Review of Edwardsville’s Grace Manor
Editor | Jun 30, 2010 | Comments 0
by Jesse Gernigin
Grace Manor Restaurant in Edwardsville has gone through quite a few changes. And no, I’m not talking about the fact that they are a pre-civil war house that has weathered the years since the civil war, nor the fact that in April an owner change caused the then Klingel Tea House to become Grace Manor Restaurant.
What I am talking about is their menu change! It is beautiful. I have had the pleasure of lunching at Grace Manor the past few weeks and I have to say I wasn’t impressed with the spring menu. Sure it had all of the spring fare you would expect, a shifting array of soups, a collection of quiches and some lightly adorned sandwiches, but honestly I wasn’t impressed.
The food was fine, well prepared and priced honestly, but it tasted uninspired. I went in for my last meal there before I wrote this and found that the menu had changed to the summer menu. All I can say is wow!
Edwardsville's Grace Manor.
The turnaround from their last menu to this menu was amazing. Obviously some things will remain the same. First of all there will still be pastas of the day, daily quiches, and a few of the same sides. But I don’t want to write about them, I want to write about the new things.
So what are the new things? Well for one, rosemary fries. Let me type that again, rosemary fries. I had those for my meal along with a sirracha spice aioli (there is a non-spicy version available for the heat-fearing diner) and they were amazing. They came out in a cocktail looking glass wrapped in paper. They were longer in shape (most of them cut the length of my hand) and they were just the right thickness, not so thick they became heavy and mushy and not so thin they tasted like potato straws. The fries had a good bite and were just the right mix of clean and dirty that you expect from great fries.
The rosemary fries are considered a side, so if you find yourself not wanting them (and I have to say you should try them) there are plenty of other sides, my other favorite being the quinoa salad. It is hard to get good quinoa, but Grace Manor does it right and not a lot of people get a chance to try it.
My main course consisted of a pulled pork barbeque sandwich topped with slaw. The sandwich was good, the pork was cooked just right and the balance between the sauce and the bun made for an enjoyable sandwich and not a mess of sauce, bread and meat. What set the sandwich off just right though was the slaw on top. It is a homemade slaw that comes out crisp and light on sauce. That is important because when they put the slaw on top of the pork (as in served on the sandwich) it gives a much needed “crunch” to the sandwich, making a good meal great!
I also got a chance to try the hamburger and I enjoyed it. Normally, I don’t seek out hamburgers when I’m dining. What I can say about Grace Manor’s hamburger is that it is a well proportioned mix of half pork, half beef pattied out to the right size and grilled until done. Okay, so that may just sound like a regular burger. But a hamburger is made complete by its simplicity and Grace Manor has understood that clearly, capitalized on that truth, and made an amazing hamburger. Another friend from Edwardsville Scene ate with me and stated, “This is the best hamburger in town.” As I have not eaten hamburgers throughout Edwardsville, I cannot fault or agree with this statement, but I felt it was well worth mentioning because that is a hell of a recommendation in my book.
There are a lot of new things on the menu I haven’t tried, but I am writing this review now for two reasons. One, it is long overdue. I have wanted to review the Manor for months. Second, my last meal was amazing and reflecting on the newly revised summer menu I have to say that I honestly look forward to it. Everything on the menu seems well considered and a lot of the staples are still there. Looking for kale chips? They have them. Still want a quiche and soup lunch? Yep, still there. But most of all are you looking for a good, chill place to grab lunch, I’d recommend Grace Manor.
See the Manor’s site here.
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