NoVA Magazine asked top restaurateurs and food-store pros around the area for their picks on sandwiches: Where do they go for a perfect bite? “The Louie” from Earl’s came in second on the list, thanks to Robert Tramonte, owner of The Italian Store. Thanks, Robert!
You can read the whole list from NoVA Mag right here.
Laura Hayes came into Earl’s in July and snapped (and ate) the Pork & Fries for Thrillist. It became part of an awesome list of DC-area sandwiches that we all should know about (and eat).
You can see the whole list here at Thrillist DC.
The Arlington at Earl’s
“The breakfast version of the Monte Cristo wouldn’t be out of place among the artery-cloggers at IHOP. French toast is layered with turkey and bacon, then drizzled with maple syrup or strawberry preserves.”
The full Washingtonian article can be read here »
Published in the Falls Church News Press
By Leslie Poster
Earl’s Sandwiches in Ballston
4215 N. Fairfax Drive Arlington, VA 22203
703-647-9191
Earl’s Sandwiches didn’t go far for its second location. It is right across from the Ballston Metro station in the spot that once housed brgr:shack, only a mile from Earl’s first site near Clarendon.The sandwiches at the Clarendon restaurant are the stuff of much praise from both gourmets and bargain-seekers, and diners at the new place will be treated to a menu not unlike the original.
Most of the restaurant’s raved-about sandwiches are divided on the menu by meat topping, and it’s here that Earl’s Sandwiches stands out. Processed cold cuts have been kicked to the curb. The brown-bag classics are treated with care. The turkey is roasted in-house and carved into tender, meaty hunks instead of the sliced deli counter standard. Roast beef and chicken get the same treatment. Garden variety ham is swapped out for quality prosciutto, and roasted pork loin is a far cry from the everyday cold cut…
The entire Falls Church News Press article can be read here »
Published in the Washington Post Going Out Guide
By Going Out Guide Staff
Earl’s Sandwiches, Arlington VA
Earl’s roasts its meat in-house, which bolsters the turkey-cranberry combo. Jellied sauce and thick slices of the bird remind us of the best part of the day after Thanksgiving: leftovers.
The full Washington Post article can be read here »
Published in Northern Virginia Magazine
By Stefanie Gans and Warren Rojas
From strip malls to main streets, budget dining options pop up all over NoVA. We’ve tasted more than triple the amount of dishes we’ve listed here to make sure this tight group of 31 promises an enjoyable bite for carnivores (steak and stout pie) and meatless fans (eggplant quesadilla), for traditional eaters (fish and chips) and heat seekers (red curry jerk chicken) and to anyone who simply craves an indulgent plate of noodles (fettuccine Alfredo).
The full Northern Virginia Magazine article can be read here »
The Monty Sandwich, photo by Michael Temchine
The sandwiches at Earl’s Sandwiches
At Earl’s, otherwise basic meats prove the building blocks for a menu full of creative sandwiches. “I order the Beer Mustard Barbeque almost every time I go,” wrote Mike Gill of Arlington. “Every ingredient is fresh, meats properly and tenderly prepared, all served up by a friendly staff. Earl’s is where it is at.”
(2605 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. 703-248-0150. www.earlsinarlington.com.)
The full Washington Post article can be read here »
Published in the Washington Post Lifestyle
By Bonnie S. Benwick
The blue-and-yellow cod hanging outside Earl’s Sandwiches in Clarendon is a sure sign that evening commuters have a new option for dinner: fish and chips, fried to order.
Fish & Chips, photo by Russell Warnick
Shop co-owner Stephen Dugan hung out his Cap’n Earl’s shingle a few weeks ago. His lunchtime trade is gangbusters during the day, having grown along with the condos and businesses on this stretch of Wilson Boulevard since he opened in late 2005. The 45-year-old New England native had been looking for just the right lure to boost traffic in later hours when he decided to re-create a favorite.
“I love Scotland. I went for the third time this past summer,” he says. “There are chip shops all over the place. I finally asked the guys at Jack’s [a chain] about how they do it.”
So Dugan now uses the same basic batter ingredients — baking soda, flour, water — adding a little salt and pepper, or beer and the flavor of chipotle to a separate, special batter. He dips six-ounce cod fillets from JJ McDonnell in flour before battering and frying them in canola oil. In five minutes, that classic, sturdy crunch develops around fish that becomes snowy white and moist.
A purist need look no further than the bottles of malt vinegar on the table, but Dugan offers housemade sauces that include tartar, chipotle mayonnaise, sweet curried mango, a vinegar-mayo combo, chipotle barbecue and chipotle ketchup.
Jerk fish sandwich photo by Russell Warnick
Fried cod is featured in the Jerk Fish Sandwich. (Russell Warnick) On the potato end, Dugan sticks with the twice-fried technique he uses for the skin-on, medium-cut specimens that accompany his sandwiches. They sit nicely atop a Fish and Fries sandwich with sweet pickle chips, a variation on Dugan’s popular Pork and Fries sandwich. He ups the ante further with his Jerk Fish sandwich by giving the cod an initial swim in a jerk marinade. The fried pieces are served on a soft sesame seed roll with honey mustard, lettuce and tomato.
The spuds are where my Earl’s dining companion, food blogger Russell Warnick, drew a polite line. I invited him, “for he is,” as the song says, “an Englishman.”
“I’m used to chips that are cut a bit thicker,” he said. “But this fish is spot-on. Very crisp. Scottish chip shops win fish-and-chip-making competitions all the time, so I’m not at all surprised.”
Dugan is still experimenting with to-go packaging. He didn’t like the steamed effect caused by restaurant parchment paper and has resorted to Styrofoam containers for now. To keep things traditional, I’m thinking the fish-wrapping concern I work for could yield the right material.
The full Washington Post article can be read here »
