[#hoez4food: edison food + drink lab]

There are certain places or situations that I find myself in where I feel very “Perry,” my term for feeling like a country bumpkin. Places like the Gershwin Theatre in New York. Things Remembered. And now, edison: food + drink lab.

For tonight’s foodie adventure, I was sans my partner-in-crime, but not alone. My friend Alisha was down to try a new restaurant, so we met at 7:30 for food and drinks and to see what all the talk was about.

Picture the most hipster-riffic person you know. Now picture where he or she might go when he or she wanted to dine out, and you’re probably picturing something close to edison. The place has a rustic, industrial feel, with cement walls and wooden and tile table-top accents, and a wooden accent wall behind the bar. Music from bands such as the Temper Traps pulsates from the stereo. Basically, it’s an atmosphere that makes me feel like I’d be more comfortable with the rest of the simple folk down at the Sizzler, grubbing out on an all you-can-eat pork chop buffet*.

However, that feeling dissipated once I saw how friendly the staff was. When we told him it was our first time eating there, our server took the time to explain the menu to us, and went into detail about some of the more popular selections, giving us plenty of time to decide what we wanted to order. We decided to order a few dishes and share, and ended up with the goat cheese truffles, the avocado leaf seared yellow fin tuna, and the cracked conch and bacon fritters. First up were the goat cheese truffles, which were comprised of medjool date, foie gras, fennel pollen, shattered citrus, and chocolate** :

Instagrammed, for that extra hipster touch.

followed by the conch fritters (pickled mustard seed, burnt honey dijonnaise) and the yellowfin  tuna (homestead green mango salad, aji amarillo sorbet, fish sauce caramel, tamarind crunch):

Cracked conch and bacon fritters

Avocado leaf seared yellow fin tuna

edison prides itself on blending unusual flavors together to create delicious concoctions, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. What we got was a shit-ton of deliciosity. The goat cheese truffles were creamy and savory, and the sweetness of the dipping sauce perfectly complemented the robust flavor of the conch fritters. Our hands-down favorite of the night, however, was the yellow fin tuna. This had a lot going on, in the best way possible, playing around with hot and cold flavors and textures. The aji amarillo  sorbet (yes, an actual sorbet) was sweet with a little bit of a kick, and it brought out the sweetness of the mango and the onions’ tart. Likewise, the mild flavors of the avocado and tuna went well with the sweet and spicy of the other elements, and the result was a pleasant combination that kept our tastebuds on their toes.

edison is the perfect place to go if you want to shake things up and get away from the ordinary. If you have a couple of friends with more adventurous palates, bring them along. In my opinion, the experience is more fun shared.

Hours

Mon-Fri 11:30 am – 2:30 pm

Mon-Thu 5 pm – 10 pm

Fri-Sat 5 pm – 11 pm

Address & Phone

912 W Kennedy Blvd

Tampa, FL 33606

(813) 254-7111

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*Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I do love me a good buffet.

**Food descriptions taken directly from the menu

***

So you know that song that I am loving right now? I learned that it’s about cocaine (“chocolate” being the street name for cocaine, apparently).  Considering that I am grumpy and jaded and just OVER life on all fronts (personally, professionally, spiritually), it would make sense that I would gravitate toward a song about cocaine, thinking it had a “feel good” quality to it. Know what, though? I’M STILL LOVIN’ IT. Every time I listen to it, I feel like I should start wearing leather and shitty old jeans and smoke (cigarettes, not “chocolate”). I’m curious to see what songs my current attitude will have me get into next. Maybe they’ll be about the glory of vandalization or the rush of knocking over c-stores. Stay tuned.