THE PIZZA SHOP ~ Ottawa

= The Pizza Shop is now CLOSED - RIP =

Its getting later and later. The car had been left at the auto shop at 8am. Now well after 5pm and still waiting for their shuttle to pick me up, hunger was setting in. Now its 6pm, and they don't know what has happened to their shuttle. I've made dinner for LJ who's sick, but I'm not having what she's having.

I call again about the shuttle; they tell me to take a cab, on them. The cab arrives and we get stuck in rush hour traffic (good thing I'm not paying for this cab). Finally arrive and pick up the car. Not having a car to get groceries with today, there's nothing else in the house to eat so I'm going to have to grab something. But what? First thought, wings. But where am I going to get take-out wings on short notice on the way home?


The Pizza Shop, I guess. It's a little pizza place in a plaza that consists of 3 other restaurants: Mr Sub, a Shawarma place, and Ho-Lee-Chow Chinese. Talk about competition. I've gone to the other 3 places but never the Pizza Shop. I've been disappointed in not having a 'go-to' wing place in the area. Some place to get just a good order of take-out wings. Is that too much to ask? Maybe this could be the place, but I doubt it I think to myself.


On this night, something said, 'go here' in the back of my head. I don't know why, it was a field of dreams moment almost. So I pulled in out of the rain, and ordered a bunch of wings.

Running a quick errand, I came back and the pizza guy was waiting for me outside. It was a big package, but I still wasn't excited. In fact, I had really low expectations. The smell of the wings weren't really getting me psyched either. But once I got back and opened my 2 giant boxes, my interest was certainly peaked.

2008 THE SCORE 3.0: The Pizza Shop ~ Ottawa

STYLE:	Deep fried, pizza wings
PRICE:	10 for $6.50 20 for $11.50 30 for $16.50
SAUCES:	BBQ Mild/Medium/Hot Suicide Honey Garlic	1/1
HEAT:	Suicide had a nice slow burn
SIZE:	large	2/3
WETNAP FACTOR:	Nice and wet	2/3
CRISPINESS:	Crisp – didn’t get soggy on the way home	2/3
FLAVOUR:	Good – suicide was tasty, but bbq was pretty weak	2/3
SIDES:	n/a
CLEAN UP:	n/a
WING NIGHT:	n/a
OTHER:	Didn’t try the pizza
TOTAL:	Really good pizza wings	9/13*

First thoughts: I love the box. I've really been pining for my childhood memmory; my first wings that came in a carboard bucket, piled high, and tasted so good. Usually take-out wings come in styrophome container, and not that there's anything wrong with that (other than the environment), but there's just a special feeling from a flimsy box.

Second thoughts: these are some big wings for pizza take-out. You always gamble with pizza place wings, where they are often small and this night I gambled with a lot of wings. But they were certainly some of the bigger wings to come from a pizzaeria.



The chicken itself was pretty meaty. It was a bit chewy, but not rubbery by any means. The skin was still crisp despite the drive and the sauce all over them.

I split my order into BBQ and Suicide for some variety. When I ordered, I could see a bunch of big jugs of sauce in the back, so I know they wouldn't be homemade, but then again, few take-out places make homemade.



SUICIDE

I was pretty sure this was going to be 3rd Degree: it was syrupy, had a smell of chili pepper, and that shiney red colour. When I bit into them, there was the faint taste like 3rd, but I believe it is a rival brand of some sort.



The heat on this sauce was good - it was slow building, first in the throat, and later on the lips and tongue. Not the hottest sauce ever, but it let me know it was there.

The wings were covered pretty good with sauce, glimmering and calling me to them. They were sticky, but spicy. What a great suicide wing and to prove it, I ate every single one.

BBQ
The BBQ sauce was a different matter. It was thick, but very lightly added to the wings. It was more 'bold' than sweet, but by bold I mean 'earthy' in flavour. It wasn't strong in taste, just sticky wings. I ended up dipping them in the suicide to make up for them.

FINAL SCORE: Sometimes you just have to take a chance on place. I didn't try their pizza, but The Pizza Shop makes a pretty good wing for a pizzeria. BBQ wasn't so great, but the suicide was leaving me satisfied yet still craving more. The chicken is crispy, meaty and large. This just might be my go-to-not-willing-to-experiment-night wings. 9/13*

The Pizza Shop
1679 Carling Ave, Ottawa

thepizzashop.ca

Click HERE for The Pizza Shop flyer over at The Wing Bucket