Former chef, manager will oversee new business at site of former Sidebar space
Former Sidebar restaurant executive chef Margot Blondet will open Salar Restaurant and Lounge in the former Sidebar restaurant location at 410 E. Fifth St. in the Oregon District, the building’s owner and the restaurant’s manager announced Monday.
Plans call for Salar to open by the end of April following renovations, said Harry Trubounis, the former general manager of Sidebar who will serve in the same capacity for the new Salar. The restaurant will seat 200 inside, 45 on a back patio and 30 on its front patio, and will employ about 40 when it opens, Trubounis said.
Blondet and Trubounis departed Sidebar several weeks before it closed in late July under the ownership of Brian Higgins.
Salar will feature Mediterranean-Peruvian fusion cuisine with French influences, Trubounis and Blondet said in a release. Blondet will feature small-plate entrees, salads, appetizers and pizzas. Entree prices will range from $12 to $22 per person. Salar’s lounge will create cocktails with high-end spirits, house-prepared syrups, fresh fruit and juices.
Dr. Mike Ervin, who owns the 7,200-square-foot building, said the new restaurant “is exciting news for the Oregon District, downtown and the Dayton community.” Ervin said he signed a five-year lease with the restaurant’s owners. “There was a lot of interest in that site,” Ervin said of the former Sidebar and Pacchia restaurant space.
Michael Martin, president of the Oregon District Business Association, said Salar’s opening will boost all of the retail businesses on and around East Fifth Street.
“It’s important to fill a space of that size — it will put feet on the street,” Martin said. Blondet’s Sidebar menu was a hit with diners, “and it’s good to have her back,” he said.
Salar will provide on- and off-site catering, and carry-out dining will be available to lunch and dinner customers as well, the restaurant’s owners said.
The restaurant will be open for lunch Monday through Friday and for dinner Monday through Saturday.
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