Edward's Steakhouse in El Monte is closing

[raytamsgv]

I can't say I'm a huge fan of this place, but it is closing on July 25.
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_15...

[monku]

Decided to pay my final respects to Edwards Steakhouse. Been 30 years since I was there last. Parking lot was full without a space when I left at noon. Had the 12 oz. John L. Sullivan NY Steak $18.95. It was what you'd expect for a $20 steak dinner.
They're expecting a brisk business till they close and no reservations.

[kevin]

shoot , now i kinda wanna try them out, but i've never been before, and if i only go once, and it's really good then what's the use.

they're open everyday for lunch and dinner until closing? prices sounds like taylor's prices (i really do like taylor's even if it's not in the same league as dan tana's or cut).

[mc michael]

go to Taylor's it's better. maybe costs a tiny bit more, but better. and it will still be there. do you really like wakes?

[monku]

The atmosphere was business as usual. Our waitress Olga was upbeat and no mention of the impending closure. I thought the clam chowder you get with most meals was good.

[mc michael]

I'm thinking that one of the Clearman's stores can substitute for Edward's if someone needs to go there.

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Clearman's Restaurants
540 N Azusa Ave, Covina, CA 91722

[monku]

Price points are different.
NY steak dinner @ Edwards about $20
NY steak dinner @ Clearmans about $33

-----
Clearman's Restaurants
540 N Azusa Ave, Covina, CA 91722

[mc michael]

OK, then how about Steven's Steakhouse?

[kevin]

oh, ok, i got the two steakhouses confused, I thought Steven's in the city of industry or is it commerce area, near the casino was closing? but it's edwards right off the 10 fewy in el monte? that's closing?

anyhow, of the two steakhouses at similar price points which one was better?

[mc michael]

It's been too long for me to opine.

[monku]

Steven's Steak House is in the City of Commerce. Been probably 20 years since I've been there and most of the time it was for banquets. Steaks weren't bad but I think there was a time when they served a darn good prime rib. I'm sure the quality of the steak is the same as you'd get at Edwards (USDA Choice).

Steven's & Edwards were "the" steak house joints before the prime places like Mortons and Ruth's Chris came along. Now you've got the upper cut places like Cut and Wolfgang's.

From the Steven's and Edwards genre Taylor's would be in the same league and I'd say slightly better.

Steven's has a good location and loyal following so I'm sure they'll be around for a while longer.

http://www.stevenssteakhouse.com/

[mc michael]

Now that you mention it I think there were times in the past when they had some sort of all you can eat prime rib special. Odd link you have there.

[kevin]

for some reason, chowhound adds the link itself, even if it's not the joint you're talking about. and unless you check that's the link that shows up, for some weird reason.

[monku]

Didn't notice it when I posted. It's removed.

[monku]

LA Times 7/22/10
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-...

[TonyC]

Fave part of the piece: "The big businesses that were around here when we opened — companies like Xerox — have been replaced by importers."

So "Asians" don't like $10 ground beef lunch? You don't say? 3 item lunch box up the street is $5. Banh mi the other direction is $2.25. Drove by Edward's enroute to a bathroom fixture "importer" on Tuesday. I'm pretty sure they've never eaten at their neighbors, so it seems the LAT piece was spot on.

[monku]

I hadn't been there in 30 years and I see it by the freeway all the time. Drove around 15 minutes before I was able to find the place. Rosemead east exit was closed.
Maybe people get lost and never get there?

[Feed_me]

I fondly remember the old Alvarado location. It was an "old school kind of steak place" like heckonwheels points out. It had sawdust on the floor and every table had a container of applebutter. This is well before the big foodie craze so the food was pretty good back then and my friends and I would end up there about once a month. I remember the lovely "Maria" and when she left to go to Arizona we were all royally bummed out. A couple of guys at the El Monte location we'd see when we went, but because of the location we were there less frequently. Anyway, I'm talking to some friends about hitting it up one last time.
Thanks for posting the link "raytamsgv."

[mucho gordo]

Sounds like the same one I remember being called the "House of Edward"

[Steve Green]

I have fond memories of the original Edward's on Alvarado -- my parents took us there a couple of times back in the sixties. About 10 years ago we happened upon the El Monte location and gave it a try, but it wasn't as good as the old place -- at least how I remembered the old place. But steaks were definitely better then, than they are now.

[heckonwheels]

They were a decent, old school kind of steak place with a few different items on the menu. Used to go there often about 15 years ago. Went just a couple of times over the last year. Food was still good but the service was dreadful...including Thursday night when we went for one last time. Can't say I'm surprised.

[andytseng]

I used to work right next to this place, and I was always surprised that it was still going. Just didn't work with the shifting demographic.

[ipsedixit]

Uh ... what demographic did it exactly work with? :-)

[mc michael]

I think it was the cheap big group business lunch demographic. Been there forever.

[ipsedixit]

I was actually being facetious.

I think their demographic all died about 10 years ago.

[Sam D.]

The surrounding area near Flair drive used to be populated by manufacturers and staffed by large numbers of skilled and well paid workers. By the 1990s most of those companies were leaving or had left and the buildings were converted to warehouses for imported goods that depend mostly on small numbers of low paid, unskilled or semi skilled workers. Not exactly an ideal target market for an old school steakhouse. The economic downturn made things worse but Edward's was foundering even before the recession.

IMO they also made a mistake by bailing on their prior Alvarado location just before the Red Line opened. They could have had the same customer base from downtown that now sustains Langer's.

[reality check]

When did the Alvarado location close? I thought it was long before the Red Line opened in the 90's.

[Steve Green]

So did I, but it turns out it didn't close till 1990:
http://articles.latimes.com/1990-08-0...
Sorry if that link requires a subscription -- the gist of the article is that the neighborhood had gone to hell, and longtime customers didn't want to visit anymore. I thought the key phrase was: "Somebody was lying on the sidewalk leaking blood"

The Red Line opened in '93 -- not as big a gap as I had thought, but 1990 was not exactly "just before the Red Line opened", either. Three years can be an eternity in terms of restaurant survivability.

[mucho gordo]

Is that the one (on Alvarado) that used to be called House of Edwards"? I remember they had sawdust on the floor. It was too many years ago so I really don't remember the steaks.