As more of the population is vaccinated, look for long-closed dining rooms to start serving again. The first in what we hope will be a stream of reopenings is B Side, the Mosaic District restaurant adjacent to and supplied by Red Apron Butcher, which allowed diners inside for the first time in more than a year beginning last Thursday.
But this is no mere opening of doors to diners. Chef and butcher Nathan Anda has concocted an entirely new menu for the occasion. A couple of beloved dishes like beef fat fries and fried Brussels sprouts are still present, but practically everything else is hitting the bill of fare for the first time.
That includes French-influenced apps like gougères–balls of cheese-woven choux pastry–and Alsatian tarte flambée, also known as flammekueche. That savory tart, similar to a pizza, is covered in whipped ricotta, caramelized onions, bacon, and arugula.
Among entrees, the schnitzel and waffle also hews European, though Anda’s inclusion of braised kale, honey sauce, and hickory butter is all his own. There’s no pinning the wagyu pastrami bowl down to one global location. The marbled house pastrami is served over sticky rice and Thai pickles, but also includes spicy barbecue sauce and a bacon-fat-coddled egg. The four butcher’s cuts are a more simple means to a meat lover’s heart. Served with a salad, they include a Berkshire pork chop, New York strip, and two different sizes of ribeye.
B Side is now serving dinner Thursday through Saturday. // 8298 Glass Alley, Fairfax
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