Tuesday, 30 June 2020
#nonwingsunday = Spaghetti & Meatballs & Caesar Salad
#nonwingsunday = Spaghetti & Meatballs & Caesar Salad— LORD of the WINGS (@LordoftheWings) June 29, 2020
Little time means very little made from scratch, but lots of little things done to elevate to something special.#lordofthewingsblog #spaghettiandmeatballs #caesarsalad #hacked #itsnotallaboutwings pic.twitter.com/QFD7k0ODd8
Saturday, 27 June 2020
PC NASHVILLE HOT STYLE CHICKEN WINGS - Quarantine Frozen Wing Review
I can't tell you how excited I was to try this review.
President's Choice Nashville Style Chicken Wings.
PC launched a whole wack of Nashville Hot products: wings, chicken bites, even shrimp. When they came out I was excited to get them and they were all on sale! Well, that's not true. The wings didn't go on sale. All other chicken wings went on sale, the bites, the shrimp all went on sale, but the Nashville wings specifically did not. So I didn't buy them, because I'm cheap. My wife heard me complaining and because she cares, said just buy them. So I did.
If you are not familiar with Nashville Hot Chicken, essentially its fried breaded chicken that's covered in an oily-paste of cayenne pepper, served on a slice of white bread and pickle slices on top. It's a very peppery, spicy but oh so good combination.
The box doesn't do this style justice and if you don't know what it's all about to begin with, you're going to be lost. But PC is banking on people knowing about trends, and Nashville hot has been big the last couple of years.
Some things that jumped out from the box is that the weight of the box is 907g, with a minimum (aka maximum) of 13 pieces.
Inside that box are the bag of wings, the Nashville Hot glaze, and Buttermilk Ranch.
These wings were clumped together and there was a fair amount of ice crystals in that bag.
I turned the oven on to 450 (much hotter than most frozen wings say to do, but that's what they say to do!) and while it heated up, I put the sauce packets into warm water to defrost. I knew the Nashville Hot sauce was going to be something different because it was different than other PC hot sauce packets. It was much more oily than thick, which is good because Nashville Hot is supposed to be more oily than creamy/thick. I did not have much hope for the Buttermilk Ranch.
When the oven was hot enough and the wings went in. I had them on a baking pan with parchment paper. While the box says there are minimum 13 wings, I actually got 16 wings!
After baking for about 20 minutes, flipping once, the wings were ready. They are breaded but it's not thick. It's also not evenly covered on the wings. Some of the wings were pretty greasy but not all.
Actually as a plain fried wing these didn't look too bad. So far so good.
That sauce packet was thawed and you can see the difference right away. I took that as a good sign as there are really two key components to Nashville Hot chicken: crispy chicken and spicy sauce. So far we had crispy chicken ...
I poured the whole packet all over the wings and there was lots of sauce for each wing to be coated and for there to be leftover. Awesome.
I tossed the wings and it seemed like the breading was holding up to the sauce. This was promising too for this product. They also had that Nashville signature smell of peppery-goodness.
I plated the wings and they looked good, but something was missing.
Bread and Butter pickles!!! I didn't have white bread so that was out, but pickles helped pick up the appearance and the authenticity on this tasting. Now that looks like Nashville Hot chicken.
Our meal overall was a bit random. We were having some mozza sticks from the back of the freezer, as well as a bit of dip with tortilla chips. Oh there's some carrot sticks too. You know, to make it healthy, and for the ranch dip I guess.
The size of; they aren't the biggest but they aren't the smallest either. Let's say just right but not perfect. They were also not an even mix of flats and drum which was surprising: 6 drums and 10 flats. Weird.
That high heat and the light breading on them led to really crispy skins. I really liked the texture on these wings and the crispiness that came from their recommended technique. The meat was relatively tender and what you would expect from a frozen wing.
The sauce on these wings worked so well. As I've already said, the sauce is oily, but still thick, and it clung on and enveloped every crevasse of the wing, and with that breading that meant there was a lot of surface area for the sauce to grab onto. It also held up to the sauce and didn't get soggy which was great.
It's peppery and hot, but not too spicy. It has a kick, which I enjoyed and was almost too much for LJ, but she really liked it. You can taste the cayenne, but it's also a salty heat. It is kind of a one note heat, and so adding that pickle made these wings perfect because the sweat tang of the bread and butter pickle helps cut that acid and the oily heat bitterness that's there. But it was really good.
