EAT AT EDD'S: Todd Lyon can't believe her eyes ... or stomach
By Todd Lyon
From the New Haven Register
The weather was gorgeous. Exquisite, I tell you. Sublime! And there I was, sitting at a picnic table under a fluttering umbrella emblazoned with Coca-Cola logos, watching marsh grasses get tickled by a breeze that skimmed the Menunketesuck River.
Hayward, my constant dining companion, was right beside me, and so was my arm, and my hand, which was grasping a fork and tenderly stabbing pieces of Saffron Salmon. The fork worked its way around a plate that also held a baked potato, fresh sauteed green beans, a mesclan salad with a whisper of vinaigrette and slices of watermelon and mango.
This, dear readers, was Edd’s Place, a marvelously eccentric eatery on the Boston Post Road in Westbrook, just a few doors down from the Singing Bridge.
If you weren’t paying attention — and even if you were — you could drive right by Edd’s and assume that it was just another homegrown joint with a gravel parking lot where hot dogs and clam rolls were doled out to summer people.
So wrong you’d be. True, Edd’s doesn’t have much in the way of floor space. It’s basically a shack — sorry, Edd — that houses a kitchen, a counter with prepared foods, and a few coolers stocked with sodas and the like. Outside, there’s an elongated gazebo with screened walls that seats 35. In between the two structures is an open-air dining area with tables that line the banks of the tidal river.
It’s a secret garden of sorts, but that’s not half the story: Edd’s place has really good food. At breakfast, lunch and, especially, dinner, Edd Hannett, assisted by his fiancee, Kim Lambert, and his mother, Ruth DiSarbo, turn out dishes that could be right at home at a swank restaurant.
Consider the source: Edd grew up cooking alongside Ruth, an accomplished baker who owned Muffin Corner in the center of Westbrook. (ownership has changed.) He went on to cook at various restaurants, including LaDone’s Jetty, and eventually earned his credentials at Johnson & Wales in Providence. Through most of the 1990s, he was executive chef of Camelot Cruise Lines.
Five years ago, he took over the former Northlight Deli on Route 1 in Westbrook, and its adjacent ice cream shop. “I lived right up the river, and used to put my dog on the boat to go for ice cream,” Edd recalls.
He still lives on the river. “Even now, Kim and I will take the boat to work — how many people get to do that?”
I have no idea. But I do know that, when Edd’s first opened, it was conceived as a “mini-Zabar’s,” with gourmet-quality meals to go. “Since then, we’ve grown quite a bit,” laughs Edd.
I’ll say: Today, there are more than 80 items on Edd’s standard menu, including Clam Chowder ($3.50) lobster rolls ($16.95) and more.
What really draws the crowds to Edd’s Place, however, are its daily specials. On a recent Saturday night, I had the pleasure of choosing from 10 or so seductive offerings, hand-written on a board above the cash register in the crowded shack (sorry, again, Edd). These included Prime Rib au Jus ($14.95) and Fresh Striper ($12.95), each served with potato, vegetable, and a salad.
Hayward and I stood dutifully in line, and placed our orders. Then we took a seat outside, at a table by the river, and soon enough, a cheerful runner came out with a tray, and we were served.
Plastic plates, paper towels pulled from a roll on our table, no matter: We relished the food, we savored the view, we appreciated the fact that we could bring our own wine and stemware. We also saved room for Madam Ruth’s fresh peaches-and-cream pie, which was one of the best desserts I’ve ever tasted. It was just one of a half-dozen or so confections prepared daily by Edd’s mom, and I intend to return to sample everything’s she’s got.
I want to taste all of Edd’s specialties, too. And so should you. Don’t let the season slip away before visiting Edd’s Place. Recently, the Shore Line’s Newspaper’s Readers Poll put it in first place for burgers, sandwiches, desserts, chowder, barbecue, wings, take-out and family restaurant; it’s your job to find out why.
Todd Lyon of New Haven is a freelance writer.
THE ESSENTIALS
• Place: Edd’s Place, Cuisine to Go, 478 Boston Post Road, Westbrook.
• Phone: (860) 399-9498.
• Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays through Tuesdays; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. Hours start winding down in the late fall, grind to a halt in January, and perk up again in March. “The gazebo is heated,” notes Edd. “Even when there’s snow on the ground, I can get it up to 70 degrees in there.” Even so, Kim recommends that guests at Christmas parties bring their own blankets.
• Reservations: Not accepted, except for special events or parties of 10 or more.
• Credit cards: Nope. Cash only.
• Food: An ultra-casual, mostly-outdoor eatery with a sublime view of a tidal river offers chalkboard specials at breakfast; oodles of soups, salads and sandwiches at lunch and supper; gourmet meals to go; and fine dinners to enjoy at the water’s edge. Prices begin at $2.95 for a foot-long Hummel’s hot dog, and top out at $15 for Chef Edd’s famous Prime Rib. Entrees are served with a starch and a vegetable. Save room for Mama Ruth’s desserts, which are baked daily and may include Blackberry Cheesecake ($3.50 per slice), Rice Pudding ($2.50 per serving) or Carrot Cake ($2.95 per slice).
• Vegetarianism: Plenty of dishes involving grilled cheese, eggplant parm and veggie panini are on the menu.
• Drink: Edd’s is a BYOB establishment. You’re welcome to bring your own wine, beer or cocktails. There’s no corkage fee; there’s also no stemware, no proper glasses (plastic only), or ice. So it’s BYO everything, unless you’re only interested in sodas, juices and bottled waters, which are readily available.
• Kid-friendliness: A children’s menu entices the kiddies with meals of chicken nuggets, corn dogs, PB & J sandwiches and more, made complete with fries and a juice box for $4.95.
• Wheelchair access: Easy for the gazebo and outside tables, but not for the restrooms.
• Parking: In a dedicated lot on site.
• Private functions: Definitely available, and especially popular in the gazebo, and off site.
• Attention fishermen and women: Bring your catch of the day to Edd (make sure it’s cleaned and filleted) and he will cook it for you — broiled, blackened or prepared teriyaki style — and serve it with sides of potato and salad for $7.95 per person.
• And don’t miss: For three weekends, starting tonight, and extending to Oct. 1, Edd’s presents its fifth annual Octoberfest, featuring traditional German dishes like Sauerbraten, Wienerschnitzel and Knockwurst. As usual, it’s BYOB. Call for reservations.
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