It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Charlie Day describes his go-to hot plate sandwich simply: “peanut butter outside, chocolate inside. Butter inside, cheese outside.” Though the character’s signature Grilled Charlie didn’t make it onto Sly Bar’s new food lineup, six other sandwiches that pay homage to the FXX sitcom did.
Owner Joe Robertson, who developed the St. Petersburg bar’s sandwich-heavy menu, titled the breakfast section “The Sunny Side” as an ode to his all-time favorite show. Combos like corned beef/Swiss/sauerkraut/egg/Thousand Island and egg/hash brown/Cheddar have It’s Always Sunny-themed names, including The Sweet Dee and The Mac. Here, The Charlie features roast beef, sautéed onion, egg, provolone and the house “breakfast sauce,” a mix of mayo, Dijon, olive oil and spices.
Sly Bar introduced a small bill of fare earlier this month, officially rolling out its full menu Feb. 22. The Grand Central District property, once home to Steel City Brewhouse, already had some kitchen components, and Robertson hired two experienced cooks to handle the eats.
“It was always a plan to get the kitchen going,” Robertson says, adding that the food side of his concept has been a year in the making. As with the wine and beer offerings, he says he’s focused on quality and willing to make changes based on feedback.
Experimentation led to the creation of the core lineup. Spins on traditional grinders, something Robertson knew the bar could cook up, came first, followed by toasted subs that take it back to the basics and the breakfast ’wiches. The toasted subs and grinders, both accompanied by a side of fries, come in mashups that include the Royal Swine (roasted pork, spicy ham, bacon, provolone, banana peppers, Sriracha mayo, spicy mustard) and the well-liked Knuckleball (roast beef, provolone, mayo, creamy horseradish, sautéed onion).
There’s also a selection of three starters — the Basket O’ Fries, Cajun fries and H&S Sliders, featuring a quartet of toasted Hawaiian rolls with honey ham, Swiss, mayo and Dijon. This is just the beginning. Robertson is interested in swapping out items and running specials as Sly Bar progresses.
“I would like us to become a staple for locals with our own style,” he says.
The kitchen, which starts serving when the bar opens at 4 p.m. daily, operates until 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until midnight Friday and Saturday. Extended hours until 2 or 3 a.m. may be implemented down the line.
This article appears in Mar 3-9, 2016.
