The Edison

Tonight’s dinner was fantastic. Ryan, our waiter, provided great service. Our glasses were never even low. I had the blackened salmon and my BF had the burger. That was one of the best burgers in Tallahassee! Aioli was yummy. We sat outside with live music. It was a perfect night with the heaters in place. We could see and listen to the waterfalls during dinner. I would highly recommend the Edison. It feels like you are in a different city. Such a nice night.

I’ve been meaning to try The Edison for quite some time, especially since I am a huge fan of repurposing old, historic buildings. This one is particularly cool, as it’s Tallahassee’s first power station that overlooks a recently overhauled, and now beautiful downtown Cascades Park.
However, soon after their much-​ballyhooed grand opening a few months ago, the comments and ratings on here suggested that they had some kinks to work out. so I waited. Until now.
I had dinner with some fellow lobbyists who (accurately) fancy themselves as very fastidious culinary critics. We made our reservations earlier in the day and were seated at a comfortable table inside at the time of our reservation. The atmosphere was upbeat and happening. A hip, but elegant crowd was congregated around the bar, and every table in the restaurant was occupied. The feel of the place was great, and is, in my opinion, the best in town.
The food was exceptional. I happened to order the rib eye steak, which I often use to judge restaurants bold enough to serve it. I ordered it «Medium Rare, Pittsburgh,» and the chef delivered it quite well. It could have been slightly more charred on the outside, but given that this isn’t a steakhouse per sé, I won’t hold it against them. Otherwise it was perfectly prepared and the cut was as good or better than any upscale steak house chain’s.
The others who accompanied me that evening likewise raved about their dishes.
The service was on-​point. At no time did I have to request a refill of water, and the wine selection exceeded my expectation. I do have to say, however, that I ran into a friend the next day who told me his service experience at The Edison was lacking just a few days prior. That tells me that the service *might* be hit-​or-​miss, but it would be irresponsible of me to award stars or review a place based on someone else’s experience without me having witnessed it when my own was so good. So my message to management would be: get this straightened out as soon as possible.
In short, I would highly recommend The Edison to anyone in Tallahassee who wants to enjoy great food, service, and above all: a stellar atmosphere.
I look forward to hitting up the place again soon to try other dishes.

This is the second time I’ve been to the Edison for brunch, and I was blown away both times. The first time I had the pleasant surprise of enjoying a $ 20 brunch buffet with a complimentary mimosa which exceeded my expectations.
During my most recent visit JEFF was my server, and he was very attentive and helpful as I was indecisive on what to order from the menu because everything looked so delicious!
I dined with one of my friends, and we ended up splitting 3 dishes so we could try as many things as possible. The crêpe was our appetizer, and I’m still dreaming of when I can go devour it again. For our entrée we split the lamb Benedict (it was my first time trying lamb) and the scrambled eggs with lobster guacamole. HOLY COW, it was amazing. You haven’t lived until you’ve had lobster guacamole. I also had a Bloody Mary and a Bellini to drink, which paired perfectly with every bite.
I ended up going back to the Edison that same night on a double date for dinner. I told our server to surprise me with my dish (which is a very common thing for me to do), and she brought me shrimp and grits that were very tasty.
All and all, the staff was very helpful and pleasant. A server walking by our table stopped to prebuss which was very refreshing to see as I work in the service industry as well!
It’s a great place to have a reason to dress up and enjoy a fine dining experience in Tallahassee! Can’t wait to come back and have room to try the key lime crème brûlée for dessert!

Nice place, but the staff was not too friendly.
Lobster roll was pricey, but good. The hamburger was average for Tallahassee. Looking forward to trying it again for dinner.

Atmosphere was amazing! The place is so pretty and has so much potential. The drinks by far were my favorite part, but keep in mind the size of the glasses are extremely small. I had the pepper blossom and after 3 sips I needed another one. I am from Miami and this place was little over priced for what it was.
Shrimp and grits were good but the grits tasted undercooked. Salmon was dry. Tuna tartare was very very small.
Service and atmosphere was great.

