Park's Edge

This December, Park's Edge will appear on Kitchen Nightmares, the Fox reality show led by Chef Gordon Ramsay.

If you've seen the show then you know how scary some of the featured restaurants appear to be. While some of what's shown on TV may be exaggerated and edited for dramatic effect, knowing a restaurant was selected for the show doesn't exactly seem like high praise.

So when I was recently invited to visit Park's Edge for the first time, I was a bit leery. But I was persuaded to give it a try and am glad that I did.

Having never seen Park's Edge "before" Chef Ramsay worked his magic, I can't say how the place has been improved. But the "after" made a positive impression.

"Chef Ramsay has revamped the entire dinner menu as well as the decor, colors, logo and interior in the restaurant," says the restaurant's PR rep. "The award-winning brunch menu will stay the same. Chef Ramsay also added several new specialty cocktails, some artisanal cheeses and new appetizer selections."

From what I've seen of Kitchen Nightmares, featured restaurants are near failure before Ramsey steps in. Thus how can Park's Edge have been "award-winning"? Was it great years ago? How was it picked to be on the show?

"Park's Edge has won several awards for its brunch from Jezebel magazine, Yelp, Citysearch and others," says the PR rep. "But their dinner menu/dinner business was struggling as it was not very conducive to what the neighborhood wanted and the food, according to Ramsay, was not approachable nor was it consistently good OR bad (according to the owner and his chef). The restaurant's health score was also not bad."

I was told that the show contacted Park's Edge about being featured on the show; Park's Edge did not apply. In addition to the various changes noted above, the episode will reveal issues and negotiated solutions between the restaurant and the Inman Park neighborhood association.

Among the new menu items:

Sweet corn bisque ($5):

Roasted beet and goat's cheese croquette salad with candied pistachios and white balsamic vinaigrette($9):

Shrimp and grits ($15):

Mixed mushroom rigatoni ($15):

The food served at Park's Edge is not high-falutin fancy-pants stuff. It is tasty, approachable comfort fare.

Bottom Line: Good food and good service at competitive prices in pleasant surroundings. Watch Kitchen Nightmares on Fox in December to see what Chef Gordon Ramsay changed to bring Park's Edge to its current level.