No more Alberta Beef at Earl's

[Finger Cookin]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Calgary has a fantastic food scene these days, and you dont have to be some hipster foodie to see the advantage.

But it sure helps!

[peter12]

Julio's BARRIO!?! Who would go to Julio's EVER!?

[polak]

Originally Posted by peter12

Julio's BARRIO!?! Who would go to Julio's EVER!?

Mexican bulldogs and keep them coming until the ambulance shows up.

[btimbit]

I have to say, I shared a lot of your guys opinions on chain restaurants, until I decided to actually give it a try and see what all the fuss was about. At a fellow chef's recommendation, I ended up working for earls for about a year. Spent roughly half of that helping with a new opening in Calgary and the other half doing their regional training for southern Alberta. While a lot of the staff is part time employees who, like stated in this thread, really don't seem to give a crap, I was blown away at the quality of the management. I met Chefs from across Canada and the US (They're really expanding in the US nowadays, I didn't even know that) From the individual GMs and Head Chef's at each location all the way to the corporate chef's in Vancouver, there's a lot of really really talented people in that company. They spend a lot of time and money in education and development, and a lot of young chefs owe their inspiration to what originally started as a 'who cares' part time high school job that they ended up falling in love with working at places like earls.

I did end up leaving after a little more than a year because the corporatey-ness feeling just wasn't for me, but I left there with a lot of respect for that company and really don't think they deserve the crap the seem to get on forums like CP.

Now, all that said, with the switch from Alberta beef, I'm not for or against it (yet). I don't agree with the apparent reasoning, I think the only thing that matters is if it tasted better. If they came out and said "We feel this is the best quality of beef in North America and want to bring it to our restaurants" then I'd be behind the decision. But this humane crap doesn't cut it for me.

If it does end up being a better product then I like the move. But if they end up serving a lesser quality meat just because it's "humane" then screw them. I don't care where it comes from, as long as it's delicious

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Table 5

I don't really understand why people have the desire to frequent a place like Earls or Moxies when there are so many great non-chain restaurants in town to pick from now. This isn't the 80/90s anymore where a night out means choosing to either go to the Keg or Smugglers Inn. I'd get it if the prices were cheaper...but you're usually just getting pre-made food at premium prices, usually served by people who just don't give a crap.

Calgary has a fantastic food scene these days, and you dont have to be some hipster foodie to see the advantage. Go to one of the many great non-chain restaurants, and more often than not you're supporting a local owner, who often use locally-sourced farmers, made fresh and usually of a much higher quality, and a comparable price (still expensive, but hey thats Calgary). And you might even get some decent service instead of the vapid idiots who work at Earls.

Convenience, kids, and the suburbs. On a Thursday night, I don't necessarily want to make dinner out a 3-hour affair that involves a drive to the inner city, finding parking, etc. Especially as a lot of these occasions involve grandparents too. I know my 32-year-old self would be appalled, but c'est la vie.

[Fuzz]

I wouldn't know what an Earls steak tastes like, because the only thing I ever ordered there was Kung Pao Chicken, 3 peppers please.

[heep223]

Originally Posted by Table 5

I don't really understand why people have the desire to frequent a place like Earls or Moxies when there are so many great non-chain restaurants in town to pick from now. This isn't the 80/90s anymore where a night out means choosing to either go to the Keg or Smugglers Inn. I'd get it if the prices were cheaper...but you're usually just getting pre-made food at premium prices, usually served by people who just don't give a crap.

Calgary has a fantastic food scene these days, and you dont have to be some hipster foodie to see the advantage. Go to one of the many great non-chain restaurants, and more often than not you're supporting a local owner, who often use locally-sourced farmers, made fresh and usually of a much higher quality, and a comparable price (still expensive, but hey thats Calgary). And you might even get some decent service instead of the vapid idiots who work at Earls.

I generally agree with this.

But sometimes I don't feel like being stuffed into a crowded community table in a tiny restaurant (because that's "in"), choosing between House Cured Diver Caught Sea Urchin Bottarga and Rotisserie Chicken Garganelli, paying $120 for two and then still being hungry after.

Sometimes I just want to sit in a big booth with a GD burger and a cold pint of beer. I know that I can do this at Earls or Joeys or whatever and get a consistent experience.

They both have their places in the food world IMO.

[Cappy]

Originally Posted by Finger Cookin

Which is fine - but if I go to a high end steak restaurant because I want to eat steak, knowing where the beef is from isn't going to sway me one way or another. I'm wondering how many people it's a deciding factor for.

It's a factor.

Ruth's Chris only serves USDA beef - except in Calgary. They serve AAA Alberta.

Most steakhouses advertise Alberta Beef (even in the states)

The two are different with different tastes. USDA is predominately corn-fed, Alberta is grain fed.

[Barbecue]

Home cooked steak is better than high end restaurant steak?

unless you like burying your steak in steak spice/HP sauce or you have a professional sous vide machine at home, give your head a shake...

Many high end restaurants here use the sous vide to cook their steaks and finishes it off on a grill. Because it's cooked in a high grade vacuum sealed bag at a controlled temperature for a long period of time, the steak retains so much moisture and flavor.

[polak]

Originally Posted by Barbecue

Home cooked steak is better than high end restaurant steak?

unless you like burying your steak in steak spice/HP sauce or you have a professional sous vide machine at him, give your head a shake...

Many high end restaurants here use the sous vide to cook their steaks and finishes it off on a grill. Because it's cooked in a high grade vacuum sealed bag at a controlled temperature for a long period of time, the steak retains so much moisture and flavor.

