Friday, March 25, 2011

SIDNEY STREET CAFE

It was a cold and blustery night, particularly after several days of delightfully warm weather that had seen the flowering of forsythia, star magnolias and the bradford pear  trees. It's March, after all, so one can expect some cold weather now and again, and colder March is what we got. Chuck and I had a date with a friend, Emmy who had not been to Sidney Street Cafe in many, many years so we decided it was high time that she found out what a special restaurant it is.
Sidney Street Cafe came through with flying colors. The ambiance is one of warmth and hospitality. As I've remarked before, the wait staff is knowledgable and completely professional; these are not folks waiting for a better job to come along, this is their profession. The restaurant was full of patrons when we got there at 7:30PM on a weekday night and more came in as we left around 9PM. That says a lot about the popularity of this place.


We were started off with an amuse bouche of a homemade Spring Garlic Pappadella, with Confit of Duck, Spinach Pesto, Leeks, Totsoi (a Japanese green), Tasso Oil( rendered from pork), with a Parmesan Emulsion. It was superb! The pasta was silky and a gorgeous shade of Spring green, the combination of the rest of the ingredients was absolutely delicious; there was not a morsel left on any of our plates.

We all three ordered the special fish of the night, Pan Roasted Black Bass with Chard, Spring Garlic and Spinach Puree, accompanied by Roasted Baby Artichoke Hearts, Garbanzo Beans, English Peas, with Crispy Tartar Sauce ( sort of balls of tartar sauce rolled in crumbs and fried) and Confit of Meyer Lemon.

Need I say more? It was beautifully cooked and prepared. The skin of the fish was crisp and golden brown, the combination of flavors and textures complimented every bite. Kevin Nashan, the Chef/Owner knows what he's about.

We ended the meal with Chocolate Ice Cream with Crunchy Toffee and two lovely thin cookies.

Kevin has his own Smoke Room in the basement of the restaurant where he also has micro-greens growing under lights; some of these greens graced our entrees.  He has already started improving the soil in his raised beds that border the parking lot and is looking forward to planting and harvesting his own vegetables and herbs this summer.

If you haven't been in a while to this amazing restaurant I urge you to go. You will not be disappointed.

Sidney Street Cafe
2000 Sidney Street
63104
314-771-5777
www.sidneystreetcafe.com

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for the delicious visit to Sydney Street, Boo. I'm tempted to call for reservations; it's been awhile since Mary Lee and I have been there. We've always enjoyed it, but I've never had the pan roasted sea bass. Maybe if it ever stops snowing and spring begins, we'll make it down there. Glad to hear you finished it off with chocolate ice cream. A fine finale. I like what you say about the wait staff. Yes, there's a difference between a job and a dedicated career. Tell Sydney Street they owe you a meal on the house next time.

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