Return to Ottawa: LOCAL HEROES

Back to Ottawa, this time because LJ had articling interviews and she needed a driver/escort/support, I was off once again to try again and see if Ottawa could measure up in the wing department.

This was not a vacation, so I didn't know whether or not wings would be on the agenda. None the less, I did some research HERE, and found some of the top rated wing places in Ottawa. When a less than busy night came up, LJ and I headed off to Local Hero's Bar & Grill to test why they deserved best wings title, and local hero.

Local Heroes is a chain of sports bars in the Ottawa area. We went to their flagship restaurant, located in a mall plaza. The inside was smothered with your typical sports memorabilia, TVs with the game on (what game, I have no idea) and a large number of seniors enjoying their food. On the way in the portion sizes looked good, so I was excited, despite our fake friendly waitress.

I had already looked at Local's webpage before coming, so I knew what I was going to get. The only decision I had was whether I was getting the Jumbo Roaster Wing or the Traditional Roaster Wing. When I enquired what the difference was, the waitress explained that Jumbo was jumbo, and the traditional was 'like the small wings you get at other places'. Well, with a bold statement like that, it was Jumbo all the way.

THE SCORE

SIZE of WINGS: jumbo - or very large
HEAT: hot - 6/10, 911 sauce - 6/10
WET NAP FACTOR: 4.5/5
PRICE: $6.99 -1 pound, $13.59 - 2 pounds, $26.99 -4 pounds, $49.99 - 8 pounds

EXTRAS Info

SAUCE CHOICE: mild/medium/hot/911/terikayki/honey garlic/
hickory smoked BBQ/Cajun dry rub/spicy Thai
SIDES: none
WETNAP: 5 and a ton of napkins
DEEP FRIED, GRILLED, BATTERED: deep fried
WING NIGHT: Tuesdays, 25% off wings
OTHER: bone bowl included, good 'platter' deals


Well if I can say anything about these wings, they were jumbo. With no dusting or batter, they were a large wing. In retrospect, I would have ordered a half order of traditional and a half order of jumbo to compare properly, but the thought of jumbo wings got me all excited. You have the choice of asking for having the tips removed from the wing wing, but I like it kept on, just that much more wing for you to enjoy.

The sauce on these wings were a butter/hot sauce, but it was very thick. What made it so thick? I don't know. Not that it wasn't good, but the sauce permeated the wings, thus making them lose their initial crispness very quickly. Even LJ liked the flavour. The heat of the wings was a disappointment. Hot was not, and 911 was the same, if not less. The flavour of the 911 was weak as well - not something I would recommend.

LJ wanted a combination of Chicken Nachos (because of the guacamole no salsa) and Hero Nachos (jalapeno peppers, olives, mushrooms) but she didn't get guacamole and she did get salsa. What was different was that they put the salsa as the first later, then the cheese then the toppings. Other than being screwed over with the guac and salsa (LJ is not a fan) they were good nachos (even better the second day). I even ate the olives and mushrooms [shock!]

While it wasn't your Superman or Batman type hero, Local Heroes was a hero in terms of big wings and good nachos. So if your in the nation's capital I would say check these out.

Local Heroes Bar and Grill
1400 Clyde Street Napean [Ottawa] (and other locations)
localheroesrestaurant.com