The chefs behind Ellie Bird and Rooster & Owl are launching a new concept this week: Side Chick. It’s a more casual line of fried chicken with an Asian American influence, available for takeout or delivery only.
Owners Carey and Yuan Tang run Ellie Bird (No. 4 in our 50 Best Restaurants of 2024) as well as Michelin-starred Rooster & Owl in DC. They first got the idea for this concept during the pandemic when indoor dining at Rooster & Owl had to shut down. And while Ellie Bird opened in 2023 as a more casual, family-friendly concept, the chefs were still thinking about ways to introduce a takeout concept to their portfolio.
“This has been a really fun concept to develop,” says Carey. “On a more serious note, the state of the industry and the world demanded a pivot just like pandemic times, so we knew it was time to bring our most casual and irreverent cuisine and brand to our diners.”
What to Expect
Diners can pick up orders of crispy chicken for the first time on July 4 for a preview day. It will then be open for dinner starting July 8 and will eventually scale to be open Tuesday through Sunday.
Side Chick will operate as a ghost kitchen out of Ellie Bird, rather than having its own storefront. There are no dine-in options for Side Chick.
The menu includes fried chicken in three heat levels, available in four pieces, eight pieces, or as a sandwich. It’s paired with a Filipino-style cornbread called bibinkga. Other sides available include smashed garlic-chili cucumbers and three-cheese miso mac and cheese.
For dipping, there are options like kimchi honey, Thai green chili sauce, and a Szechuan mustard.
“An important part of fried chicken is the American nostalgia that comes with it,” says Yuan Tang. “I leaned into my Asian American heritage, and the intersection of those cultures. That meant selecting the best of both cuisines and choosing what pairings played nicely together. In reality, that’s how I ate growing up.”
On the sweeter side, there are takeaway pints of housemade ice cream. Flavors will vary seasonally, but the starting lineup is vanilla, toasted marshmallow, and pineapple basil sorbet. There’s also a Vietnamese coffee tiramisu and a “no-share” cheesecake with strawberry-yuzu jam and an almond-oat crumble.
Feature image by Nina Palazzolo
