Earls Tin Palace shines after all these years
If you asked me which season is my favourite, I might just respond with “patio season.”
In this city of long, dreary winters, I welcome patio season with arms outstretched, a cold drink in my hands and sunglasses on my face, ready to lap up the sunshine alongside some tasty plates.
Thankfully in recent years, this city has opened its arms to patios too, with more and more sprouting along sidewalks downtown and in the Whyte Avenue area, bringing a welcome liveliness to the streetscape.
Earls Tin Palace is an Edmonton original, and over the years has retained its place as a mainstay, its comfortable seating and recent renovations keeping the lush space modern. And patrons keep returning.
A few friends and I arrived midweek around 9 p.m. and despite the hour the patio was bustling. With a full house on the dining side of the patio, our host showed us to the lounge side (this just means minors are prohibited).
We got comfortable in a roomy booth, lush greenery enveloping us. Cosy blankets and heaters added a welcome layer of warmth on a sunny but otherwise crisp Edmonton spring evening. Stepping onto the patio is almost like being transported to a faraway, perhaps tropical location — until a noisy motorcycle on Jasper Avenue snaps you back to reality.
Our server arrived with a handful of food and drink menus, and was quickly back with a round of the Rhino Shandy ($3 a sleeve, Wednesday special), a mixture of the Earls Rhino house lager and your choice of lime, passion fruit or raspberry syrup.
If fancier drinks are your preference, the menu features several classic cocktail selections, and a few twists on the familiar, with most landing around the $9.75 range.
My friends and I, drinks in hand, took in the menu, a typically varied chain offering. We decided on the Korean hot wings ($12.50), an addictive plate of plump, crispy wings doused in red pepper sauce and topped with crispy fried onions, sesame seeds and chopped cilantro. We were immediately smitten, raving between bites and unabashedly running our fingers along the plate, savouring every last taste.
Our warm spinach and cheese dip ($13) was similarly delicious. The dip resembled a guacamole, but the similarities ended there. The cheesy, creamy dip had a tangy kick thanks to a dash of Worcestershire sauce and the saltiness of the feta muted its richness. The flatbread, soft yet perfectly toasted, was a lovely match.
Having been pleasantly surprised at the quality of our starters, we decided to make a night of it and stay for a full meal. The patio around us began to fill up with more patrons, many just there for cocktails and appetizers.
The barbecue back ribs ($26) were a monstrous serving, a large rack with two generous sides (in our case, warm potato salad and coleslaw). The potato salad was nice and the coleslaw needed a bit more acidity, but we were too focused on the succulent ribs to care.
Given the controversy over its beef, we felt it necessary to sample a steak. Earls has three on offer — a six- or an eight-ounce sirloin, and, our choice, the 10-ounce New York strip ($34). The dish comes with your choice of sides — we picked green beans and mashed potatoes, both perfectly executed — and you have a choice of adding a blackening spice ($2.50) or, like us, a bourbon mushroom demi glace ($3.50).
Unfortunately our order of medium rare arrived much closer to well done. When our server checked in on our meal, however, she quickly whisked it away when we complained and within minutes a gracious manager had arrived to give her apologies and offer a new plate. The second try came back to our order and the meal continued without a hitch.
Well, almost. There was nearly nothing to complain about until it came to the chipotle chicken tacos ($16), two corn tortillas stuffed with pulled chicken, avocado crema, a cabbage slaw and crumbled feta, topped with salsa verde. On paper, the tacos sounded spectacular but in reality, they fell apart. Literally.
They were so laden with ingredients — delicious ingredients, albeit — they lost their integrity, leading to a sloppy mess that was no fun to eat. It seems like a weird complaint — “you put too many tasty elements in this” — but it’s true. With so many flavours competing, none was able to shine.
Still, if that’s the only complaint I can really come up, it’s easy to see why Earls Tin Palace is still a mainstay after all these years.