Kathy votes for a casual gourmet breakfast/lunch spot -- think Square One with a bar. What would you like to see there?
Update: Ebell says, I can tell you that after bartending there for the last 2 1/2 years, I look forward to giving it the TLC it needs." Hope he reads all these comments!
(photo LATimes)
***
Meanwhile, Matthew Kaner, formerly of Silver Lake Wine, is coming along well on the new Covell Bar on Hollywood Blvd. near Yuca's. He's got some construction shots up on his Facebook page, with a 4-6 week opening estimate.
19 comments:
Agree. Better food, more variety and friendlier staff. It's such a great space, make it a destination place like it was when it openened.
Grass-fed meat (bison, beef) would be great, not enough places to get it and that's the only type of meat I try to eat.
I had a suspicion something was wrong when they never fixed the draft beer delivery system. 2-3 years ago this was a great place. Restoring it to it's former glory would work for me.
I hope that they make their prices a little more reasonable.
I'd love to see anything delicious in the beautiful space, and a movement away from catering to the late evening under 25 crowd that invaded last summer.
Meh, maybe I am just old.
Edendale is such a great space, it has been a shame to see it being run into the ground.
To Eddie I would suggest first (the obvious: pay your vendors) restock that bar! participate in the craft beer renaissance that spots like Verdugo are doing very well with. reach out to the local brewing community and make friends (Craftsman, Bruery, Alesmith, Green Flash, etc).
Silverlake lacks a cocktail bar that executes at the level of many of the places downtown or to the west. Bring in a good mixology geek to develop a unique cocktail menu (a mix of strong classic and smart contemporary) and really, really nail it. Long overdue.
Food. Abandon ship on the whole current menu, even if some people will cry for the absent meatloaf. Look to places like SF's Baretta (or to some degree BarBrix) and focus on right-priced small/medium mix-and-match plates of strongly executed, quality dishes.
More and better heaters on the patios. Give the dining room a big refresh - make it more of a lounge with some booths and softer lighting. The Edendale is big but lacks for intimate nooks. The bathrooms could use a bit of TLC.
All this stuff costs money... fingers crossed that whoever is backing you is committed enough to delivering this place to its fuller potential. Silverlake needs a hero.
Your blog ..... it's amazing and soooo inspiring. Nice to find you!
A small footprint from Agneta & Sweden
Ps. I have an ongoing jewelry contest on my blog. Welcome! Ds
^^I agree with Anonymous: craft beers, well executed small plates, clean up the place, utilize the patio, reach out to locals, party crowd OK but business would be much better if the food was good (or just decent and consistent). And of course: don't forget a value-priced happy hour!
i hope the new owner does not change it too much, i would hate to see it turn into a slick hollywood place! we have enough of those opening in the hood. the edendale is one of my favorite neighborhood places to drink and eat because it is so casual. I have never been much for fancy food so I like the simple "regular guy" menu. I think the prices are reasonable and the bar staff always treats me really well, they remember my drink.
I do wish there was lunch there everyday and that they had more steaks on the menu.
Totally love this bar! The Edendale is a fabulous spot. I hope the new owners don't change a thing. Can't beat the blue cheese fries and flatiron steak. The staff is friendly, responsive and professional. Great wine list and bar menu that brings class to the neighborhood.
I've been going to the Edendale since it opened and am glad to hear it's been sold. The bar staff is great but you'd be hard pressed to find someone to say the same for the owner. Also, the food was too often inedible. Hopefully, the new owners will understand it as a comfortable, elegant neighborhood bar/restaurant and avoid attracting the 20 something Hollywood crowd. And bring back the heat lamps for chrissake!
I still enjoy going there for drinks but gave up on the overpriced, unpalatable food years ago. Just bring the food up to par and don't change anything about the ambiance! (Although I agree that the main dining room could be more cozy/better utilized.)
I remember when the Edendale Grill was a broken down pigeon shack on the verge of being condemned like a lot of Silverlake ten years ago.
