There is nothing I love more than a fun bar with great food, and fortunately, I’m not the only one. Michael Sinensky, the man who brought us Village Pourhouse and Hudson Terrace, introduces SideBar, an upscale sports bar/gastro-lounge in the Union Square area. SideBar will encompass everything that a sports bar should be, but with a few upgrades. The decor will be airy and warm with ornamented walls showcasing the carved wood bar, a Lounge area with velvet curtains and soft leather banquettes, and finally an elevated Mezzanine area that seats up to 40 people.
This is definitely not your typical sports bar, and neither is the food. To help reinvent the traditional bar fare, Sinensky brought in Contemporary American chef Jason Bunin, formerly of Knickerbocker Bar & Grill and Patria in NYC. Jalapeno poppers and mozzarella sticks? Hardly. SideBar will be serving up appetizers like Smoked Salmon Nachos (taro, capers, onion, creme fraiche, chopped egg, black caviar) and Foie Gras deviled eggs (crispy prosciutto, dried cherry vinaigrette). Main courses will include bar favorites with a sophisticated twist, like The Mac Daddy and Cheese (sea shell pasta, porcini mushrooms, black diamond white cheddar, truffle, bread crumb gratanee) and the steak sandwich (grilled sirloin in a brandy cream sauce served open-faced on a wild-mushroom baguette). Now you can’t have a sports bar without sliders, so chef Bunin created a few with his own unique spin. You can choose from the smoked burger with guacamole and chipotle ketchup, the goat-cheese stuffed lamb burger, the ham-croquette burger with mustard relish, the rosemary chicken burger with mushrooms, or the veggie burger and salsa. There’s even a "mashed potato bar" at SideBar – I don’t even know what that is, but it definitely sounds like something I want to take part in.
Last but not least, SideBar also has an extensive menu of specialty cocktails for you to sip (or chug) while gazing at one of the seven HD flat screens around this sleek bar. Casual yet sophisticated environment, great food and plenty of places to sit – now there is absolutely no excuse for not being a sports fan. So grab your friends, grab a drink, and cozy up to the SideBar.
Open daily for lunch and dinner. Hours are Sun-Wed 12 pm-2 am, Thu-Sat 12 pm-4 am
SideBar
120 East 15th Street at Irving Place, 212-677-2900
