Earl's

 

Located at 121 West 9^th Street in Winston-Salem, Earl’s offers Nashville-inspired cuisine for lunch and dinner. The establishment is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily with dinner entrees available after 4 p.m. and brunch on weekends. There is a full bar, outdoor seating is available, and live music (country) plays on Friday and Saturday nights.

 

A whiskey kitchen is becoming de rigueur for North Carolina cities of a certain size, and Earl’s is Winston-Salem’s take on the concept. While it can’t hold a candle to either 913 in Greensboro or Whiskey Kitchen in Raleigh, it fares well enough on its own merits.

 

Conveniently located near Wise Man and Radar breweries and the Ramkat, Earl’s is spacious and comfortable. Though I’m definitely not a country music fan, “What am I doing here?” never entered my mind.

 

Earl’s specializes in chicken, but the menu offers everything from burgers, sandwiches, and salads to meatloaf to tomato pie. For our first visit, my wife and I opted for a fried pickles starter, a Winston Hot Chicken sandwich, and chicken and dumplings. While the app arrived relatively quickly, we faced a considerably longer wait for the entrees. Granted, fried chicken takes time, but the kitchen’s pace could best be described as leisurely. However, Portia, our server, was warm and friendly and did a great job.

 

When it did arrive, the food was more satisfying than not. The fried pickles were a definite hit. They do them as chips rather than spears here. They were very thin, very crisp, and packed a good bit of dill flavor. The accompanying ranch tasted homemade. That same crispiness extended to the tots and the chicken sandwich as well. The latter packed a welcome kick from the dry rub, and creamy slaw in the sandwich was a nice touch. That said, I found myself missing the sauciness of a “Nashville Hot,” and this did not feel like $14 worth of sandwich. At least it was easy to eat. The chicken and dumplings, on the other hand, were worth the $16 charged and then some. The gravy was rich and herby, savory without being too salty. The dumplings were delectable, and chicken is a house specialty here for a reason.

 

Overall, Earl’s falls short of great (except for, perhaps, in chicken), and the kitchen is slow, but it offers good service, solidly tasty food, and an inviting atmosphere.