As for the Buttermilk Ranch, PC why do you even bother? Just stop putting in crappy cream dips with the wings. It tastes artificial and it's just not good.
WOULD I BUY IT AGAIN?
Yes. No doubt. Already have. Got a box in my freezer. These are crispy/crunchy wings that have a pretty spot on Nashville Hot sauce on them. It's spicy and peppery, and while the heat isn't killer, it's respectable. The flavour of the heat is peppery cayenne, and is almost bitter on it's own, so I strongly suggest you add Bread and Butter Pickles, or any chip-cut sweet pickle to make it both more authentic and to cut through the Nashville sauce. Well done on this product PC, well done. 10/14
President's Choice
Nashville Style Chicken Wings
Thursday, 25 June 2020
BUSTER RHINO's Toronto 2015 - Lost Review
This #TBT is a #LOSTREVIEW and is so late, Buster Rhino's in Toronto is NOW CLOSED
This very late review is from this exact day, June 25th 2015 (5 years later!!) and I was hanging out with my buddy Ryan, and ... someone else. But I don't know who because I didn't take their picture.
June is Pride month celebrating and creating awareness of LGBTQ2S+ and back in 2015 I was living in Toronto where Pride is a huge deal. I don't know the events surrounding us going out, but we ended up at Buster Rhino's Toronto location, where they were celebrating Pride, and beer!
I had been following Buster Rhino's on Twitter (@busterrhinos) for a while but with their locations in Oshawa & Whitby, I never really got a chance to go. So when they opened up in Toronto, I was very excited. I actually had sampled Buster Rhino's food when owner Darryl Koster had put out a call for volunteers to help serve food at a charity event. It was a great experience and the food I got to try was excellent.
So of course I was interested in wings, but how can you not get ribs, or pulled pork, or other BBQ items. Well, I had had the pulled pork before, so I liked the Ribs (1/2 Rack) + 1lb Wings with side.
Ryan is to Nachos what I am to wings, so whenever we go out, he gets the nachos. Unfortunately 5 years later I don't remember and didn't take notes to remember what we thought!
This was the other person who came out with us for dinner. Who was it?!?! Ryan if you are reading this, who was with us for lunch?!?!?
They got ribs clearly with a side of what looks like Macaroni salad, but I suppose could be Mac & Cheese.
Here is my little feast: Ribs, wings, and Jalapeno Bottle caps. I don't have official notes but I'm pretty sure this was good. How could it not be?
I vaguely remember our waitress, Judy (I know this from the receipt) and she was friendly and very cool. When asking about the sauces, she brought me a little sampler of each sauce, which is just the coolest. The only thing I don't know about it that sauce on the far left. The cup seems to have M:U on it. O r is that N:W? 3:C? I don't know what that stands for but of the 4 sauces listed on the menu, Championship Original is the only not represented.
I love a good jalapeno bottle cap, and they are not common round these parts. If you've never had them, they are jalapeno slices that are battered and fried. They're crispy, spicy but also kind of tangy. I'm partial to them with a ranch dip but these had the BBQ sauces for dipping.
Next up were the smoked Ribs. Looking back on this I was surprised to see that they served them upside down, and also that they were prepared with the membrane on the back, which in competition is a big no-no, but restauranting is a different world.
Check out the smoke ring on those ribs. There's going to be a bit of chew, but also some very tasty ribs.
Then you get to the wings. Smoked BBQ wings are something very special. You can see how special they are!
The wings were a good size and were pretty meaty.
I don't remember the specifics on the flavour of these wings, but the texture/flavour combo going on was good.
Here's what I know, I had a great meal with some great people. I haven't seen Ryan in a couple of years since I moved away, but I look forward to they day he and I can get nachos and wings again!
Sadly, Buster Rhino's Toronto location closed down after this, but the original store in Whitby is still operating.
Oh on a side note, they were having a deal where if you posted a selfie tagging the restaurant and Mill Street Brewery for pride, you got a free 6 pack bottles of Mill Street. I love supporting a) LGBTQ2S+/Pride, local restaurants, and free things, so I did. And here is my 4th ever Instagram post before I knew what I was doing.
Buster Rhinos
288 College Street, Toronto ON (NOW CLOSED)
busterrhinos.com
June is Pride month celebrating and creating awareness of LGBTQ2S+ and back in 2015 I was living in Toronto where Pride is a huge deal. I don't know the events surrounding us going out, but we ended up at Buster Rhino's Toronto location, where they were celebrating Pride, and beer!
