#tbt & #lostreview - DERRINGERS EATERY & SALOON 2014 Ottawa ON

 = DERRINGER's SALOON is NOW CLOSED - RIP =

It's time for another #tbt & #lostreview!

This week we are looking back to November 5th, 2014 and another review that didn't get posted. Why? Who knows.

Photo from Google Street View from 2014

Derringers was one of the first places I reviewed wings at in Ottawa, way back in 2006. My review was a bit harsh, but I didn't end up going back for almost 10 years. But I decided I would, and I noticed some changes when I did.

The actual physical restaurant seemed the same; cowboy/saloon themed bar and grill. Cow skulls, wood everywhere. Nothing inside looked any different really. I was there by myself and it was a very quiet Wednesday, just some old timers who were clearly regulars at the bar day drinking.

 I don't remember why I was dining by myself on this occasion, but I know I went because it was wing night, or I thought it was. Turns out wing night didn't start until 5pm, and I was there too early to get the deal. I was not happy about that. It would have been $0.75 a wing.

One change that I noticed was the menu. The ownership must have changed in the years since I went there, because the menu was very different. A lot of the Tex-Mex items were gone, and in it's place was Middle Eastern cuisine: shawarma, baba ghanoush, shish kebabs.

 But now they also had a lot more sauces on the menu too! I asked my very friendly waitress Kim about the sauces, like what was the difference between Hot and Suicide? She told me they were different sauces and recommended I get one on the side, so that's what I went with.

I was ready for a feast! My wings came, with a side of Onion Rings, and a bowl of Suicide sauce. I also had a Diet Coke, but it came without syrup, just carbonated water. I told Kim who told me they may have cans in the back, but I just went with a regular Coke, which was better, but still not great.

The rings were my favourite; battered (not breaded), crispy but light. Really good.  This was a great side. 

Wings come by the pound (or just 1lb orders) which came out to be about 9 wings. There were no sides of veggies or dip.

The wings weren't long (a medium in length, but they were big and meaty! The wings came with a nice flour dusting on it, and they were deep fried just right, which meant a nice crispy skin that went well with the sauce.  Had a nice little crunch when you bit into it. The meat was tender and the bones pulled away easily.

The wings were all sauced really well. Each wing was coated and wet, and there was ample sauce on the plate to mop up with. 

I got Hot as the base sauce. Hot was kind of a spicy bbq; a little bit sweet, a sticky sweet. It wasn't a strong flavour of either. It was nice but I was expecting something a little more zingy.

My side of Suicide was a nice bowlful, enough for more than another order of wings! It cost $0.75 extra so I was glad there was a lot, but I've certainly gotten less before for that price!

Suicide was really good. Really peppery suicide sauce. Slow burn that builds a bit, but not that hot. Clearly not just a commercial sauce and if I was doing the order over again, I would have gone all in on suicide.

I was really impressed how much better the wings were. Bigger, meatier, sauced really well with a great suicide and a great crispy skin. My onion rings were good, I just wish I had some blue cheese dip and a better pop. Kim was a great server, and I was all set to return on another Wednesday night for wing night. But by 2016 Derringer's went out of business after 30 years. It became Pizza & Kebab, which closed shortly after that, and has been Habesha, an Ethiopian restaurant ever since. 

Derringers Eatery & Saloon (now closed)
99 Montreal Road, Ottawa ON

#tbt & #lostreview - THE TITLED KILT 2013 - Toronto ON

It's time for another #tbt & #lostreview - The Tilted Kilt is NOW CLOSED

Here's what I remember:

It was September 8th 2013, a Sunday, and I had just arrived back in Toronto on the GoTrain around 9pm. 

I was hungry, and decided to check out somewhere for wings while I was down near Union Station. The Tilted Kilt pub chain had arrived in Toronto the year before from America, and while I didn't know much about it, I knew they had wings.

It was a beautiful night so I sat on the patio. There's not much to look at on The Esplanade but they have tv's all over the patio to watch whatever sports you wanted to watch. It was pretty empty (it was late Sunday night) and I never even went inside to see what the interior was like.

not sure when this menu was from so prices might not be accurate.

I don't remember my waitress, but I do remember the staff uniform. The shortest possible kilt and the tiniest crop top. I thought I was just going to a regular pub, but this is really more like a Hooters. Apparently this is what they are known for, but I had no idea.

The menu has standard pub fare, but I was there for the wings. Traditional for me, but they also had grilled, and boneless.

I got a pretty good spread of food. The wings not only came with veggies and blue cheese dip, but also tortilla chips! I must have been really hungry because I also ordered a side of potato chips. 

It's not real potato chips, but thinly sliced potato that was deep fried. It's crispy, but also soft at the same time.

They give a choice of blue cheese or ranch but of course I got blue cheese. The dip was definitely needed for the potato chips.

The wings don't come in a specified amount, but there were about 7 or 8 in the order.

The wings were small in length, but really meaty. 

