Earl’s is a Canadian-based company, founded in 1982, which has recently moved into the U.S. market.
Going to the company’s website, there’s a lot of talk about being one big family, but at Earl’s, that family seems to be very inclusive, as the website proudly features pictures of its participation in Pride parades, and it invites “women and gender expansive folks” to attend its annual FromHerView summit. I mention this because it is increasingly important for our community to pay attention to where we spend our dollars. The LGBTQ community has a big economic impact, and we need to make certain that it is felt, both in business and political circles.
Earl’s recently opened a new location on Las Olas. We decided to drop in, not realizing that it was their first week. While the service was less than satisfactory (the wrong dish was brought to our table numerous times, and we barely saw our server), we’re willing to put that down to the fact that the place just opened, and give it another chance, because the food was so good.
Shareable appetizers include truffle fries, chicken tenders, birria tacos, sticky Korean ribs with a spicy gochujang sauce, Szechuan shrimp and pork dumplings, crab cake, and calamari, most priced $15-$20 and could easily serve as a light entrée. We shared the charred corn and avocado dip with crispy corn tortilla. While it was delicious, the smoky corn and creamy avocado playing nicely together, with just the right amount of spice, it was served at the same time as my husband’s vegetarian burger. My entrée didn’t arrive for another 30 minutes!
Main dishes, priced $20-$60, run the gamut from sandwiches, tacos, and salads to more substantial entrées. The Garden Burger is a bit over-priced at $21.75 for a thin plant-based patty, with little more than the standard burger toppings and fries (and a skimpy portion at that). You do have the option to switch out the fries for a Caesar, green salad, or truffle fries. Other sandwich selections include Nashville crispy chicken, a classic burger, or deluxe, topped with caramelized onions, aioli, dry-cured bacon, and cheddar.
Lighter dinner options consist of tacos, salad, bowls, and sushi. Tacos are served with tortilla chips and salsa and run about $20 for a choice of beef, chicken, or beer-battered cod. Salads (Cobb, Southwest chicken-avocado, sesame citrus noodle, and Caesar) include the option of adding grilled sirloin, chicken, or shrimp. An ahi tuna poke bowl is also an option. Pasta dishes include Calabrian pasta with fresh burrata and caramelized chorizo sausage, a vegetarian truffle tortellini, and shrimp and scallop spaghetti. All these dishes are in the $20-$30 range.
Seafood fans can choose from Atlantic salmon with feta caper aioli or miso-glazed Chilean sea bass. There are plenty of entrées for carnivores; I sampled the tomahawk maple-glazed pork chop, served with dry-cured bacon jam and garlic mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables, and peppercorn jus. It was moist and delicious. The double chop was $42. Steaks are a specialty at Earl’s, aged a minimum of 45 days. The steak and sushi combo presents four ounces of tataki-style prime sirloin and a choice of sushi roll, press, or crispy sushi for $33. Black truffle butter steak, peppercorn steak, Cajun blackened steak (or chicken), steak and truffle tortellini, and steak frites all offer the choice of two sizes of steak and the chance to upgrade by adding grilled shrimp, lobster tail, crab cake, or sautéed mushrooms.
Dessert selections include Key Lime pie, bourbon pecan pie, or crème brûlé cheesecake. We waited forever after our entrées for our dessert to arrive. We finally asked someone to flag down our server, and then asked her to pack the dessert, sticky toffee chocolate pudding with almond Florentine, to go, since we’d already been there for over two hours. It was delicious the next day.
When we got our bill, we were surprised to see that nothing had been comped, considering the egregious mistakes made. There wasn’t even an apology for the bad service. If the company didn’t have such a good presentation of human rights, I don’t think I would go back, but in this case, I’ll give it a second chance and put it down to being their opening week.
Earl’s
1002 Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale
754-289-1997
earls.ca
