Sid Soffer could have been a character in a novel.
Beneath his cranky demeanor and scruffy white beard was an ingenious restaurateur, savvy businessman, classic car collector, self-taught legal scholar, city hall gadfly and curmudgeonly renegade with a libertarian streak.
He created a thriving restaurant business with his Blue Beet restaurant in McFadden Square and subsequent Sid's Steakhouse on Old Newport Boulevard.
When he wasn't cooking up beef stroganoff or booking top musical acts, he was engaging in legendary rows with city and county government.
What got him in trouble the most was his beloved cars — especially the Cadillacs.
He stored them on his Costa Mesa properties on Arbor and Bernard streets, much to the chagrin of his neighbors.
City government rightly stepped in and ordered Soffer to clean up his property.
He wouldn't budge.
Ultimately, it was that blood feud with government that pushed Soffer over the edge.
Faced with a warrant for his arrest and certain jail time for defying city codes and regulators, Soffer fled to Las Vegas.
He dubbed himself "the fugitive" and lived out the rest of his life on the lam from the law.
We're not here to lionize him or condone his actions. But if you ever met Soffer, it was hard not to admire him.
He stuck to his principles like few do today, and beneath all the gruff and grumble was a kind heart who believed in fighting for the little guy and changing the world for the better.
We're sad that Soffer didn't come back home from Vegas, face the music and make things right. But we're also equally sad that he is now gone.
The Sid Soffer chapter of the novel that is Newport-Mesa may now be closed, but there's no denying his story made for good reading.
