What does Los Gatos really need? More places to relax and enjoy good food and drink with friends in the comfort of a neighborhood hangout, say Joshua Allen and Adam Chick, owners of Sidecar Modern Tavern. The new restaurant officially opened Dec. 12.
The two locals have been in hospitality for over 20 years, running mixology programs at properties like the Four Seasons and helping with the opening of successful restaurants including Cin-Cin. Chick grew up in Los Gatos and remembers hanging out with Brenda and Ross Hansen when Oak & Rye used to be Restaurant James Randall. Allen now calls Los Gatos home.
With all their experience, they’d seen restaurants do one, maybe two, things really well. “They’d usually have good food or good cocktails, but rarely both,” says Chick. And then there’s the question of ambience. “We wanted to create a place that would be fun,” he says.
That kind of fun, however, generally takes a lot of work. After much labor and countless hours of online shopping for decor, the former I Gatti space at 25 East Main at the corner of College Avenue, has been transformed into a sleek modern take on an old-fashioned tavern: a place of community, like a church, but with much better booze and far better seating.
“In the old days, you’d drive your horse into town, unpack your bags at the inn, freshen up and then go next door to the tavern for a bite of food and drink,” says Chick. “We just happen to be down the street from the Garden Inn.”
Dark blue walls and bright chrome chandeliers create an atmosphere reminiscent of the theater district of New York or San Francisco. It’s definitely upscale, but not stuffy, with comfy seating in the lounge area. Accented by fun wallpaper bits showcasing pineapples and watercolor images of plants, there’s a high-energy yet casual vibe.
The eye is drawn to the bar, gleaming wood finished with a matte protectant to give it a more organic feel. The shelves are teeming with distillates, waiting to be combined with house-made shrubs and syrups and transformed into elixirs. Allen worked at two mixology bars in San Francisco and knows how to incorporate the latest trends into a range of cocktails, including low-cal and low ABV.
“We know what Los Gatos wants and likes,” says Chick. “They want a place where they can go without having to get dressed up: casual, relaxed.”
Chef Jacob Farleigh is ready to serve up a mix of small plates and larger mains, meant to share—or not. Start with “Snack Attack,” items like smoked marcona almonds, crispy pig ears and fries with Japanese mayo. Or try the avocado with egg yolk confit with mache and bagel spice. Vegetarians will appreciate the cucumber salad with jicama, spinach and green goddess; hearth-roasted root vegetables with avocado chili cream; and potato leek soup with sushi ginger.
There’s Kampachi crudo with coconut milk and charred pineapple, octopus tostada with roasted pear chimichurri, and crispy chicken wings and confit of duck thigh with grilled bok choy. Larger dishes include braised lamb sliders, Lassen trout, roasted game hen with mustard greens and cranberry relish and New York steak with bone marrow and trumpet mushroom toast.
“When we eat, we love sharing lots of different bites, so that’s the philosophy behind the menu,” Chick says. “Not everybody wants a plate full of meat. Our food lets you experience and share different tastes.”
Asked where the “7” that’s part of their logo originated, Chick says it was actually kind of a fluke. He and Allen both loved the name Sidecar, as it’s one of their favorite cocktails. They also like the sense of adventure and camaraderie conveyed by sidecar imagery. But when they went to sign up for the domain name with GoDaddy, they were told that sidecar.com was already taken. The next available domain was sidecar7, so they jumped on it.
Somehow, the 7 stuck. Initially introduced into the architectural blueprints, it then became part of plans submitted to the Los Gatos Planning Commission. The town started referring to the project as Sidecar 7. It wasn’t going away, so Allen and Chick decided to incorporate it into the logo.
“Our legally registered name is Sidecar Modern Tavern,” explains Chick, “but people are calling us Sidecar 7.”
Sidecar Modern Tavern, at 25 E. Main St., Los Gatos, is open Sunday-Thursday, 4:30-9 p.m., and Friday-Saturday, 4:30-11 p.m. 408-399-5180.