WWWWWW #52 Nicki Minaj's Chicken Wing Necklace

Yes, World Wide Web Wacky Wing Wednesday. WWWWWW. This is where I will surf the Web, and find other people talking about chicken wings. The world is full of chicken wing stories, wacky and otherwise. Recipes, restaurant reviews, eating contests or whatever. Today's Blog relating to wings in some shape or form:

Niki Minaj's Pink Chicken Wing Necklace

I had no idea who Niki Minaj was. Looking for something on the WWW for today, I randomly searched 'chicken wing necklace' and overwhelmingly the results were Niki Minaj Pink Chicken Wing Necklace. I'm not up on music or pop culture, so I had to go to wikipedia to figure out who she was - and I still don't recognize her, but again, I'm not hip to today's music.

The point is she was wearing a chicken wing necklace, and I think that is awesome. It's pink, because that is Minaj's thing, but it looks pretty real. It retails for $100 on the onchmovement's website:

"Get it while it's hot! 

PINK FRIED CHICKEN!!!

Deep fried and extra crispy, the Pink Fried Chicken Wing is bold statement for any fashionista. Each chicken wing is hand battered so no two pieces are the same. Made from 100% animal free material!

This juicy wing measures approximately 4.5" tip to tip and hangs from a 17" heavy duty gold tone link chain with an extra 5" inch adjustable sizing chain."

I thought the onch movement was some sort of charity, but they are just a fashion movement.

Pink Chicken Wing necklaces. Crazy, but kinda cool. I don't wear jewelry, but maybe my sweetheart will be getting something special for Christmas . . .*

*I will not actually be getting her this. She encourages my wing obsession, but that encouragement only goes so far.

Jack Astor's Buffalo Sauced Up Chicken Fingers ~ Toronto ON

Last week I was attending a "Business Meeting" (like a mini-conference) at Humber College for one of the associations I belong to for my work. It's a great chance to meet up with my colleagues from around the province and compare war stories and discuss the future of our work. After a social was organized at Jack Astor's and I couldn't turn down the chance to eat and socialize.

Jack Astor's is a chain across Ontario (and elsewhere) that went from crazy-wacky family restaurant to  more casual-chic. This was actually one of the earliest wing reviewed joints I did back in 2006. I liked the wings, but I was looking for a Buffalo-style wing more so then. You can always identify them by their sign where the 'tor' flashes on and off, as if broken, which makes the sign look like 'Jack As s'. Get it? Huh? Huh?

The location I was in on this visit had our large group sitting in a kind of plain open space. But the main part of the restaurant looks nice. The above is a screen capture of their website which has a stylized and interactive version of their restaurant. If you look at my picture below, it really is very similar (look at the chandelier).

It's not the best photo, but you get the idea.

It's also Movember, and they have this cool coaster going on. Not only that, but the mustache actually pops out of the coaster for you to use! Not only that, you'll notice that there is a number on my coaster. That's because they gave everyone a number so that they could do separate bills for us all. This is awesome because usually when you have a big group, you pay as a group, then some people don't put in enough for tax and tip, and others have to put in more, and I just hate it. So this was awesome. Not shown is the cherry Coke that went on the coaster. You heard that right, cherry Coke.

Our Humber hosts got appetizers for us all. Our table had a plate of Roasted Garlic Bruschetta ($8.97). I don't care for bruschetta, but this one looked good. I didn't try, and they didn't last very long either.

They also got us a plate of Jack's Ultimate Nachos ($13.44). This platter was emptied in minutes (we were really hungry) but it was pretty good. What really stuck out for me was the Layered melted cheese (yes, not just cheese on the top layer) and chopped up jalapeno that actually had some kick.

Most of those sitting near me had the chicken fingers. My boss Sarah went for the Shanghai Lettuce Wraps ($9.97). This was a cool dish of sliced chicken, veggies and deep fried noodles tossed in a "sweet chili-hoisin sauce" that you spoon into a lettuce leaf cup. She said it was ok, but low on chicken.

With my dinner, I added Jack's Garlic Pan Bread ($5.98 regular, $7.93 with cheese, $2.96 to add to an entree, and $4.34 with cheese added to an entree). This is a loaf of bread, covered in cheese, and soaking in melted garlic butter dip. It is soft, delicious and heavenly. There is a slight yeasty taste, but otherwise this is a dangerous indulgence.

My dinner: The Sauced Up Chicken Fingers ($12.96). "Fresh chicken tenders, marinated, seasoned and breaded in-house to order . . . tossed in your choice of Buffalo Wing Sauce (mild, medium, or hot) or zesty chili honey sauce."  You can get it with fries, soup or house salad, or upgrade to sweet potato fries for $1.79.

The fries are just slightly crisp, mostly limp, but seasoned well. They were pretty greasy, but I don't mind them.

I'm a little embarrassed but I don't remember if this was a blue cheese dip or a ranch dip. It was thick and creamy and was excellent for dipping fries or chicken into. You can't really make it out, but the swizzle stick actually has a donkey on it (a Jack ASS if you will).

I really love these chicken fingers. They are fresh not frozen, then breaded and deep fried. Toss that in hot sauce and you have some awesome 'boneless wings.' They are not uniform in appearance and about 4 pieces come in an order.