A true cuisine dining experience here In Tallahassee. This was our first time to The Edison and we will surely be back! We walked in on a Friday night sans reservations and were asked if we would mind the balcony. We agreed and were seated at a table amidst a sea of tall umbrella heaters that more than provided a comfortable environment. Our waiter (Ibtu), a former member of the kitchen welcomed us warmly and engaged us in ‘enlightened’ conversation about the origins of the building as well as Edison and Tessla in addition to the menu offerings.
Executive Chef John Minas’ Armenian influence delighted our palates from the Mezze board with a fresh Lebneh (cheese) to the Blackened salmon. The sauces were top notch and velvety smooth and the dishes required no Americanizing with salt and pepper as they were perfectly balance and seasoned.
Wine paring suggestions, dessert temptations, fun/​kitchy big band music and a special table-​side brûlée rounded out this exceptional dining experience.
Views, venue, vino… communicate your needs and this very accommodating staff will not let you down!

The Good: The location is gorgeous perfect for date night. Very friendly staff.
The Bad: For starters, I made a reservation and still had to wait 15 minutes for a table. The table that we were seated at was open the entire time so I’m not sure what the wait was about.
Food was subpar. My girlfriend had the shrimp and grits which had no seasoning whatsoever and the grits were undercooked.
I had the hangar steak which I ordered medium but was served as well done. I eventually received a medium hangar steak but it was burnt on the outside.
All in all a very disappointing experience for the price.

So this pains me to write this review as I really really love this restaurant however my visit tonight was less than par. We were sat outside which we agreed to, however upon sitting we were told they would turn the heat lamp on and after constantly asking literally for 1 hour and being told that a manager was coming I finally spotted someone who looked as if he was a manager and asked him if we could get the heat lamp on and within 2 minutes we had a heat lamp on.
I initially wouldn’t have asked for it however upon seating us the waiter (Dwayne) poured water down my right side. I was infuriated however I thought no worries it will dry once they turn on the heat. How wrong was I?
The waiter boasted about how his service was the absolute best however he obviously missed training on what the best actually was.
So literally after an hour and 20 minutes we got our food. I have to admit that the food was good however my chicken was dumped on the table. Not placed on the table but literally dumped on the table chicken everywhere but the plate.
Needless to say we will not be back after our experience which is so sad as we just moved here and thought it was an awesome restaurant.
Thanks Edison for a horrible experience.

Amazing building, but it seems these people have never actually operated a restaurant. I’d say it’s in the bottom 10% of all restaurants in terms of operating smoothly. Reservations are 30 minutes behind schedule whether it’s a party of 2 or a party of 8, the service is comically bad.
Our waiter was probably a nice enough person but he was having to handle us upstairs and downstairs tables, also. I’m sure neither group was happy. The menu is limited and not exactly spectacular, although the hanger steak frites I got was actually quite good.
If all you want is to grab a drink, it’s probably functional for that, but on busy nights even after being open for months, it’s still just a train wreck.
Hopefully it’ll either get better, or a new group can take over an awesome spot and make it actually work.

Dear Edison, I think I loved you before you were born. I feel like you are the child of dear friends. You have such potential and it is only just beginning to be realized.
When I first heard that the building was going to be renovated for a commercial venture, I was so excited by the possibilities! Later, I would tour the facility during the construction phase. I heard all the plans for what the final outcome would be. I could picture it all. It took a while for all the plans to be realized, but finally the opening month had arrived!
My first visit to the newly birthed Edison was during one of the pre-​opening receptions. The place gleamed and staff members were giddy with excitement. I admit, I popped into the kitchen for a peek behind the scenes and happily accepted every delicious fresh bite offered by the kitchen staff. I still wish the bite size arancini were on the regular menu! Though I love the arancini appetizer that is currently offered, those little bite size versions were so fun!
Since that night, I have returned for receptions, dinners, and the occasional late night beverage. I am a fan of the boards — such a clever, fun way to enjoy an array of tastes and textures.
I recommend sitting at the main bar inside. Ask your bartender to have some fun crafting your cocktail. The drink menu is awesome but letting these budding mixologists muddle some fresh herbs and craft something original for you is the way to go.
On a recent visit I attended an event that had taken over the whole establishment. I sat outside on the side balcony immediately above the Power Plant area. I had a great view of the live entertainment on the grounds below. It was a packed house and I offered to share my table with two ladies who quickly became new friends. Service was attentive and prompt despite all the hectic activity among party attendees.
Until the next visit, Edison, stay brilliant and keep lighting up our Capital City!

Trendy and amazing, check out the bar for great cocktails, the beer garden outside, or the patio over looking cascades park featuring the Tallahassee skyline. Great food too!

