The Edge Restaurant
By Bill Marshall
Photos by Jeremy Lurgio
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Cooking at The Edge Restaurant in Hamilton, Montana
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Deep in the fabled Bitterroot Valley, with the snow crested peaks of the Bitterroot Mountains looming overhead, sits a restaurant just on the outskirts of Hamilton, Montana, called The Edge, a place that has succeeded in offering something for everyone. Tom and Tammy Fair founded The Edge Restaurant in August of 1997. Tom’s oldest son John – who is the head chef – coined the name The Edge at the age of 12 because it sits on the edge of town.
Seating 40 to 50 people, the deck is a popular Summer hangout for many of the Bitterroot Valley inhabitants. People enjoy dining and drinking, perhaps a fresh hand-blended Mojito – a drink made from Bacardi Limon, ground mint leaves, soda, and a squeeze of lime. You can sit in the warm western sun with Bloggett Canyon’s rugged opening seemingly just beyond your finger tips.
A mere hundred yards beyond the deck and just before the Bitterroot River sits the Edge’s stocked trout pond and fountain. If you have little ones who have a knack for the fishing arts, take them down to the pond to catch a pre-meal trout.
The restaurant interior is large and spacious with the tables placed wide apart to give the diner a comfortable and carefree dining experience. Sports memorabilia cover some of the walls but the effect is not cluttered. The large windows that make up the western wall offer a clear view of the Bitterroot Mountains in all their rugged glory.
Many visitors struggle to find an appropriate identity for the restaurant. Is it a sports bar or a family restaurant? Is it a romantic fine dining establishment or a steak house? According to the 2005 restaurant awards, The Edge was all these things and more -- Winning Best Steak, Best Outdoor Dining, Best Place for A First Date, Best Sports Bar, and Best Anniversary Location.
Owner Tom Fair explains, “People look at this place as their own. Many of my customers have been coming here since we opened our doors. They tell us what they want and we listen. What we built is a place where just about everybody feels comfortable.” This holds true for the food as well. On the menu you will run across gourmet items such as Pan-Seared Sashimi Grade Ahi Tuna as well as the good ole Montana standby – the 6 oz. hamburger. Over the years Fair and his son John have patiently eked out a menu that has both stretched their customers’ comfort zone and given them the pleasurable food they desire. They do all of this at very reasonable prices.
This formula has resulted in a consistently filled dining room. According to one customer, Greg Lemon: “It’s not uncommon to find the bar packed an hour before a game. The food’s good. The beer’s cold and with all the televisions, The Edge is a perfect spot for the Bitterroot sports fan. My suggestion is a cold glass of Bitter Root Brewery IPA and an Edge burger.”
On my recent visit Tom wants me to try four new dishes that he plans to have on his
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Pasta at The Edge Restaurant in Hamilton, Montana
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menu this Summer: Chicken and Andouille Sausage Jambalaya, Dungeness Crabby Patty Crab Cakes, TNT Steak, and Louisiana Style BBQ Shrimp.
You may notice a Cajun flair to these dishes. That is because Tom grew up in Louisiana and was raised on Cajun Cuisine. “When we first opened, I wanted to have all of our food be Cajun but the Valley wasn’t ready for it. We couldn’t even get Andoulle sausage or any of the other authentic ingredients, so we decided to hold off, but now we feel our customers are ready. We can purchase the right ingredients to do it right, so I said let’s give it a shot.”
The first dish Tom brings out is the Jambalaya, which is steaming hot with large pieces of spicy Andouille Sausage and chicken smothering the textured rice. I can taste a decent bit of cayenne pepper, but it is not overwhelming, so that a variety of flavors can spice my taste buds.
After drinking some water, Tom proudly serves the Crabby Patty Crab Cakes. The crab cake is pan-seared a golden brown with massive chunks of flaky white Dungeness crab rolling onto the plate, mixing with a rich pink, slightly spicy remoulade that accompanies it. There is much more crab than cake, and I feel compelled to try and devour the entire course rather swiftly.
Tom has to tear away the crab cake because the TNT Steak is ready. The name is a play on words named after Tom and Tammy. The name TNT is fitting because the succulent ruby red sauce is a powder keg of flavor that ranges from intensely sweet to moderately spicy. The steak is a grilled 8 oz. hand-cut Culotte – or Bottom Sirloin – of Angus beef that practically melts in my mouth.
The last dish that Tom brings out – and I am getting a little full by now – is the Louisiana Style BBQ Shrimp. Tom seems particularly excited about this dish because it drums up memories of his childhood, “Down in Louisiana, we used to eat this with our fingers and use big chunks of bread to sop up the sauce. It got real messy sometimes!” Tom looks around the crowded dining room and laughs, “I am glad we are going to eat it with a fork here.”
The large shrimp are grilled so that the outside is crisp but the inside is still moist and sugary white. Tom decided to use a local brew in the sauce. “We put some Moose Drool Brown ale in it. If we were down in Louisiana, we’d use something else, but we’re not, we’re in Montana, so it seems fitting.” The large grilled shrimp are layered on a mound of Cajun seasoned rice that has a similar flavor to the Jambalaya but different in that you can taste the flavors of shrimp stock. I like this one so much I talk Tom into boxing it up for me.
After sampling the four dishes, I realized that all of the dishes had had multiple layers of flavors. I asked Tom about it, “Well, it is because we make everything from scratch here. If you ordered that TNT Steak off the menu, we would make that sauce just for your order. That makes a big difference, and I believe our customers notice.”
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The Patio at The Edge Restaurant in Hamilton, Montana
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The difference seemed clear to the hundred or so customers who were happily enjoying themselves in a nice conversational boil. It will be clear to you as well, whether you’re in the mood for a big grilled steak or a romantic dinner for two or just a casual burger and some handmade Margarita’s.
After I wrap things up with Tom, I watch him walk through the dining room. He stops at every table to talk, looking as comfortable as if he were enjoying himself at some family get-together. In many ways he is.
www.theedgerestaurant.com
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