Brooklyn Brunch

A few months back, my friend Kel & I hit up a Park-Slope area restaurant called Sidecar. I love my friend Kel--she will try just about anything once, and she has a metabolism to die for. We had a 20-minute wait or so on a busy Sunday afternoon before getting our own roomy booth.

We started with one of the house specialties, the cheese grits. I am NOT a fan of grits. I don't 'get' them, but the few times I've enjoyed them, cheese and/or jalapenos have been involved. These grits were creamy, smooth, and surprisingly scrumptious. The presentation is deceiving, however; it's really a very thin layer, not even 1/4 of an inch deep, on a long dish. A little goes a long way, though, so it's really all you need. I might not necessarily order these on my own, but I'm glad I tried them. If you like grits, you'll probably adore these!

Next up, a side order of house-made bacon. These people make their own bacon (drool). It's soft and chewy and super-flavorful. Kel is more into super-crispy bacon, so she left most of it to me (sabotage!)

Another must-order: the chicken-fried steak. It's not as good as the CFS at Live Bait (in the Flatiron district), but it was pretty darn good for Yankee cooks. Living in OK and TX, I have been wooed by many a white gravy (please, let's just not think about how it's made). This was a decent go...accompanied by..... biscuits and gravy! I would have liked a little more flavor with this dish--the biscuits were a little bit spongy and there was probably not enough good old American lard in it. Darn the Midwest for tainting my Yankee tastebuds! If you're going to skip a dish, I'd recommend this one. I actually prefer the cheese grits over the biscuits and gravy.

The best part of this experience, hands down, was the dessert. You wouldn't think something as simple-sounding as chocolate pudding was worth raving about, but you'd be wrong. I was wrong. I was so very, deliciously wrong. They must use seriously high-grade chocolate in this pudding: it's dark, rich, creamy, velvety, and I simply didn't want it to end. I would walk back just for this pudding..and this time I wouldn't share. Love in a cup. Yum.

Sidecar
560 5th Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11215
(718) 369-0077