Edina Grill

5028 France Ave S
Edina, MN 55424
952-927-7933
http://www.edinagrill.com/

Category: American Casual

Rating (Scale 1-10, with 10 being the highest):
Food: 8
Service: 7
Ambience: 7

Recommendation: Very Good. One in a series of neighborhood bistros owned by the Blue Plate Restaurant Company, Edina Grill does most things really well, and in particular, a gourmet burger better than anyone else in the Twin Cities.

Edina Grill is a casual “urban diner” located in the 50th and France neighborhood in Edina. Their popularity has grown over the years resulting in an expansion in the last year. The new restaurant is bigger and has a little more charm. The cool and modern décor is built around contemporary colors such as baby blue and orange which come into play in the stenciled paintings on the wall and the chandeliers. As part of the expansion the restaurant added a large bar that takes up a good chunk of space in the restaurant. In the summers they also have outdoor seating on France Ave. Owners David Burley and Stephanie Shimp also own Highland Grill, Longfellow Grill, and Groveland Tap.

The drinks menu is diverse with a nice selection of wines, cocktails, and gourmet beers. You have to appreciate a restaurant that has the likes of Boddington’s (English Ale) and Wittekerke (Belgian Wheat) on tap! We like their Golden Margarita (top shelf Margarita made with Herradura) and Purple Rain Martini (Raspberry Vodka, Chambord, and Pineapple Juice). This is a restaurant we have eaten at many times – which we don’t usually do because we like to try new places. Their menu would be best described as American (think of really good comfort food) and we’ve sampled many dishes from it. Our favorite breakfast items are the Killer Banana Waffles (malted waffle with gooey bananas) and the Hot Hash and Holly (hashbrowns with eggs, and hollandaise). Natasha swears by the waffles and it’s hard to convince her to order anything else. For appetizers, we would highly recommend the Beer Battered Green Beans – the beans are still crisp because of the light batter and flash fry. The Gorgonzola Cheese Fritters are nice as well but unless you really like gorgonzola, the strong flavor might get to you. Both the Fish and Chips (made with Pollock) and the Veggie Burger are good. But our favorite entrée by far is the Turkey Burger – one we would rate the best gourmet burger in the Twin Cities. The turkey meat is flavored with peanuts, jalapenos, onion, garlic, and curry seasoning resulting in a moist and flavorful patty. Top it up with pepperjack cheese and poblano pesto, and the result is a masterful dish. If you’re a first timer here, we wouldn’t recommend anything but this on the menu. The Bison Burger is a nice option as well but its nothing special. For dessert, we would shy away from the Strawberry Shortcake – the strawberries aren’t sweet enough and the scone was dry. The service has always been good, but be prepared to wait at times, because this is a popular joint.

$$. Free parking is available in the parking ramp attached to Lund’s on 50th Street.

Update (January 30, 2008) – We recently went back to Edina Grill for lunch. We sat in a cozy booth in the bar area – the dark woods and baby blue colors really give this diner concept a chic urban feel. We were pleased to see they had a new beer which we hadn’t had before – “1554” is a dark Belgian style black ale with a clean finish and lots of flavor (and although it looks like a stout or porter, it really isn’t). Although the Steak and Perogies are a staple on this menu, we’ve never had it before so we decided to give it a try and we’re glad we did. The steak was tender and juicy and the Perogies (dumplings, in this case stuffed with potato and cheese) give this “meat and potatoes” dish a welcomed twist. Unfortunately, once again the desserts were disappointing. We didn’t care at all for the Goat Cheese Cheesecake – we liked the tart flavor of the goat cheese, but the accompanying brandied fig compote and berry coulis didn’t add the sweetness we expected of them (apparently this dish has a polarizing impact on the patrons – we’re in the “don’t like it” corner). The Warm Bread Pudding had a praline sauce which really kicked the flavors up, but unfortunately we felt that the texture of the pudding itself was off-putting – it was mushy and it needed a little more structure. We don’t know what it is, but our experience with desserts at Edina Grill has always been less than stellar.