GayCalgary was invited again to another food tasting. This time it was at Earl’s Willow Park in Calgary. It was my first time at that location, which had been renovated recently. It is really nice to see how each location has an open kitchen, where you can see the chefs working away, but the look of the establishment is a little different from other Earl’s locations, creating a unique feel and atmosphere.

Bartenders, and people that know me, know that I rarely drink when I am working. Well for Earl’s, I usually need to break that rule because I know that with the amount of food I will be eating, it won’t hit me as hard as it normally would. So to start my night, I was offered their new carrot juice drink called the "Silly Wabbit", (Smirnoff vodka, lillet blanc, Cointreau, ginger, carrot juice, lemon, cardamom bitters). I was dreading trying this drink, thinking it was going to either have a strong carrot taste or be thick like a smoothie, or that it would resemble a liquid carrot cake. The drink actually comes looking like a carrot, with a green sugar rim round the top of the glass, but when I tasted it, I was really surprised that it was a refreshing, light drink. I could see it more as a summer patio drink, and it bore not a strong carrot flavour. While tomato juice based drinks still have a thick texture to them, this did not. This was more like having a cocktail with orange juice.

The next drink I tried was the "Cabin Fever" (Crown Royal, tawny port, ginger, pineapple, fresh lemon and spiced bitter). It is served with a large pinecone in a camping mug, something normally reserved for things like hot chocolate, but this is a cold drink. Again, very refreshing, and I think one of my favourites.

The last drink I sampled was the "Lemon Meringue" (Smirnoff vodka, limoncello, lemon, vanilla, pineapple and meringue foam). This is definitely a dessert drink. It was sweet and lemony just like the pie, and the meringue topping was pretty cool to see. One thing that always impresses me about Earl’s drinks is that when they want to make something special, they use an impressive number of ingredients and stand-out presentation. These drinks are not your standard cocktails.

In between each one of the drinks, we were sampling some of their new appetizers. Tuna Tostadas (chili rubbed albacore tuna, avocado, cilantro aioli, jicama slaw, crisp corn tortillas) was a large mouth full. I can open my mouth wide but you did not want to drop parts of it as you took a bite, since the combinations of the flavours were really nice, along with crunch of the tortillas and jicama slaw.

One of my favourite appetizers at Earl’s was the Dynamite Roll (lightly battered crispy prawn, mango and avocado sushi, sriracha mayonnaise, black sesame, unagi maple). I swear I could eat plates of these. If you don’t like or have not tried sushi, I recommend you try this.

If you come with a group of friends, try the Roasted Corn + Polano Cheese Dip (sweet corn, mozzarella, poblano peppers and Navajo fry bread). The dip is a little thick, so requires a spoon to get it on the fried bread, but the sweetness of the roasted corn with the cheese has a really nice taste.

Now for the main dishes: first I tried the Singapore Cauliflower (roasted cauliflower, chopped dates, orange chips, in a coconut curry sauce). The rich flavour of the coconut curry sauce is something I have tasted before, but usually over chicken on a bed of rice. On the roasted cauliflower, and with the sweetness of the chopped dates, it made for something perfect for someone who is on a carb-reduced diet, or a vegetarian.

I also tried the light tasting "Jerusalem Salad" (pita crisps, sumac yogurt, arugula, tomatoes, peppers, in preserved lemon dressing). The pita chips gave it a really nice crunch,and the sumac yogurt with preserved lemon dressing gave it a light, zingy taste.

Those who like spicy food should try the Hunan Kung Pao (ginger soy sauce, wok fried vegetables and noodles, roasted peanuts). Earl’s lets you customize how spicy you would like it by adding one to six Hunan peppers. I do enjoy spicy food so I could easily handle a good number of peppers, but since this was for a food review, I didn’t want the spicy heat to overpower the tongue, so I went with a sensible two peppers. You can also select your protein: tofu, chicken or prawns. I went with the prawns. The dish was still pretty spicy but the great combination of flavours came through. Personally I wish there were more peanuts.

I did try some of Confit Chicken with Pancetta Fettuccini (artichokes, tomatoes, arugula and pine nuts, tossed in parmesan cream sauce) that night at Earl’s, but had to box the rest. There was no way I could eat another full dish. The chicken was really moist, and the rich cream sauce brought the whole dish together.

Finally, the warm Gingerbread Cake (roasted apples, salted caramel sauce, vanilla bean gelato). Wow: what a dish to end the night. A large slice of the gingerbread cake and that salted caramel sauce balanced with the apples and gelato was heavenly.

These dishes are available on all Earl’s menus across Canada. If it has been a while since you have visited, give some of these items a try. They might become your favourites at Earl’s too.