#tbt & #lostreview - GALLERIA SUPERMARKET York Mills 2014 TORONTO ON

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

It's 2014. It was April and a Friday. I lived in downtown Toronto, and Korean fried chicken was just starting to be a fad in the food world. I had tried a couple of places downtown but I had the best was up in York Mills. 

With access to a car (rental? Zipcar? don't remember) I headed up to Galleria Market Place. I had never really been to York Mills, but Galleria was pretty easy to find. That was the last east part of the trip.

Galleria is a small chain of Korean/Asian supermarket. It's big, clean, and very bright. I wandered around just checking the place out. I eventually found the hot food stand where a small army of workers were making all sorts of fresh Korean food. I was a bit lost as almost everything was in Korean, so I wasn't sure how or where to order KFC (Korean Fried Chicken).

Galleria had branded their poultry as Mom's Chicken. I did find an ad for the reason I was there: $8.99 for Mom's Chicken Wings (normally $9.98) on Fridays. That's what I wanted! And it was Friday! 

I eventually watched others order and I followed suit. I put my order in and just like I had been warned, it took a long time for my order to get made. 30 minutes at least was the standard wait time, It was crazy busy, even though it was mid afternoon and it seemed like everyone was getting chicken.

When my order was I grabbed a seat at the counter and took in my wings. There are a few flavoured options to choose from: Seasoned (dry spice), Mild, Spicy, or Half & Half (Half sauced have Seasoned). It comes in a rotisserie chicken style container. I went with Spicy.

It came with a side of pickled radish. If you haven't had it before, it's cubed up radish that is mostly sweet with a vinegary-tang. It's great cooling agent when eating spicy food.

If you aren't familiar with KFC (Korean not Kentucky), it's chicken that is breaded and double fried. When done right it's juicy inside with a major crunch on the outside. It's usually served either dry like regular fried chicken, or mixed in sauce. I went with Spicy clearly.

The wings were medium in length but were pretty meaty. As they are very breaded, the size of the wings was larger. They were also VERY crispy/crunchy.

The chicken itself was very tender. The bones just pulled off the meat with no effort.

The wings were saucy AF. I mean you need a ton of napkins to eat these there's so much sauce. Every inch was covered in the sticky, thick sauce.

Spicy is made with Gochujang Korean pepper paste, which is spicy, but this sauce has a lot of sweetness too. It's not that spicy in my opinion, and the sweetness was stronger than the heat. 

The sauce is so sticky, you are going to make a mess, guaranteed!

This was a food experience. An adventure to get there, get my food, and eat. The chicken was super crunchy, the wings coated in sticky-sweet-spicy sauce, and the meat was tender as can be. I would have liked it spicier, but this was such a good meal. Unfortunately I never got back there to have it again. Mom knows what she is doing!

Mom's Chicken @ Galleria Supermarket

865 York Mills Road, Toronto ON (and other locations)

galleriasm.com (find the menu HERE)

#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

JOE's WINGS + BURGERS Toronto ON 2014 - LOST REVIEW

- JOE'S is NOW CLOSED - RIP -

 It's Thursday so that means it's time for another #TBT & #lostreview

I'm continuing my giant cache of 2014 reviews that I never posted. This week I'm looking at Joe's Wings + Burgers, which unfortunately closed sometime between 2014 and 2015. What makes it double sad is that they opened up sometime in 2014, so this venture didn't last long.

I think Joe's first came to my attention when visiting the St Clair Ice Cream Factory Outlet, which is on the corner. It was also getting passed around on social media sites, so I decided to check it out. Also, it's Wings and Burgers, how could I not check it out? Other than it was a bit of a subway ride for me to get out there, I must have combined in a day I was already out and about with a day pass, because that's how I rolled back then.

The place was kinda empty except for what seemed like family. The place was modern and clean, with wood tables and benches, and grey painted walls with white to punch it up a bit. It's not big inside, but there was a decent amount of seating. At each table was your traditional fry condiments, and in chicken wing joint fashion, a roll of paper towel. 

Despite menus at the tables, I had to go up to the counter to order. The staff were really friendly and I felt really welcome there. The menu is small; it's basic burgers and wings, but it's good to focus and keep it simple. There were only a few wing flavours to choose from: plain, mild, medium, hot, teriyaki, and garlic Parmesan. I went with hot.

