D and I were out of town this week, with a road trip to Minneapolis. We did a little bit of resting, a little bit of shopping and a lot of eating.  “No surprise”,  you say.  Details of our eating adventures will follow ina  blog post to come.  In the meantime, Sister #3 was available to sub-in for me to an invitation from Earl’s to taste their spring menu.

“To say that spring is slow in arriving this year would be an understatement.  It is almost the end of April and there is still snow and ice in our yards. But we got a taste of spring last night as Earl’s unveiled their new spring menu at a chef’s table event at their Winnipeg Flagship store -191 Main Street.

For our introductory course we sampled the new Whiskey Smash cocktail.  A classic Whiskey Sour with honey and fresh mint served in a silver mint julep cup.  Talk about refreshing!

Leroy’s ribs are back by popular demand, or as the staff will tell you, more like a customer revolt when they disappeared off the menu recently to make room for newer items.  My companion was one of the disappointed customers who is thrilled to see their return.  I find them a bit salty but must say they do make you want to slam back your Whiskey Smash like a good bar snack should.

Next course featured a Moscow Mule; a vodka Collins with a ginger bite served in a copper cup to keep it icy cold.

These came out with the beef Carpaccio.  The best rendition of this dish I have ever tasted.  The thinly sliced tenderloin melted in your mouth and the sriracha mayo, capers and pickled red onion gave it the punch that carpaccio is often missing.  Served with toasted ciabatta, a little arugula tossed in a light lemon dressing and the most delicious deviled egg.  I’ll be back for more of that!

Next item to appear at our table was the Lobster + Prawn Roll.  An upscale version of this east coast classic, the Earl’s version is served on a buttered griddled brioche that is made in house; a step up from the typical hot dog bun.  It overflowed with seafood salad with just the right amount of mayo.

Our main was a big strip loin steak that featured their new steak rub.  Chef Matt Frost commented that while they are not trying to be a steak house they feel it is important to have an excellent steak available on their menu.  He is excited that they are now offering a 16 ounce, bone-in rib eye.  Aged a minimum of 28 days (standard for a good quality steak) our steaks were cooked to the perfect doneness. The new wet rub contains tamari (gluten free soy sauce) garlic, lemon, and basil, rosemary and porcini powder and we each went home with a sample to test on our own B.B.Q.  Our main was accompanied by garlic mashed potato and really good succotash. All enjoyed with a glass of Whatchamacallit, Earl’s house red which is a pleasant merlot blend.

For dessert, yes after all that food we managed a few bites of dessert, we enjoyed a scrumptious strawberry rhubarb crumble with vanilla gelato.

 

It was a lovely evening getting to know the Earl’s on Main team.  Their pride in the product is evident.  I was impressed to hear that Earl’s has their own mixologist. You can see that they put as much attention to detail in their cocktails as they do the food.  Unlike most restaurants that depend on prepackaged bar mixes, Earl’s juices their own lemons and limes daily as well as making their syrups from scratch.

Well the upcoming weekend promises to bring temperatures in the double digits and the staff is itching to assemble the new patio furniture and move the party outdoors.

One last bit of news that has the Earl’s team looking forward to the future, the construction of a new building to house their Main street location.  Watch for more great things from this dynamic crew in a new and improved setting.”

Kath’s quote: “Spring is nature’s way of saying, ‘Let’s party!'”-Robin Williams

Love-that is all.

 

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