Edgewater Grille in Newburgh, Indiana Sets a Whole New Level of Awesomeness

Okay. Get comfortable. This may take a while, but I’ll try to keep it kickin’.

In one of my recent posts, I was saying how much I love Owensboro. Great town. One of the best things about it is the location - it’s within a short drive to lots of other great towns, lakes, restaurants, killer scenery, and so on. One of our favorite destinations is just on the other side of the Ohio River, in Indiana: An absolutely beautiful “historic” town called Newburgh.

This town is really something else. You remember when you were in school, some kids took such amazing care of their toys, they always looked brand spanking new? So much so that you even wondered if they ever played with them? That’s exactly what Newburgh makes me think of. This beautiful little town has some buildings that witnessed the horrors of the Civil War, yet they stand there magnifecently proud, loooking nothing short of spectacular. The residents of Newburgh obviously take great pride in their town and it shows. It and Grand Rivers, Kentucky are a great deal alike in those regards. They’re both beautiful towns with residents who are determined to keep it that way.

If you’ve never been to Newburgh, you have to go while the weather’s still amazing. You’ll want to go back in the fall when the trees are putting on their show, too. Make a day of it - you won’t regret it. I’ll spend more time in a future post on Newburgh, but for this one, I want to focus on one of my favorite restaurants. Anywhere. Anytime.

If I didn’t love it to distraction, I certainly wouldn’t be raving about an Indiana restaurant on a Kentucky blog, right?!?! At least you can SEE Kentucky when you eat on the patio and look across the river.

The view is utterly spectacular. Then again, it’s such a great looking restaurant inside, the view’s spectacular in there as well. This is one of those places where you almost find yourself looking for a negative amongst the pluses - just to mix things up a little. If there’s a negative, I haven’t found it yet.

APPETIZERS

You know my obsession with onion rings - so it won’t come as a surprise to you that the first time we ever went, I got their “onion strings” as an appetizer. Delicious choice. (Since throwing myself into Docker Grill’s Onion Rings one afternoon, I actually haven’t ordered Onion rings anywhere else yet. There’s no need in putting that pressure on anyone just yet.) The Onion Strings were very unique and were served with a great fiery ranch-based dressing. You can get it plain. But, why would you?

On our most recent trip, we got the Hummus as an appetizer. Holy freaking goodness it was Heavenly! A lot of hummus beats you over the head with garlic - as in it’s all you taste. This was exceptionally good with a hint of lemon (unless my husband and I were both picking that up from our tea - which was perfect). The hummus was served on a beautiful bed of lettuce with coarsely chopped red onion, black olives, and tomatoes. I was expecting crackers, so I was totally blown away by the delicious toasted bread that came in the cracker’s place. This appetizer will have you humming tunes you didn’t even know you knew.

It goes down in my Restaurant Review’s history as one of the top 3 appetizers EVER. Healthy, beautiful, light, and beyond delicious. Ironically, I was in the middle of writing a post about my top 10 “Best Appetizers Ever” and now this Hummus has gone and messed with my numbers. It’s cozying up next to Willow Pond’s green tomatoes and ranch dressing (Aurora, KY).

The Edgewater Grille’s appetizer choices also include Calamari, Mozarella Sticks, Jala Pinatas (jalapeno peppers stuffed with cream cheese, breaded, fried, and served with Ranch dressing), Shrimp Cocktail, Chicken wings, and even more! See the menu I’ve linked to below for the full list.

Get the hummus. Get the hummus. Get the hummus.

Click for a larger view!

FISH SANDWICH

My family orders fish so often, it’s a wonder we don’t have Pelican breath. But what can I say, we love ourselves some fish. We’ve always really liked seafood, but when we lived on Pensacola Beach and seafood became our way of life, we fell head over shrimp tails in love with all things fish-y and have never looked back.

So, yes, we normally get fish when we go to Edgewater - namely their Cod Sandwich which they modestly bill as “The best fish sandwich around!” Oh, no, I’m not being sarcastic when I say they modestly bill it as such - I’m being honest, here. They imply that it’s the best fish sandwich around when in fact it’s one of the best fish sandwiches on the planet.

See, they could have gone with that - but modesty made them hold back. Humble Hoosiers. Gotta love them.

Their Cod Fillet Sandwich is so good, you’ll just look around like, “Can you believe how good this fish sandwich is? It’s, like, one of the best on the planet.” The fish is amazing - lightly breaded and delicious - and the tarter sauce is perfect. That’s all, just perfect.

In addition to the Cod Fillet sandwich, they also offer a huge variety of other sandwiches as well as entrees that include steak, pork chops, veal, shrimp, crab legs, scallops, and other delectable choices they wax brilliant with. Again, see the menu I’ve linked to below to see the choices and read the description for each.

TRI-COLOR CHEESE TORTELLINI

On our most recent trip, I was torn between the Lasagna, Tortellini, and Grilled Chicken - but when I read the description of the Cheese Tortellini, I knew I had to try it. As soon as I saw the words, “Creamy porafina sauce” my taste buds threw an opening ceremony. The Edgewater Grille’s Tri-Color Tortellini was the most spectacular pasta dish I’ve ever gotten in a restaurant. The creamy red sauce should come with a warning label. It’s just remarkable.