The fact that a successful business has beautifully restored a classic piece of 1920's Los Angeles architecture and perennially drawn business into the area for 8 years is a major accomplishment. I personnally feel the neighborhood owes the owners a debt of gratitude. Bar and restaurant staff come and go like theater-goers, some decidedly less appealing than others, but restaurant owners who succeed do the best they can with what the have, and most fail, especially in these bank bailout times.
I love the ambience of the Edendale and respect their success and longevity. The food is comfort food, if you want fantsy pants material there are dozens to pick from nearby (if they've survived the economic downturn).
If only the neighborhood had as many intelligent and hardworking entrepreneurs as it did armchair business owners with enough spare time to type furiously about what hasn't been done for them lately.
I wouldn't mind a friendlier hostess than the one who seemed to run things on the floor the last couple of years, but even she seems to be gone now. Hopefully the new owners will be able to make some good changes, but I'm more worried about them not being able to make the difficult business of running a restaurant and a bar actually work the way the seasoned owners of Edendale have.
Please don't change it too much, I'd hate to loose my favorite watering hole and mac-n-cheese. Oh for the days when Silverlake wasn't trying so hard to be Hollywood...
Square One would do very well here(he also owns nearby Gingergrass), but since Eddie is buying the place, do homework on what is selling elsewhere.
Ditch some of the formality of the place, linens at the top of the list. The dining room always too stuffy for the food being served.
Craft beer, greatly improved wine list for openers.
And bring on a good chef, as the food was never more than passable before.
And as Kathy said, Happy Hour here would be killer.
Having this place just be a breakfast lunch place would be a disaster. I feel it should also be open late night. It's such a charming spot. Also the back patio must be open every night. We're in desperate need of a nice patio bar for these summer days. All we have is red lion-gross. I also love the idea or organic grass fed free range meat. This is the only meat I will eat, and there aren't many options on the east side. There's no point to try to go vegetarian or vegan because we already have alot of places in silverlake echo park for that. :)
COVELL!!! can't waaait.... the guys opening this place have S T Y L E and amazing wine knowledge..hurry!!!
What the Edendale has sometimes suffered in inconsistence with plate selection, it has never lacked in taste...and style, and just a great place to go in Los Angeles. LA lacks places like this, relaxed, adult hangouts that are not merely watering holes but just a great place to go with friends and get a terrific drink. without a blaring TV or some stupid "theme" overwhelming the joint.
I also happen to love their hamburger and fries, actually, think they're hard to beat anywhere in this city. The chicken dish is delicious and the mac n cheese, and the fish dishes. Sometimes I fall in love with a dish however (Israeli cous cous and shrimp for example) and subsequently, its taken off the menu. But, I always find a replacement.
My 2 cents, I believe the food here has improved tremendously since the restaurant opened many years ago. I've been a regular here since then and have been happy with the changes The Edendale has made, they have always been for the better. Morever, they have brought something to the community that the area lacked before. This restaurant, this landmark really, has done more for Silverlake than what, any other establishement?, and for that I am eternally grateful to the people who birthed it. Thank you for being here / there and still around!
The new place needs to be neighborhood friendly...meaning the noise level needs to go down at 11:00. There was no respect before for the neighbors...and if it continues, the police will continue to be called. Let's have it "upscale", as everyone keeps saying, rather than trashy as it was before.
I have always loved the atmosphere of The Edendale and the staff but the food has been hit-or-miss over the years. Some of the outstanding dishes were/are the flatiron steak (sadly gone for a few years now), mussels with pommes frites (the original recipe), the burger and fries are probably one of the best in city, and of course you can't beat the mac-n-cheese.
The formal dining room was a bit too barren for my tastes so I prefer to eat out on the front patio. I would like to see a cozier dining room, perhaps more isolated from the bar, and as someone else mentioned, get more heaters on the patios for Christ's sake.
I'm not sure what Eddie has in mind for the changes but if you want a romantic quiet dinner you should get there early because after 10 PM it becomes a bar especially in the summer. The two lives the Edendale leads is what gives it it's charm, quiet restaurant by day/evening, happening bar until 2 AM.
Wishing you all the best Eddie and I look forward to seeing you again soon!
Post a Comment