I had been following Buster Rhino's on Twitter (@busterrhinos) for a while but with their locations in Oshawa & Whitby, I never really got a chance to go. So when they opened up in Toronto, I was very excited. I actually had sampled Buster Rhino's food when owner Darryl Koster had put out a call for volunteers to help serve food at a charity event. It was a great experience and the food I got to try was excellent.
So of course I was interested in wings, but how can you not get ribs, or pulled pork, or other BBQ items. Well, I had had the pulled pork before, so I liked the Ribs (1/2 Rack) + 1lb Wings with side.
Ryan is to Nachos what I am to wings, so whenever we go out, he gets the nachos. Unfortunately 5 years later I don't remember and didn't take notes to remember what we thought!
This was the other person who came out with us for dinner. Who was it?!?! Ryan if you are reading this, who was with us for lunch?!?!?
They got ribs clearly with a side of what looks like Macaroni salad, but I suppose could be Mac & Cheese.
Here is my little feast: Ribs, wings, and Jalapeno Bottle caps. I don't have official notes but I'm pretty sure this was good. How could it not be?
I vaguely remember our waitress, Judy (I know this from the receipt) and she was friendly and very cool. When asking about the sauces, she brought me a little sampler of each sauce, which is just the coolest. The only thing I don't know about it that sauce on the far left. The cup seems to have M:U on it. O r is that N:W? 3:C? I don't know what that stands for but of the 4 sauces listed on the menu, Championship Original is the only not represented.
I love a good jalapeno bottle cap, and they are not common round these parts. If you've never had them, they are jalapeno slices that are battered and fried. They're crispy, spicy but also kind of tangy. I'm partial to them with a ranch dip but these had the BBQ sauces for dipping.
Next up were the smoked Ribs. Looking back on this I was surprised to see that they served them upside down, and also that they were prepared with the membrane on the back, which in competition is a big no-no, but restauranting is a different world.
Check out the smoke ring on those ribs. There's going to be a bit of chew, but also some very tasty ribs.
Then you get to the wings. Smoked BBQ wings are something very special. You can see how special they are!
The wings were a good size and were pretty meaty.
I don't remember the specifics on the flavour of these wings, but the texture/flavour combo going on was good.
Here's what I know, I had a great meal with some great people. I haven't seen Ryan in a couple of years since I moved away, but I look forward to they day he and I can get nachos and wings again!
Sadly, Buster Rhino's Toronto location closed down after this, but the original store in Whitby is still operating.
Oh on a side note, they were having a deal where if you posted a selfie tagging the restaurant and Mill Street Brewery for pride, you got a free 6 pack bottles of Mill Street. I love supporting a) LGBTQ2S+/Pride, local restaurants, and free things, so I did. And here is my 4th ever Instagram post before I knew what I was doing.
 |
| eating in a restaurant, with people, and a hair cut?!?!? It was a different time! |
288 College Street, Toronto ON (NOW CLOSED)
busterrhinos.com
Sunday, 21 June 2020
Big Boys Burgers - Whitby ON
This review is from March 2020
This is actually the last official food review I did before Covid-19 changed life here in Ontario. We had just brought back my father in law who had been traveling internationally when the Corono Virus was just starting to spill out across the world. It was good timing!
While he had been having some delicious meals, we were pretty sure he was getting tired of the same cuisine the whole time. We knew he was going to have missed eating beef, so getting some burgers seemed to be a great solution. We also decided to try out a new to us burger joint, Big Boy's Burgers. I had actually been there back in 2016 to try a wing review but it didn't work out. I wasn't doing wings this time though either so a proper wing review will have to wait.
I thought that this was an independent burger joint in Whitby ON, but it turns out it's a small chain. But it feels local. The place has kind of a race-car themed diner feel to the joint, with checkered flag patterns, flames painted on the walls, and tables made with diamond tread garage flooring. There is also some patio seating outside, but inside is booths and tables. It was very busy with both dine-in and take-out and this was on a weekday!
The staff were super friendly. The cashier (and possibly manager, possibly owner? she seemed in charge!) was very willing to explain the whole menu and make recommendations. They young guys making the burgers were also super friendly and chatting me up while they assembled burger after burger!
