The Edison brings Old Florida charm back to beleaguered country club

I can't with certainty say how many times I've reviewed the Fort Myers Country Club, but including my most recent meal there, I can recall at least five occasions.

Although I won't name names of defunct establishments, I will say that three of the five encounters were memorable for all the wrong reasons. Woefully overcooked fish. Abysmal service. Décor so overdone and inappropriate it should have been illegal.

The sprawling establishment recently changed concepts again. Now it's The Edison, with ambience that befits one of the city's architectural grand dames. The halls, bar and dining rooms have all been repainted in lovely retro shades of deep brown and cream. Historic photographs from the Edison era fittingly adorn the walls, depicting Edison and his friends, including Harvey Firestone, Henry Ford and Jim Newton. Other shots show the city as it was a century ago.

The bar is downright handsome, with thickly upholstered booths and the same warm earth tones found throughout the building. Judging from the crowd inside, it's quickly become a hit. (Happy hour, which features half-priced drinks and a carving station, probably don't hurt.)

PHOTOS KAREN FELDMAN

We sat in a cozy dining room off the much larger main one, in which a lively Rotary club was in full swing. With only one other party sharing this smaller room, it was peaceful and pleasant, affording us an unobstructed view of the golf course through large windows draped in gauzy valances twisted around bamboo rods.

I did have a couple of quibbles with those who so painstakingly re-engineered the ambience. Quibble one involves the music, which consisted primarily of Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra, intermittently spelled by a bit of instrumental jazz. Considering that the Chairman and Dino were in their teens when Edison went off to that great laboratory in the sky, I didn't grasp the connection. How about some Scott Joplin, a little George Gershwin and some Billie Holliday for authenticity's sake?

Quibble two concerns the faux ceramic pots with silk flower arrangements on each table. Is this any way to honor Mina to course and sure we had Eo Edison, an accomplished gardener and one of the founders of the city's renowned

The Edison's Tuna Steak

Periwinkle Garden Club? I feel certain that a small bud vase with a fresh stem or two would have been much more to her taste (and mine).

Those easily correctible issues aside, the current management has done an excellent job of resurrecting the building's former charm.

Service has improved dramatically as well. A well-groomed young woman escorted us to our booth and a cheerful and efficient server quickly made his way to the table. He took good care of us throughout the meal, never rushing us from course to course and making sure we had everything we needed in the way of beverages and silverware.

The restaurant's wine list is modest, with about two dozen choices by the bottle, about half that by the glass. We sampled glasses of the Mark West pinot noir, Greg Norman cabernet sauvignon and Clos du Bois chardonnay. All were passable though not noteworthy. I suppose that most patrons prefer mixed drinks or beer here, which would explain the limited wine selection.

We started off with the Edison shareables, a medley of fried appetizers designed for - what else? - sharing. All were golden brown and crisp, with the exception of the crab cakes, which should not be crisp. The calamari got a flavor boost from an assertive marinara sauce that accompanied it. The chicken fingers were a little overcooked, but moisture from a barbecue sauce helped alleviate that. The crab cakes had crab flavor but not much in the way of whole pieces. The shrimp spring roll contained mostly vegetables and noodles, but tasted fine.

For entrees, one companion chose the seafood Cobb salad with balsamic vinaigrette. Another chose the rare seared ahi tuna. I went with a classic comfort dish recommended by the server: pot roast.

The salad was generous in size, bu but fell short on the seafood. The shrimp were small and had little flavor. There was very little crab, either, and the dressing both looked and tasted like standard vinaigrette, without the supple body and red hue that a good balsamic vinegar would have added.

The tuna was cooked to dryish medium, a disappointment to my husband, who always eats his tuna lightly seared. A medley of vegetables that accompanied the fish lacked seasoning and had the sodden texture of the frozen variety. A couple of stalks of fresh broccoli would have been a major improvement.

The pot roast and its dark brown gravy didn't look all that inviting, but the flavor and texture were quite good. The meat was fork tender, the gravy tasty and not overly salty, with fresh potatoes and carrots in the mix. It was clearly the best of the entrees.

We shared one of the house-made desserts - a brownie with ice cream, chocolate sauce and whipped cream. The brownie resembled more of a light cake but the combination worked fairly well together.

Based on this meal and a previous lunch (when a companion ordered the large and delicious chicken pot pie), I'd say the Edison's strong suit is comfort food.

With an eager-to-please staff, moderate prices and a charming ambience, the Edison has gone a long way toward resurrecting the country club's appeal. Some adjustments to the music and the table flora and a shift to fresh vegetables and shellfish would make the restaurant as popular as its bar has already become.

If you go

The Edison 3583 McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers; 936-9348 Ratings: Food: 2 ½ stars Service: 3 ½ stars Atmosphere: 3 stars

>>Hours: Lunch and dinner served from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Sunday brunch is served from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. A three-course Summer Sunset dinner is available for $10.95 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. >>Reservations: Accepted >>Credit cards: Major cards accepted. >>Price range: Appetizers, $5.95-$13.95; entrees, $6.95-$24.95 >>Beverages: Full bar >>Seating: Booths, conventional tables, at the bar >>Specialties of the house: Specialties of the house: Lobster bisque, pot roast nachos, shrimp spring rolls, crab cakes, pizza, zuppe de pesce, filet mignon, baby back ribs, chicken pot pie >>Volume: Moderate to high >>Parking: Free lot