Wednesday, 23 December 2009
Happy Holidays
WWWWWW #6 - The Dally News
Yes, World Wide Web Wacky Wing Wednesday. WWWWWW. This is where I will surf the Web, and find other people talking about chicken wings. The world is full of chicken wing stories, wacky and otherwise. Recipes, restaurant reviews, eating contests or whatever. Today's Blog relating to wings in some shape or form:
Just a generic blog. I merely stumbled acrossed it. I actually came to it by google searching my own name, and I found this entry: The Lord of the Wings: The Fellowship of the Wing
Friday, 18 December 2009
MADTV "Vagicil Commercial"
I was just watching MAD TV (as in this is post is only delayed by about 10 minutes) and heard the word's "Chicken Wings" several times. That's when I knew it was time for another CWOS post!
The skit involves Frank Caliendo in his recurring character/impersonation of John Madden, who is usually eating something.
QUOTE #1
JOHN:
"Second of all, they paid me in chicken wings. And third of all, there is no
third of all; once I heard about the chicken wings, I wanted to do is sell
Vagicil"
QUOTE #2
JOHN:
"I'm already tired of saying vagina . . . so from now on in this Vagicil
commercial, when you hear me say monkey, I really mean monkey, got it?"
QUOTE #3
MOM:
"So John, you going to tell us why you prefer Vagicil?"
JOHN:
"Ya, because of the chicken wings they gave me."
QUOTE #4
JOHN:
"If your monkey itches, buy some Vagicil"
QUOTE #5
JOHN:
"I am done, that was perfect, wheres my chicken wings, I want my wings
dammit!"
MAD TV can be a bit crude, but you cannot deny that there were chicken wings in this. I would do a commercial for chicken wings.
"One Two Punch" of sweet/heat Sriracha Wings
Did you hear about the Teacher who took kids to Hooters?
Paradise Valley school district spokeswoman Judi Willis says choir director Mary Segall accompanied the students to a performance in downtown Phoenix last week, and during the outing, they ate lunch at Hooters.
Willis says Segall explained that the restaurant, known for its waitresses’ somewhat revealing attire, was the only place that could accommodate a group of that size. But district officials believe there were other options for lunch in the area.
Segall could not be reached for comment.
———
Information from: The Arizona Republic, http://www.azcentral.com "
Wednesday, 16 December 2009
And the wing dreams keep on coming . . .
WWWWWW #5 - Bluejake
Yes, World Wide Web Wacky Wing Wednesday. WWWWWW. This is where I will surf the Web, and find other people talking about chicken wings. The world is full of chicken wing stories, wacky and otherwise. Recipes, restaurant reviews, eating contests or whatever. Today's Blog relating to wings in some shape or form:
Bluejake is a photo blog by Manhattanite Jake Dobkin. His blog is about, well I will let him explain (please note his information has been shortened from this page):
"ExplanationBluejake is a photoblog run by me, Jake Dobkin, a photographer living in Brooklyn. It focuses mainly on urban landscape . . . if it is your first time here, take a look around the blog; I post a new picture on the front page a few times each week.
Also check out the photoessays, which are photo projects with more than one picture. If you're still thirsty for more, check out the blog archives, which go back to February 2002. You could also check out the full list of entry tags. Finally, for the first few years I did the site, I also kept separate photo galleries for big events and trips-- you can find those in the old gallery section.
My Equipment Canon SD950 and Canon D20 SLR. A Bogen Tracker 6' Tripod. 420EX flash. Canon EF USM lenses: 24mm and 35mm. I also toy with a film camera-- the Contax T2. My ProcessingIn general, I follow this process in Photoshop: RAW processor, curves (sometimes with gradients), and unsharp mask. "
I have to be honest, I don't follow his blog regularly. Not because he doesn't have fabulous photos (he does), I really only came across his website a long time ago while google searching chicken wings, and I saved it to use someday (long before WWWWWW was even a thought in my head).
"I'm interrupting my East Village series to bring you some hot, spicy pictures from Tien Mao's weekly chicken wings night at Croxleys in the East Village. I went to confirm the legend of ten cent wings- they turned out to exist, with an additional bonus: $4 beers. All the BBQ sauce and beer made it difficult to shoot these portraits- and since I only brought my Tilt/Shift lens (I shot 9th to 11th street afterwards), I tried to use it to maximum advantage. It doesn't have auto focus, though- so that might explain some of the blur. One additional note: to the best of my knowledge, all the ladies pictured above are already taken. Sorry!"