I’ve been twice now, I thought with time things would improve/​change… There have been some changes since opening weekend, but I feel as if my expectations may have been too high.
1^st visit: We had drinks at the bar, they would not allow us to order entrees, only appetizers. Eventually we moved to a table to order dinner which took about 45 minutes to arrive from time ordered and was it served luke warm. The (Bradley’s) grits weren’t cooked properly and had the look of sitting (not fresh). I had the 8oz filet mignon, it was cooked medium rare as requested, but Luke warm. It was served with French fries (I noticed side options on the second visit which were not available on the 1^st visit). I had the crème brûlée– it was dry and cake like, not anything special.
2^nd visit: Saturday night, not very busy, lots of empty tables, we sat in a big booth in the corner by windows overlooking the park. This time everything happened rapidly. Our dinner arrived shortly after our appetizer, and they were eager to clear our table, I actually had to ask the server to put my plate back down b/​c I was still eating. We ordered strawberry shortcake for desert, the cake was nice, the strawberries were fresh with a generous helping, but there was thick cupcake icing spread on one of the cakes. It was too dry, a drizzle of strawberry juice and a side of fresh cream (hold the icing) would’ve been perfect! The building is amazing, the servers are smiling and eager, but the food… Meh. It’s like a «dressed up» TGIFridays.
The menu is a crowd pleaser, not a foodie’s delight, it’s just an awesome location with mediocre food.
I would love to return to find a creative menu, but for now will stay away until they step it up. If the owners would take a few tips from The Southern or Sidecar Gastrobar they would have 5 stars easy.

‘Ello Chaps!
Lighting up the heart of downtown Tallahassee is the newly opened The Edison restaurant. It’s a clever concept, lighting new life into the former city electrical building.
Seeing the building sit in shambles for years, it’s now amazing to see how it’s been transformed.
The restaurant has a high end menu with prices to match. Ordered a few different items, each delicious. However, portions were smaller than expected, especially for price.
Was going off of menu price posted on Unilocal only to find out the prices are still be adjusted (since it’s fairly new) so prices may vary on your visit.
Lots of wine selection and the view overlooking Cascades Park is great.
It won’t be a cheap date, just know that ahead of time.

This is my new favorite restaurant in Tallahassee!!! It feels like a place from a much more cosmopolitan city. It’s right in the heart of Cascade Park and the view is awesome, as is the food.
The restaurant is new, and you can tell that they’re still working through some kinks, but in my opinion that’s to be expected with a new place.
My favorite thing was the Southern Board appetizer. The fried oysters are awesome! I also had the Hanger Steak Frites, which were cooked perfectly, and the Key Lime Brulee which was pretty interesting.

Several of my foodie friends have asked why I have not yet posted anything about Tallahassee’s newest, buzz-​worthy restaurant, The Edison at beautiful Cascades Park. Well, aside from being busy and traveling since it opened last month, I’ve heard so many mixed reports, I figured I’d wait and give them time to settle in and work the kinks out. Well, I finally stopped in for a business lunch today and that seems to be the case. It was terrific.
Parking is limited, but complimentary valet resolved that issue. Service was prompt, knowledgeable and impeccable. The views (from the best table on the covered patio) were incredible. And my lobster roll was the best I’ve had anywhere, loaded with fresh chunks of mayoed Maine atop Bibb lettuce on a soft toasted bun and sided with a very good small Caesar salad. (When I challenged my server about having been disappointed by others’ efforts in the past, he advised that Chef John Minas is from New England, so the bar was set high — and reached.)
Qualms have been squelched. Lunch at The Edison was illuminating. I’ll be back — soon.

The Edison is Tallahassee’s newest restaurant. The atmosphere of The Edison is top of the line for Tallahassee. The exterior of the building is very old fashioned. Outside you are greeted by a red carpet and complementary valet parking. Upon walking into the restaurant the hostesses greeted us and asked if we had a reservation, which luckily we did because it was packed. The inside of the restaurant was dimly lit with a light sign on the wall of the bar that said «be bright» complementing the Edison theme. The walls are covered in brick. The inside was a bit loud for a date for two but probably a good spot to come for a night out with friends.
The hostess guided us to an outside table. The outside in my opinion is too bright they should dim the lights a bit but the view of cascades park is like nothing else you get in a Tallahassee dining experience. The staff is all dressed very nice and they were very friendly.
Our waiter brought us waters and took our appetizer and drinks order almost instantly. We both got wine and a calamari appetizer. The calamari was great it had a lot of flavor and was paired with a yummy white sauce. After finishing our appetizers we had to wait quite a bit until the waiter came back to take our order. When he finally did I ordered the hanger steak frites and my boyfriend got the blackened salmon. We waited quite a long time again for our food, but the waiter apologized several times and updated us on the status of our food. When the food did finally come out it was well worth the wait. The steak was very pink (the waiter had warned me it would be like this). It had a lot of flavor and was very juicy. The fries were crisped to perfection. My meal was the perfect portion size. My boyfriend really liked his salmon as well, he said the sweet potato perfectly complemented the salmon.
The manager came by at the end of our meal and asked how our experience was. He said they are really working on getting the ticket times down. It is only the first week they are opened so I understand that they are still working out the little problems here and there.
Other than the bit excessively long wait time our experience at The Edison was wonderful. The beautiful atmosphere, delicious food, and friendly servers made a great date night for my boyfriend’s birthday. Definitely check it out! I will be back again soon to see how they are coming along :)

