Earl’s Kitchen + Bar

I’d been to the Earl’s Kitchen in Orlando, and was interested to see how this one compared. It’s in a large (for Vancouver) upstairs space on Robson. The interior is fresh and open, perhaps recently updated?

The menu is above the level of typical sports bar food, although there are plenty of football games playing on the TVs around the bar.

I had a Cobb salad, which I enjoyed although it was a bit odd. It was as if someone had read the ingredients of a Cobb salad, but never actually seen one. Typically they are served with discrete rows of chopped ingredients that can be mixed at the table or eaten by plowing your way through one row at a time. This one was just a mixed green salad with some of the traditional ingredients sprinkled around it. But the accompanying dressing was quite good, and I like it for a nice, light lunch.

My companion had the Stea Frits. This dish is often served with a thin steak, or with the steak sliced up in the kitchen. Here it was more of a baseball, and I have to say it wasn’t the most tender steak. The accompanying steak knife wasn’t really up to the task, but oddly the serrated table knife worked better. The rub and sear on the outside was delicious, though.

Service was pleasant. There’s also a nice outside dining area that would be a great place to sit, too.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/earls-kitchen-bar-vancouver-3

Coco Rico Cafe

This cozy cafe/sports bar offers brunch from morning until afternoon and then switches to more of a sports bar menu.

The bacon and cheese omelet was tasting, and accompanied by nicely crisped home fries.

The cinnamon French toast included two poofy pieces of brioche, nicely grilled, and served with assorted fruit.

Service was friendly, and the background music audio quality was impressive enough that we noticed their excellent playlist.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/coco-rico-cafe-vancouver

The Park Pub

We’ve been looking for a local pub with great food and a friendly ambiance, and I’m delighted to have found this place. Such a great pub food menu it was hard to choose, and then it was impossible to choose a favorite. We had:

Nachos (with no beans). The half-order was huge! They were carefully layered with lots of cheese and jalapenos, and served with generous sides of sour cream and salsa.

Cheese fingers with tomato soup. These were actually four slices of a delicious grilled cheese sandwich, filled with a variety of cheeses that worked well together, melted onto perfectly grilled sourdough.

Yorkshire pudding filled with braised beef. What a creative dish! The beef was so succulent!

Service was friendly, and there are lots of screens for sports fans. Highly recommended.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-park-pub-vancouver