They are also breaded. No memory of how crispy they were.

I'm guessing I got their "Kilt Burner Sauce" - their hottest hot sauce. Not to sure. I really don't remember how these wings tasted. I also got a sauce on the side. My guess was that it was Guinness BBQ, but I have no idea.

So I have no SCORE, nor any direct memory of the wings, but I don't think it was anything special because I never went back. The Tilted Kilt closed down sometime by 2020

The Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery
38 The Esplanade, Toronto ON (and other locations)
tiltedkilt.com

Hot Wings Grill & Rib House - Toronto 2012

 = Hot Wings Grill & Rib House is CLOSED - RIP =

It's time for another #tbt & #lostreview!

Well it's time for another mystery wing review. I had in my old photo archives of lost reviews this review of Hot Wings Grill & Rib House in a folder from 2012. Seems about right, and I posted it was from 2012. Well if it's not the darndest thing, I wanted to know what month the photo was from, so I checked it's properties. Seems the photo was created Nov 8 2012, but it was modified September 25th 2010 !?!?!? What? How is that possible? 

I've tried digging Hot Wings Grill up from the internet, and there is almost nothing left of this place. At first I couldn't find the website, or reviews, or menus or anything under the address or the name. My Google-Fu was weak. But after some more digging, I've found their facebook, and some reviews, and even the link to the old website (which no longer works). 

Google Streetview from 2012 as it would have been

Here's what I do remember: When I first noticed this place, I was excited (a new wing joint!) but I was kind of put off because they proudly baked their wings, not fried them. I seem to remember them being pricey (but can't find a menu to prove that) and more focused on ribs than wings. So I didn't go right away. Then one night, probably a wing night (I recently found a review that said Tuesdays were $7.95 for wings and fries) I took a street car and went for dinner. Casual place, looked like many other bars in town.

Several of the reviews were not good:

"Jennifer Williams  August 11, 2010

Wings were good not great. I ordered suicide and they were medium to hot. Also the place was dirty. Not very appetizing. The place was empty so there was plenty of time to clean.

Michelle Del Rosario  October 9, 2011

Never get delivery from this place. First they get the order wrong even if the simpliest order ever and they take over an hour to deliver when the estimated time was 20 minutes.

Mike Dodd  March 11, 2014

Easily some of the worst wings and customer service i have had in years. Avoid" 

But there were a few praises:

"Sarah Hams July 17, 2011

Been here 5+ times

I fucking love this place"

itzi may 28, 2011 09:10 am

HOT WINGS - GRILL AND RIB HOUSE - They make the most amazing grilled Wings, Even though they are not on the menu , they have the grilled wings most of the time. Be sure to ask the waitress for Grilled - Not Fried as I think they normally serve the win gs fried . I always have the sauce on the side as the flavor of the wings from the marinade and the grilling are spectacular and I find I don't really need the sauce. This restaurant has such a cool casual atmosphere , prices are very reasonable , other menu items ive had are also delicious ie Ribs and Pulled Pork Sandwiches .Just a really nice place to go and have good food and a good time . If you like really hot sauce try their "911" Hot Sauce - at your own risk !!!!!!!!!!!!!!."

I remember the wings being ok, but nothing amazing. The fries were just ok. The wings were sauced well, a decent size, but being baked they were not as crispy as fried wings would be. I went in with lowered expectations and it kinda hit where I thought it would. 

It's funny, because after reading part of their bio, one would expect more:

"WELCOME TO HOT WINGS GRILL AND RIB HOUSE

HOT WINGS GRILL AND RIB HOUSE was developed gradually over the last ten years. The two partners have both been involved in the restaurant, bar and quick service food industry for practically their entire working careers.

“With our years of experience in the industry, we developed The HOT WINGS GRILL AND RIB HOUSE concept

To bring to the customers what we felt that they are not getting in the marketplace today. “We have taken from the best, added our expertise to improve on service, value and quality and added our own very special touch.”

OUR MISSION : To create a warm , comfortable environment where everyone can come in , relax , have a wonderful meal or just enjoy a couple of drinks .We offer value with our very reasonably priced menu and will do whatever we can to make your visit at HOT WINGS a great experience. We also have some great TV’s to watch those nail biting sports games.

HOT WINGS GRILL AND RIB HOUSE is not just another “Wing Joint”. Yes we do sell wings, as that is what our customers want. Our wings are not breaded or covered in batter, and we cook them from fresh. We offer a variety of sauces, some the regular classic style, and for the adventurous, we have created a small range of delicious gourmet sauces. We do not simply cover our wings with sauces and spices of the shelf. "

That looks like ranch or dill dip that came with the wings. No veggies. Looks like I got about 8 or so wings, but I could have been wrong. 

It's sad when small businesses close, especially wing joints, but something clearly didn't work here. I didn't write the review and I never went back. By 2014 they were closed down. 

Did you eat there? Do you remember Hot Wings? #lotwwants2know !!!

