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I did have a couple of quibbles with those who so painstakingly re-engineered the ambience. Quibble one involves the music, which consisted primarily of Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra, intermittently spelled by a bit of instrumental jazz. Considering that the Chairman and Dino were in their teens when Edison went off to that great laboratory in the sky, I didn't grasp the connection. How about some Scott Joplin, a little George Gershwin and some Billie Holliday for authenticity's sake? Quibble two concerns the faux ceramic pots with silk flower arrangements on each table. Is this any way to honor Mina to course and sure we had Eo Edison, an accomplished gardener and one of the founders of the city's renowned Periwinkle Garden Club? I feel certain that a small bud vase with a fresh stem or two would have been much more to her taste (and mine). Those easily correctible issues aside, the current
management has done an excellent job of resurrecting the building's
former charm. The restaurant's wine list is modest, with about two dozen choices by the bottle, about half that by the glass. We sampled glasses of the Mark West pinot noir, Greg Norman cabernet sauvignon and Clos du Bois chardonnay. All were passable though not noteworthy. I suppose that most patrons prefer mixed drinks or beer here, which would explain the limited wine selection. We started off with the Edison shareables, a medley of fried appetizers designed for - what else? - sharing. All were golden brown and crisp, with the exception of the crab cakes, which should not be crisp. The calamari got a flavor boost from an assertive marinara sauce that accompanied it. The chicken fingers were a little overcooked, but moisture from a barbecue sauce helped alleviate that. The crab cakes had crab flavor but not much in the way of whole pieces. The shrimp spring roll contained mostly vegetables and noodles, but tasted fine. For entrees, one companion chose the seafood Cobb salad with balsamic vinaigrette. Another chose the rare seared ahi tuna. I went with a classic comfort dish recommended by the server: pot roast. The salad was generous in size, bu but fell short on the seafood. The shrimp were small and had little flavor. There was very little crab, either, and the dressing both looked and tasted like standard vinaigrette, without the supple body and red hue that a good balsamic vinegar would have added. The tuna was cooked to dryish medium, a disappointment to my husband, who always eats his tuna lightly seared. A medley of vegetables that accompanied the fish lacked seasoning and had the sodden texture of the frozen variety. A couple of stalks of fresh broccoli would have been a major improvement. The pot roast and its dark brown gravy didn't look
all that inviting, but the flavor and texture were quite good. The
meat was fork tender, the gravy tasty and not overly salty, with
fresh potatoes and carrots in the mix. It was clearly the best of
the entrees. Based on this meal and a previous lunch (when a companion ordered the large and delicious chicken pot pie), I'd say the Edison's strong suit is comfort food. With an eager-to-please staff, moderate prices and
a charming ambience, the Edison has gone a long way toward resurrecting
the country club's appeal. Some adjustments to the music and the
table flora and a shift to fresh vegetables and shellfish would
make the restaurant as popular as its bar has already become. If you go
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Karen
Feldman cuisine@floridaweekly.com
Although
I won't name names of defunct establishments, I will say that three
of the five encounters were memorable for all the wrong reasons.
Woefully overcooked fish. Abysmal service. Décor so overdone
and inappropriate it should have been illegal.
