THE JERSEY GIANT ~ Toronto ON

The Jersey Giant has lived down by St Lawrence Market for over 20 years. I've passed by them time after time but had never been in. I was down at St Lawrence Market to pick up some fresh wings for Superbowl Weekend from my favourite butcher (they were out, so I didn't get any fresh wings :( ). Hungry, I decided to stop in and see how JG's wings would hold up.

Do you know what a Jersey Giant is? It's a chicken breed that started in the US in the late 19th Century that was created to replace turkey as the poultry source of choice (thanks wikipedia). So a pub that is named after a chicken and has a chicken motif should have good wings, right?

photo from http://www.ottna.com/preview_bacb.php?nxC554187

Inside was pretty dark, but I was surprised how big it actually was, with an upper area, lower bar area, seating down a hallway and a pool room in the back.

The crowd was a mix of seniors, yuppies, young people, families - clearly this British style pub appeals to a wide audience.

photo from http://www.ottna.com/preview_bacb.php?nxC554187

My server was Amanda, who was friendly and able to answer and take my wing requests. She also would bring me refills without being asked, which was great. Before long she had my order.

Wing orders automatically come with fries. These were great fries - thin, crispy, a little bendy. Perfectly seasoned. And a ton came in an order, so much so I couldn't finish them all.

They also come with carrots and celery sticks. It does say on the menu that you can get blue cheese on request, but I got bogged down in ordering my wing flavours I forgot to ask. Oh well.

When the plate came out, it looked mighty mouth watering. Wings, fries, veggies. The smells were intoxicating. This was a large order, split between Hot and Chipotle BBQ with a side of suicide.

The wings were a medium in size, and a medium meaty level. The skin was crispy, but the meat was tender and juicy. The wings were nice and saucy. They melted in my mouth.

HOT

Hot was classic pub flavour - cayenne based sauce. Nothing original, but well done.

They were great when they first came out, but held up for most of the meal staying crisp.

CHIPOTLE BBQ

This was a great BBQ sauce. It was a bit smokey, it had a kick of spiciness, but a hint of sweet.

The sauce was slightly thick and gooey in texture. I really liked the spicy/sweet combo for these wings.

SUICIDE

This was a suicide sauce. It had a strong bite. Not the hottest sauce ever, but really this is what I expect from restaurants when they advertise suicide.

The sauce tasted like Pain sauce, which has a strong chili/garlic flavour. So there was heat and flavour.

THE SCORE: I liked the Jersey Giant. Friendly staff and great food. Good wings, with a variety of sauces, with good fries. It was all done just right. 7/10

Jersey Giant

71 Front Street East, Toronto ON