I have many fond memories of eating at the Admiralty Room to celebrate one occasion or another. It was always an elegant evening topped with a stunning view of Lake Mendota.
Both the elegance and view are back with the Edgewater Hotel’s new flagship restaurant, The Statehouse, and I hope to create new memories there.
First impressions are key. Here, after you climb the lobby staircase or come off the elevators, you see the back of the bar and large lounge. You then walk past the open kitchen into the main dining area. For me, it was like walking onto the bridge of a cruise ship with the beautiful view (seen only during the day).
And yes, the food met my expectations. I was delighted to find charcuterie items as part of the appetizer list, so I got the fois gras torchon ($10). The plate contained a big slice of foie gras accompanied by pickles, mustard, pickled pears and toast, which was so brittle that it was hard to spread the fois gras on it. Still, it was an excellent way to start the meal.
Entrees include seafood, steaks and chops. The striped bass was one evening’s catch of the day ($32). I thought it was a perfect contrast of tender, flaky fish complementing a crisp skin. It came with roasted tomatoes, green beans and a subtle basil emulsion.
I also splurged on the most expensive menu item, the 45-day, dry-aged bone-in ribeye ($60). I liked the beefy flavor, the hollandaise sauce worked surprisingly well and the side of bacon-onion jam was a pleasant touch. While it was a delicious steak, I don’t think it was $60 good, and thus for that reason, I wouldn’t order it again.
The Statehouse also is worth visiting at lunch. Of course you’ll find the requisite sandwiches and salads, but I ordered the brick oven sausage pizza ($12), which also is available on the bar menu. The sweet roasted peppers helped accentuate the flavors, and the corn meal crust added a welcomed crispiness.
Lots of great apps at lunch, too. I settled on the duck confit poutine ($10). The duck was immensely succulent, and there was a generous portion of cheese so that you weren’t stuck with plain fries at the end. You have to try this!
Finally for dessert, I had the beautifully arranged ricotta cheesecake parfait ($8; thanks Lana!), topped with perfectly preserved cherries (not tart at all) and a pistachio brittle of which I could have eaten an entire plate. I think next time I’ll have to order the chocolate olive oil cake ($9), paired with marinated strawberries and housemade yogurt.
The Statehouse is open every day for lunch and dinner, weekdays for breakfast and weekends for brunch. A bartender said happy hour will be added soon.
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See more photos in our The Statehouse Flickr set.
I love pasties. There’s something so comforting in eating pastry dough stuffed with meat, which is why I also like calzones and empanadas.
Let’s talk about that steak pie, which includes tender steak, bits of onion at the right texture (soft, but not too soft) and not an overwhelming amount of potatoes. Meanwhile, the Big Cheesy contains huge pieces of sausage, lots of cheese (of course!) and a perfect amount of sauce (enough so you can taste it uniformly but so it doesn’t spill out).
The area where State Street and Mifflin Street converge is home to a growing restaurant empire that consists of the Ivory Room, Capital Tap Haus, Buck and Badger and now 
Other entrees include chicken, lamb and seafood.
