The first time I visit The Edison, I have déjà vu. Back when I started at Milwaukee Magazine – in a year that will date me, so I will refrain from sharing it – our office was just a half-block away from this restaurant’s restored digs. At that time, the Ward wasn’t too far into the incredible maturation it’s undergone in the last few decades. And this produce warehouse-cum-restaurant space on the old Commission Row was a ghostly relic. I’d pass it and wonder about all the souls that went through that building – all the bananas that exchanged hands! This street has caught up with the times, but the ghosts linger.
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Benson’s Restaurant Group (the owner of The Edison, as well as Smoke Shack, Onesto, The Bridgewater and others) is also showing that it is maturing. To The Bridgewater’s glam, The Edison brings sophistication. The newbie plays up all the natural beauty of the building (exposed brick, timber) and has warm touches like velvet booth backs and throw pillows. The 140-seat dining room (and bar) feels comfortable – not too loud, well-spaced tables, copious front-of-house staff. And the menu (steaks, seafood, pasta, a burger) looks good on paper. But the food has too many disappointments – dishes that either aren’t executed well or really weren’t ready to be on the menu to begin with.
Take, for example, a wedge salad ($12). Someone should have spotted the brown spots on my iceberg lettuce before it left the kitchen. Another instance: Touted by waitstaff on each visit, the pigs in a blanket ($15) sound classic and no-fail – little puff pastry jackets wrapped around Wagyu beef hot dogs. Except the casing on the dogs is annoyingly chewy. And the feta salad ($13) – a ramekin-shaped hunk of crumbled cheese is topped with a very dry brioche bun crouton, then topped with pickled cucumber and sesame seeds. A small pile of mesclun greens sits next to this cheese/crouton structure, while the plate is streaked with honey. Trying to put the parts together is awkward, and that crouton is so hard that in breaking it, parts of it fly across the table.
But there are dishes that cross the finish line, too: the golden, still-delicate seared scallops ($34) with coal-fired shiitakes, miso-carrot purée and chive oil mesh in their mellowness. The smashburger ($18) with American cheese, “bacon cut too thick” (menu lingo) and tangy Edison sauce on a toasted brioche bun is good, but the soft, cubed, dark-brown home fries are forgettable. The bone-in chicken in sweet tea brine ($28) is tender, and although not a lot is happening in that bird flavor-wise, the sautéed button mushrooms at least have a generous sprinkling of fresh rosemary. The side of mac and cheese ($11) was creamy, a touch al dente and frankly more aptly called pasta and Dijon mornay – though not the decadent treat I was hoping for. And finally a couple of meaty lamb chops with tahini sauce, yogurt and herbed chimichurri was quite good – juicy and crusty, with tasty sauces ($55).
Before The Edison moved in, the Wahlburgers chain made a go of this space for three years. I have to wonder if the ghosts of Commission Row past were holding out for a homegrown that pays homage to history. The Edison does – but there’s little I would order again. Is Benson’s growing too fast? My experiences leave me wondering.
The Edison
322 N. BROADWAY | 414-269-6306
Hours: Sun-Thurs 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; Fri-Sat 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
Prices: Dinner entrées $18-$80
Service: A little frazzled but trying
Reservations: Recommended
