FOOD: Earl's Beer & Cheese in East Harlem

I'm always down for finding hole-in-the-wall places that do one thing perfectly.  The one thing that Earl's Beer & Cheese does perfectly is well, cheese!  And the beer isn't too bad either.  Located on 97th and Park, it can be quite the trek for those of you downtown, but if you should ever find yourself uptown you should definitely check this place out.  It is incredibly small so going on off times may be worthwhile.

I had been once last year when it was cash only and I'm happy to say that after going by the other night they are accepting credit cards.  The first time I went I had a brie grilled cheese that was unreal and this time around I decided to give the mac and cheese a try.  Now, I am definitely not picky when it comes to mac and cheese but I do have my favorites (Fred's and Jacob's Pickles are two of my favorites.  And of course S'mac is a crowd favorite).  The mac and cheese at Earl's is unlike anything I've had before--in a great way.  It has goat cheese and rosemary in it for a really unique take on mac and cheese (at least to me it was unique!).  It felt like mac and cheese all grown up.

My friend that I went with had the New York State Cheddar grilled cheese with pork belly, kimchi, a fried egg, and cheddar cheese.  It comes with chips and while she said it was very good, she did say that it could have used even more cheese!  I would also definitely recommend the Beer-Cheese Spread with garlic toast.  Perfect for a fall evening!

Earl's Beer & Cheese
1259 Park Ave (@ 97th)
East Harlem, NY
212-289-1581