Tri-Valley Receives a Gift in Danville’s Sideboard
October 14, 2008
My wife loves to try new restaurants. She wants me to relay to my readers what she considers a true gem in a newly opened restaurant in downtown Danville. The restaurant is Sideboard, and it is in the quaint Danville Hotel on Hartz Ave.
Sideboard is a casual restaurant with a concentration on local, organic (when possible) ingredients. Think of Sideboard as gourmet comfort food at its best. The vibe in the restaurant is cozy chic done in a modern, welcoming way. The attention to detail and thoughtful touches make this restaurant a real stand-out and one that needs to be on the top of your “Go and Try” list.
My wife has gone twice with her friends for dinner. They are open for breakfast and lunch, too. You order at the counter at Sideboard, and they give you a little table marker and bring your food to your table. You gather your own utensils, napkins, water. The water, fruit and herb-infused, is even good at Sideboard. Some may find this approach a bit too casual, but it seems to work at this unpretentious cafe.
Everything comes to your table beautifully plated and fresh. The first time my wife and her friend went she ordered a Prather Ranch burger, and it was intensely good. The fries were awesome, perfectly crispy and served with an addicting blue cheese dressing dipping sauce. Her friend ordered the truffled mac-n-cheese, which was creamy and indulgent.
On the second visit, entrée salads were ordered that all looked so delicious and nicely portioned. My wife had the chicken salad sandwich, which she thought was a bit small, but wonderfully flavored. Both times, their dinner time was around 5:30-6PM, and they had no trouble getting an outdoor patio table. The patio here is great because it is on the main street which is charming in itself. By the time their dinner was nearing a close on both visits, 7PMish, the patio was almost full.
There are so many great things to mention about Sideboard, but as the saying goes, it is the little things that count. One is that the staff is very friendly and helpful. One is that their interior is homey and the eclectic china dishes seem to be random, but work together in harmony so well. One is that each element on your plate seems to have been concentrated on, chosen for its freshness and taste, and then placed for impact. One is that Sideboard even provides a sweet selection of rolled up blankets on the patio in a little red wagon. Another is that both times my wife has visited, an owner has come over to check on dinner and make sure everything is just right. All these little things add up to more than the sum of its parts at Sideboard. I think they call that synergy, and Sideboard definitely has synergy that needs to be experienced.
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