Earls Kitchen + Bar is now open in the Mall at Millenia and, thankfully, bears little to no resemblance to the space's former occupant – Blue Martini.
In fact, I was more than a bit surprised at the impressive level of detail in the design as well as the artwork curated by Alya Poplawsky and Katy Bakker of Winter Park's a|k|art, including:
- a large mural by local artist Andrew Spear
- a contemporary piece by Thrush Holmes titled "Anarchy Painting"
- a Lyle Owerko photo by the entrance from his "Boombox Project"
- a series in the lounge titled "Punks" by Pascal Vochelet procured from Art Basel Miami Beach
Not bad for a chain restaurant bent on breaking the mold of chain restaurants. Says Mark Hladik, Regional VP for Earls US, "Our philosophy is to 'unchain the chain' by positioning ourselves as a collective of independent and individually compelling restaurants designed with the location, culture, people and local ingredients in mind."
A few of us got to sample some of their globally inspired fare at a media event, and we were more than content with executive chef Simon Zanotto's offerings.
Earls Kitchen + Bar opens today for lunch and dinner, and will stay open until 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. They offer a weekend brunch as well.