LORD of the WINGS BLOG TURNS 15 TODAY!!! 2005-2020 & BEYOND!!!

On May 28th 2005, I did one thing that changed my life forever. I started The Lord of the Wings blog. Today marks 15 years of reviews, recipe, and news about all things wings.

Can you imagine I've been blogging about chicken wings for 15 years? Who talks about chicken wings for 15 years?!?! Well, I do.

It seems like just yesterday I was celebrating 10 years of blogging, with my retrospective on the blog back in 2015. Check out some of the major milestones this blog has done over the years. I mean I've eaten and judged at competitions, I went on a Great Wing Tour and visited the Mecca of chicken wings. I've been interviewed by various media and I was even on TV!

The last 5 years has been full of change in my personal life which affected the blog a lot. I was changing jobs and moving a few times. I lost some dear people in my life. I got married, moved again, and bought a house and moved again. Changed jobs a few more times too. At the start, the blog suffered, but with some effort and renewed enthusiasm, the last few years I've been doing more content and reviews than ever before.

When I started back in 2005, I had been trying to do a website for so long but just didn't have the skills. Blogger came along and was a great tool that I continue to use today. I wanted a place to record my quest for the best wing out there. I set out with a simple scoring method, a digital camera, and a hunger for wings. The reviews still maintain the same rough outline, but some things look a lot better:

Since then I've branched out into Twitter (@lordofthewings) and Instagram (@lotw_wingking) and that also has changed so much of what I do and post. At one point I was even doing Youtube videos as WKTV (Wing King TV) but was not able to keep up with making videos. But I've missed doing the videos for so long. And now, I'm pleased to announce that 2020 will be the return of WKTV!!!

I was hoping to have the first episode of Season 3 up and ready for today, but that's not the case. I'm hoping to keep doing wing-related recipes, but also plan on doing wing reviews, sauce reviews, and anything else food related on the channel. I still have a lot of tweeking left to do, but it's on it's way.

Finally I wanted to say thank you to everyone who supports me and my wing endevours. My wife, my family, my friends, and everyone of you that reads the blog, likes a photo, makes a recipe, or leaves a comment. Thanks for 15 years of making my quest so much more fun.

So here's to 15 years - hope to see you in another 15 years!!! Have a wing for me, I'm going to go take down a few myself today.


Wing Long & Prosper
#lotw15years

Wing King
Lord of the Wings
JB

10 Year anniversary dinner

Last night was a celebration night of 10 Years of Lord of the Wings, and a few friends came out to celebrate with me.

Desiree, Priya, Sally and Nathan joined me at Duff's, one of my favourite places for wings in Toronto.

Their dill dip with celery - creamy, dilly, delicious.

Crispy naked wings with sauces on the side: medium, honey garlic, spicy honey garlic, bbq, spicy bbq and some super hot. Also some crispy fries. I was very happy.

Artistic re-rendering of a blurry wing photo.

Such great friends, I was going to treat them, but they treated me!  Thanks everyone!

#LOTW10years

LORD of the WINGS Blog: 10 Years TODAY!!!

I still can't believe it's been 10 years.



Back in the early 2000's I was living in Toronto, and had been trying to develop a website about my chicken wing adventures, but I was technologically challenged. Along came Blogger, and I decided a wing blog was the way to go.

  In the beginning there were some bumps and stumbles, and it would be several posts before I got into a rhythm of how I wanted to post information. 10 years later and the blog has come so far.

I set out to find the best wings out there, but I found so much more along the journey. Good food, good friends, and good times.

My adventures have included:

• Judging
• Interviews
• Road Trips
• Eating Challenges
• Review
• Recipes
• News
• Consultations
• Social Media (Twitter, WKTV on Youtube)

Who knew that all of this could come from eating wings?


I decided to put together a quick time line and a LOTW by the numbers infographic. Enjoy:

It's been a long road getting from there to here. Thanks to all my friends, family and followers for reading and being a part of my wing experiences. If this is what the last 10 years has brought about, I can't wait to see what the next 10 years bring.

Keep checking the blog for more #LOTW10years retrospectives, info and posts.

Now I'm off to have some wings.

