Ah yes, Earl's... The bane of my eating existence for many, many years. Ever since it opened it's doors, I always had it in my mind that I was getting ripped off every time I dined there. The haunting memories of a pitiful steak with 5 button mushrooms and a dollop of mashed potatoes for $25.00 never seemed to fade. Yah, it became the butt of my jokes and complaining for quite some time. Every time I was dragged kicking and screaming by my friends as I tried to convince them to eat somewhere else. Hey, I'm not saying I hated the food at Earl's. It's merely that it was one of the worst values around. It's another one of those "chain restaurants" that people were willing to go time-after-time. Well, tonight we met up with Wolvie and Italian Stallion for dinner at Earl's. If you would've guessed by now, Italian Stallion has the the eating diversity of a Yak (they mostly eat grass). Mind you, grass would be too exotic for him anyways. So no Korean, Japanese, Indian, Thai, Malaysian or Vietnamese... Yah, in the GVRD, that practically eliminates 75% of the restaurants.
So here we are at Earl's. If you were present, you would see the displeasure exuding from my slumped shoulders and defeated stance. Honestly, I have no problem with chain restaurants per se. They serve a purpose. It's generally "safe" food which should be consistent throughout the chain (theoretically). Furthermore, if you wanted to get a big group together, chain restaurants fit the bill. There is usually enough space and variety in the menu to please most people. Now, the problem I have with going to a place such as Earl's is the lack of originality. Yes, the food can be quite good, as in the case with Cactus Club. I have a problem with the prices. Yes, I understand there are operating costs associated with such a large operation. Staff, equipment, decor, raw materials and other operating costs do factor into the price. I remember watching something on TV about Earl's and how much goes into each dish and the profit margin is not really all that high. Yes, I get it. But for roughly the same price, you can go to independent restaurants that offer something more original and better value. Alright, enough of my ranting...
We started off with the Warm Spinach and Feta Dip. As described in the menu: spinach, artichokes and a blend of cream cheese, mozzarella and feta, served with toasted olive oil drizzled flatbread. Honestly, the dip was quite good with a nice creaminess to it and plenty of cheesiness. I particularly liked the crispy flatbread. It was a welcomed change from tortilla chips. Feeling guilt from eating a burger for lunch, I opted for the West Coast Prawn Salad with chopped avocado, fresh strawberries, feta, quinoa, candied pecans, julienne carrots, organic greens and baby spinach, citrus honey vinaigrette, warm sauteed prawns. Although it was a bit bland, I sorta liked my salad. There was no shortage of ingredients, especially the quinoa. In retrospect, there might've been a bit too much going on since it was a bit hard to eat.
Viv had the Chicken Club with grilled chicken breast, dry cured bacon, tomato, lettuce, mayonnaise, house baked ciabatta. A pretty good sandwich with moist chicken, crispy bacon and a slightly crispy bun. The fries were crispy and light, albeit a bit generic. Wolvie and Italian Stallion shared a Hot Chicken Caesar Salad and Sicilian Pizza. Not a whole lot to say about it other than it was not overdressed and the chicken was moist. With capicolla, the pizza was indeed savory and spicy. Every bite was very flavourful and the crust was a bit chewy. I actually liked the pizza; not bad for a chain restaurant. So I guess this statement sums it up nicely. The food at Earl's is not bad. It's pretty much middle of the road - not offensive; but it won't blow your socks off. The prices seemed to have held steady all these years and thus, it's not outrageous. Mind you, it ain't cheap either. Personally, if I had to go to a chain restaurant, I'd pick Cactus Club over Earl's. But with that being said, Earl's is okay as a safe choice for those who are not adventurous or if you have a large group.
The Good:
- A little something for everyone
- The food is decent
- Service is solid
The Bad:
- Some items are a bit pricey
- It's not kid-friendly; but there were a lot of kids present (maybe give in and make it kid-friendly?)
Earl's
Posted by
Sherman Chan
on Sunday, February 7, 2010
Labels:
Burnaby,
Chain Restaurant,
International
8 comments:
Your friend Italian Stallion sounds like my friend MB. The safest bet with him is anywhere where they have steak on the menu. But at least MB will do the sushi thing - with stipulations! No "wet" sushi, little to no wasabi. He's one of those people who like Japanese restaurants for their gyoza and teriyakis. :p
Sherman,
There's one thing you forgot to comment. Sometimes Earls has eye candy. Were you able to order any off the menu or did Viv restrict you from ordering? LOL
Yes Jessica, same type of friend. When we eat Japanese, no raw stuff. Well, he likes what he likes. And I have no problem (well, maybe I do... LOL), eating at safer places with him.
Anson, you're right, I didn't. It qualifies as a "nice" environment. Nah, Viv doesn't care. She'd be the first one to point out a waitress had nice... eyes...
Our office is just across from Earls in yaletown and we decided to go today for lunch, as I was scanning the menu I noticed they have raised their prices about 20% as well as a mandatory gratuity of 20% and that's even if you aren't in a big party! We left and went to Hub down the street. This is obviously Olympics tourist gouging. Note Hub and Milestones have not adjusted their menus yet but I guess just be warned many restaurants in the downtown area will be doing this.
They raised the prices??? Are they nuts? Well, I guess they want to make some $$$.
earls... usually the last chain restaurant i'd go to but i think that their menu has changed for the better recently. they also have ahi tuna on the menu... have you tried it there?
Hi Trisha, I haven't tried the Ahi Tuna. I guess if I ever make it back, I'll give it a go. Same here, Earl's is not my first choice when it comes to chain restaurants.
Thanks for the review. I work on the 10th floor of Vancouver General Hospital, and when I'm doing an overnight shift and have been allocated patients on the north side of the ward, I can look down to see the "Earl's" sign from the one on Broadway. In my late-night boredom, stress and hunger, I've often thought of eating there. Now I'll know to give it a miss. I did enough dining at humdrum chains like Ruby Tuesday's, TGI Friday's, etc. when I lived in the U.S. Good onya for the head's-up, mate!
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