Earl's - food at above average prices. I haven't been to an Earl's in a years and we went to the one across from SAIT Thursday evening. I was really looking forward to it as I remember the food being pretty good. They do make the best Belini on the planet.
Our group was large: 11 people. They had us at these two tables but on the one side, there were 3 of us sitting on this big bench which was very awkward. Our waiter took our drink and appetizer orders and came back with them pretty quickly. I always wonder why places like Earl's use these huge plates for something like a little order of calamari or chicken wings? It looks so silly. Both were pretty tasty though. The Caesar I ordered was pretty bland so I asked for some Worcestershire sauce. I waited. I ate some wings. I waited some more. Finally our waiter came with the W sauce. My friend had already drank her Caesar by this time.
Now for the main course. I chose the Santa Fe chicken salad. Big disappointment. I was looking forward to this salad as I checked it out online earlier in the week and it sounded similar to the one at Applebees which is amazing. This one could not compare. First, it didn't even look that appetizing. A big pile of mess is how I'd describe it. Nothing like the picture on the web. Perhaps the chef should check out their website to see how the salad should look. Second, and most importantly, there was only half a chicken breast. My friend beside me was having the pecan crusted chicken salad and she had twice the chicken on hers. I hunted around my salad to see if the other half was hiding. Maybe the chicken got scared and buried itself under some corn and beans. Nope. It was MIA. So I asked the waiter to get me more chicken.
As I waited for the chicken to arrive, I munched on the salad hoping that it would arrive before I finished. Nope. Finally, the waiter came with a plate with a whole chicken breast on it. Oh thanks. Just what I need to put in on the salad and pack it into a to-go box which I did.
The service tonight was awful. Our waiter did not check on us once to see how our food was. He did not ask if we wanted more drinks. He was unsympathetic when I complained about my salad. This guy has no business working here. I truly expected more from Earl's. The food was mediocre and the service sucked. I know this is one restaurant in a chain of many but that should mean the experience should be the same from one location to another. Not the case with the location on 16th Ave. I doubt I'll be returning to this one for a number of years. Calgary has a lot better places to dine.