Wing Long & Prosper
Wing King

BELATED BLOGIVERSARY #7 - Best & Worst of 2012

The end of the world never came (it never was going to anyway) - but I ate wings like it was going to. 2012 was bitter sweet for me. Lots of great memories, lots of great wings. The downside was the neglect of the Blog. Life got busy, my job got bigger, and it became a lot harder to write the blog.

So many delays and it really bothered me that a big part of me was put off. Even this list is a month over due. But things are coming back to normal. My passion for wings and writing is just as strong as ever, and I may never get to cover everything I want to, but I will write on.  2012 brought lots of new wings, and so will 2012.

Let's get to the best and worst of 2012. A reminder, these rankings are for 2012 and 2012 alone. Best Wings Toronto 2012 are just the ones I reviewed in 2012, and not comparing them to previous years. Got it? Good.

BEST TORONTO WINGS
BEST OTTAWA WINGS

BEST ONTARIO WINGS

BEST WINGS USA

WORST WINGS

BEST NON WING PLACE
HIGHLIGHTS

 GOALS

BEST WINGS TORONTO REVIEWED in 2012

#1 "Lou Dawg's @ Ryerson " Crispy, and smoked with good Q!

#2 "Jersey Giants"

#3 "King West Wings"

#4 "Kimchi Korea House"

#5 "Sneaky Dees"

BEST WINGS OTTAWA REVIEWED in 2012

#1 "FarmTeam Cookhouse"   Big & saucy wings :)

#2 "Sushi 168"

#3 "Millstreet Brewpub"

BEST WINGS ONTARIO REVIEWED in 2012

#1 "Moose Winooski's ~ Brantford" Giants, tender, crispy, saucesome!

#2 "10 Buck Pizza ~ Tillsonburg"

#3 "Wingporium ~ Etobicoke"

BEST WINGS USA REVIEWED in 2012

#1 "Fatburger ~ Las Vegas NV" OK wings, but  best of the lot.

#2 "Dinosaur BBQ ~ Syracuse NY"

#3 "Applebees ~ Watertown NY"

WORST WINGS REVIEWED in 2012

"Domino's Pizza" Almost gelatinous wings. No thank you. No thank you.

BEST NON-WINGS REVIEWED in 2012

#1"I Went to Philly ~ Cheese Steak" Steaky, cheesy glory!

#2 "Fuzz Box ~ Nova Scotian Donair"

#3 "Patty Shack ~ Burger"

BEST EVENT in 2012

#1 "Boston Pizza Secret Wing Tasting"

#2 "London Ribfest"

#3 "Battle of the Wings"

GOALS for 2013

• Catch up on reviews
• Get Reviews out faster
• More recipes, more tweeting, more interacting with the Wing Nation

I'm looking forward to 2013 and making this a wingtacular new year!

Wing Long and Prosper

Wing King

Lord of the Wings

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Best & Worst of 2006

Best & Worst of 2007

Best & Worst of 2008

Best & Worst of 2009

Best & Worst of 2010

Best & Worst of 2011

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BLOGIVERSARY YEAR 6: The BEST & WORST of 2011

Looking back, 2011 was a blur. Life outside the Wing Nation was very busy and while it was a good year, I was not happy with how much the blog was neglected. Very few wing reviews, no wing recipes, WKTV didn't get an episode and the list goes on. Actually there are recipes and such, but they still haven't been posted. There's a backlog on everything!

But there were some exciting wing moments too. I only hope 2012 will be the year we get back on track. With a new look and the enthusiasm to eat more wings, things can only get better!

BEST TORONTO WINGS
BEST OTTAWA WINGS

BEST ONTARIO WINGS

BEST INTERNATIONAL WINGS

WORST WINGS

BEST NON WING PLACE
BEST WING RELATED BUT NON-WING RECIPE by WK
HIGHLIGHTS

 GOALS

BEST WINGS TORONTO REVIEWED IN 2011

#1 The Tara Inn - "Jumbo crispy wings in tasty sauces" - exactly.

#2 The Bishop & The Belcher - "Big, crispy wings" and the sauce, while light, was good.

#3 Puck'n Wings - "They were a good size, meaty, crispy and had sauce to spare" - loved the dill wings.

#4 Hoops - "Good size, crispy, saucy wings" - notice a theme in these places? Love the wing specials.

#5 Mullin's - "Simple wings done right. Big, crispy, tasty."

BEST WINGS OTTAWA REVIEWED IN 2011

#1  Jean Albert's - "Wings are crispy, flavourful and fresh" - good even before you put on sauce.

