The Edison, a Patina Group restaurant that takes us back to an “Industrial Gothic” era, is now open at Disney Springs. The new restaurant features two levels of dining space and hours that run from lunch past midnight.

Theming

Let’s jump into the review with a look at the theming of the restaurant. Taking on the role of a repurposed power plant, The Edison features open spaces, metal work, and eroded walls. The building elements are complemented by furniture, seats, tables, and props that you’d expect to see in a Gothic industrial restaurant. Here’s a quick look around.

For a complete photo tour, check out our earlier post.

We really enjoy the look and feel of the restaurant. 9/10.

Drinks

Let’s start with some of the drinks you’ll be able to enjoy on your visit. It’s important to note here that the signature drink menu has been overhauled since the soft-opening period.

Electric Mule – $14

Our initial impression of this drink was quite negative as the first few sips were purely ice water in taste. After a few stirs, the flavor rose from the bottom of the cup and it ended up being a nice take on the mule. Hints of lemon came through in an attempt to drown out a quite powerful ginger beer.

The Edison – $14

The namesake drink ended up being the strongest of the drinks we tried, but it never crept past the point of being overly strong. The bourbon ended up pairing very nicely with the bacon appetizer we tried. We caught a bit of pear at the end of each sip.

Samantha Sterling – $14

We considered this to be the best drink we tried. The drink had a subtle, soft sweetness alongside a lot of flavor from the fruits added. The drink favors the watermelon flavor and is wonderfully refreshing. The Grey Goose Vodka took a back seat to the flavoring, but was still present enough to be considered a decent pour.

Appetizers

On to the appetizers.

DB ‘Clothesline Candied Bacon’ – $12

This is probably the signature appetizer for both taste and presentation. Hung from a literal clothesline are four large, thick, tasty strips of bacon.

These ended up being some of the thickest strips of bacon we’ve ever had. An always present maple flavor meant that the strips of bacon we’re good enough on their own, but a mostarda (candied fruit) jam made for an injection of flavor that had us utilizing the whole cup.

Hawkers’ Box of Balls – $14

These small lamb meatballs were nice. Harissa is a hot chili pepper paste that has the appearance of a marinara sauce, but has a spicy kick. I wouldn’t let the “hot chili pepper” description put you off though, as the spicy kick isn’t anything nearly as overbearing as a pepper might provide. That said, I would take the bacon over this any day.

Electri-Fries – $12

This proved to be a particularly tasty take on a fries-based appetizer. Don’t expect them to be regular cheese fries though, as the cheese is removed in favor of “The Edison Special Sauce”, almost like a thousand island dressing. With a portion big enough for 2-4 people, and packed with flavor, we really enjoyed them and would definitely order them again.

Entrees – Dinner

Time for the main course.

Old Fashioned Meatloaf – $24

This was my most anticipated entree. After the delightful experience that was the clothesline bacon, I was excited for a “bacon wrapped” meatloaf. From this point forward, I will have to use quotation marks for this “bacon wrapped” entree because there is nothing about the presentation that suggests it was, or ever has been, wrapped.

Here’s the expectation, via a press image.

Here’s the reality.

While the presentation and serving size was off from the press image, the taste was good. It was a classic meatloaf, soft and moist throughout. A single strip of bacon was accompanied by mushroom and a tasty spicy ketchup glaze. I’d absolutely love for The Edison to offer a portion as seen in the press image and think that the price should be south of $20 to consider this dish, as is, to be really “worth it”.

Morimoto Tamarind Ribs – $28

If you’ve ever been to Morimoto Asia to try their ribs, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find them here at The Edison, and in greater quantities. The tamarind glaze brings a sweet and sour combination to ribs that will fall off of the bone more so than any other ribs on property. These are a delicious option, even though we’d like to see a small side added to the dish to justify the $28 price tag.

The Edison – $22 (dinner and lunch)

Another namesake item from the menu, this time in burger form. While the bacon was good, and the special sauce added a bit of flavor to the burger, I can’t get excited about ordering it again. I think that the Grass-Fed Lamb Burger (below) is much, much better and would love to see it replace this on the dinner menu.

Jumbo Lump Crabcake – $28

Three large crabcakes were each held together by a forgivingly soft exterior and a fresh bit of crab meat inside. The crab did have a “fishy” taste to me, but others at the table said it wasn’t anywhere near overwhelming enough to be off putting. I usually don’t like “fishy” offerings, but this was a nice dish, if a bit light for $28. One more crabcake and I think it would be “worth” the $28.

