Eddie's Grill – New in Yuma

mmm-yoso!!! basically is Kirk's blog, but he is kind enough to allow Cathy to post here a lot and Ed (from Yuma) to post here once in a while. Today is a once in a while day.

Since Frank's and The Farmhouse, both near the south end of 4th Avenue, had shut down recently, I was kinda surprised to see that a defunct Long John Silver’s at 2970 S. 4th Ave. had been renovated and transformed into Eddie's Grill:

The eating area has tables and booths in the main section:

and in the side room:

At lunchtime, both areas are usually busy:

You order here:

Then pick up soft drinks, condiments, silverware, napkins, etc.:

These two areas being so close together sometimes makes things a bit crowded. Once you"re seated, the very friendly and helpful waitstaff brings your food to your table – and I have been impressed by the quickness of the kitchen, making this a good stop for a quick lunch.

The menu includes several different salads. Tina loved the Santa Barbara Cobb salad with grilled chicken ($8.95):

The chicken was nicely cooked and had grill marks. As you can see, there was also abundant avocado, bacon, crumbled cheese, diced tomatoes, and shredded carrot on top of a large bowl of fresh mixed lettuces.

Dave liked his Asian chicken salad with sesame dressing ($8.95) as well:

I personally have concentrated more on the sandwiches and burgers, all of which are available as combos with beverage and french fries for an additional $2.95 ($3.45 for sweet potato fries or onion rings). The fries are okay with a decent potato flavor:

As you can tell by the salads, grilled chicken is a big deal at Eddie's. In fact it was the chicken club sandwich ($7.25) on my first visit that convinced me that they could produce good food:

The chicken was both nicely grilled and still moist. The vegetables were fresh, and the bacon and avocado tasted great and added to the sandwich.

Likewise, the barbecue chicken sandwich ($7.25) worked for me:

The same fresh vegetables and well grilled chicken napped with just the right amount of subdued barbecue sauce. Not over the top, but very nicely balanced, the emphasis still on the flavor of the chicken.

I was delighted to see that the fish sandwich on the menu was grilled fish ($7.95), and the sandwich had many of the same virtues as their other sandwiches:

As you can see from this close-up, the fish was well prepared, still moist and flake apart tender:

However, the picture also shows one shortcoming of that sandwich. The juices of the fish, the fresh tomato slices, and the abundant tartar sauce overwhelmed the toasted sourdough so that I ended up eating the last half of the sandwich with a knife and a fork.

I had a similar problem with the very flavorful and awesome looking grilled portobello mushroom sandwich ($6.95):

In this case, the excellent whole-wheat bun held up fine, but the juicy giant mushroom dripped thousand-island dressing, drenched its paper wrapping, and then began slip sliding away, out of the bun – as if the table, my shirt, or my pants represented some kind of escape, some kind of sanctuary for mushrooms threatened with extinction. So I stabbed it with a fork and cut it with a knife.

The turkey burger ($6.50) looked even more gloppy goopy:

But here I actually appreciated the sauciness because turkey burger itself was dry. This sandwich worked, and I particularly appreciated the good quality whole-wheat bun.

In fact, every burger I've had at Eddie's has been good. Look at the Ortega and Swiss burger ($6.25):

The 1/3 pound charbroiled patty was fresh and flavorful, the grilled green chile and the cheese perfect complements.

Tina loved the blue and mushroom burger ($6.25):

Yep, that looks good enough to eat!!!

Eddie's Grill is a nice addition to Yuma and one that should have wide appeal. The prices are fair, the folks  friendly, and the food quickly prepared. I also like being able to order the burgers and sandwiches without fries when I'm watching my waistline grow or my pocketbook shrink. It's clear that the management knows what it's doing and that the staff members from cooks to servers are well-trained and skilled. I am told that this is the second Eddie's Grill – the original one in Lompoc being run by the brothers of José, the local owner. Eddie's opens at 6 a.m., and for information about closing times etc., call (928) 726-9235.

Comments

[janfrederick]

Lompoc and Yuma? Strange bedfellows...
By "shut down", I presume for the off season, not "for good"?

[Ed (from Yuma)]

No, Frank's relocated, and The Farmhouse closed for good. The latter is missed by yours truly. The food was innovative and tasty.But that location has not had a truly successful restaurant since I lived in Yuma, which is too bad because I liked Mi Playita and loved Viejo Loco.

[Nhbilly]

D@mn that looks yummy.

[Cathy]

This looks like a place we'd go to on a regular basis. How nice to have good food in a nice environment.

[caninecologne]

One of these days (when I'm on vacation and the weather is 40 degrees cooler, haha), we'll have to make the drive out to Yuma to try out the places you've recommended.

As for Lompoc, I recommend Samantha's Filipino & American Diner. The city also has cool murals scattered throughout.

[Ed (from Yuma)]

Another update - I just read in the local paper that Frank's is closed for good at the new location also.

Yeh, Cathy, it is a good local place. And some of the food tastes and looks great, billy.

Yuma does have some good places to eat, cc, but it's not an eaters' Mecca. If you can make it to the area on December 19, 2015, and don't mind crowds, the Tamale Festival in nearby Somerton is unique. Last year over 40 vendors and 30,000 visitors. Best tamales I've ever eaten. Probably the area's premier culinary event.

[caninecologne]

Thanks for the info Ed!