Oh, Canada! One of the Great North’s premium dining destinations has made its way down south to join the Legacy West dining scene. Earls Kitchen + Bar hit the ground running during its grand-opening event June 13 with its perfectly plated passed dishes and carefully crafted cocktails.
You would never guess the Canadian staple started out as a beer and burger joint before growing into a chic yet casual restaurant serving the best cuisines the world has to offer.
As only the ninth location in the United States and the first to open in Texas, Plano patrons might not recognize the name Earls or understand what Canadian dining entails. But this restaurant group has made a name for itself by unchaining the chain restaurant industry with its custom menus catering to each location’s community and individualized interior design reflecting each region’s vibe. DFW artists were commissioned to create the artwork seen throughout the restaurant, including a large-scale custom mural covering an entire wall.
The Legacy West location has partnered with 44 different local farms to ensure they are taking advantage of their Southern surroundings. And because we are in Texas and have access to a stellar meat industry, they are serving up a rib-eye steak entrée for the first time at this location – on top of piloting a new sushi program at their raw bar.
But if you are looking for a dish that best encapsulates the restaurant’s drive to include global inspirations, you’ll want to order the Steak + Sushi. Head regional chef Chris Memme said this unconventional dish brings together classic American and Japanese flavors to give diners the best of both worlds. With its marinated steak served with ponzu sauce, a dynamite roll, mango unagi and Sriracha mayonnaise, we agree you really get everything you could ever want with this dish.
“Most people are kind of thrown off by it,” said Chris. “But when you eat them together and combine those flavors, it tastes amazing. We want to inspire others with our combination of new flavors and foods.”
The food isn’t the only sense of freshness you get when dining at Earls. Their elevated bar selections include both local and global beer and wine selections not to mention their fresh cocktail menu. You can’t go wrong trying out one of their reinvented classic cocktails like the redesigned whiskey sours (yes, plural) and Spanish gin and tonic served with fresh rosemary.
The restaurant also emphasizes recruiting young, passionate individuals to join their team, learn about the hospitality industry and grow alongside the Earls family. Both the restaurant group’s executive chef and Chef Memme started out at Earls as dishwashers in their late teens. But after a bit of training and a lot of hard work within their restaurants, they found their passion for food and found themselves running their own kitchens. The Plano location’s staff of 160 like-minded individuals show that the premium dining industry has more potential than ever to cater to our community’s needs.
Earls staff is hard at work integrating Plano’s unique tastes and tendencies into their everyday atmosphere. With each location holistically designed around the community it’s joining, this outsider will have you feeling right at home.
“When I first visited the area, everyone was so nice and welcoming,” Chef Memme said. “I couldn’t think of a better place to come.”
So grab a table in the modern dining hall, find a stool at the sleek bar top, or sit back on their gorgeous open patio, and get ready to have a dining experience that is out of this world.
More photos of Earls Kitchen + Bar:
