Right side of the tracks

Industry veterans will tell you the colloquialism "if it ain't broke,

It's a dilemma Mike Bilton faced after he opened a place called Sidetracked in Delray Beach, Fla., in October, 2001, just one month after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Conceived as a casual American bistro, Sidetracked had good food and was a modest success as a business. After all, you can count on the winter tourist trade to bring a lot of prospective diners into this oceanside resort town. But the 45-year-old Bilton, a Chicago native whose career path includes a stint as a g.m. with Levy Restaurants and the creation of Chicago's Ti Amo with chef Rene Michelena, wanted more. In March, 2002, he shuttered the place and began to re-think his approach.