The Edgewater Hotel has a new executive chef, Juan Martinez, and I was invited to try out items from his new menu, which launched April 2.

Martinez told me his goal was to make an approachable menu, one that focuses on “modern Midwest” cuisine. I’ve always enjoyed eating at The Statehouse, and Martinez has done an admirable job of maintaining the high quality. Here’s the lowdown:

• For lunch, I was tempted to get the lobster roll ($22), as I really enjoyed the sandwich from the Boathouse; however, the call of pork belly is irresistible. Folks, I can’t exaggerate how much I loved the porchetta sandwich ($15). It has thinly sliced pork belly and pork loin that are seasoned with spices and garlic inside a soft, toasted baguette (most other restaurants serve rock-hard baguettes). All of those ingredients were delicious on their own, but what elevated this sandwich was the smear of red pepper mostarda, which added some welcomed sweetness.
• Other sandwiches include a French dip ($16) and salmon ($15). All come with hand-cut fries or a side salad. For those looking to try a few items together, you can get the trio of grilled cheese, tomato bisque and organic greens for $15.
• The other soup is the smoked corn chowder ($6), which is super creamy and dense, chocked full of corn and other tender veggies. I was pleasantly surprised by the fried shiitake mushrooms on top–they were crispy and tasty.

Although I only had lunch at The Statehouse, you should know all the menus have been updated.

• The breakfast menu is huge, featuring lighter fare like yogurt parfait ($7) and entrees such as huevos rancheros ($14).
• The buffet has been removed from brunch. Now you will find a mix of traditional breakfast items such as steak and eggs ($16) and lunch items such as grilled salmon BLT ($15).
• The dinner menu has fewer seafood items than under the previous chef; however, you will still find walleye, day boat scallops and a fish fry. When I return for dinner, I will probably won’t be able to resist ordering the 14 oz dry-aged Kansas City New York strip ($48).

The Edgewater also has a new pastry chef, and I got to try a new dessert, the pineapple upside down cake. The cake itself is incredibly moist, not even needing the ice cream, and it sports some ginger flavor. The pineapple comes in two forms– freshly cut pieces, and a sweet and crispy “taco,” which I thought was quite creative. The swirl of passion fruit sauce made the dessert even more decadent.

The Statehouse serves breakfast and dinner every day, lunch Monday-Saturday and brunch on Sundays.