SideBar Bistro

Where:  1101 Tacoma Ave. S., Tacoma, 253.572.7227

Hours: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday - Saturday, Closed Sunday. Happy Hour: Monday - Saturday 3-6 p.m. $5 Appetizers & Drink Specials

Cuisine: Waffles, quiche, sandwich, salad, soup, pasta, wings, nachos, BBQ ribs, from-scratch lasagna, chicken pot pie 

Scene: Laid back, great views, secret hide-out bar tucked away in the back.

Drinkies: Full bar, bottled non-alcoholic adult sodas, espresso and coffees, fresh brewed tea

Damage: $3.95 to $16.99 (Mid-range)

ANNOUNCER: The corner of Tacoma Avenue and South 11th holds many memories for many generations. Once the destination for jazz fans at the much-missed Kelly's in Tacoma, the location now houses SideBar Bistro, opened by Tom Irick and his wife, JoAnna, in June 2010.  A new menu was launched in September, with fall and winter additions (the favorite from-scratch items are still there). From espresso, breakfast and a quick lunch to happy hour, appetizers and dinner service, know the Iricks care what you think - they'll probably check on you themselves. There's even occasional live music.

JAKE: SideBar is one of those places you look at and can't understand why it's not packed. It has the elements of a restaurant that should do well - decent prices and portions, good variety, clean, pleasant lay-out, full bar and the nicest hands-on owners around. We've been in a few times and are always treated well; not smothered, mind you, just given good service, polite conversation and then left alone to enjoy our food. I believe the cuisine is loosely Italian with West Coast influence.

JASON: What does that even mean, Jake? Man, you're watching a lot of Giada at Home. When I think Italian, I think marinara. I had a bite of the lasagna you ordered and the red sauce was mellow. The from-scratch pasta was soft - almost indecipherable from ricotta. Melted mozzarella and a powdery layer of fine Parmesan crowned the dish. Go ahead, call me a glutton, but I thought the portion would be bigger for $16.99. I'm a total carnivore, so I wanted to see more ground beef and pork sausage in the bolognese. Béchamel sauce combined with ricotta sent the dish over the top in the rich and creamy department. Turns out using béchamel is a classic Italian move. Who knew? Oh wait, you probably knew Jake, you foodie show-watching junkie.

JAKE: You're a freak; it's not Applebee's. You do not need a piece as big as your head. There was hot bread and a dinner salad, too, remember? Crisp green leaf lettuce and romaine were mounded up under thinly sliced purple onion, cucumber, crunchy carrot, radish and plump, rosy grape tomatoes. I had tasty ranch dressing, they make it themselves. Not too herby or sweet and the consistency was moderate - it poured well.

JASON: I prefer blue cheese dressing; I like it stinky, blue-veined and chunky. SideBar blue is on the thin side, minus the sharp tang. I thought it went well with baked and broiled hot wings. Six to an order, the medium-size wings and drums were sans breading (hurray!) and were incredibly moist. We'd opted for the savory smoky wings versus spicy hot ones this time around. I knew at once they weren't familiar with a deep-fat fryer. Not that they're a health food item, but that finger-licking-good yard bird is definitely better for you than those with an inch of breading dunked in oil. Short celery sticks added greenery to the plate.

JAKE: I've always marveled at the types of barbecue that come from different areas of the country. These pork spareribs are done Kansas-style and have minimal barbecue sauce. A full pound of ribs slow-cooked and almost falling off the bone ... for once I agree, this is some serious carnivore action.  I'm going to take a stab at the baked beans - brown sugar, molasses, salt, cayenne, minced onion, navy beans, tomato paste, maybe ketchup? I am glad to see the parsley that's used a little too liberally on all the plates is of the dark green fresh variety.

JASON: It's possible all that stuff is in there (doubt it), but you definitely left out applesauce, and thick slab bacon. I think that's where the mmm mmm good comes from. Vinegar, mustard seed and ultra-thin white onion made for an excellent skin-on red potato salad variation.  The display case full of pastries right inside the front door sealed my doom before we ever walked around to the bar and grabbed seats. Cinnamon rolls, lemon bars, scones, chocolate truffle-type beauties, tarts, muffins ... 3-inch-tall cheesecake won out. So moist, with the faintest hint of lemon and what had to be cinnamon in the crust, we were told a Parisian bakery in Seattle is the pusher, I mean supplier.