The Edison - Restaurant Tallahassee — Restaurant in Tallahassee

I had attended several events at The Edison Restaurant, and they were all great, but tonight was the first time I went for dinner with a group, so I thought I would take the time to finally review it. Our hosts were from out of town, and they had heard good things about the restaurant. They ordered 3 appetizers: Southern Board - Fried Gulf Oysters, Brown Sugar Bacon, Pimento Cheese, Pickled Vegetables, Fried Green Tomatoes, & Toast Points Florida Board (Deviled Crab Dip with Toast Points, Pimento Stuffed Charred Cherry Pepper, & Tamiami Egg Rolls, Served with Dixie Hwy Sauce) Meat & Cheese Board - Seasonal Meat and Cheeses, Honey, Tomato Jam, Candied Bacon Jam and Lavosh Crackers

I don't eat meat, but others in the group did, and they loved the meat. Everything was delicious including the oysters prepared to perfection. All the items were nicely presented and everyone raved about them.

For salad, two in our group ordered this, and it looked amazing...both enjoyed the healthy portion size and the freshness: Florida Fresh Fruit Tangelo, Strawberries, Watermelon, Red & Green Grapes, Lime Zest, & Brown Sugar Vinaigrette

For dinner, our group ordered everything from the black bean burger to chicken to salmon to the catch of the day red snapper. Everyone said their food was delicious!

At the suggestion of someone who eats at the Edison regularly, I ordered: Salmon Cortez 6 oz. Pecan Encrusted, Baked with White Wine Lemon Butter Sauce, Served with Cuban Rice Pilaf & Roasted Asparagus

My entrée was cooked to perfection and was very flavorful. I also ordered a drink: Dirty Jalapeno Martini Ketel One, Dry Vermouth, Muddled Jalapenos, & Simple Syrup It was fabulous!

Others at the table who ordered drinks ordered: Hawaiian Queen Bacardi Rum, Pineapple, Bacardi 151 Honey, Lemon, Mint, & an Edible Orchid Apparently it was great because some ordered seconds!

Most of the group got to-go boxes because we were too full to finish our meals. Nobody ordered dessert, though there appeared to be some very good options on the menu.

Suggestions for Improvement I almost gave 4 stars because there are definitely opportunities for improvement. The service was good, and the atmosphere was amazing with spectacular views of the Cascades Park waterfall and dancing waters with colorful lights. Here is what I would improve: Have more local seafood, especially the "Fresh Catch". When I asked the server if the snapper was local, she said she thought so, then she said maybe not...that it was from the Atlantic. When I asked if the grouper was local and she said she didn't think so, I chose the salmon because if I'm going to get previously frozen fish, I would rather it be something I cannot get locally anyway. With so much fresh, local seafood, why not buy local? Inform servers of information needed to answer common questions like asking if fish is local. I don't fault the server necessarily because I think that information should be shared before each shift begins serving. Get better hot sauce! The Edison is a local restaurant. Most local people much prefer Crystal or even the plethora of locally made hotsauces to Tabasco. It wouldn't take much to at least have an additional option besides Tabasco sauce.

Despite falling short on the items I suggested, I would say that it was an excellent dining experience that I would highly recommend. The Edison is a beautiful Tallahassee restaurant with a fabulous menu of wonderful and food, drink, and it's a great place to...

I have been to the Edison twice now, several years apart, and found it much the same both times. Disappointingly awful.

The service is confused and lacklustre, the waitstaff mill around and have to be flagged down for everything from water refills to ordering to checks. On neither visit was my table ever checked voluntarily by a single member of the large staff. Beyond that, we were not provided with menus, which would have been fine if the digital placard (in a broken holder) at our table had been the correct one. The restaurant was on a limited menu, didn't bother to inform clients, and failed to correct the table placards to eliminate confusion. We didn't find out until we went to order, 30 minutes after being seated. Also note, the limited menu items are $3 to $5 more than the identical general menu items. No reason for this is provided.

Everything is filthy. The tables look as though they've never been cleaned, with pieces of food and old napkins ground into them. We watched a server wipe one down with a dry rag, but that was the extent of between party cleaning. The silverware had particles stuck to it. The water glasses were filmy and spotted, with strange particles swirling in the water before anyone took a drink. We're guessing whatever those were came from the pitchers used to fill, as new glasses filled from the inside bar hose were clean.

The food was actually okay, when it finally arrived, though it looked to have been sitting a while as it was barely lukewarm. In that respect, and that only, the second visit was superior to the first. The first time the food was completely inedible, at least this time it was palatable, if underwhelming for the prices.

And, finally, think twice before you ask to sit outside this season, as the overhead heaters are broken and have been for more than a year. For a restaurant that touts itself as fairly high-end, and certainly charges prices to match their personal opinion, I expect the hardware to be in good repair.

Whoever is running this place should be ashamed of themselves. I've had far better, and more hygienic, experiences at greasy spoons and...

We went as a party of 7 to celebrate my best friend’s graduation. We had made reservations 4 months in advance. Yet, we still had to wait about 30 minutes for our table. When the time came, we were taken through an elevator to a cold, wet basement, next to a storage room. We were then taken to a folding plastic table with plastic chairs. We all looked at each other in dismay. When I took the elevator back up to the main area to inquire why we were being punished, the manager (very rudely) told me, “it’s cold, and I can’t control the weather. I had to make space and that’s where you are.” I went on to explain that this was a special occasion and our accommodations were very disappointing. She said, “yeah, everyone is here for a special occasion. You can wait for another table, but who knows how long that will be.” Disheartened, I took the elevator back to the basement and sat at the card table. The food is pricey which is fine if the accommodations match the price. The taste of the food is decent but nothing special and by the time it made its way to the basement it was lukewarm. I’ve worked in hospitality for over 25 years. This is unacceptable. They should have phoned us to let us know that they were going to put us in a cold, wet, basement. We could have then opted to go elsewhere. My friend’s celebratory graduation dinner was ruined by this restaurant’s poor planning and incredibly rude customer service offered by the management. The only thing I can commend them on is the overworked waitstaff who were bustling up and down trying to accommodate the guests in the cold, wet basement. Our waitress was very kind and truly doing her best to compensate for the horrific decisions made by the management. It’s December in Tallahassee, cold weather is not a surprise, proper planning and a bit of compassion could have made for a much better experience. There are tons of good restaurants in Tallahassee, don’t waste your time...