I’ve recently started listening to the podcast Sporkful which looks at food at interesting angles and in a new light. The tagline of the show “We obsess about food to learn more about people.” This phrase resonates with me, and I like to think I’m the same way. I obsess over brunch to learn about Houston.

Each week, I scour the street of Houston to find the best, the brightest, and the booziest brunches in town. After blogging about them consistently for about two years now, I’ve come to the realization that most places are more similar than I anticipated.

Take Edison for example. It recently opened up in the Northside Village in Houston.  Looking at it’s appearance it looks like every other hipster restaurant that’s opened in the past few years. It’s got the balance of indoor and outdoor seating (if you don’t have a bomb patio in Houston, just gtfo). It’s got picnic tables, fire pits, uber trendy subway tile lining the bar, that exposed light bulb look, fairy lights strung across the outdoors, and herb garden etc. To be fair, the light bulbs kinda go with the whole “Thomas Edison” theme, but the same décor and vibe can be seen across newly opened venues in Houston.

Edison

In the Sporkful podcast, the narrator interviewed one restaurateur who recently remodeled his Middle Eastern restaurant to attract hipsters. What did he use? Reclaimed wood and exposed brick. LOL. To be fair, I sat outside at Edison’s and didn’t enter the interior, but you just know the way places are trending there must be some sort of reclaimed wood incorporated into Edison somewhere.

The menu is pretty standard as well–$3 mimosas, $5 bloody Marys, pancakes, omelets, and eggs benedict, but with a bouguie hipster twist. This isn’t diner food so the take on eggs benedict involves artichoke and French crostini instead of a English muffin. And the omelet has been upgraded to include barbacoa and goat cheese. And to round the menu out, there’s an acai bowl for the people who crave California granola.

The one thing that stands out about Edison is its location. It’s not in trendy Montrose like La Grange, or centrally located like Kirby Ice House, or in a quaintly historic spot in the Heights like Eight Row Flint. Edison is kind of out of the way. You’ve likely never taken this exit off 1-45 before unless you got lost on your way to Black Swan Yoga at Raven Tower. I would say the Northside Village is a neighborhood in transition since Edison got there but I just don’t know. There’s a little Mexican convenience store next door that shares a parking lot with Edison. The side of the bright yellow building boldly proclaims (in Spanish) that if you don’t lock your car your stuff will get stolen.

I’d be more impressed with the unusually bold location of Edison had I not just been to D&T Drive-In (one of the Treadsack concepts) nestled into a similar neighborhood off Main Street. It had the same backyard, relax while barbequing under the stars and watching the game vibe. Despite the quaint neighborhood-y element it emits, Edison is still hipster AF and quite the juxtaposition next to the Mexican neighborhood.

I will say the food at Edison was delightful and reasonably priced. The poached egg on all our meals was cooked perfectly and breaking the yolk was the magical, suspenseful experience that it should be. (Major pet peeve when the eggs are overcooked.) Also the complementary biscuit and croissant was a nice touch. Plus the manta and graphic “Drink More Love More Live Longer” wall is sure to catch on–especially with the #diditfortheinsta crowd. If you’re looking to add another trendy, neighborhood hipster hotspot notch to your belt, brunch at Edison is a great place to start.