Hot Wings Grill & Rib House (closed)

563 Queen Street, Toronto ON

hotwingsbbq.ca

TURTLE JACK's Burlington 2015 - LOST REVIEW

It's time for another #tbt & #lostreview:

Back in 2015 one evening I was coming home from visiting my Grandmother (since passed away) and stopped for a later night wing bite at a place I wanted to try for years and years, but rarely had access to living downtown Toronto: Muskoka Grill. Since I was driving past Burlington where there are two locations, I decided to stop in and finally check them out. I had a hard time finding the place (this was before I had a cell phone, smart phone, or even GPS), but I finally found it.

I guess when I had seen Turtle Jack's online back then, I had an idea that it was like a Moose Winooski's - family friendly cottage themed restaurant. This was more like an upscale box-chain like Moxy's or Milestone's. It's nice inside, dark, but I don't get how this is a "Muskoka Grill."

Never got my waitress's name but she was friendly, attentive, and brought me drink refills without asking. It made up for the obnoxious group of girls at the table beside me. They seemed like they were high school age, but they were out on a Monday night?

The menu gave several options for preparing the wings, even before you choose your sauce:

• Roasters or Fryer wings - I went with Roasters, which are slightly bigger but less come in an order
• Dusted or Non-Dusted - I went with dusted because I like that extra crunch
• Sauced then Grilled - That extra grilling and caramelizing of the sauce can add flavour but it's not my choice usually
• Sauced then Baked - not many places do this - like the previous option, but I don't think as good
• Ranch or Blue Cheese Dip - you know I went with Blue Cheese!

It's actually very cool that a non-wing place actually does all these things. Suggests to me they take their wings seriously. The waitress also emphasized several times that the wings were organic as well, so that's cool. You can also get wings on their own or as a dinner. I was hungry and went for the dinner.

Notes on the size and texture:  

• wings were large and meaty
• meat was tender
• skin was crispy but also not crispy due to sauce

Notes on Sauce:

• Got their Signature NY Butter sauce but got the hotter kind
• tastes like Jack Astors
• it's buttery with a heat flavour but no actual heat. Not like Buffalo sauce which is implied in the NY Butter name ...
• Very good sauce - went really well with the wings
• Wings were crispy but not because absorbed by the sauce. It was a nice texture despite this and the flavour was really good!

Notes on dipping sauce:

• Blue cheese was creamy and crafted well - seems homemade
• Veggies were fresh
• Got a side of their Original BBQ sauce - dark, smokey, savoury sauce with some sweetness - would be good on it's own wings 

Notes on Fries:

• Fries were soft, but better soft than overcooked
• slightly seasoned, were pretty decent

My final comments about the wings were overall thumbs up! Good.  Enjoyed it. Would go back again but haven't since due to access and scheduling. Oh and I live on the other side of the province.

Turtle Jack's Muskoka Grill
1900 Appleby Line, Burlington ON (and other locations)
tutlejacks.com

BAKER STREET STATION PUBLIC HOUSE 2015, Guelph ON - LOST REVIEW

It's time for another #tbt & #lostreview:

I'm almost finished going through 2015. This one goes back to late January 2015 and it's truly a lost review because at first I had no recollection of this trip and review. I vaguely remember going, but I don't remember the details, and I don't have notes at all.

I was in Guelph Ontario for a work conference. Actually the conference wasn't for me, I was just the work supervisor for some of my staff and staff from another department. We were at the University of Guelph in Guelph Ontario, and we had an evening off for dinner. I don't know Guelph very well, and I have no idea how we ended up at The Baker Street Public House.

The Baker Street Station Public House is in the vein of an English pub but a more modern menu. The crowd was mixed as you can see in the above photo. It's an old house and it's tight inside, but it has a lot of character.

Here's the crew I brought: Vanessa, Mary, Aaron, ??? (can't remember her name, this was the first time I met her!), James and Dan. They were a good bunch and were delightful for going away with.

They had wings and some very interesting flavours: Peri-Peri? Ghost Pepper & Winter Peach? Applejack? Miso & Sesame? What?! That is a tough list to choose from.

I have no recollection of these wings, at all. I'm sure I got Hot with a side of the Ghost Pepper & Winter Peach. Pretty sure. It came out on a wooden plank which looks cool, but you have little to no wiggle room for dropping. Also no bone bowl that I can see.

It came with veggie and dip. That dip looks like a blue cheese to me but not sure. 

The wings look big. They look dusted and meaty. They kind of look like they aren't crispy enough, but I don't know.

They definitely came saucy. They look messy and I really want to try them again!

This must be the Ghost Pepper & Winter Peach. What a fascinating combination. Too bad I don't remember the flavour or the spicy heat on this.

Did it go with the Hot sauce? Who knows.

These seem like they would have been good wings but I don't remember anything about this food. This is why I take notes.

Baker Street Station Public House
76 Baker Street, Guelph ON
bakerstreetstation.ca