Good looks will take you only so far

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/10/2009 (6141 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Some come for the food. Some come for the bustling bar scene. And some come to ogle the pretty waitresses. Me? I came for the pumpkin pie, one of the pie loves of my life. I suppose it may appear on other menus at this time of year, but it if does I haven’t found it, and although it isn’t on Earl’s permanent menu, it is a current special — moist and seductive, with a crisp crust and spiced with just the right amount of cinnamon. My only quibble would be that I prefer mine warm instead of icy ($5).

Well, actually, I had come for some other things as well. With memories dancing in my head of "a thick, tender pillow of rich beefy flavour" (to quote myself from six years ago) I was looking forward to another go at the 10-oz. New York strip loin. But memory was a not-so-sweet cheat. Although perfectly cooked and as rare as ordered, the steak I got this time was unchewably tough and sinewy throughout. It was impervious to the ordinary table knife provided, and even the steak knife I had to ask for couldn’t make much more of a dent ($26).

But I am getting ahead of myself. Way, way ahead. The number of choices seems to have shrunk since my last visits, but there are still several to be explored on the eclectic, something-for-everyone menu. The starters, for instance, among which there are the inevitable but delicious wee calamari ($10). A sushi roll of tempura shrimp, avocado and cucumber wrapped in smoked salmon and smoked ahi tuna sounded more exciting than it actually tasted, but was acceptable ($11.50). Not the crispy dry ribs, though, which were a complete flop — crispy, yes, but tiny and desiccated, with only token amounts of meat on the bone, their only flavour from the coating of coarse salt and cracked pepper ($9).

But don’t let the dry ribs steer you away from the succulent entrée ribs, which were moist, meaty and flavourful, braised in, but not drowned by a sweetly sassy barbecue sauce, and garnished by a nice warm potato salad and cole slaw ($23.55). Another delicious choice was linguine with shrimp and scallops in a wine-spiked cream sauce streaked with basil, arugula and a sprinkle of toasted pine nuts ($17.55).

Beef short ribs are also among the current specials, a nice homey dish of boneless meat, braised in red wine and garnished with celery root purée — and special kudos to Earls for using this delicious and locally rare vegetable ($24). Although a tad try in spots and unremarkable for flavour, a grilled fillet of salmon was passable ($20.80). But note, bread doesn’t come automatically with anything, and if you consider it an essential part of your meal it will cost you — an extra $3.55, for either rosemary-oregano pan bread, or grilled garlic bread.

The same menu is used all day, and it is possible to have lunch-style dishes for dinner, and vice versa. One standout was the 10-inch Sicilian pizza, with a thin crust, and a hardly Sicilian but marvellously tasty topping of spicy capicolla, bacon and a mixture of cheddar and Monterey Jack, strewn with basil leaves ($11). Also lovely, the West Coast prawn salad, a mixture of greens with still-warm sauteéd shrimp, chopped avocado, strawberries, bits of feta, quinoa and candied pecans in a lightly honeyed vinaigrette ($15).

Chicken tacos come on soft corn tortillas in portions of three for $11.55, or two for $7.55. But in any case the topping — despite the presence of a "picante" salsa and "spicy" tomato poached chicken, as well as avocado and both cheddar and Monterey Jack — still managed to be bland and boring.

Acceptable, though, when compared to two total duds.

The burger, for instance. Even for half a pound of ground beef I’d expected a lot more than mere size for a whopping $11.55, certainly something better than the dense, utterly juiceless and flavourless patty I got, or the also dry skinny fries that came with them. The other miss was the clam chowder, which tasted of nothing but cream, and contained only the occasional clam and none of the promised bacon for $6.30.

Still there was bliss among the desserts, which are almost indecently luscious, every one of them. Not just that pumpkin pie, but also a warm pudding composed of chocolate cake and chocolate and toffee sauces, with a side of vanilla gelato, or cheesecake with a blueberry compote ($7.55 each), or the smaller in size but equally delectable brownie paired with a crème fraîche gelato ($3.55).

The high-ceilinged, sleek interior of dark woods and soft lighting is spacious and handsome, but the decibel level can be deafening when the place is going full blast. However the noise is significantly more bearable in the high-backed booths in a raised section along one wall and in the enclosed heated patio.

The wines are well selected, and the enlightened policy of listing many of them at a single price takes a good deal of the pain out of making choices.

As well there is an interesting, higher-priced reserve selection. But those who have come primarily to ogle those pretty waitresses may find that good looks go only so far, and some of the waitresses seem less well trained than they were a few years ago. Pleasant yes, but occasionally so to the point of excessive familiarity, along with such annoyances as getting orders wrong, being mostly absent during the course of a meal, and totally invisible at bill time.

marion.warhaft@freepress.mb.ca