The prices were really really reasonable, so I got a burger with bacon ($4.59 for the burger and $0.75 for the bacon), and a small order of wings ($5.19 for 6). 

This is a direct quote about the burger: "woah, was it ever good!" It was a medium sized patty that they clearly formed themselves, because it fell apart in the middle like no processed burger ever could!

 

I got it with all the toppings minus relish. It was really fresh, it was on a big bun. For $5, it was a real steal. Such a good burger. I couldn't believe it. Oh and the bacon on the burger was really good!

I could see them bring out the wings from the fridge and then put them in to deep fry. I just got an order of 6 wings, and overall I was underwhelmed by the wings. When I saw them come out they looked really light in colour. Like really white?

It not only came with carrots and celery and dip (as wing should!), but they gave a ton of veggies! I had a choice of ranch or blue cheese, so of course I got blue cheese. But there was barely any sauce in the container.

The wings weren't bad, just nothing special. They weren't that big, but they were crispy.

They were sauced nicely, and the sauce reminded me of the sauce from Pho Hung, which I really dig. It's spicy and succulent, but this was a slightly less flavourful version. It wasn't spicy hot either, but it was good. And they were saucy!

Overall I had a good meal. I would totally have gone back if they were closer. I don't know why they went out of business, but it was a total shame. Great burger, ok wings. Thumbs up.

Joe's Wings + Burgers

2825 Danforth Ave, Toronto ON (Now Closed)

joeswingsburgers.com

CITY FRIED CHICKEN Toronto 2013 - LOST REVIEW

It's time for another #tbt & #lostreview

This is yet another review where I don't have notes to remember this trip. I actually thought this review was from 2016 because the following restaurant is on the Danforth and I went there several times in 2016 when I had a car. In fact, I was sure I did a better review of this place but my records say otherwise.

The way I remember finding out about City Fried Chicken & Pizza was that there is a 7-11 (or was, as of 2018 it closed. Can you believe a 7-11 closed?!?!) and I think the fried chicken part stood out. Well one day in the summer of 2013 I had a car (a rental or a Zip Car, but why I don't remember) and went up to check it out.

Two things stood out for me when I went in: 1) I got a lot of stares. Every time I've gone in the customers all stare at me like, who is this guy. I'm also the only white person I've ever seen in there, so maybe that's why. 2) This place serves Halal chicken, and has lots of religious plaques and flyers up as well. I'm not a fan of any place toting it's religious affiliation but so many restaurants do this.

Inside the place is marked by a yellow and black colour scheme. It has one big long take-out counter with various hot foods in heating trays, or fried chicken under heat lamps. There are several tables along the wall and some window counter seating at the front. The staff were friendly and seem to know most of the customers coming in.

There's a lot on the menu. There's pizza, burgers, fried chicken, cheese steaks, fish, bagels, fries, onion rings, salads and on and on. The fried chicken looked like it was really crispy and a nice coating, so I was looking forward to the wings. The prices were really good. I remembering about asking for flavours and I think it was BBQ, Honey Garlic and Hot but they were not listed anywhere. I think they might have even offered ketchup too, but that would be a #wingcrime I'm pretty sure.

When my order was ready I popped back in the car and drove till I found a little park. I grabbed a picnic table. Packed tightly in a brown paper bag was the Styrofoam clam-shell, with the wings resting on a sheet of food paper. There were a few paper napkins also in the bag. No dip, no veggies, just wings.

What a beautiful summer evening to have a wing picnic!!! And the wings looked good!

I got a 9 piece wing (I'm assuming - the bill said $8.01 which included a $0.15 fee for using Interac), and that photo looks to be about 9 wings.

The wings seem like they were ok in size - not big but not tiny either. There was a nice, fine crispy breading on them, which make for a light crunch. This was crispy good fried chicken!

I'm pretty sure they only had the three flavours of sauce, BBQ, Honey Garlic, and Hot. To my surprise the Hot was 3rd Degree!

That 3rd Degree is unmistakable with its viscous-like texture.

They weren't big, but these were some tasty wings. I love that little piece hanging off on the above pic - that's good eats!

To see if City Fried Chicken & Pizza is still around, it is, but according to their website, it's just City Fried Chicken now. The menu doesn't seem to list pizza anymore. Probably for the best as they seem to do chicken really well. After this visit I did go back several times as I could get some good late-night take-out wings. Good times!

City Fried Chicken
990 Danforth Ave, Toronto ON
cityfriedchicken.ca