Earl Abel's

11/09/09

I don't get it

by KatLvr at Citysearch

My first trip to Earl Abel's was shortly after I moved here, early this year. A friend and I went there for dinner, and both meals - while a bit expensive, comparatively speaking - were excellent: fresh, well-prepared and ample portions.

In the intervening months, I've eaten three additional meals here (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) and have been sorely disappointed.

First, the restaurant itself has kind of a funky odor: not quite curdled milk and not quite rancid cooking oil, but something similarly unappetizing.

Second, the decor - if it can be called that - is a mish-mosh of disparate elements. While I appreciate some of it (the Burma Shave signs and the retro vinyl booths, for instance), the rest of it is just bizarre to me....and the life-sized Jeeves mannequin is downright creepy!!

Third, the food has been just so-so, at best.

And finally, Earl Abel's is considerably more expensive than any other place of the same caliber.

I guess it is a beloved institution for many longtime San Antonio residents - but without the nostalgia factor, I wonder how many of them would still eat here?

• Pros: Pretty good desserts and good service (generally)
• Cons: Inconsistent and expensive

10/05/09

get real people

by culinarycoolcat at Citysearch

earl abel's reincarnated is true to it predecessor in every way...it even improves on the old formula.

but, beyond all that, it still has the best chocolate and german chocolate cake on the planet. really. it must be experienced...often ;)

• Pros: the absolute best chocolate cake on the planet.
• Cons: does anything else matter?

06/01/08

Better to leave

by LloydandPaula at Citysearch

First time for my newly wed wife and I to acquaint ourselves with what we thought to be a very well rounded eatery. We just received our sets of wedding pictures and we wanted a nice place to look at them and enjoy a well cooked meal. We ordered Tea and Coke and the waitress addressed me as if I was a child and told me that I could only have one refill. Ok- I ordered an appetizer so that we could snack while we shared this time together looking at the pictures. We also ordered chicken dishes. Within minutes our entries arrived before our appetizers! I explained to the waitress that this order of service is back-wards and she explained to me as if I was a child that the cooks had already prepared a lot of chicken earlier and she didn't want our entrie to get cold. and that our appetizer would be out in about 15 minutes.