Earls Kitchen + Bar

Last week, I had the pleasure of checking out Earls in Legacy West for the first time. I had been hearing great things of the restaurant so I was excited when I was invited to come check out their new Fall Menu. I'm obsessed with Legacy West btw... and I cannot wait for their Food Hall to finally open! So far every restaurant in this area has been excellent.

Earls - Legacy West
7401 Windrose Ave. Suite D100
Plano, TX 75024
(469) 969-2490
https://earls.ca/locations/legacy-west
Price: $$$+

Earls is a Canadian restaurant chain but each location is regionally specialized as far as the menu goes and I believe how they source their ingredients as well. The menu is pretty eclectic... worldly. It ranges from Asian influences, to some Jamaican inspired dishes.

On a Monday night, the place was pretty busy! The decor is warm and dimly lit. Not the best lighting for food bloggers but definitely has a more intimate atmosphere if you want to do date night. But is also good for groups as well.

They started us with some cocktails. Y'all know me... don't really drink. But I sampled 2 of the cocktails.

Charred Jalapeno Margarita (El Jimador reposado tequila, Ancho Reyes, Triple Sec, charred jalapeno, fresh lime) $9~ 

If you go on Mondays, this is $5 all day! They have some pretty amazing Happy Hour specials btw. AND they have Reverse HH too. Lots of food and drink specials. My friend enjoyed this. It does have a kick to it!

Jasmine (Tanqueray gin, Cointreau, Campari, fresh lemon, peach and black tea bitters) $10.50~ A beautiful cocktail. I liked it but was still too strong for me so my friend helped me drink it. If you like sweet, this is a good choice.

We got a preview of some of their new seasonal items before it rolled out the next day...

Maui Ahi Poke (sesame soy marinated ahi tuna, avocado, mango, with tortilla chips) $13~ 

A colorful dish. I had to get mine without the mango since I'm allergic, but the mango really added a splash of bright colors. Really enjoyed this. The tuna chunks were large and tender, very fresh. I loved all the veggies in there as well. A great starter to share with friends.

Blackened Swordfish Tacos (two flour tortillas with melted white cheddar, roasted jalapeno crema, pico de gallo, fresh cilantro) $12~ My favorite thing about this? That roasted jalapeno crema!! It definitely made this dish. The fish was a bit tough and dry, but swordfish is generally quite dense. 

Warm Kale Salad (black kale, baby potatoes, roasted brussels sprouts, cranberries, toasted almonds, brown butter vinaigrette) $16~ 

This dish typically comes with Grilled Chicken but we got a version without meat, which is fine because I was already getting full. haha. Freaking loved this salad. So many textures and flavors! My favorite part was the roasted brussels sprouts but it was all delicious. Everyone raved about this salad. I don't think I even needed the chicken, but having chicken would definitely make a filling meal. The salad was dressed perfectly, not drowning and not bland. I would totally eat this again.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken (chicken breast in an authentic jerk marinade, glazed with sweet tamarind and seared to a smoky finish, served with coleslaw, dirty rice, and black beans) $20.50~ 

We got mini versions to sample, thank goodness. Cuz the full portion is huge!! You can totally feed 2 people easily. Love this dish too. Bold flavors, you can really taste the smokiness, and everything worked together so well. The chicken was super tender. I loved the crispy toppings on the chicken too, more texture.

We were stuffed but they were serving us pie. Yaassss! Pumpkin Pie (cinnamon, sugar, chantilly cream) $8~ 

I thought we were going to get sample portions but no, they basically gave us each a quarter of a pie! Wow. Needless to say I had to take most of it home. It was a good pumpkin pie. I wish the crust was a bit more flaky with crunchy edges, but the flavor itself was great. And loved the whipped cream on top.

It was a great meal. I will definitely go back to Earls to try more things. In the mean time, y'all better get over there to try the seasonal menu items, they won't be around forever! Also shout out to our wait staff, they were all wonderful. Very diligent and accommodating with all the different food allergies in the group. Thank you so much for hosting me, Earls, and welcome to Plano! :)

*The meal was comped but all opinions are my own.*

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Value: (comped)

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Chelsea Corner - Media Dinner

Two weeks ago I got invited to a media dinner at Chelsea Corner. It was my first time there. This place has so much history and it was pretty interesting learning about it all. The original Chelsea Corner opened in 1974. Since then, the space has changed hands and renamed several times. But earlier this year, the space was restored, renovated and re-opened with the original Chelsea Corner name. The owners want this place to be the neighborhood spot, where people of all kinds and ages can come hang out. The restaurant/bar's decor is very eclectic. They have different rooms where you can hold private parties and events. I especially loved the back corner where it looks like outdoor patio seating, but it's inside! 

