As one of the many businesses that was affected by the June 2013 flood in Calgary, Earls Tin Palace celebrated it’s Grand Re-opening last week.

With more than 20 new dishes and ‘Creative Cocktails’ added to their menu, the newly renovated location reopened on February 26.

It was one of their busiest lunches with tables full of people coming to check out the ‘new’ Earls. Completely gutted this $4 million dollar reno does not disappoint. From the beautiful artwork at the front entrance (a topographical map of the Bow river), the all around bar in the restaurant to funky bathrooms with specially created vintage Earls wallpaper. Even the bar side is just as cozy as the restaurant side with the large screen tvs tucked behind the bar. Still viewable to enjoy the game but not interrupt your intimate conversation.

Seafood Louie Salad

I had the pleasure that day of joining Cate Simpson, Earls Communications and Ellen Percival of Calgary’s Child for a fabulous lunch learning about and tasting the wares of this newly renovated location.

To be honest, I had not been to Earls for quite a long time, having thought from my last experiences that the menu was not that great and that it was just another run of the mill restaurant; that I had often frequented in my university days. I was excited and pleasantly surprised to learn that this was not the case!

Earls makes all their own sauces and salad dressings in house, everything is from scratch and they use the freshest ingredients. They are working diligently to provide gluten free and other dietary options to meet the needs of customers who are moving more towards those choices. They add 3 or 4 dishes to their menu each season to keep things fresh and in sync with the times and are continually researching and developing not only their food menu but their wine offerings as well! They now offer some of the more expensive wines for those who choose to indulge.

Dynamite Prawn & Mango Roll

My biggest treat/ surprise was their sushi. I am not a fan of sushi, I have tried it a number of times in different ways and each time I did not like it at all. But when they brought out the dish I thought I’d try it, being in the spirit of things. They brought out a Smoked Salmon Pressed Sushi, Dynamite Prawn and Mango Roll and a Crispy Tuna Sushi Cone, all of which I loved! The lady beside me at lunch, Marnie, whose both husband and herself are chefs was so pleased and delighted that I liked it. She was very excited that I had now entered into the sushi world.

These dishes amongst many others, such as calamari, Seafood Louie Salad and the classic Earls Crispy Dry Ribs were all excellent.

Creative Cocktails

The new Creative Cocktails were also a delight. From the Mad Hatter which is served in a steaming tea pot, to the Cabin Fever (all Canadian and served with a pinecone), these and  the other new cocktails delight the tastebuds!

Earls Tin Palace is definitely set to draw in the crowds. And will be a pleasure to peruse now and on the patio as the warmer weather begins.