Entrees – Lunch

Here are a few items off of the lunch menu.

Grass-Fed Lamb Burger – $18

I love this burger. We ordered it medium and it came out perfectly juicy and with a softness that surrendered with each bite. All of the items worked perfectly too. The goat cheese and tzatziki sauce provided a classic greek flavoring, while the roasted pepper and pickle kept it within the “traditional burger” realm. I think this is the best $18 you can spend on a meal at Disney Springs right now. So much so, that I think The Edison could easily send this up to the dinner menu and ask over $20 for it (but please don’t raise the price).

Organic Tomato Soup & Gooey Grilled Cheese – $16

A classic. The assortment of cheeses grilled into the buttered sourdough provided for a wonderful variety of flavor and a crunchiness to the bread. The meal itself was good, but we had a breakdown in service when trying to modify the meal. As you see in the first photo below, we asked for a side salad instead of the tomato soup due to some dietary preferences for the person ordering it. When the salad was delivered, it was delivered dry, as the dressing offered wasn’t available. When we asked for dressing, the waitress wasn’t aware of what dressings they had available. We asked for oil and vinegar, which the waitress said they had. However, she returned with a red wine vinaigrette. With four salads on the lunch menu, I’m assuming they had more dressings than what was communicated to us. It seemed to be more of a training issue than an availability issue.

Media Noche – $19

This is a classic cuban sandwich. Expect all of the traditional flavoring of a cuban sandwich on a nicely toasted and crunchy bread. It was a solid portion size and entree for the money.

Dessert

We rounded out our meal with a couple of desserts and a huge shake.

Key Lime Pie – $10

A wonderfully tart pie that was a traditionally flavored Key Lime Pie. The crust ended up closer to crunchy than soft, which meant you had to work a bit for the bite.

Casey’s Apple Cobbler – $12

A large apple cobbler proved to be big enough for at least two people. Crunchy bits of crust were scattered atop the cobbler and fresh, warm apples greeted us beneath the surface. The vanilla bean ice cream was a nice touch.

Black Cherry Cream Shake – $16

This was the showstopper of the evening. Served in a Griffin beaker, and filled up to the 1000ml line, this shake is more than enough for two people. Our shake ended up being mostly cherry with each sip, but we’ve talked to other guests who didn’t get nearly as much cherry from their shake. I think the shake ended up being too much cherry for me, but those who really enjoy cherry might want to skip their appetizers for this shake.

Nerds and gummy bears make for a fun candy treat in addition to a traditional shake. We also found some nerds at the bottom of the shake as we made our way through all 1000ml. I would LOVE to see The Edison play around with the flavoring a bit and even offer a chocolate version. They have a premium shake here and with the option to add alcohol (something we found out after we drank it all), this could be the go-to shake spot in Disney Springs.

Bittersweet Chocolate “Mile High” Cake – $12

Yes, the menu lists “Mile High” in quotation marks, but I would have used it regardless. A wonderfully flavored and rich bittersweet chocolate is served in a portion that would be better described as a “Quarter-Mile High”. While the servers have said that the cake has increased in size, it still falls short of being a show stopping dessert, or even one worth the $12 tendered.

Both of these portion sizes were $12. Make your dollar go the extra mile by passing on the “Mile High” cake.

Service

The Edison went through a few different phases of opening, with a friends and family stage starting earlier this month, a soft opening phase thereafter, and then an official opening on January 15th. We didn’t make it out until a few days after the official opening, but still had subpar service.

Both our lunch and dinner waiters were slow to serve, leading to a two hour meal at dinner. For four people, that’s too long. We’ve heard reports of a slow kitchen, but our food always came out quickly, once ordered. With plenty of managers roaming the floor, I hope the operational issues can be worked out to provide for a more efficient meal.

Our waiter at dinner struggled to recommend a drink when asked about a few different offerings and our waitress at lunch wasn’t fully aware of condiments offered.

We hope that these are growing pains and something that the venue can work through quickly as the food has been very good.

Overall

Overall, we really enjoyed our meal at The Edison. A wonderfully themed venue combined with good drinks and food earns The Edison the title of best restaurant in the new Patina Group complex of restaurants. A few adjustments here and there should lead to The Edison quickly becoming a “must-do” on your next visit to Disney Springs.

We will be returning to take in the nighttime entertainment (10pm and later) and some new food offerings shortly!