Wednesday 27 April 2011

WWWWWW #40 All Things Wings





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:







There's a new wing review blog, and this one is based in the Ohio Valley: All Things Wings. Written by "The Wing Reviewer," I like their take on how to do chicken wings right:




There are also several reviews of local pubs and other places to get wings. All Things Wings is just starting out, but I look forward to learning more about wings in the Ohio Valley!

Tuesday 26 April 2011

Wing Blog Graveyard: Where Wing Blogs Go To Die & Are Remembered




In the world of chicken wings, there are many of us out there blogging about wings. Unfortunately, many bloggers lose steam, and fail to continue posting about chicken wings. Everytime it happens, it's a sad day. So I am creating a place to remember the fallen. Welcome to the Wing Blog Graveyard.


REST IN PEACE




THE CHICKEN WING PROJECT
2006-2008












chickenwingproject.blogspot.com

Phred Barnet ate nothing but chicken wings for a month in '07, and then again in '08. Admirable challenge. Sad to see the blog die.
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WINGFEST
2007-2008











wingfest.blogspot.com


The official blog of the Hamilton Ontario WingFest. Stopped posting very quickly, but they do have a new website: wingfest.ca

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BEST HOT WINGS
???-2003



This site has not updated for nearly a decade. Ray Ganza & Ralph Pogue reviewed wings around the USA.

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CLUCKBUCKET: THE INTERNET HOT WING DATABASE
2003-2009



 cluckbucket.com

One of the first wing websites I read after LOTW started. Created by Scott and Steve Roth.  Full of reviews, and you have to check out their wing eating technique section. They have a blog component.

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BUFFALO WING FINDER
2006-2009







buffalowingfinder.com

This blog by Buffalo Pat had short reviews and various chicken wing news.


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WINGIPEDIA
2009-2010



wingipedia.net

A wing blog dedicated to reviewing wings around Washington DC.

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WINGS AND THE CITY
2009-2010











wingsandthecity.wordpress.com

Wing review website in New York City run by Lord Peter and Lady Kara. Great looking website with a couple who loved wings and went out with a lot of friends to review.

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CHICKEN WING TV
2010-2010










chickenwingtv.com

Wing reviews that were YouTube based. Dave Rispoli was the host. Unfortunately they were only up and running for a year.

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HOT N`SAUCY WINGS
2006-2010



hotnsaucywings.com

A certified KCBS judge, Derek Archambault was also on the hunt for the best wings in the New York City area.

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Sunday 24 April 2011

POPEYES LOUISIANA KITCHEN

When I was a kid growing up in Southwestern Ontario, there was just one fast food fried chicken: KFC (or Kentucky Fried Chicken as it was known then). By the time I left for Toronto for university, there was still mainly one big purveyor, the Colonel, but there were a few others popping up here and there (Mary Brown, Chester's, Church's). There was also one other: Popeye's. The only location I knew of was near Dundas Square, and every time I went in, it smelled like urine (I kid you not), so I always turned around and left. 


Well Popeye's have been popping up all over Toronto, and back in August I came across a location at Bloor and Dufferin and decided to finally try them. Can I just say I loved the experience. The chicken was hot, crispy and really good. So the other day I was out and about and decided to get lunch at a location at 589 Yonge Street.


Inside the place was clean, modern and had many different seatings to choose from (high tables, booths, individual tables). I walked up to the cashier and there on the till was an advertisement for their chicken wings. I asked about them about the wings. The man at the cashier stand told me they would cook the wings fresh if I was willing to wait a few extra minutes and I said gladly.


I sat down with my Dr Pepper and shortly I had my order. The wings came with two containers of ranch dip (very fake tasting and not enjoyable) and packets of Louisiana Gold Hot Sauce - I love these packets - they look so tasty.



The wings came in an order of either 12 or 18. I was very tempted to go for the 18, but then I thought I wasn't that hungry to justify 18. That even sounds crazy as I type it, but it was true. I didn't need a feast, just a sampling. OK it was more than sampling.


I split the wings in two flavours (there are three, but the other is just the chicken in itself). Nothing came with this order, and I couldn't find any information on the wings online on either the Canadian or American websites - so I can only assume they are a limited time promotion (that isn't being promoted well . . .).


The wings were small in length. But for what they lacked in length, they made up for in mass. The wings were plump and meaty. You can see in the above picture the jumbo drummette. Clearly the meat to bone ratio was way off, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The wings are also breaded in the same spices and batter as the chicken, which is found right on the website:

"CHICKEN
SPICY SEASONING: SALT, SELECTED BLEND OF CAPSICUMS, GARLIC, MONOSODIUM
GLUTAMATE, CUMIN AND MUSTARD. CONTAINS: MSG

