(Credit: Chris Casella)

By Scott Woods

I’m not a picky eater. Usually, a box of Velveeta shells, a bottle of hot sauce and a few Budweisers serve me well. Every once in a while, however, it behooves me to eat like an adult. Thanks to Sidebar 122, open since October at 122 East Main St., the site of the old Brownstone, I now have another establishment to throw into my eat-like-an-adult rotation.

What makes this place special isn’t the ambiance – although its décor, modeled slightly as a 1920s gathering spot, is warm, inviting and classy. It isn’t even the unique, pre-Prohibition cocktail lineup that smacks of the bar’s excruciating attention to detail (more on the drinks later). Even the service, which is outstanding, doesn’t necessarily make Sidebar 122 what it is.

So what makes this Dayton import so good?

It’s the food, stupid.

We started with the Scallops Parmesan. Listed as an entrée at $16, the scallops are a must-eat. With the circumference of a silver dollar and the thickness of a hamburger, these delicious sea creatures on steroids are served in-shell with a side of Huancaina, a Peruvian cheese sauce.

The dinner menu (lunch and brunch are expected to be added soon) breaks down into salads, meats (beef, pork and lamb), pizzas, chicken, fish (salmon, tilapia and sole), seafood (the scallops, calamari, lobster ravioli, octopus, and a variety of shrimp entrees), and vegetarian options.

I opted for the lamb shank ($16), which is roasted in a Melbac wine sauce and is served bone-in with Parmesan risotto and roasted veggies. The lamb is fork-cuttable and works perfectly with the sauce. Absolutely delicious.

The Octopus Gellego-style ($13) is sautéed in extra virgin olive oil and served with potatoes, Spanish paprika and a baguette. Having never tried octopus, I was expecting a chewy, slimy bite; instead, the texture is smooth and the meat is rich – definitely a meal to try again.

The Seafood Opera ($15) is exactly as it sounds: Shrimp, mussels, clams, squid, and scallops simmered in a cilantro tomato sauce over Saffron pasta. Need I say more?

Of course, any meal lacking the perfect drink is less than complete. Sidebar’s drink docket consists of a dozen “classic cocktails” and more than two-dozen “signature cocktails,” all of which are painstakingly developed, made and served in-house. One almost feels like Nucky Thompson sipping away at a Boardwalk Empire speakeasy while enjoying a Manhattan or 122’s own take on a Sidecar.

“We have two goals,” said bar manager Josh Rice. “We want to showcase classic-style cocktails, but we also want to add a special twist” to the drinks that folks are familiar with.”

The bar’s Manhattan, for instance, is poured with over-proof whiskey, “so that no matter what you do to it, you’re always going to taste the alcohol. I want to taste the booze in the drink,” Rice said.

Rice said that the drink docket would continue to change over time. “We want to get our client base accustomed to the classic drinks … then we’re going to take them off the drink list and add on new twists to them. … we want to show what we can do.”

So far, the bar has a rabid following, and at $9 per cocktail, reasonable pricing considering the use of top-shelf liquor and house-made ingredients.

An extensive wine list is also available, as well as a good share of beer options.

For now, the three-story building, complete with basement, is unused except for the first-floor dining room and bar. “Soon,” Rice said, the basement will open as a speakeasy-style piano bar, the second floor is slated to become a lounge area, and the third floor will probably become a gallery space as well as a private dining area.

Sidebar 122 is open for dinner between 5-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 5-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The restaurant offers free valet parking, and patrons are invited to park their own car for free in the lot across the street. For more information or to make reservations, visit www.sidebar122.com.