Topic: News

The newly designed Edison margarita served with a special shot inside a lime shell. Heck yeah!

Stop in and try our Herb Ricotta Chicken Parmesan and wash it down with a nice Belvedere Lemonade.

BY JOHN MCKENNA — REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

A cozy, quiet and reasonably priced dining experience in an interesting setting awaits patrons of the Edison Grill, a nearly two-year-old restaurant owned by Jerry and Michelle Czyz.

Named for the inventor of the light bulb, Thomas Edison, Edison Grill is located in a building that was completely renovated by its owner, Eastside Electric’s Greg Mele, the father of Michelle Czyz.

“Since (Eastside Electric) is next to us in the building, we decided the name Edison Grill would be an appropriate,” Jerry Czyz said on Tuesday as the restaurant prepared for a private function. “I guess you can say a light bulb went off in our heads when we were thinking of a name.”

The interior of the restaurant pays tribute to Edison with three of the inventor’s original light fixtures mounted on walls and Edison posters the Czyzs bought on eBay and restored and framed lining a wall in the dining area.

Everything in the restaurant, with the exception of the booths, tables and chairs, was custom made, created out of recyclable materials, or purchased at flea markets, according to the couple.

“A lot of hard work and time went into making it look like it does,” Jerry Czyz said. The counter in the dining area, for instance, is made from wood floor planks.

Chandeliers were fashioned using recycled metal. Walls and ceilings are a mix of yellow, red and black, providing sharp contrasts with the dark booths, tables and chairs, and hardwood floor.

Czyz has 17 years in the restaurant business and met his wife at Pizza Palace in Torrington, where he was the manager and she was a waitress.

A self-taught chef, Jerry Czyz has been unable to cook for several months after suffering arm injuries in a car accident, but is healing well and expects to be back in the kitchen soon to complement chief chef Seth Begey and his staff.

Michelle Czyz is a dietitian and has input in creating the menu. She also spends a lot of time chasing the couple’s twin 7-year-old daughters, Haley and Leah, around the restaurant.

Photo: John Mckenna — Republican American
Jerry and Michelle Czyz are the owners of the Edison Grill.

The Food

Comfort foods dominate the breakfast, lunch and dinner menus, which change frequently to reflect the restaurant’s commitment to keeping things fresh.

Breakfast, served on Saturday and Sunday, features eggs, omelets, several versions of eggs Benedict, French toast, pancakes and Belgian waffles, all priced at $9.75 and under.

The lunch menu shows five salads, sandwiches and wraps, paninis, quesadillas and 10 styles of eight-ounce hamburgers made from beef ground at the restaurant.

Burgers come with fresh-cut fries or sweet potato fries. Lunch prices are $11.75 and under.

Dinner can begin with appetizers such as wings, nachos, chili, potato skins and loaded cheese fries, all priced at $10.75 and under. A combo appetizer at $14.50 offers four wings with a choice of sauce, two potato skins and two jalapeno pierogies.

Entrees come with a side salad and dinner rolls and include pesto tortellini, pan-seared chicken, pretzel-crusted chicken, shrimp scampi Florentine, pan-seared salmon, fish and chips, a grilled 12-ounce steak, and the Edison’s trademark meatloaf and macaroni and cheese.

Photo: John Mckenna — Republican American
Pan-seared salmon with a balsamic glaze, vegetables and rice is a dinner entree at the Edison Grill in Harwinton.

Dinner prices range from $13 for the macaroni and cheese to $24.75 for the grilled steak.

Patrons can wash down their meals with beer, wine and liquor from the bar, or can chose from a selection of soda and juice. The bar offers 10 types of beer on tap and a “cocktail on tap.” All desserts are made in house by Michelle Czyz’s mother, Susanne Achee.

Insider Tips

• Takeout available
• Catering for functions
• Children’s menu
• No reservations required

WHEN TO GO

Open Monday 11 a.m. to 10p.m., Wednesday and Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday 8a.m. to 11 p.m., and, Sunday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

How to Get There

Edison Grill is located on Route 4, also known as Birge Park Road, about one mile east of the intersection of Routes 4 and 118.