I have to update my review based on the experience I had tonight because it was honestly one of the most belittling encounters I have had at any restaurant.
A group of my friends and I came into the restaurant. We did not have reservations so we were told we could sit at the bar and have appetizers. We were totally fine with this, but since there were not enough spaces at the bar inside, we had to go outside.
The outside is really nice and I honestly wouldn’t have minded sitting there. We found a high top but were told it was for reservations only. Okay, not a huge deal.
But then, one of the waiters came over to my friend and I and said «That’s a $ 100 table.» Are you kidding me? Do you think just because we are younger than the rest of the crowd that we can’t afford the table? It was a rude and unfunny comment, which is what my friend and I promptly told both the waiter and the hostess leading us around to find a spot.
The hostess tried to brush it off like the waiter was only joking, but I don’t think that’s the right way to speak to potential customers. I have just as much of a right to be there as anybody else does. Just because I might not be middle-​aged doesn’t mean I wouldn’t spend money at your restaurant. I have just as much of a right to be there as anybody else does. The comment felt very targeted and honestly put me off so much that I was incredibly irritated when we sat at the bar.
That encounter, coupled with the lack of seating and the overly bright bar area and the lack of regular food led us to ultimately leave and go to another restaurant.
This is this place’s first week open. Word travels fast, by the way. I was thoroughly unimpressed by the attitude of this server and the basic unapologetic tone of the staff who did not even bother to recognize that their fellow staffers’ comments were offensive and uncalled for.
I have neither the time nor the patience to go to a restaurant that thinks I shouldn’t be there, no matter how good the food might be.

There is much potential for the Edison, but the first evening of dinner service was underwhelming to say the least. I get it, first dinner service, new place, getting the kinks out, all that, but some details should have been addressed and attended to before opening.
First, the servers have not even sampled all the menu and specialty drink items. Hmmm. Second, only seat a limited number of tables so the kitchen is not overwhelmed with tickets. We waited over 45 mins for our entrees. Third, get rid of the suits. It’s Tallahassee and the suits are so out of place. If you’re the evening
manager, fine, but the door hops and all the pseudo managers running around don’t need them. Fourth, why are there three empty glasses per setting at the table? Again, I get fine dining place settings but this is Tallahassee and the Edison is a grown up version of Madison Social and white glove is not needed.
Our server did a nice job but was caught in the my-tables-food-is-overdue-and-i-dont-know-what-to-do-with-my-time…bless her heart. She admitted that she hadn’t tried any of the drink specialties, so I was on my own to choose. I ordered the pepper blossom, which was a vodka, Elderberry liquour, jalapeño mixture. It was lacking in spice, for sure.
We started with calamari, which was expedited reasonably quick and tasted delicious. It was topped with pickled onions and served with a tarter sauce type remoulade.
For dinner, the kids ordered the steak frites and hubby and I split the wedge salad and the Southern board. We were frustrated by the wait time when it finally arrived but eager to try. The wedge included pickled onions, bacon, sun dried tomatoes and a sweet, creamy dressing, but was served on Bibb lettuce. Now, I love Bibb lettuce but it’s not what you expect for a wedge salad.
The Southern board was the most disappointing. Small portions and lackluster flavor. Pimento and cheese (best thing on the board), fried oysters (1 ½), pickled veggies (cucumbers topped with cauliflower and onions) and toast points (white bead toasted in an egg wash). All the components were haphazardly paired and didn’t work well together. The toast points were so heavy and the pickled veggies just sat there begging not to be eaten.
Kids’ steaks and fries were quite good and excellent portions. Hubby and I found ourselves nibbling off their plates with jealousy.
The atmosphere and décor are amazing and beautiful! Sitting atop Cascade Park is an ideal location and the potential is there, but many kinks need to be worked out (as expected for a new restaurant on opening night). We will return in a few months with expectations of improvement and a more pleasant and tasty experience.