Mmmmmm, tilt shift lenses and 10 cent wings. And I won't lie, those look like the biggest 10 cent wings I have ever seen. Not that you can find a deal like that much anymore.
I really want wings right now.
And a tilt shift lens.
And a camera that I could put a tilt shift lens.
Tuesday, 15 December 2009
Uncle Ray's HOT chips
My parents were introduced to Uncle Rays, somewhat ironically through my uncle Rick (get it? Uncle Ray/Uncle Rick? Eh? Get it?). Visiting family-in-law in Detroit, he got a potato chip that, according to my parental units, was so hot he couldn't eat them. My parents were given some to try, and they said they were quite spicy. Well, they found the brand at a surplus store in Southwestern Ontario and they picked up two kinds for me. One was the Hot, the other Jalapeno (still haven't opened that bag yet). On a quick side note, Uncle Ray's has been invading Ontario in a number of stores these days.
Uncle Ray's is a brand out of Detroit Michigan. I like Detroit because it also gave us the brand of cola Faygo, a favourite of my high school crew back in the day.
From Uncle Ray's Website:
"Uncle Ray started in business in 1965 out of the back seat of his 1961 Dodge Dart. A self made man who never went to college, Ray made and sold chip dips, popcorn and shrimp cocktail sauce to local bars and store in the Detroit area. In the early hours of the morning, Ray would be busy making his concoctions in his small apartment kitchen - and during the day, he would be out on the road selling his product."
But Ray wasn't just out founding potato chip companies. He had some skeleton's in his closet he had to confess to:
Interesting that a potato chip maker would encourage self-control. Lay's potato chips slogan is "Bet you can't eat just one!" - what a difference.
I looked at the ingredients to see what kind of heat I might be dealing with. It's not until the middle that we come across 'paprika', which is not spicy. Then we get to 'spices' and 'spice extractives' - what the heck are they? What spices are we talking about? At least the natural smoke flavour is real . . .
I opened the bag, and half way down laid the red speckled chips. The smell was . . . red peppery. So how hot were these going to be?
The size of chip overall was average to your big brand names. The above chip is one of the big ones. The spicy seasoning is pretty evenly distributed across both sides of the chip. Some brands will have just a faint sprinkling, but Ray's seems to believe in going bold.
The chips themselves are not of what I would consider a high quality. Like that of a no name brand. Yes they are crisp when you bite into them, but too light, like they skimped on the potato.
The heat of the wings does hit you pretty quick. Bold spicy is a fairly accurate description. The sting is there for a moment, and there is a bit of a heat after taste. It is a peppery heat, so if you are a chili head, you might get a cough in the back of the throat, but that's about it. But the more chips you eat at once will increase the heat level in one's mouth.
FINAL VERDICT: Well, they are not the hottest chips out there, but for the average person, they will pack a punch. The chip itself isn't the best, and I think I would only eat them for the burn. More novelty than delicious, I dare those of you who order mild wings to try these out.
Uncle Ray's HOT potato chips
Yet another dream about wings . . .
So I'm on the way to a new restaurant opening in my hometown. My friend Dude had been there many times, and said I had to come and try it out (sounds oddly like real life . . .). It's night and I'm going with Doug Heffernan (from King of Queens) and some of his buddies, going up the stairs to this place. He's making jokes (can't remember now) and we go in. It's packed inside. I make my way over to Dude's table.
Doug is not happy because our waitress is one he has had before, and she is not very flirty. As we sit, the people change to anonymous faces and dude. Just as I sit down, another waitress puts down a bowl of crispy, but very wet wings. I am surprised and excited because Dude has already ordered them for me. The 3 others at our table are all looking over menus. I can't wait to dig in, but every time I do, the waitresses keep knocking into me, because it's so busy.
A big group of kids in hockey gear come in and the waitresses say they were expecting this group and that they will be back after dealing with them. Although I am annoyed at the hockey team, I am glad to finally get to eat my wings.
Then I woke up.
I think I got a bite in, but, *sigh* they weren't real.
Thankfully my pillow was fully intact.