Don't you know that this is how food is ranked by source. REGARDLESS OF SITUATION, FLAVOR OR TRUTH:

1. Home Made
2. local independent mom and pop restaurants
3. High end restaurants
4. All of the crumbs you kick under your refrigerator when it falls on the ground.
5. Flat out rat poison.
----
10000. Chain restaurants

[Table 5]

Sometimes I just want to sit in a big booth with a GD burger and a cold pint of beer. I know that I can do this at Earls or Joeys or whatever and get a consistent experience.

They both have their places in the food world IMO.

And I get that, and agree that they have their place in the world. Many people desire consistency and ease of access over anything else (and in the suburbs you don't always have as many obvious options). Still, it's just such a terrible value that it's hard for me to see it as a consistent destination....Mediocre food, mediocre service, but premium price. I went to the Bankers Hall Earls a few months ago because it happened to be convenient, and it was like going back to a terrible 90s time warp...except when I got the bill.

Originally Posted by heep223

But sometimes I don't feel like being stuffed into a crowded community table in a tiny restaurant (because that's "in"), choosing between House Cured Diver Caught Sea Urchin Bottarga and Rotisserie Chicken Garganelli, paying $120 for two and then still being hungry after.

There's a sea of restaurants out there that aren't the latest hipster hangout. I can't speak for every neighborhood, but in mine (Bridgeland) a place like LDV Pizza will give you great food, in a totally relaxed setting (for singles or families) and great service....all without having to squeeze into a community table with your local mustachiod unicycle enthusiast. I have two small kids (so I'm all about hassle-free these days), and it sure as hell beats going to Boston Pizza.

[peter12]

On that point, who would ever go to Boston Pizza? It is insanely expensive and gross.

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by peter12

On that point, who would ever go to Boston Pizza? It is insanely expensive and gross.

BP's Dalhousie on Tuesday nights for Name That Tune back in the early 2000's. We drank too much and made fun of the guy running name that tune all the time.

Those were the days.

See I wasn't always a latte-sipper.

[para transit fellow]

I don't know if this was brought up earlier...

I guess I am confused about exactly what is "alberta beef"

These guys tell us that only 40% of the cattle sold as Alberta Beef are from Alberta

http://www.albertabeef.org/page/what-is-alberta-beef

"...These cattle may not be completely Alberta cattle, but the beef is still Alberta Beef."

so what make all those imports become "alberta Beef" ??

[peter12]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

BP's Dalhousie on Tuesday nights for Name That Tune back in the early 2000's. We drank too much and made fun of the guy running name that tune all the time.

Those were the days.

See I wasn't always a latte-sipper.

Yeah, back in 2004, some buddies and I would go to the one around Heritage and Mcleod to drink cheaper beer, and do something fun. I can't really remember. There were a lot of hopeless crushes on the waitresses. It was good.

Also, that was back when wings were actually dirt cheap.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

See I wasn't always a latte-sipper.

Probably because Calgary in the early 2000's may not even had a decent latte for you to sip.

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by peter12

Yeah, back in 2004, some buddies and I would go to the one around Heritage and Mcleod to drink cheaper beer, and do something fun. I can't really remember. There were a lot of hopeless crushes on the waitresses. It was good.

Also, that was back when wings were actually dirt cheap.

Yup, we'd drink the big schooners of beer and do "pirate cheers" usually leading to breaking schooners at some point in the night. Made a lot of new friends, met some ladies, memories that will always stick with me. All in a suburban strip mall BP's.

[Russic]

My dad has worked in the cattle industry for years and my mild joking set him off on a pretty good rant. What's hilarious to me is generally my dad appears to be typing with a machine gun. Spelling, punctuation, everything goes right out the window. This may be the most coherent thing I've ever seen him type (which he did on a tiny iPhone 4).

I find it difficult to comprehend the naivety of the Canadian consumer and the ability of urban ad agencies to capitalize on them. Americans don't even have minimal animal traceability, nor do they have the type of stringent reporting required by the Canadian food inspection agency so they are able to slap a label on a product and have folks believe it. This ranks right beside the American perpetuated myth that BSE doesn't exist in their cow herd even though statistically it occurs naturally in a very small percentage of animals. If you don't require them to report or test for it they will never find it and therefore tell themselves and the world they don't have it. Just because they have a marketing claim that beef is raised humanly doesn't make it any better or more humane than Alberta beef. Both major slaughterhouses (call it harvesting if you're an American trying to delude an uninformed population) have temple Grandin designed facilities because the industry does care about stressed animals and does try to be as humane as you can be given the eventual outcome of the exercise.

In my brief reading on what is certified as humane, my assumption is the problem is with the hormones and the antibiotics (at least with beef). The actual killing of the animal probably passes the test, but our usage of drugs won't let the majority of cattle get that sticker.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Probably because Calgary in the early 2000's may not even had a decent latte for you to sip.

That is a good point. I can't really remember when gourmet coffee became a thing in this city. I was a suburb kid that moved to the Beltline when I turned 23, so that was 7 years ago. At that time, Bumpy's and Beano were pretty established downtown.

[Flamenspiel]

Based on the CBC write up, they(earls) switched to a US outfit in Kansas. Not sure it's legit, they don't have a lot audits and controls around the process. Just because there is a label on it, does not mean it's legit, there was a counterfeit food expert from the Uk on QR77. His recommendation was that the further from home you go, the more middlemen involved, the higher the likelihood of the food being illegitimate.