POULTRY BATTER: ENRICHED BLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR (ENRICHED WITH NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE, MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), SALT, S-PACK 
[ENRICHED BLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR (ENRICHED WITH NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE, MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), SALT, SUGAR, FD&C YELLOW #5 (MAY ALSO CONTAIN YELLOW #6, RED #40, RED #3, GRAPE COLOR EXTRACT, BLUE #1, BLUE #2, BEET COLOR EXTRACT, ANNATTO EXTRACT AND/OR TURMERIC EXTRACT), SPICES, DRIED WHOLE EGGS, NONFAT DRIED MILK, LEAVENING (SODIUM BICARBONATE AND/OR SODIUM ALUMINUM SULFATE), MICROCRYTALLINE CELLULOSE, NATURAL FLAVOR (ALL FLAVOR INGREDIENTS CONTAINED IN THIS FLAVOR ARE APPROVED FOR USE IN A REGULATION OF FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION OR ARE LISTED AS GENERALLY RECOGNIZED AS SAFE ON A RELIABLE PUBLISHED INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION LIST. THIS PRODUCT ALSO CONTAINS CORN SYRUP SOLIDS). CONTAINS: WHEAT, EGG, MILK AND YELLOW #5 & #6, RED #3 AND #40, BLUE #1 AND BLUE #2.

FLOUR: BLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR, MALTED BARLEY. CONTAINS: WHEAT"



Try not to think about it. The wings are crispy and crunchy and so good and the coating did not get soggy over time with the sauces that were applied. Inside the chicken was juicy and the arrows above show so. That  wasn't grease (although Popeye's chicken can be very greasy - but again, that's not necessarily a bad thing).


BAYOU BUFFALO

I used to believe that Cajun food was hot hot spicy food - but I've come to learn that it's all about the spice flavour. And considering this was 'Bayou Buffalo' I knew it wasn't going to be hot. And it wasn't, but it did have a 'Buffalo' flavour.


Initially I liked it, but after eating a few the sauce became too much. I suspect a lot of HFCS in the sauce as opposed to butter, which just sit right with me.


CAJUN BBQ

The BBQ sauce, like the Buffalo, started off decently, but as I continued to eat I did not like it. Very sugary but not super sweet - if that makes sense.


Scratch that - syrupy but still had a dark savoury flavour. It wasn't like standard commercial sauces so at first I liked that it was different. But again after a few wings the sauce wasn't desirable.


I decided to try both sets of wings with the Louisiana Gold packets - this did not work out well. When the two sauces mixed, it did not taste right. I just couldn't make these sauces work!

FINAL SCORE:

I really like the chicken at Popeyes. The skin and the breading on it is great. The meat was tender. The sauces however, were too fake for me. If I were to get the wings again, I would go with Bonafied Spicy and just add the Louisiana sauce as needed. 5/9



Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen

HEMINGWAYS ~ Toronto ON

The end of the term is coming up, so one of the committees I sit on at work had a final meeting/lunch to celebrate. So it was decided that we would all meet at Hemingway's up in Yorkville. Hemingway's was a place I had heard good things about years ago when I first lived in Toronto, but never made it there. So I was happy to hear this was our destination. 

Here's what I know: Hemingway's is a New Zealand pub in Toronto. I don't know anything else. The website doesn't have an "About" section. And while there is the New Zealand Flag and other national iconography , I was hoping they might have something of my favourite Kiwi's, Flight of the Conchords, but they didn't. 


Hemingway's is a big establishment in yuppie Yorkville; Multi-levels, lots of seating and several patios (something scarce in Toronto). I took a picture, but it turned out Google Street view took a better one. There is even a strange virtual picture on their website.


While it was a relatively sunny day outside, it was pretty cold so we sat inside. We all started to arrive around noon, but the place seemed pretty quite. By the time we left though the place had certainly picked up.


Our party sat in the back section of what I assume is the main dining room. It's hard to tell because there are side areas and an upstairs - they could seat quite a few people I imagine. In the back it was dark, with some choice lighting, dark wood accents with a feeling of an upscale pub.

About ten of us were sitting for lunch, going over the menu. Although we were informed that we would have a group bill with added gratuity (pretty common for groups) but by the time our bill came, Karonlina our waitress brought us individual cheques, which was great. People ordered various dishes from sandwiches, salads, burgers and chicken fingers, all of which I think was generally enjoyed.


I actually wasn't expecting wings, but then there they were on the menu. I actually debated getting the burger or club sandwiches . . . but c'mon, of course I got wings. Actually discussion of Lord of the Wings Blog was brought up many times by others, with people telling me about places they have been and others questioning what I do here. It was pretty cool.


Before getting into the details of the wings, the platter came out and on it was fries, which is always a nice accompaniment. These were classic cut fries that were crispy and tossed in seasoning. They were good.


There was also a tasty ranch dip with them. There were no veggies, and I generally don't dip my wings, so I dipped my fries in these.


The wings come in orders of 1 or 2 pounds, with about 7 wings to a pound.


The wings came out naked and seasoned, with the sauce on the side.


Size wise, these wings were about a medium sized wing. In terms of it's meatiness, it was about a medium as well. While these were not impressive wings in length, they were nice and crispy. The chicken was tasty enough on its own. With the sauce on the side they clearly don't come out saucy, but the wings stayed very crispy.

I wanted to try both Hot and BBQ, so maybe they don't normally come out in cups.


