FUN! FUN! FUN! We had a really great time - a fun inaguration of Oaktown Crawl! It was a very warm (hot) evening, and the five us sat at this great communal table, meaning that we had plenty of room to spread out and relax. We pretty much worked our way through the appetizer menu, eating our way through Twice-Baked Goat Cheese Souffle (what they're famous for), Sidebar Salad, Grilled Trout Salad, Steamed Mussels, Steamed Clams, Smoked Paprika Fries, Mascarpone-Manchego Polenta Cake, and for dessert, Chocolate and Hazelnut Profiteroles. And to wash it all down, ice-cold water and some Fiddlehead Sauvignon Blanc. It was all delicious!
It's a small restaurant, with a tall square bar area in the front, a more casual area to the left (where we were) with the communal table and some lounge-like seating, and then to the right of the bar, some two-people and four-people tables. And again, all in a very small space. I would describe the atmosphere as very warm, inviting, and cozy. Browns and oranges? Funky photos on the wall. I should have taken more pictures to share with you all - next time I'll try to remember to do that. I would definitely recommend checking this place out - I'll definitely be back.
As for the ratings (you knew there would have to be scorecards, didn't you?!), with a max of 5, here's how we rated Sidebar:
Food/Drink: 3.9
Ambiance: 4.0
Service: 4.3
Overall: 4.1
Quotes from the scorecards: Food was yum! Loved the fresh apple slaw that came with the goat cheese souffle. The mussels were delicious. Appreciated locavore choices in drinkis. Yum! A little noisy for a large group, but still cozy! Ambiance was nice and casual. Loved the lighting and the colors. Loved the conversation that a communal table can bring. Ambiance was perfect except it was a tad noisy (hard to hear). Service was great, and unobtrustive. Server was very cute! Company was great! Fun, enticing menu, interesting combos - would love to come back!
Parking was "oakland difficult," although there was a very convenient public lot just a couple of doors down ($3).
Next up? Burma Superstar! See you in August...
Love, Susan