Thursday, 10 December 2009
foodiePrints Soy Sauce Wings
Don over at foodiePrints, sent me a Tweet about supper he had recently. His better half made up some soy sauce wings:
"Better half made soy sauce wings tonight. She spiced the braising liquid w/star anise, chili pepper, & black peppercorns"
Tuesday, 8 December 2009
WWWWWW #4 - Smoke In Da Eye/A BBQ Nation
Yes, World Wide Web Wacky Wing Wednesday. WWWWWW. This is where I will surf the Web, and find other people talking about chicken wings. The world is full of chicken wing stories, wacky and otherwise. Recipes, restaurant reviews, eating contests or whatever. Today's Blog relating to wings in some shape or form:
A BBQ NATION - Official Blog of SMOKE IN DA EYE
Chris over at Nibble Me This sent me the link to this site. Smoke in da Eye are true BBQ champs. Competitive smoker - the blog has info on recipes, tips and info on the BBQ circuit. In their own words:
"Welcome to SmokeInDaEye.com, home of Bigger, Badder, Bolder BBQ(c) from Smoke In Da Eye award winning competition BBQ team. Founded in 2006, this group of barbecue fanatics love nothing more than to share recipes, tips and techniques with anyone willing to listen. We are here 365 days a year so heat up the smoker or grill, crack open a cold one, and prepare to be educated and entertained!"
Specifically, Chris sent me a link to a recent post called "A Turkey Grows In Buffalo." Basically Clint @ SIDE participated in "TGI Fryday" - get it FRY-Day?!!?!? I love the idea. Anyways, they decided to skip the smoker and deep fry some turkey wings:
"All we can say is that the results were amazing. Like traditional wings but Fred Flintstone style. Moist and meaty on the inside, crisp and crunchy on the outside and just the right amount of heat from the sauce."
People line up for overnight for Hooters Opening
Ok that's a little crazy, considering there are other Hooters in the area and, well, it's Hooters. Except when you read this line:
Um, that's an amazing deal. 2am in the cold with a tent for a few hours for free wings for a year? Ya, I'd stand in line.
Oven Baked Spicy and Sweet Ribs
Unfortunately, we can't buy it because we don't have room for the giant sizes. Can't freeze it as our small unit only has a tiny fridge freezer, which is already full. And it's too much for two people. But browsing the isles of meat seeing a free sample booth, I just happened to take a look over at the ribs . . .
It was a huge pack of 4 racks of ribs, or 3.948 kg of pork (that's 8.7 pounds). That's a lot of ribs. Too bad it's probably too expensive and really more ribs than we would eat. But then I took a closer look at the label:
$7.86!?!?!?!? I couldn't believe it. I thought maybe I was reading it wrong (many items at our Costco say a price, without indicating that's per-pound or kg or something instead of the actual price of the product). I showed LJ, she thought it was right too. I asked an employee just to make sure. Yup, the 4 racks were just $7.86 AND it was cut and packaged within the past hour. Damn, I had to get it at that price. Now Sunday night had a meal plan.
I did up two sets of ribs, one for me and one for LJ. She was looking for a plain-tasting rib. I wanted sweet and spicy. So this report is on my ribs. Above is my rack rubbed. I grabbed what was left of my spice rub from our Backyard Ribfest 2009, adding in some sweet smoked paprika, some crushed red chili pepper, and red pepper flakes. Oh and brown sugar.
While those were baking I whipped up a BBQ sauce. Honey, vinegar, srirachi, garlic powder, liquid smoke, chili sauce, Worcestershire, salt and pepper and some brown sugar. And chili flakes (not shown in picture). Spicy. Sweet.
I simmered it and then let it rest on very low heat. It was a little more runny than I wanted, but I really dug the flavour so I didn't feel like adding anything to thicken it up.
I was very excited about these ribs. The sauce looked great, the slightly blackened 'bark', the meat pulling away from the bones. I hacked the meat into individual ribs (which was pretty simple considering how tender the meat was).
Dinner was set. Ribs, baked potato with fixings, broccoli with cheese, garlic bread, mango juice and some candle light.
The rub and the sauce were a great combo together. The first sensation was bolts of pain from the spice of both rub and sauce. Sweet came from the honey, brown sugar and the predominantly sweet tomato chili sauce. Just a bit too tomato than I really want, but it was negligible.
As already mentioned, the meat was tender and tasty, There was just a bit of crisp on the outside due to the last minute high heat applied. Next time I would crank it up more and for just a tad longer.
