B Side - Attached to Red Apron in Mosaic District in Merrifield by Neighborhood Restaurant Group

[DonRocks]

Is there a thread for B Side in Fairfax?

Don, feel free to delete this after someone answers.

Cheers

No, but it's now open, and here are the website and current menus.

Note that there's a pop-up window advertising heritage turkey dinners (complete dinners) to go for Thanksgiving this year - they're asking you to order early (note to NRG: That window is showing up every time you click on something on the website - it would be nice if you saw it only once).

Dinner:

Charcuterie:

Beer: 

Drinks and Wine: 

[reedm]

I suppose it's time to add something to this topic, since Don was nice enough to add menus.

My wife and I popped in following an impromptu movie at the Angelika theater. It was some time around 6pm, and even on a weekday, the room was nearly full. Fortunately, we were seated without delay. The space has a bit of a modern-industrial look and feel (my made up description), and I'd guess it seats around 60 people max. The bar features a long counter and probably a dozen seats.

B Side provides a range of drink options, including cocktails, draft and bottled beers, and wines sold by the glass or bottle. I believe Jeff Faile is still the beverage director for NRG restaurants, and it shows. It's possible to order "taster" sized portions of the draft beers, and that's a nice option for those who may want to try a number of different beers. While the cocktails looked great, we settled on draft beer and wine by the glass.

The food menu offered eight small plates, eight big plates, and four choices of side dishes. Notably, the entire menu is a la carte.

Our server was quite good, and more than helpful when we asked him for food and drink recommendations. A manager also made the rounds, and gladly offered suggestions as well.

We decided on Red Beet Tartare ($11) and Fried Cauliflower ($10) for our small dishes, and the Butcher's Cut ($14) and Rotissifried Chicken ($16 for a half). For some reason, we decided that wasn't enough, so we also ordered Beef Fat Fries ($5.5) and Collared Greens ($5).

The beet tartare was a generous portion, about the size of two decks of cards. It was flanked by mizuna, and topped with a golfball size portion of burrata. The manager's recommendation of the tartare was well-deserved. The beet tartare texture was perfect, and cracked pepper provided a nice bit of crunch and heat. Delicious.

I love roasted cauliflower, and B-Side's fried version was very similar in taste and texture. The romesco sauce sauce was nicely balanced, and better than I've been able to make at home. It was very good, but not the most exciting dish of the evening.

The chicken was initially roasted, and then fried (without any coating/breading), and then sectioned into five or six pieces. The interior was moist and flavorful, while the exterior was nice and crispy. The chicken was served with miniature cast iron skillet of Honey Hot Sauce, an innocuous sounding name that belied the fiery nature of the sauce. I thoroughly enjoy hot and spicy foods, but the heat took me by surprise. Our server told me the heat came from calabrian chiles and cayenne. Overall, a great dish.

The Butcher's cut of the day was Teres Major, certainly a lesser known cut of beef. The steak was cooked perfectly medium per my wife's request, and served with an herb butter and red wine sauce. The steak had a nice, beefy flavor, and while it was tender, it still had a nice chew. (Reminded me of onglet/hanger steak).

The fries are certainly some of the best in the area, and they were served with garlic confit and fried rosemary. They were rich, crispy and full of flavor. It was served with a side of house made ranch, which while good, would not have been missed.

If you enjoy collared greens, you'll love B Side's version. The generous serving of greens had been cooked with a generous portion of chopped smoked ham hock.  The seasoning was spot on, and the texture was just right. Definitely one of the best versions I've had.

We certainly enjoyed our dinner at B Side. It's casual, friendly, and offers a variety that's a welcome addition to the Fairfax dining scene.

*On a completely random side note, the adjoining Red Apron produces the best ground beef I've found to date. It's now my sole choice when I'm in the mood to make burgers.

[teddyguy]

I went to B-Side with a friend last Saturday and enjoyed it. When I'm craving a beer in the Merrifield area, more often than not I stop by here for some beer and good charcuterie.  This time was no exception; the wild boar pate was meaty but still spread well over the bread, the beef salami was salty and delicious, and the cheese (I forget the name, but the one with a line of ash) was nutty and went well with the honey they served on the side. We also ordered beef fat fries and pig wings. The fries were a tad too salty for my taste but had a beefy savoriness to them. The pig wings were a bit dry and needed their spicy sauce to counteract the dryness of the rib.  Everything went well with the beer I was drinking.

Speaking of the bread, the last time I went they still served tigelles. This time, they served me grilled slices of bread with my charcuterie. Did this change?