Earl, a US soldier, and Isabella, a young Italian native who loved to cook, met in Isabella's grandmother's hometown of Positano, Italy while Earl was serving in the military. They fell in love, married, and moved together back to the states, a whirlwind romance. For years Isabella's dream was to have a place where she could revive all of her beloved grandmother's best recipes. Tight on money, but determined to please his beautiful new bride, Earl built her kitchen with his own hands, out of things he had laying around, after purchasing an old firehouse in rural Argyle, Texas. He used trunks from their travels together to form a divider between the kitchen and dining room. Crafted chandeliers from shovels and even banjos. He payed homage to his military service by flying a large American flag and painting patriotic murals on the walls, and even hanging old war helmets as light fixtures by the bar. Other adorable light fixtures made of upside down minnow buckets hang over the tables, and fire helmets mark the space where the original firehouse structure and truck bays still stand. An old 1950s volunteer fire truck that once belonged to the station is parked out front, a tribute to the history of the building. Hand crafted, sturdy tables and chairs, an inviting, outdoor patio, plus Isabella's delicate touch with her old china, Italian wine carafes, and of course her grandmother's authentic Italian recipes.
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Handmade ceramic pitchers serve wine in half liter serving size, or about 3 glasses worth
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The backstory I just recited to you might be fictional, but the restaurant built out of the old Argyle fire station, creative Earl-and-Isabella-inspired decor, and quality of the food is very real. This new restaurant concept is located just ten minutes south of 35E on 377 in Argyle, Texas. Created by John “Sparky” Pearson and under the culinary leadership of Chef Chad Kelley (also of Barley and Board, formerly of the Meddlesome Moth in Dallas), this new space exudes creativity and thoughtfulness at every turn. The story was thought up by Sparky himself, an Argyle native, and when you walk into Earl's 377 Pizza, you absolutely believe it could be true.
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Paying homage to the old fire station, where Earl's 377 is located
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The impressiveness of Earl's doesn't stop at the meticulously yet artfully decorated interior. Executive Chef Chad Kelley has also crafted a completely from-scratch menu, which is all prepared to order in a Wood Stone oven. Be sure to begin your meal at Earl’s with the Crawfish & Artichoke Fonduta with roasted peppers and Pepper Jack cheese, served bubbling hot. Other options for starting your meal are the Nonna’s Meatballs and the Positano Snack Board.
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Crawfish and Artichoke Fonduta, made with roasted peppers and pepperjack cheese. ORDER THIS.
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Those eating lighter will appreciate the massive salads at Earl’s. Choose from Caesar, Baby Arugula with shaved prosciutto and figs, or Italian Cobb.
Pizza dough is all made in-house, and rests for 48 hours before being baked to perfection in their gas-fired ovens. The resting of the dough allows for “no bloat”, according to Chef Chad, causing less guilt after indulging in your slices of their “Argylian Style Pies”. Traditionalists and meat-lovers will swoon over their Amore la Carne Pie, topped with Mozzarella blend, meatballs, salami, sausage & spicy cherry peppers. There is also a Gustoso Pepperoni for all you pepperoni purists out there. The Margherita Pie, Farm Stand Pie, and a mushroom pie with truffle oil (The Forager) will please those who go meatless. We opted to add prosciutto to the Forager, a tip recommended by our helpful and attentive server. For adventurous foodies, may I recommend the Padre Island, a play on the Hawaiian pizza, topped with crushed tomatoes, bacon, fresh jalepeno, cilantro, sweet onions & crushed pineapple. There’s also a tempting N'Djua Pie I will return to try, topped with spicy prosciutto spread, shallot & ricotta cheese.
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Amore la Carne pizza
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Earl’s has also just debuted their lunch menu, with new entrees like their Earl's Shells & Cheese - made with home-cooked diced chicken, mozzarella cream, roasted garlic and spinach. The newly added Nonna's Lasagna is easily some of the best lasagna I’ve ever eaten, and is a gargantuan portion you can take home and enjoy again. The Godfather Sicialian Pizza is also offered on their ridiculously affordable lunch menu. All three above items are just $8, AND come served with a small Caesar Salad.
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| New lunch item, Nonna's Lasagna. MASSIVE PORTION and easily the best lasagna I've ever had. |
Finish your meal with the Perfecto Pizza, a stunning finale topped with Nutella cream, chocolate chips & marshmallows.
Earl’s also features a full bar, serving wine by the half liter (3 glasses or so) in Italian hand painted carafes.
A heartfelt thank you to all those who welcomed us to Earl's 377 with great hospitality on our visit: Manager Jeremy Garza, PR Guru Narciso Tovar, Executive Chef Chad Kelley, and Chief Operating Officer Kjell Knutson.
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| The Forager Pizza + Prosciutto |
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| Dinner Menu |
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| Bloody Mary |
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| Cool artwork in every direction! |
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| Very heavy handmade wooden chairs and tables |
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| Luggage Cases separate the dining space from the kitchen. LOVE all the creative accents at Earl's! |
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| Upcycled banjos as light fixture. So cool. |
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| I love light fixtures. Their creative use of a minnow bucket made me smile. |
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| NEW lunch menu! |
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| Another new lunch item: Earl's Shells & Cheese - made with home-cooked chicken, mozzarella cream, roasted garlic & spinach. |
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Dessert Perfecto Pizza with Nutella cream, chocolate chip, marshmallows, powdered sugar.
Earl's 377 Pizza
427 Highway 377 N
Argyle, TX
940-464-4444
Disclosure: Food described in this blog is occasionally provided free of charge, but that doesn't change my opinions. I only share what I think you'll love. |