They also recently opened up an actual outdoor patio in the back. This is also a sports lovers dream, as the entire place is equipped with 16 large HD screens.

Chelsea Corner
4830 McKinney Avenue
Dallas, TX 75205
(469) 726-2211
www.chelseacornerdallas.com
Price: $$-$$$

As soon as I arrived, the bartender presented me with a Margarita. What service! 

I don't really drink but the other bloggers told me it was good. Before dinner, we got a tour of the whole space and hear the owners' ideas and inspirations behind the business. They told us everything is made from scratch in house. I love that! You definitely wouldn't expect that in a bar setting... We were seated in the front of their open patio area. It was a beautiful day too, wasn't too hot or cold.

While we waited for everyone to be seated, they had a large platter of cheeses and meats. There was one cheese, the Red Dragon (whole grain mustard, sharp cheddar), so good. I love whole grain mustard. The other was a Havarti with dill.

We started with Deviled Eggs (Southern style with crispy pancetta and house pickled red onions) $3~ per piece. 

The chef explained this was like grandma's recipe. It was absolutely delicious. I love deviled eggs and the filling in this one had a nice velvety texture. Loved the crisp texture of the bacon. After everyone had photographed the plate, I casually asked if we can eat those too. Score! :P I can probably eat a dozen of these.

Fish Tacos (blackened Mahi Mahi with Asian slaw) Normally comes with 3 to an order. $15~ You can also choose fried fish as well. 

This was served on corn tortillas which I've never been a fan so it was just ok for me. The overall taco was a little dry. However, we all loved the sauces that came with the tacos. The green one was my personal favorite. I just slathered that taco with it.

The Barnyard (pepperoni, canadian bacon, ricotta, mozzarella, spicy italian sausage). $15~ The crust is made with yeast dough with honey and from scratch. It had a really good texture and added a hint of sweetness to all the pizzas. I thought all the meats made it a little too salty, but I also try to eat less sodium these days so my standard is probably different than most. Everyone loved the pizzas.

Big Daddy White with Chicken (fresh ricotta, oven dried roman tomatoes) $14~ +$2 for chicken. This was my favorite out of the two. I generally like white sauce vs the tomato based sauces. It was lighter in flavor but you can appreciate all the ingredients more, I think. Really yum!

Steak Sandwich (grilled beef tenderloin, brandy butter, caramelized onion, manchego cheese) $22~ 

You get 2 sandwiches with fries per order. This was literally a tender steak between 2 pieces of super soft bread. It was amazing. I'm glad you get TWO because one surely isn't enough!!

Image provided by Chelsea Corner

3 type of Fries: Original, Parmesan Truffle, Texas Ranch Dusted. Sorry no picture because it was really dark by then. But all the fries were well fried. I loved all the different flavors. I basically just mixed them all together.

House Made Warm Chocolate Chip Cookies. $4~ 3 to an order and you can add a glass of Ice Cold Milk for +$1~. 

I was so full but these cookies are BOMB!!! Warm and thick and full of melty chocolate chips. A really really solid cookie... Dang, I want some right now! :P They also brought me a glass of milk. It's perfect, makes me feel like a kid again! I was able to get a 2nd cookie to go, so I totally scarfed down the rest of my first cookie. :P

It was a good dinner. I can see every one of these dishes pair well with a beer, cocktail, or wine. It's great hang out and drinking food. If I lived closer, I'd be there all the time for those cookies. haha. I have to give a shout out to the wait staff that served us. They were great with our large party. I mentioned to one of the waiters of my mango allergy and he specifically went to the kitchen to reconfirm that mango wasn't in any of the dishes. Our water glasses were consistently refilled. And they had a positive attitude the entire night. Thank you, Chelsea Corner, for having me!

Here are some info of the space and weekly events from their press releases:

"The 4,500 square foot space can host 180 people for seated dinners, with plenty more room at the bar. There’s a game room, just like at the original, and large garage doors that open to the climate-controlled patio. Wednesday through Saturday nights, rotating DJs will take over at 10PM with a sound system that rivals New York City night clubs. And if there’s a game on, just look toward one of the 16 HDTVs that pepper the interior.
The large venue includes multiple spaces that can be reserved for private events, making Chelsea Corner an ideal spot for Super Bowl parties, showers, corporate functions, birthdays and dinner parties. And the TVs and sound system are at guests’ disposal to ensure their audio/visual needs are covered."

"Chelsea Corner has live Jazz every Tuesday from 8PM - 11PM, live music every Thursday 8PM - 11PM, Live Video DJ’s every Friday and Saturday 10PM - 2AM"

"Brunch will be served Saturdays and Sundays from 10AM to 4PM"

*The meal was comped but all opinions are my own.*

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Value: (comped)

Overall Experience: 

~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~