoyed their birthday treats and I had the benefit of their company as well as a superb feast.