When you eat in historic Ellicott City, you want a restaurant that has a patina. A place that just misses being quaint but still has youthful charm. Sidestreets manages this delicate balancing act. Hidden just off Main street on a cobblestone alley, the building began as a mill, constructed in the mid-18th century. Sidestreets is larger than it looks from the outside, with a bar and several small dining rooms.
Stairs lead up to a mezzanine with more tables draped in red on white tablecloths.
The rooms are dark, paneled in knotty pine and lighted by candles, but they are comfortable and quiet. Country antiques add to the down-home feel. It's the kind of place where you don't expect haute cuisine, but you might reasonably expect friendly and attentive service. But for whatever reason, she was overworked and quite amazingly scattered. There were four of us, but she brought us three pieces of bread.