I tried to pace myself, but I ate several ribs quick. Then several more. I didn't even have seconds of any of my sides because I was sucking back the ribs so quick. I was happy with my dinner.
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
WWWWWW #3 - Would I Buy It Again?
Yes, World Wide Web Wacky Wing Wednesday. WWWWWW. This is where I will surf the Web, and find other people talking about chicken wings. The world is full of chicken wing stories, wacky and otherwise. Recipes, restaurant reviews, eating contests or whatever. Today's Blog relating to wings in some shape or form:
A blog devoted to reviewing food. As the anonymous author states: "I like to eat and I like to talk, that is where the blog comes in."
The above and below photos are from his review of Scotty Brewhouse's in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. They have All You Can Eat Wings.
What I like about his wing reviews is, well let me let you read:
"My wife ordered the Mo’fo’ hot wings. They were good, but when you order the hottest wings on the menu, I pretty much want to see tears!"
He also has a review of Hooters, who has some new wing flavours. Check it out. Also and AYCE night.
Keep up the good workd WIBIA!
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
MILL TALES INN ~ Tillsonburg
The Mill Tales Inn is a new hotel/restaurant in a former mill that has been under renovations for what seems like forever. Years for sure. But the place looks great. Their website did have a history of info on the Mill, and when they restore that info, I'll give you a low-down on what this place was all about.
When we arrived, it was busy. Old people busy. The crowd was predominately seniors. Man was it busy. When something new opens in T'Burg, it's a big deal.
As a group of six (in photo below, Rick, Mike, AJ, Brad, Randy (Dude), Wing King) we were told we would have to wait. It was about 15-20 minutes, and there was a group of 6 ahead of us. Some of us took to couches, some to a bed in the lobby.
Above Rick and Randy can be seen in front an antique piano, with lots of old photos of the founding Tillson family. The whole lobby has lots of bits and pieces of history of the town, of the mill (or mills in general). It was rustic but new in the overall look.
Our waitress was Heather, a fun and friendly waitress that Mike, Dude and Brad had the week before. They told us stories about her interacting with them, and she definitely made us all feel like regulars. Unfortunately she was busy with other groups and tables, so we saw her sporadically.
The food was generally good. Most items were homemade (including the French salad dressing, and Belgium Potatoes, which I inquired were mashed potatoes with shredded carrot and cabbage if my memory is correct - Heather refered to them as "old people food"). Rick & Brad both had fish and chip dinners (the owner Gordon Craig is famous for his fish and chips at a former restaurant). AJ went with the pizza which was almost deep dish. Crunchy, sweet potato fries were also a popular appetizer.
Mike had the ribs (which were not grilled or bbq - at best they were baked). Dude and I both got the wings. The trio who had been last week raved about the wings, and Dude was concerned whether they would live up to my scrutiny.
The chicken wings, known as 'The Milled Wings', come in an order of about 8 wings, with celery, carrots and blue cheese dip. Classic.
The blue cheese had lots of chunks and it seems like forever since I've seen it as a dip with my wings.
When the wings were put in front of me, I was impressed with their size. They were large to jumbo. But that large to jumbo sized wing made me fear a tough, rubbery chicken meat. Nope. Cooked just right. I'm pretty sure its a fresh wing, not frozen.
The skin was crispy. They dredge the wings in flour before deep frying, which leads to a very nice skin.
In terms of their sauce, I went with Hot. Well, it wasn't hot at all. Actually Dude and I did a wing exchange and his medium had more spice. They were two different sauces. Mine was more of a classic Buffalo sauce with Butter/Cayenne hot sauce, but there was also a piercing, bitter garlic flavour from actual garlic. It was ok as a sauce. And there wasn't enough - I would like my wings more wet.
Above is one of Dude's Medium heat wings. The sauce was more of a sweet sauce, and as stated above, more spicy than the hot. It had a really nice flavour. If I have wings here again, I would go with the Medium - better taste, more heat. Maybe the homemade Hot was just off this night.
FINAL SCORE: There were lots of little technical problems with the restaurant, but the place is still fairly new. When it came to the food, I think everyone was happy. The menu is very varied, clearly as the place appealed to those in their 70's and those in their 20's. The wings were surprisingly good and definitely make themselves a contender for the title of best wings in the 'Burg.
We headed out to a local bar (where one of our members was cut off before 11pm) and then to another bar to celebrate Dude. It was a great weekend, and Dude, you will be missed. Safe trip back to China!