BREAD AND BUTTER

The fresh baked rolls they serve with their dishes are so good, they get their own heading. They’re the kind that melt in your mouth, IF you were to leave it there long enough to afford them the honor. You’ll notice that I gave equal billing to the butter. There’s a reason for this. For one thing, as a cook, myself, I know that real butter owns margarine’s face. I’m convinced that whoever came up with Margarine and those other fake spreads did so as a joke. Come on, they didn’t really mean for us to eat it! Surely not. It’s a joke - like instant potato flakes. Ha Ha.

Real butter makes all the difference - it’s creamy and perfectly sweet and I could eat it all by itself. They serve a generous mound of this perfection with their basket of rolls and I love them for it.

Another thing that real butter shows is class, and a commitment to the guests having the best experience possible. Edgewater Grille’s Mission Statement asserts that they ”Never sacrifice quality in the name of profit margins.” As they say on their website, “We do everything especially for you.” They could just as easily serve margarine and pocket the money saved, but in yet another instance of putting their guests first, they rise above that philosophy AND above the competition.

I could fill a book with the number of times I’ve encountered restaurants (and other places of business) that put the wishes or requests of their guests BELOW their own wishes or “ways of doing things.” How incredibly refreshing it is to come across a very, very special place who’s only ”way of doing things” is the way the guest wants them done. If more places approached their business from that view point (rather than in front of the mirror), what amazing days we’d have - everyday!

To those who tell us, “Well, this is the way we’ve always done it…” OR “I know people don’t really like this, but… Well, we do!” - we should realize that they don’t value us as a guest as much as they value themselves as a host. Then we should promptly take ourselves to a place like Edgewater Grille that approaches everything they do from our viewpoint. It’s good to be appreciated.

The Edgewater Grille’s, literal, Bread and Butter operation blows me straight away.

WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

Heaven. Let’s just go with that, shall we? There’s no reason known to man to make anything this gorgeous and delicious. All it does is hurt when the last bite is gone. You lie awake at night, wishing you could live it all over again. Then morning comes and you wonder, “Was it all a dream..”

I’m just telling you this because I love you, don’t leave The Edgewater Grille without a slice of White Chocolate Cheesecake. If you’re full from the hummus, fish, steak or Tortellini or all of the above (You go, you!) - get some in a container to take with you. If word gets back to me that you went without getting some of the White Chocolate Cheesecake, I’ll… I’ll…. Well, I’ll just go there and have two slices to make up for it. That’s what I’ll do! I’ll show you.

BRICK OVEN PIZZAS

Edgewater Grille has an amazing Brick Oven that produces pizzas that are so sensational, I feel embarrassed for them. Thier oven is actually the only wood-fired brick oven in the Tri-State and their pizzas live up to their exclusive birthrights.

See, I’ll tell you what I’d suggest. You hit Newburgh just before lunch, have a Brick Oven Pizza for lunch, walk around the gorgeous town, then head over to Evansville (minutes away) for a few hours of shopping. When you’ve worked up a killer appetite, head back to Newburgh’s Edgewater Grille for supper. Just. Be. Sure. You. Have. The. Hummus.

I’m not even kidding you, it’s ridiculously good.

THE HOSTESS, OWNER, And SERVERS

You know, I’m not sure I’ve ever given servers their own heading before - yet they’re something I always pay amazingly close attention to. The thing most restaurants don’t realize is that they do more than just work for you, they represent you. The quality of people you have working for you tells your guests a lot about your own quality.

Yet again, The Edgewater Grille refuses to do anything but excel. As in surpass. As in do better than. My husband hit it on the head last night - they enjoy what they do. As we sat, looking at the beautiful view, we were honestly entertained by the servers who were so full of energy and life. They cater to your every single need, often before you even know it’s a need.

The owner even circulates and makes friendly conversation with her guests, asking how everything is. When you know it’s going to be outstanding, I guess you’re not afraid to ask, right?!

The owner of The Edgewater Grille “gets it” in every area of the restaurant business. Every detail is spotless and amazing. It’s somehting you become aware of the minute you walk in. The young girl who has worked as hostess on each visit we’ve had is the ideal hostess. She’s very warm, friendly and seems thrilled to see each person who comes through the doors. It certainly isn’t a prerequisite, but she’s also a tiny little beauty. If the fashion world ever realizes that beauty doesn’t have to be walking on stilts, this girl would make a million dollars a month.

You’re also aware of the truth when you leave. Each time, when leaving, other servers (in addition to our own) has smiled at us and told us to have a great night.

Is that much Southern hospitality supposed to be on THAT side of the Ohio?

Edgewater Grille does everything with style, with class, and with perfection. In their own words, which ring blissfully true, “We do everything for you.” Beautiful.

Useful Links:

Edgewater Grille’s Website

Edgewater Grille’s Menu