Chef Parker Brown has always loved eating well. He grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, where both his parents and grandparents were strong home cooks. “I come from a sports background but cooking is something that has always been a part of my life,” he says. “So looking back it doesn't surprise me that I ended up cooking professionally.” His culinary career began in Chicago, where he worked in several restaurant kitchens before launching a pop-up called Revelry with his partner Caroline. Side A is the brick-and-mortar extension of that project’s ethos, combining quality food with carefully selected vinyl. With the new restaurant, Brown hopes to plant roots in a dining scene that does not always favor straightforward restaurants that go big on flavor, aiming simply to feed and delight the neighborhood.
Compared with Brown’s experience at the meticulous Aphotic, where he worked as chef de cuisine, Side A gives him room to play with rich flavors and familiar formats, from artichoke dip and a juicy burger to soft serve for dessert. The signature Garbage Salad combines little gems, pork belly, dilly beans, and herbs and is, as Brown puts it, “a combination of my favorite salad components all in one bowl and it works.” The carrot cake could be your grandmother’s. There are also lighter, distinctly Californian dishes, such as halibut and beans with sweet and sour onions and salsa macha. “It's a dish that I think showcases the evolution of my cooking,” Brown says. As the menu at Side A evolves, diners can expect more experimentation from Brown, always with a touch of Midwestern charm.