We looked at the menu board and the family sat down and I went up to order at the counter . Burgers are obviously the main show here, but you can also get wings, souvlaki, cheesesteaks, poutine and more - my kind of place! Prices were pretty reasonable too. And they serve Coke products.
The burgers were all made to order, and they have a large display case of toppings for you to personalize your burger the way you want, much like Harvey's. We all got combo's with fountain drinks and fries - I almost got onion rings because I love onion rings, but the fries just looked so good!
The cashier/manager woman was enthusiastic about the fries being just like chip truck fries, and they were. They are fresh-cut, skin on, a little chunky but not too thick either. I topped mine with salt and had vinegar and ketchup for dipping. And if I remember correctly, they had malt vinegar as well as regular vinegar.
LJ and her dad both got pretty simple burgers and I didn't want to hamper their eating with photos, so I didn't bother taking any shots of theirs.
We all got their 1/4 pound Original Burgers, but I added cheese and bacon to mine.
This is how I topped mine: Lettuce, pickle, hot peppers, cheese bacon, raw onion, tomato, mayo and hot sauce - just the way I like it! The bun was toasted but soft, the beef patty was meaty but also had that nice grilled flavour. Bacon was good and crispy and the cheese was melted just right. The veggies were nice and fresh too.
Overall I really enjoyed both the food and the service. This was a good burger, good fries, good times. I think this was actually the last restaurant I've stepped into since March, which seems crazy. But as my last for a long while, I don't regret it; Can't wait to one day go back!
Big Boys Burgers
308 Thickson Road, Whitby ON (and other locations)
bigboysburgers.com
"Go Big or Go Home Hungry"
This is actually the last official food review I did before Covid-19 changed life here in Ontario. We had just brought back my father in law who had been traveling internationally when the Corono Virus was just starting to spill out across the world. It was good timing!
While he had been having some delicious meals, we were pretty sure he was getting tired of the same cuisine the whole time. We knew he was going to have missed eating beef, so getting some burgers seemed to be a great solution. We also decided to try out a new to us burger joint, Big Boy's Burgers. I had actually been there back in 2016 to try a wing review but it didn't work out. I wasn't doing wings this time though either so a proper wing review will have to wait.
I thought that this was an independent burger joint in Whitby ON, but it turns out it's a small chain. But it feels local. The place has kind of a race-car themed diner feel to the joint, with checkered flag patterns, flames painted on the walls, and tables made with diamond tread garage flooring. There is also some patio seating outside, but inside is booths and tables. It was very busy with both dine-in and take-out and this was on a weekday!
The staff were super friendly. The cashier (and possibly manager, possibly owner? she seemed in charge!) was very willing to explain the whole menu and make recommendations. They young guys making the burgers were also super friendly and chatting me up while they assembled burger after burger!
We looked at the menu board and the family sat down and I went up to order at the counter . Burgers are obviously the main show here, but you can also get wings, souvlaki, cheesesteaks, poutine and more - my kind of place! Prices were pretty reasonable too. And they serve Coke products.
The burgers were all made to order, and they have a large display case of toppings for you to personalize your burger the way you want, much like Harvey's. We all got combo's with fountain drinks and fries - I almost got onion rings because I love onion rings, but the fries just looked so good!
The cashier/manager woman was enthusiastic about the fries being just like chip truck fries, and they were. They are fresh-cut, skin on, a little chunky but not too thick either. I topped mine with salt and had vinegar and ketchup for dipping. And if I remember correctly, they had malt vinegar as well as regular vinegar.
LJ and her dad both got pretty simple burgers and I didn't want to hamper their eating with photos, so I didn't bother taking any shots of theirs.
We all got their 1/4 pound Original Burgers, but I added cheese and bacon to mine.
This is how I topped mine: Lettuce, pickle, hot peppers, cheese bacon, raw onion, tomato, mayo and hot sauce - just the way I like it! The bun was toasted but soft, the beef patty was meaty but also had that nice grilled flavour. Bacon was good and crispy and the cheese was melted just right. The veggies were nice and fresh too.
Overall I really enjoyed both the food and the service. This was a good burger, good fries, good times. I think this was actually the last restaurant I've stepped into since March, which seems crazy. But as my last for a long while, I don't regret it; Can't wait to one day go back!
Big Boys Burgers
308 Thickson Road, Whitby ON (and other locations)
bigboysburgers.com