#2   MVP Lounge -  Big, breaded crispy wings with good sauces.                                         

#3 Atomic Rooster - Big and crispy, but simple. Great service.
#4 Crazy Horse - Technically Kanata, the wings were tender, crispy and the homemade sauces were good.
#5 Tadavalkars -    "Decent size, good flavours"

BEST WINGS ONTARIO REVIEWED IN 2011

#1 -The Bull & Boar Smokehouse Grill - Smoked, then deep fried, then sauced. It was good, except cold.

BEST WINGS REVIEWED INTERNATIONAL IN 2011

#1 The Wing Wagon - I've been twice now and love these traditional Buffalo wings. Jumbo, crispy, saucy. 

WORST WINGS REVIEWED IN 2011

#1 Planet Pizza, Toronto ON - Lied about the style (say they are BBQ but they are not), small, not crispy. Just sad. I write the worst not to be mean, but to show others and for the business to possibly learn from this wing mistake.

BEST NON-WING REVIEWED IN 2011

#1  Jack Astor's  Buffalo Sauced Up Chicken Fingers - Crispy, saucy, spicy, savoury - add garlic pan bread and Cherry Coke and no wonder they got first place.

#2 Smokehouse Blues Pig Wings -  When you take a pork shank, smoke it, then deep fry and toss in sauce, you then have a piece of pork that tastes like chicken wings. And we can always have more things taste like wings.
#3 Ombrella Pizza Cones -  Pizza, in a cone? Awesome.

BEST WING RELATED BUT NON-WING RECIPE by WING KING 2011

#1 Late Night Wing Bites - so simple, so tasty. 

HIGHLIGHTS OF 2011

Lots of exciting events took place this year that kept me busy and full. I,

Was interviewed by CKCU Radio

Was a panel member of a Podcast

Was a Judge at London's Wingfest and Ribfest and Chestnut Residence Battle of the Wings

Was winner of my friends Backyard BBQ Rib Competition

Successfully completed the Rim Reaper Challenge @ McKibbins Irish Pub and went on the Wall of Pain. 

A few other facts and accoomplishments - readership of the blog increased quite a bit, especially due to all of the new people I've met on Twitter, in person and people linking to the blog. By far the biggest and most popular post was my coverage of Boston Pizza's new advertising guy, Wing Critic Carl - over 11 000 page hits because people want to know what a Gil Morgan is or who Leroy Bouchlette is. I want to add more World Wide Web Wacky Wing Wednesdays, but the fact that we have already reached 50 is awesome. We also added Wing P0rn as a regular update - this is where I add photos of wings at places I'm eating that I've already reviewed but don't need to rehash or wings I've made at home that don't need a recipe. 

GOALS FOR 2012

My wing goals for 2012 are simple. More posts, done in a timely manner. More social media (Twitter, Facebook, WKTV - I'm looking at you). I would like to get out and try wings outside my Toronto/Ottawa circle. I also want to hear more from you - and your wing adventure. 

I want to thank all my readers, those of you coming to my blog (Chris and Teena especially - always supportive and leaving comments), those that write in to me, and just anyone who's out there in the Wing Nation. I write my blog for me, but it's so cool to hear from fellow wing lovers out there.

Wing Long and Prosper,

The Wing King

Lord of the Wings

"Eating Wings Until the End of the World"

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Best & Worst of 2006

Best & Worst of 2007

Best & Worst of 2008

Best & Worst of 2009

Best & Worst of 2010

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BLOGIVERSARY YEAR 5: The BEST & WORST of 2010

I don't have an exact Blogiversary I follow - just usually the end of December begining of January where I review the previous year and all my wing experience. I like to highlight my favorite places I ate at, the products I reviewed, the recipes I tried, the events I went to. I want to point out what places did well and why. It is important to realize that when I say the best of 2010, it is the best of these review that I did in that year, not total. Got it?

2010. What can I say, a good food year for Wing King, but not such a great wing year. I didn't get very many reviews in of anything; Wing snacks or sauces or even restaurants for that matter. And the one's that I did were mostly meh. Because of this I don't have as many categories as in past years. It was a busy year over all - with various commitments, getting a new job, moving cities etc. I have a feeling 2011 is going to be different.

