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kpcnews.com wrote
Humphries envisions big things for Eddie Merlot’s
By DERRICK GINGERY
Friday, August 24, 2007
Eddie Merlot’s is about to grow from two Indiana locations into a national restaurant chain.
The third and fourth locations of Bill Humphries’ upscale steakhouse will open in Cincinnati in January and Columbus, Ohio, in February, adding to its existing Fort Wayne and Indianapolis locations. They are the beginning of a growth spurt that, when completed, will result in 12 to 14 Eddie Merlot’s restaurants throughout the U.S.
Eddie Merlot’s has emerged as one of the prominent upscale restaurants in Fort Wayne. Humphries developed the restaurant as a steakhouse that catered to women. It’s china, flatware, decor and menu are all geared toward attracting women, whom Humphries’ research shows are making the majority of decisions about evening business dinners.
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Eddie Merlot’s Steakhouse Coming to Columbus
By: Walker
Related Posts:
Oh… for some reason I was under the impression that this was coming downtown. :oops:
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
By Barnet D. Wolf
The long-planned Eddie Merlot’s Prime Aged Beef and Seafood restaurant is close to breaking ground at Polaris.
Construction could begin in August on the upscale restaurant, which is scheduled to open next year. It will be located in front of the new Hilton hotel at Polaris Parkway and Lyra Drive.
Eddie Merlot’s, a startup chain with locations in Fort Wayne and Indianapolis, had expected to open a Columbus restaurant by the end of 2004, but that was halted by complications.
READ MORE
Hopefully their wine offerings will not reflect their name…….
hmm. I was told that Cameron Mitchell was opening a new steakhouse adjacent to the new Polaris Hilton and that the Crosswoods location would be closed… The plot thickens…
The Mitchell’s Steakhouse location on Polaris is already under construction, though it’s not really right next to the Hilton – it’s over by BJ’s Brewhouse, a little more in front of the mall proper. While I hadn’t heard explicitly that the Crosswoods location was closing, it makes sense given the proximity.
Still, assuming it’s open, Eddie Merlot’s sounds like a good pick for my wife & I to hit next year on our Anniversary Steakhouse Tour, so… bonus!
Walker, the best part of that second link were these gems
• Meanwhile, three other restaurants face administrative hearings this week for health-code violations. They are Happy House, 1267 W. 5th Ave.; Chabad Torah Center, 2942 E. Broad St.; and Little Dragons, 1508 Morse Rd.
Wonder what color signs those places are getting? :D
Back on topic… exactly how do table linens and flatware entice female customers in particular? I’m also not clear on the “female” qualities of the menu either… looked like any steakhouse menu I’ve ever seen (‘cept for the campfire smores :roll: ).
Personally, I would like to see an “extreme” steakhouse concept tried out sometime. Maybe where they slaughter the steer right at tableside, because aged beef is soo overrated. Even better, for an extra couple bucks, they can let the customer fire the bolt gun themselves, now that would be a steakhouse. 8)
Unbelieveable that the Happy House is in trouble again. It already was shut down in its former incarnation. Guess the new owners have the same food preparation knowledge. :roll:
Also, how the hell does a Jewish conference center get in trouble for food safety violations?
Another steak house, what is next, another Italian restaurant!!!LOL
“I’m not drinking any FUCKING merlot!”
Thursday, August 7, 2008
BY JON CHRISTENSEN
The latest entrant in the high-end steakhouse scene in central Ohio, Eddie Merlot’s apparently seeks to look different from other high-end meat emporiums.
The interior avoids the traditional dark woods and cozy spaces. Instead, it has brighter tones, very high ceilings, good lighting and art-deco fixtures.
The Polaris Parkway outlet of the four-store Indiana chain boasts an accomplished maitre d’: Vittorio Borgia, best-known for his management of Mitchell’s Steakhouse.
Observing, coaching, greeting, correcting, intervening, encouraging, chiding — Borgia is in constant motion, having returned to the restaurant scene after a couple of years off. His courteous manner is that of a host of yesteryear, without seeming dated.
In the tradition of steakhouses, Eddie Merlot’s provides a starkly a la carte setup: Just about everything costs extra.
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My wife & I went to Eddie Merlot’s for our anniversary a couple weeks ago, and were very pleased. The review reads a little harsh to me, but most of the criticisms are fair. The bread we got was prepared well, but the salad options were indeed pretty lame overall.
The steaks were excellent. I had a bourbon-marinated ribeye that was excellent, with a nice very light crust of brown sugar on the outside. My wife had the filet, which was a quality cut. We had the hash browns for a potato – they were good, nice and crispy on the outside. A side of sour cream would have been nice to go with them, but they were good without it, so I didn’t ask. The sauteed spinach was just OK – watery.
For dessert we had the Vanilla Cognac Brownie – prepared tableside like the Bananas Foster. It was good.
The service was phenomenal – our server was very friendly and well informed, and stopped by regularly to make sure we were doing OK. Vittorio (mentioned in the article) stopped by at least twice too, to check in – he’s a funny guy, very friendly & energetic. Some other manager checked in once too, just to make sure we were getting everything we needed I guess.
We’d definitely go back. I still prefer Morton’s over all, but I was very happy with Eddie Merlot’s.