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The owner of Martin’s Downtown brings an exciting European flair to town with his newest endeavor, Sidecar.
John Park
In the heart of downtown Roanoke, a block off Church Avenue and sandwiched between two great American restaurants: the iconic Texas Tavern two blocks diagonally one way and Roanoke’s neighborhood bar and grill, Martin’s Downtown, right next door, sits a quiet and unassuming, yet powerful portal to Europe.
To step across its threshold is to be transported; to find oneself in the doorway of a café in Paris, an English pub in London, or a bistro in the heart of Brussels. It is a complete immersion in the culinary traditions of a continent ever-ancient and somehow, as if by magic, ever-new. It’s also the kind of experience you’d expect to find in New England’s gastronomic elite city centers. But for almost a year now, this magic portal has been open to Roanokers. The place is Sidecar.
Jason Martin, owner of Sidecar, has lived in the restaurant world his entire working life. The Roanoke-area native, started waiting tables right after graduating Salem High School, while attending classes at Roanoke College.
“It was always in my blood, I guess,” says Martin of his career in the restaurant industry. “It always came easy to me, and it was something I found I liked to do.”
Martin soon discovered his passion for working in restaurants far outweighed his love for staying in school. He decided to forego a college education and instead focus on cutting deeper paths into the world of food and drink.
“I don’t have any regrets,” says Martin of his decision. “I think it’s turned out all right. Certainly I could have taken different paths to get here; we all could have at some point. But, here we are.”
In 2005, at the age of 30, Martin took his first step into restaurant ownership. With financial backing from his family, who’d watched him over the past decade successfully working and moving through the ranks of the restaurant industry, Martin opened Martin’s Downtown.
“Without [my family], none of this would be possible,” says Martin. “They believed in my passion for it. They gave me the seed money for it. We did it on a shoestring and just made it work.”
The vision for Martin’s Downtown was quintessentially American: a neighborhood bar and grill in a downtown setting, offering live music and a top-notch selection of American-made craft brews. It quickly become a destination spot for local Roanokers, known and beloved for its easy community vibe, lively music scene, and great food and drinks menu.
With the success of Martin’s Downtown and the America’s craft brew scene hitting saturation, Martin began to consider how he might introduce one of his long-time passions, European-style brews, some of which are the oldest in the world, to his local community.
“I’d say more than half of what we offer on tap [at Sidecar] you’re not going to find anywhere else in Southwest Virginia. You’d have to go to Richmond or the D.C. area to find them.”
It wasn’t just European style brews Martin had an affinity for, it was everything about European culinary fare and dining that inspired him; there was an artistry and cerebral quality to them that captured Martin’s imagination. After dining in European-themed restaurants in the Washington, D.C. area and Philadelphia, Martin started wondering how he might bring the European bistro experience to Roanoke.
“I started looking around Roanoke and saw no one’s really doing anything like this. But I didn’t want to do the ‘dirty Irish pub’ thing, or even the ‘clean Irish pub’ thing, for that matter. That’s all been done before. I wanted to do something more elevated. Something more Belgium, German, English, French styled; a brasserie/bistro, really.”
Martin set to work, tapping into his intuitive, student-like approach to his trade. He made several trips to Philadelphia, dining in and taking notes at several of restaurateur, Stephen Starr’s European themed restaurants: Parc, le diplomat and The Dandelion, to name a few. He began following chefs on Instagram from all over the world who were creating the best of European cuisine. He studied menus, made lists and hired a chef whose culinary prowess matched well with his own vision of bringing an elevated European dining experience to Roanokers. In February of 2020, Sidecar opened.
To put it simply, Martin nailed it. Every time I step into Sidecar, I feel as though I’d been transported to one of New England’s major city centers where European cuisine reigns supreme. Or, better yet, Europe itself. I’m back at a cool corner café in Paris’ Île de la Cité neighborhood, or how I imagine a bistro in London’s Notting Hill neighborhood might be. It’s all wonderful: the mid-century modern décor, the elegant movement of the staff, the back bar wall itself a work of art with its glass and mirrors, chrome taps and row upon row of high-end bourbons (Sidecar’s one unapologetically American original) as well as other top-shelf liquors.
Sidecar’s menu can be intimidating upon first glance for those unfamiliar with European cuisine. Martin says this is not an accident; it’s mysterious by design, requiring servers to help coach diners through it. Fortunately, Sidecar’s wait staff is well-educated on the menu and patient with their guests. Every time Sidecar offers a new dish, Chef Brad Deaton prepares and plates it for the servers. They all taste it and learn the intricacies of the dish. Same with wines. Martin’s wine representative regularly offers tasting sessions of European wines for the entire staff. In this way, everyone becomes part of the collaborating effort, excited and invested in the Sidecar experience.
Both times my husband and I have dined at Sidecar, our waiter gave expert advice, from breaking down the menu, offering options for staging and sequencing our order, suggesting cheese and charcuterie pairings and selecting from Sidecar’s extensive drinks menu. Any apprehension I had for choosing from Sidecar’s Eurocentric offerings was quickly dispelled by our waiter’s careful explanations and natural exuberance for the menu items themselves. Then our food was served and I took my first bites. What I once may have raised an eye to, simply out of unfamiliarity—duck pastrami or rabbit dishes, for example—are now some of my favorite Sidecar items.
Among my must-have Sidecar small plates is Oysters Sidecar. It’s Sidecar’s spin on Oysters Rockefeller that includes excellent Neuske’s bacon, wine-braised leeks and two cheeses, parmesan and asiago. Another every-time Sidecar event for me is some combination from their charcuterie and fromage menu, especially the duck pastrami and cambozola pairing. I could easily make a meal of Sidecar’s cheese and charcuterie plates every time. Sidecar has also helped me discover new favorites: rabbit pie, pan-seared duck and pork cheeks. Their seafood is incredibly fresh, making it another essential addition to any Sidecar visit.
More importantly, I’m excited for the continual discovery. I already have my next several dining experiences planned: selections from Sidecar’s Haus sausage menu paired with an Old World style German ale; after that, Belgium frites with its rabbit poutine and dipping sauces and a classic sidecar cocktail. I’ve even committed myself to the frog legs, with proper wine pairing, of course.It is this kind of inspired longing toward discovery that makes Sidecar the epitome of a fine dining experience. It’s the blending of a beautiful, inspired setting with excellent culinary offerings that sparks my taste buds and my mind.
That’s when the magic happens. That is Sidecar.
The story above is from our January/February 2021 issue. For more stories, subscribe today or view our FREE digital edition. Thank you for supporting local journalism!