KC WINGS & RIBS - Toronto

-KC WINGS & RIBS is now CLOSED - RIP -

One night I ventured out into the wild of Yonge street to find me some dinner. I went to a sub sandwich type chain and had a decent sub. But after walking around for a while, I was quite disappointed and still quite hungry. I decided I might grab some street meat or something, and shifted my path home in a different way than I would normally. On this unscheduled route, one word stuck out from the background of billboards and electric signs: WINGS

Was it true? That I had passed a new wing place, that only a short time ago I had walked so very near on my way to SIZZLERS??? Could this KC Wings & Ribs not only be a close wing source, but also a replacement for the now defunct Wing House??? I went in and chatted up the cashier woman. I asked how long had they been open? "About 5 months now" (5 months!!! how had I not known!?!?!?). I asked about their over 50 flavours, about their specials and the favourites. I ordered some wings to take home for a preliminary review. I got home and I tried them; they were good, despite being a little soggy and cold after my travel back to my room in the cold wet rain. They were good enough to go back and do a full review with Ryan.



KC Wings and Ribs is trying to be a sports bar in a space and an area without any real sports bars as competition. True, wings and sports often go hand in hand, but the atmosphere despite the sports posters and flatscreen tv's with 'the game' was more like a student hang out, Ryan noted, than a sports bar. The staff were friendly, the customers few but most seemed like returners which seemed like a good sign. We were also dinning late, so its pretty good at 11pm on a Tuesday that there is several people in a tiny restaurant.



The menu provides many deep fried treasure and other appetizer style food. Ryan tested the nachos, his favourite. Ryan is to Nachos as I am to wings. When his food arrived, while looking appetizing, he noted the lack of toppings and cheese. The chips, which had a deep fried taste to them were not in the style that he prefers, but they met his Tex-Mex needs.



We both agreed that the potato skins needed to be sampled next time as the description sounded so good. With all the finger foods on the menu, there were meal items such as ribs, chicken fingers and fish and chips, this place's specialty are the wings.

2007 THE SCORE 3.0: KC Wings & Ribs (Toronto)

STYLE:	dusted, deep fried
PRICE:	$7.95 for 10 wings (one flavour) $13.95 for 20 wings (one flavour) $21.25 for 30 wings (one flavour) $33.75 for 50 wings (up to 3 flavours) $67.50 for 100 wings ( up to 4 flavours) $128 for 200 wings ( up to 8 flavours) $185 for 300 wings ( up to 10 flavours)
SAUCES:	over 50!!! I had American, Snake Bite & KC bomb	1/1
HEAT:	KC Bomb: burning
SIZE:	medium	1/3
WETNAP FACTOR:	wet and some cases VERY wet	2.5/3
CRISPINESS:	crisp	2/3
FLAVOUR:	good-great	2.5/3
SIDES:	celary sticks, blue cheese	2/3
CLEAN UP:	napkin, wetnap, bone plate	3/3
WING NIGHT:	apparently they used to have one on Mondays, no more	0/1
OTHER:	dedication to wings! Coke comes from a can so no free refills.
TOTAL:	good wing place	14/20

First the wings, then the sauces. The wings were an acceptable size. Not big, but not small either. They were definitely meaty and with a dusting on the skin, a textured bite that was guaranteed, at least for when the wings were their freshest out of the fryer. The chicken itself was good, but these babies could soggify in not a long period of time because of the breading a lots of sauce.


As for the sauces, this was another place with a lot to choose from. With over 50 flavours from dry seasonings to crazy concoctions, there's something for everyone. The problem with many wing specific places that have hundreds of flavours are a) not describing the sauces and b) not allowing more than one sauce to be sampled until you order 50 wings. And KC's is not different. Well, I shouldn't say that. When I ordered the wings I asked for the order of 20 with half and half and the waiter didn't charge me for two separate orders.


On the preliminary visit I ordered the 'American' sauce. This is just good old fashion hot sauce and butter. It was familiar, done well, but not too preachy. There was little to no bite in terms of spicy heat, but the flavour was good.




On this particular visit I debated about what to order. I enquired about 'Killer Bee', which turned out to be honey garlic and hot sauce, which I rejected on principal. I did want that honey taste mixed with spice, so I ordered 'Snakebite', which is honey mustard and hot sauce mixed. This was a great combination with only a quick spike of heat but more flavour over all.
The second sauce I picked was their 'dreaded 'KC Bomb', which on their scale was 6 peppers. On my first visit, the female server told me there was another hot sauce not on the menu, 'H Bomb', but they were out that night. I decided not to try that yet and figured the 'KC Bomb' would let me judge which way to go. It smelled similar to 3rd Degree, had a similar flavour, but a lot more kick. At first I could mow the wings down no problem. By the time I left the restaurant I had a stinging on my lips, a cough in my throat and a bit of a runny nose. I wasn't suffering, but I certainly enjoyed the kick.



The wings had enough sauce on there to make me happy. Some wings had less than others, but there were a few small pools to splash the wings in. On the side was traditional blue cheese and celery, which was expected but nothing outstanding.


FINAL SCORE: I was very happy with my KC Wings & Ribs wings. They are cooked just right, with sauces that are made with what I can only believe is love. Just like the old Wing House, they seem proud of their wings here but they also seem to be aware of their limitations - they know their hottest is not that hot. But their dedication to flavours and wings that aren't just slapped together will guarantee that I will be back and sampling more flavours the next time I come (BBQ on fire? Hot Senorita anyone?). If only I had known sooner about this place. . . 14/20
Oh, and I asked about the KC in the name; the waiter said it was the first two initials of the owner, but he couldn't remember what they were. Fair enough, I only really care about the wings. Plus, eating so late caused some wicked nightmare/dreams, and I definitely had heartburn from the Bomb all night long!



KC Wings & Ribs
374(A) Yonge Street, Toronto
kcwingsandribs.com