Located in the heart of Tallahassee you will find a charming gem of a restaurant «The Edison». Fresh ingredients with a hip décor. The view is breathtaking and the service embodies charming professionalism. The entire building is a art piece. A light will go off in your taste buds ! The Edison has a joyous and fun location.

Tonight was the Edison’s formal opening, and it will be a fantastic addition to the Tally food scene. I’ve already posted a number of pictures of the place and the food, so let’s get to the review:
THE BUILDING
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In a word: Stunning. The architects and owners should be rightfully proud of how they have created a modern dining establishment while still maintaining the look and feel of he original building. We only had one negative comment about the lights: there is a very bright white arrow that is not he side of the elevator shaft and if you happen to look up the effect is if you had just looked at a camera flash. It’d be nice if they could dim the arrow just a bit.
The main indoor area of the restaurant is far smaller than we had expected. The area is dominated by a very large, three sided bar that sticks out quite a way into the dining room. Parallel to the bar is a row of high-​top tables, and the rest of the room gas traditional 4-​top tables that can be mixed and matched for various groups.
However, there is very little room between the bar and the high top tables. And when someone is standing at the bar it is very likely that they will need to scoot in so people can pass. This creates a tremendous and awkward bottleneck as the at staff try to use this passage to go from one side of the restaurant to the other, frequently asking people to move a little so that they can pass. If I could make a suggestion: the waitstaff should either use the back of the bar along the wall to move from side to side, or use the aisle near the door to the outdoor balcony (as there is no seating there). That would eliminate a lot of congestion.
THE SERVICE
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We have been to a number of restaurant opening, but the staff of the Edison knocked this one out of the park. It’s clear that the week of soft openings allowed them to tune things up. And our server was fantastic and attentive. If this is the caliber of service on opening night, be prepared for a truly memorable service experience when they hot their stride.
Ok…the part you’ve been waiting for…
THE FOOD
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Overall, pretty good. Between 3.5 and 4 stars tonight, but clearly with the potential to be a 5-​star establishment. We started with a Wedge Salad, the Southern Board (fried oysters, pimento cheese, pickled veg, bacon) and the Fried Calamari. The calamari were cooked perfectly, but under seasoned (and there are no salt or pepper shakers on the table). Everything on the Southern Board was perfectly seasoned and cooked: the oysters were crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside, the pimento cheese left you wanting for more and the veggies offered a tangy contrast. The Wedge salad was interesting: pieces of lettuce appeared to have been removed from the head and then re-​wrapped to resemble a head of lettuce. But there was almost no dressing on the salad (we looked at other Wedges passing by and they, too, appear to have very little dressing).
For our entrees we had two orders of Hanger Steak Frites and a Brock Chicken. The chicken dish consisted of ½ of a chicken that was perfectly cooked. However, the rice side dish marred what was an otherwise perfect plate by being overcooked and lacking seasoning. An easy thing to correct, we suspect that this will get better once the kitchen hits its stride.
One of the hanger steaks was cooked medium, and one was medium well. The interesting thing about this is that we were never asked how we wanted the star prepared. Not sure if this was due to opening night jitters from the staff, or if they will only be serving it well or better. The meat itself was flavorful and tender and cooked very well. The accompanying frites were perfectly cooked well salted.
We thought the prices were fair given the quality of food and the type of establishment. Given the prevalence of burger joints and restaurants that cater to the more budget-​minded college crowd, the Edison is a refreshing change. The portions were indeed on the smaller side, but they offered the right amount of food for the price (and we all need to get out of the mindset that we would be served enough food at a restaurant to have another meal of leftovers the next day).
IN SUMMARY
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For opening night, the Edison scored a definite triple with the runner heading for home plate (for non-​sports fans: it was very good on its way to being great). The food was quite good for a kitchen only open a week and while still offering a pretty wide selection. The Edison has enough to keep you coming back; multiple eating venues that offer everything from an upscale restaurant, to an outdoor patio with a view, to a casual eatery; a diverse menu at a good price; attentive staff’ and a great vibe.
We will be back to the Edison again soon. And plan to come back often.
Bravo!