BLOGIVERSARY YEAR 3: The Best & Worst of 2008

Time flies fast, and 2008 went by quickly! There's been a lot of movement on the part of the Lord of the Wings - and that can only mean one thing: lots of wings!!!!

It also brings us to our Blogiversary tradition of the Lord of the Wings Blog's Best and Worst guide of 2008. We've ate some great wings, and we've eaten some bad wings. Throw in some other food and events, and it's been quite a run.

So here is a quick recap of mainly the best ( I prefer to dwell on the good rather than the bad) of the past year. The reviews are based primarily on my scoring system, or just my general feelings from this past year that I reviewed, not my overall faves. Everything can be improved, and this should be seen as fun and educational!

BEST OTTAWA WINGS

BEST TORONTO WINGS
BEST ONTARIO WINGS
BEST USA WINGS
WORST WINGS

BEST NON WING

BEST HOT SAUCE
BEST WING CHIP

BEST WING RECIPE
BEST NON-WING RECIPE

BEST EVENT

BEST FEST

BEST ARTICLE

BEST OTTAWA WINGS

#1 - PJ Quigleys -excellent wings, plain & simple

#2 Wild Wing's - lots of flavours (even if they are commercial), and meaty. Both times.

#3 The Pizza Shop - good take out

#4 Patty's Pub - classic pub wings done well

#5 Paesano's Pizzeria - another good take out wing

Overall Ottawa has had mediocre wings. I have not been impressed. But thankfully there are a few gems out there.

BEST TORONTO WINGS

#1 Crown & Dragon Pub - great little pub with lots of wing flavours

#2 Sneaky Dee's - I waited too long to try these big wings

#3 Gino's Pizza - new wings and new sauces

I left Toronto after 7 years - but I still made it back to try a few more places. I miss the wing selection Toronto offers.

BEST GENERAL ONTARIO WING

#1 King Edward Pub - great little pub, remote, but they just revamped their wing sauces

I actually didn't get to many wing places in general Ontario. Hope to change that in 2009.

BEST USA WINGS

#1 Flying J Truckstops - wings in a bag . . . I'm stretching here.

I have to come clean - on my only trip to the USA, I only had wings from these trucker outposts. So, they win by default.

WORST WINGS

#1 Bruyere's Restaurant - wow, I can't believe that wings could be this bad. Slimey and gross.

#2 Fat Albert's & Ralph's - they used frozen store wings. What a rip off.

#3 Greek 2 Go - forgettable

#4 Royal Oak - a classy chain pub should try much harder

#5 Wingstop (Pizza Hut) - weird chemical sauce . . .

Just when I think I can't meet a wing I won't like, I find one or two that stand out. #1 & #2 were some of the WORST wings I have ever had.

BEST NON-WING RESTAURANT

#1 The Works - what a burger place!

THE BEST HOT SAUCE

#1 Tortuga - hot and flavourful. Might be hard to come by.

BEST WING CHIP

#1 Snyder's - not so much a chip, but a damn tasty chicken wing pretzel

I reviewed a number of chicken wing flavoured chips this year, but nothing stood out for me.

BEST WING RECIPES

WK: Hot Dill - LJ suggested mixing the two, and they became an instant hit.

Guest: Dude & Julie Mid Autumn Wings - what a tale!



BEST NON-WING RECIPE

#1 WK Buffalo Butter Chicken Leg Drumsticks - ok they are close to a chicken wing, but they are not!

#2 WK BBQ Big Mac - mmmm, burger on the bbq.

#3 WK Buffalo Turkey Wings - not so tasty, but an awesome experiment

So many recipes tried this year, now that I'm outta rez and into a real kitchen.

BEST EVENT

#1 Getting on DUFF's II WALL OF PAIN - second attempt with success, and a great cheer section.

BEST FEST

#1 London Ribfest - such a great event - please don't be over!!!

The only other Fest was Greekfest in Ottawa, and it was passable. At least in terms of food.

BEST WK ARTICLE

#1 Chicken Wing Classification - understanding chicken wings.

BEST AUDIENCE

#1 YOU - Thanks for sticking with the Lord of the Wings Blog. You, the citizens of the Wing Nation are THE BEST.

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My goals for 2009 are more wings more wings more wings. I want to try wings across Ontario and abroad. More wing recipes. More articles. I want to get some more organization done. I'm excited, and I hope you are too!

Cheers,

The Wing King

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Best & Worst of 2007
Best & Worst of 2008
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