Alchemy at the edison:food+drink lab

-4 Snaps! Strongly recommended

Avocado Leaf Seared Yellowfin Tuna-Green mango salad, Aji Amarillo Sorbet, fish sauce caramel, tamarind peanut crunch

One of the bennies of being a newspaper food photographer for over a decade is that I've been in hundreds of kitchens seeing a gazillion dishes being prepped and plated, spoken with world-renowned chefs, and shot thousands of food photos. I've gained a greater  (maybe even food-snobby) appreciation for top shelf vittles.

Chef Jeannie Pierola at her new concept Swigamajig at Sparkman Wharf in Tampa

I've also watched local chefs mature. edison's mastermind Jeannie Pierola made her mark at Bern's Steak House before opening the food lab in 2012. It was a perfect storm of timing and talent, as Tampa's food scene was coming alive and Pierola was unleashing her culinary know-how on an awakening public. She has been award winning and food finessing ever since. We were in the mood for some exemplary food, so edison got the call. Reservations were a snap and they were even able to accommodate my request for a window-side table

Chilled Summer Gazpacho-watermelon ceviche, sheep's milk feta, fried bread, olive oil powder, micro caliente

We start with the Chilled Summer Gazpacho ($13) because the ingredients sound so good. That tomato base runs right into a watermelon ceviche, blends with the creamy goat cheese chunks, finishes with a crunch from the fried bread (croutons), and the micro caliente brings a brilliant heat. The bite is a little cilantro heavy but  delightful and light nonetheless.

Avocado Leaf Seared Yellowfin Tuna-Green mango salad, Aji Amarillo Sorbet, fish sauce caramel, tamarind peanut crunch.

It seems everyone is serving seared tuna these days, but with kickers like an Aji Amarillo Sorbet and fish sauce caramel, we order up the yellow fin ($15). It's this kind of inventiveness that reflects the labs edginess. How does one conceive of making a sorbet with Peruvian yellow chili peppers and place it on a bed of peanuts and a schmear of avocado? The dish is outstanding and refreshing. The slivers of tuna have a crispy seared bark outside and dark pink inside and combined with that sorbet and mango salad it is perfect for a Florida August night! It's light, beautiful and tasty.

Florida black grouper, and Key West Shrimp Barigoule-artichoke, passionfruit, palm hearts, nicoise olives, garden basil

Picking an entree is hard. I'd really like a sampler platter! Four of the seven dishes on tonight's menu are seafood but then there's that duck! 
Florida black grouper with Key West shrimp Barigoule (braised artichokes) is next. It's a saucy bowl of veggies, large shrimp, and a grouper filet. The shrimp are large, tender and fresh, and the sauce has an oniony brothy edge slightly kissed by basil. It's a mellow blend of flavors. The grouper, swimming in that delectable sauce, is light and firm. 

Cast Iron Blackened Magret Duck Breast-Creole Yukon gold potato salad, pickled vegetables, lemon pecan brown butter vinaigrette, foie gras gumbo

The Blackened Duck Breast ($37) is a beautiful presentation. Served with Yukon gold potato salad and pickled veggies, the aroma makes my mouth water as the dish hits the table.  The potato salad is a mustard based creole blend and a perfect match for the duck. The breast meat unfortunately is tough and chewy with a large string of gristle running through it. I notify our server who consults with the kitchen and replaces it with a perfectly cooked and sumptuous breast. I'm a food mixer. I take a little potato salad, a small scoop of pickled vegetables, and combine it with a bite of that duck on the fork. Can you taste it? 

Sugar Crusted Butter Cake

We wrap up the night with a well known house treat of Sugar Crusted Butter Cake. Need I say more? Sugar crusted... butter.. cake.. Winner. No really, I'd go back just for this dessert.

Historically alchemy is the process of trying to turn base metals into gold. Here, otherwise simple (and sometimes divergent)  ingredients are combined for a brilliant finish This lab experiment is a success. All one needs to do is look at the dish ingredients and descriptions to know how much bold work and inventiveness this place brings to the table.

Simple refinements like Riedel wine glasses, fresh flatware with every course, and an involved host exemplify the top-notch service high-end restaurants should offer. The ability to successfully recover when an unsatisfactory dish is served is also a mark of excellence. I like being a lab rat!

edison food + drink lab on Kennedy Blvd. in Tampa