HOT

Hot was just straight Frank's Red Hot. I don't have anything else to say. About it.


It looks pretty good though eh?



BBQ

The BBQ was both sweet and savoury. Not smokey, it did have some good levels of flavour.


Doesn't it look nice and thick on the drummette?


THE SCORE: I liked Hemingway's. A little pricey in my opinion (no free refills on pop?! $11 for 7 chicken wings?!) but a great atmosphere. The patio looks great. The other food that the others were having looked good too. My wings were crispy and seasoned well on their own. The hot was simple Frank's, but the BBQ seemed to have more depth than commercial sauce. It was good, but next time I would try one of the other dishes. 5.5/10



Hemingway's: Patio - Bar - Restaurant
142 Cumberland Street, Toronto ON
hemingways.to

Saturday 23 April 2011

Chicken Skin Chips found on Ottawa Foodies

Even though I'm not in Ottawa anymore, I still keep tabs on the food scene there, usually through Ottawa Foodies. Not too long ago I came across a post by Ottawa Foodies creator Mark aka Fresh Foodie.

At the T & T in Ottawa he came across the snack that anti-health and food lovers have been seeking for years: Chicken Skin.

Yes, fried Chicken Skin:


original link 


I am on the hunt for these now and when I have them, you will see a review.

Have you seen these? Had these? Want these? Scared of these? Let me know!

W Burger Bar ~ Toronto ON


So the gang (Ricky, Brad and Amanda) came down for a weekend filled with film, theatre, and of course food. We saw Tornado Alley in the Omnimax (an awesome theatre due to the domed screen, worst theatre due to no drink/snack policy). Later that night we saw a reenactment of War of the Worlds with Don McKellar, Nicholas Campbell and Marc Bendavid (which was awesome by the way).


 In between movie and theatre and chilling at my place, we went out for dinner to one of the many gourmet burger joints that have sprung up in the city: W Burger Bar.


We had attempted to go to W the last time the gang was in town, but Brad was out cold by supper and the rest of us couldn't get in because it was so busy (the hostess offered to take our cell numbers when a space opened up, but we just went elsewhere). This time we a) booked a reservation and b) booked a reservation early - which was good because they soon filled up.


This place is not what you expect from a burger joint. Actually it is a chic-like place. There are flat screens that show the game du jour, black and white colour schemes and all black uniforms for all the servers and bar tenders. Speaking of servers, ours, Courtney, was wonderful. Friendly, helpful, she was just excellent.


We went through the menu, picking over all the burgers and exciting looking dishes. Courtney took our order on her fancy arm-mounted BlackBerry devices. We waited for a bit, chatting, catching up. Before long the first dishes started appearing.


Ricky ordered up some deep fried pickles ($7.99). They were dilly, crispy, well seasoned. Really good.


The panko breading worked well. The dip was good too. Really creamy and clearly home made.


I ordered up an order of their 1/2 Fresh Cut Fries 1/2 Sweet potato fries ($5.50). The fresh cut fries were good - crispy, thin. The sweet potato fries were the same. Both needed a dip, so I tried to sneak some from the pickles spears.


W Burger Bar has a variety of burgers to choose from beyond the standard beef like lamb, salmon, chicken etc. And like most people, Brad was really curious about the Kobe beef burger. Kobe is supposed to be really good, but how do you justify a burger that is $18.99 (no sides)!? Especially as this isn't truly sourced Kobe (from Japan)? Fortunately they have a slider option in the starters for $4.50.


Well, let's just say it was truly a slider. It really made me think of the old commercial "Where's the beef?!" And according to Brad, there was nothing special about it - tasted just like any other beef. It's a good thing he went with the Lamb burger as a main. He said it was good, but had to wait a while for his mint sauce.



Amanda, our vegetarian, went with the Veggie Burger ($7.99). She normally doesn't care for veggie burgers with veggies in side, but she did like this burger.


She also got a side of sweet potato fries that didn't last long.


Ricky and I both went with the Bison Burger ($9.99). I enjoy a good Bison Burger, not only because it's leaner but because it often has a meatier taste. First off, not only are there a lot of burger options, and not only are there a lot of topping options, but you also have a cooking option too: over flames or on the flat top. Immediately I chose the flames, but when Ricky asked Courtney and she recommended flat top for the Bison. So I switched my order.

 Ricky went with a much simpler toppings than I and his sauces on the side to taste the burger. I went for lots of my favourite toppings:


This was a good burger. My first thought was that the toppings were fresh (great pickle) the burger meaty, the sauces tasty. The burger had a little more crust than I prefer, so next time I think I would go with the flame grilled. The patty was thick and meaty - not too moist but not quite dry. The bacon was nice and crispy. The next time I would probably go with the classic beef burger, but pretty much the same toppings.



To finish off the meal, Amanda ordered the WBB Cheesecake ($6.99). I sampled a bit and it was pretty good. Tall too!


I think everyone was pretty happy with their meals. The service was great and there is a lot of burger variations to keep one interested in trying something different each time.


W Burger Bar
10 College Street, Toronto ON

Some photos were taken by Amanda but on my camera - thanks Amanda!