BEST OTTAWA WINGS
BEST TORONTO WINGS
BEST ONTARIO WINGS
WORST WINGS

BEST NON WING PLACE
BEST WING RECIPE by WING KING
BEST WING RECIPE not by WK
BEST NON-WING RECIPE by WK
BEST WING RELATED BUT NON-WING RECIPE by WK
BEST FEST
BEST EVENT

BEST WINGS OTTAWA REVIEWED IN 2010















#1 Mr Mozzarella - I was impressed for a pizza joint. Big and lots of flavours.
#2 Moon Dog Pub - Classic Buffalo.
#3 The Prescott - Big and crispy pieces of meat.
#4 Cheese Lover's Pizza & Greek -Another decent pizza joint wings.
#5 Wedges Plus - Crispy crispy wings.

BEST WINGS TORONTO REVIEWED IN 2010

#1 The Wing Company - Stepping up the take-out wing business with  good sized tasty wings.

#2 The Big Slice - Bigger, breaded, saucy.

#3 Johnny Rockets -Plump and crispy.

#4 Wing Shop 366 - Unique homemade sauces.

#5 Chick'n Deli -Standard pub wings.

BEST WINGS ONTARIO REVIEWED IN 2010















#1 Muir's, Burford ON ~ Wow. Probably the best wings I had all year.
#2 Cheshire Cat Pub, Kanata/Carp ON ~ Buffalo wing heaven.
#3 Bojangles Sports Bar & Grill Cornwall ON ~ Crispy large wings.

WORST WINGS REVIEWED IN 2010

#1 Tucson's Ottawa ON ~ I just felt lied to. The wings did not seem fresh and the sauces could be so much better. 

#2 3 Brewers Toronto ON ~    Meh. MEH! 

#3 Iwing Toronto ON ~ Smallest wings of 2010. Of possibly the decade.  Lots of room for improvement.

HONOURABLE WING MENTION 2010

Not open to the public and thus I didn't SCORE them. They are always good. Meaty wings, and different styles depending on the rotation, these wings are aces over most restaurants.

BEST NON-WING PLACES REVIEWED IN 2010

#1 New Ho King, Toronto ON ~  My favourite for awesome Shanghai Noodles & General Tao chicken.

#2 Hintonburger, Ottawa ON ~ Great fresh burgers from a cool local burger shack.

#3 The Piggy Market, Ottawa ON ~ Awesome little Butchery/Breads/Ice Cream place. Mouth watering lunch time sandwich for sure!

FAVOURITE WING KING RECIPE OF 2010

#1 Skillet Wings  ~ I didn't do enough recipes, but I really like using a cast iron skillet to fry then bake wings.

BEST NON-WK RECIPE OF 2010

#1 DivaQ Sweet & Sassy Chicken Lollipops ~ She made these on the Today Show!

BEST WING-RELATED WK RECIPE OF 2010

#1 Hot Wing Chicken Burger  ~  This  had all the great flavours of hot wings: sauce,

chicken, blue cheese - soo good.

BEST FEST 2010

#1 London Ribfest / Backyard Ribfest BBQ  ~ Once again, it was awesome to be a judge, at the official London Ribfest! And this year our Backyard Ribfest was also cool. I love that long weekend.

BEST EVENT 2010

#1 Chestnut'S Battle of the Wings  ~ 4 Chef's battling it out for my Wing love? How could this not rock?

#2 Wing Eating Contest @ PJ Quigleys ~   Coming  back again and being a judge was stellar. 

#3 Boston Pizza Tweet Meetup ~ Great meeting up with the Ottawa Foodie community was

 great and menu sampling was a bonus.

We've come a long way here at Lord of the Wings. 5 years of writing about chicken wings. People don't believe me that you can have a blog dedicated to wings. But I never have nothing to report regarding chicken wings - often I have too much and no time to report it all. I started this blog for me to keep track of where to go for wings, but its become so much more. Of course, I've eaten a lot of good food. But I've learned a lot about food along the way. Most importantly, I've met a lot of great people who cook, who eat, who like talking about food. I want to say thank you to all of you who read, who write, and who put up with my sickness . . . and will continue to for another 5 years. 

Thanks.

The Wing King/Lord of the Wings

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Best & Worst of 2006

Best & Worst of 2007

Best & Worst of 2008

Best & Worst of 2009

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