FOX & THE FIDDLE ~ Toronto ON

Its Friday Night

And the mood is right

Going to have some fun

Show you how its done

TGIF

Yes immortal words from the past when Friday night television was the original "must see tv." Now more than a decade later those words ring in my ear when my more adult life involves going out on a Friday night rather than staying in. However, its been a while since I have had a night out on the town, but thanks to good friend Nee, we were out for a night of dinner and a show. (See praxfilm for DaVinci Code review)

In the midst of small trendy joints and flashy tourist restaurants, the Fox and the Fiddle sits like a beacon of traditional pub fare with a party atmosphere perfect for the near heart of club land. Always busy ( FF was going to be reviewed months ago, but was way too crowded), we were still able to find a seat in this hustle and bustle joint.

Wanting to pick a place down in the entertainment district to keep close to the Paramount theatre and looking for some North American cuisine, Nee was more than happy to indulge in a wing review of the Fox and the Fiddle. While other pubs in town are quiet, local haunts, FF is always lively, giving it less of a dinner atmosphere and more of a drink and play billiards feel. Not that that's a bad thing - and I don't know if that is just this location of the pub chain or if they all have this feel. After a quick look at the menu, I was excited at my choices but skeptical about the quality of the wings.

THE SCORE

SIZE of WINGS: large to jumbo
HEAT: Butter Buffalo 5/10, suicide 8/10
WET NAP FACTOR: 3/5 (some wings were dryish, others sat in sauce)
PRICE: $9.29 1 lb (approx 10 wings), $17.99 2 lb, $29.99 Team Wings

EXTRAS Info

SAUCE CHOICE: mild/medium/hot/suicide/bbq/honey garlic/sweet chili

cajun/Caribbean jerk/pineapple curry/peppercorn brandy

buffalo butter/teriyaki
SIDES: veggies and ranch dip
WETNAP: yes 1
DEEP FRIED, GRILLED, BATTERED: dusted, deep fried
WING NIGHT: Sun/Mon half price wings
OTHER: weak Pepsi,

When the wings came out, I was surprised. They were large and jumbo wings. Before I started the blog, most pub wings I got were tiny tiny pidgeon wings; lately places have been upgrading their flappers, despite the culling of chickens in fear of bird flu. FF certainly was not going to let their customers be disappointed in their size.

Now these large wings did have some ups and some downs. The other ups include a dusting that made for a nice crunch, pretty garnishing on the plate, and lots of flavours to choose from (Peppercorn Brandy? maybe next time) including buffalo butter sauce. However, said sauce was weak in flavour and definitely wimpy in heat. And not all the wings had sauce on them (there was sauce hiding under a few wings at the back - come back sauce, come back!)

Suicide was surprisingly once again 3rd Degree. As I had mentioned to Nee, a lot of places have been replacing their substandard suicide with 3rd Degree sauce, which I would once again consider a better hot than suicide.

The biggest downside to these wings were the cost. I admit, they are big, basically $10 for a pound is very pricey! Thankfully they have 2 half price wing nights - unfortunately not this night.

After a lot of debate with lots of great sounding choices on the menu, Nee settled on the club sandwich, which looked good, but had a lot of non-crispy bacon (and lets be honest, the best part of a club is the bacon, and the mayo). Decent wedge fries also accompanied the sandwich.

So overall, I enjoyed the wings and I would love to try some other flavours, but the price would definitely keep me away from the Fox and the Fiddle on nights other than Sunday or Monday.

The Fox and the Fiddle
106 John Street, Toronto (several locations)
foxandthefiddle.com