I went with the hot sauce. This sauce actually has a kick. Hot is hot, and my mouth has a nice sting that attacks the tongue and lips, but also has a lot of flavour from the cayenne hot sauce and butter. It's very buttery sauce.

The chicken is crispy from the breading, but the meat (breast meat) is tender. Even after being tossed in sauce and being saucy, the chicken maintains its crispy structural integrity.

This is the only place I will pick chicken fingers over actual chicken wings. I'm sure the wings are good, but this dish is just too good. With the pan bread, this is a killer dish. Spicy, saucy, crunchy - how can you go wrong? With a cherry Coke on the side, I am super content and barely miss the bones.

Jack Astor's

25 Carlson Court (Toronto Airport Hwy27 & Dixon), Toronto ON

jackastors.com

EAST SIDE MARIOS ~ Ottawa ON

Across Ontario (and beyond) is a chain of Italian-American casual restaraunts. East Side Marios. If you don't like chains, you probably don't like East Side Mario's (ESM). I, however, do like them. I always leave full, with leftovers, and satisfied.

It's not always perfect, but most times it's all good. I have two go to dishes: sausage pepper penne (in ariabata sauce) and Hell's Kitchen (spicy breaded chicken) - both are spicy and I either get a good piece of chicken, or some good sausages. And the meals come with hot loafs of bread and a tasty house salad I like. The place is kind of like Olive Garden, but IMHO spicier and more fun.

LJ went to our usual location at the St Laurent Mall in Ottawa, but it was super packed, so we went to the Gloucester location. Inside any ESM the walls are covered in fake New York City memorabilia, and no EMS is without a person-sized Statue of Liberty. We were sitting in the bar section which was full of flat screens, tall tables, and people watching some sports event.

Normally we don't sit in the bar, and I've already told you what I normally order, but this night was different. We were there for 1/2 price appetizers. Every night after 9pm (depending on the location) is 1/2 price appetizers. Different items are 1/2 price at different locations. Also, you have to sit in the bar for the deal to work.

We ordered Budda Boomers ($5.95). At this location these were not on 1/2 price. At other locations they are. Budda Boomers are deep fried pizza dough tossed in "herbs and garlic, sprinkled with Parmesan Romano." It normally comes with tomato dipping sauce, but we always ask for their garlic aioli. They are slightly crispy, light and very addictive.

We also has an order of Calamari Fritti ($9.99 regular price). These calamari rings were not like any we have had at ESM before. Normally they are tender rings in a panko-like breading that is fluffy and crispy. These were tough and rubbery and the coating was like a bad onion ring. I would swear they came from a plastic bag. This time they weren't that enjoyable.

At least there were wings in our order.

The wings come in orders of 7 wings. Considering they aren't big wings and the cost is $10.99, that's almost $2 a wing! That is a terrible deal, especially for an appetizer. But for $5, that is a better deal.

The wings are all breaded, but depending on your flavour choice, they might be dry or they might be well tossed in sauce. We ordered one plate Hot, and the other garlic Parmesan. They also come with veggies (carrots and celery) and the garParm came with Caesar dressing dip, but hot came with sour cream (oh Ottawa).

The wings were pretty small length wise, but were meaty meaty wings. The breading wasn't too thick, but the saucy nature of the Hot wings made the skin mushy. The garPar stayed crispy.

HOT

I really liked these, and normally I wouldn't. Because while there were spicy (I mean in a cayenne pepper sauce way, not heat) but they were also sweet. Like a spicy red sauce from a North American Chinese restaurant.

LJ wasn't a huge fan, she felt they were heat wise spicy, and too sweet. I had no problem finishing them off for her. I don't think everyone would like these wings, but I did.

Garlic Parmesan

This was a great concept wing. Crispy deep fried wings that are tossed in a bit of garlic infused oil, tossed in spices and Parmesan cheese.

This is a much more savoury wing with lots of things going on - texture from the crispy skin and breading, the oil and the cheese just add something different, the garlic and seasoning. If you dip this in the Caesar dressing, it's almost too much.

THE SCORE: This isn't really a wing place, but I like the wings at East Side Marios. I like the contrasting flavours of Hot and garPar really compliment each other with the sweet heat and the savoury garlic spices. I like it. They aren't very big, but they are meaty. The other sides this night were hit (Budda Boomers) and miss (calamari). But at least most of the meal was 1/2 price. I would never buy these wings at full price, but for 1/2 price, they aren't bad. 5/10

East Side Mario's

1820 Ogilvie Road, Ottawa (Gloucester) ON (and other locations)

eastsidemarios.com

THE BULL & BOAR SMOKEHOUSE GRILL ~ Belleville ON

RIP - THE BULL & BOAR is NOW CLOSED

I'm still catching up from the begining of November when I was in Ottawa. Well this particular story was when I went to Ottawa and then went to Belleville for the day. For lunch I went to one BBQ joint, and then once LJ was done work, we went to another.

If you told me Belleville had one BBQ joint, I'd be surprised. But to have TWO BBQ joints in town is down right amazing in a country that is just starting to embrace this culinary technique. Well I was told about it, which was by an excellent review by the Oshawa Ogre. Although I hadn't read the review in a while, it seemed like a good spot to stop for food.

The Bull and Boar is much more like a family/causual restaurant with lots of booths and table seating. It was kind of dark inside, and for a Thursday it seemed a bit quiet. Our server was Kristopher, who was friendly and informative about any questions I had about the BBQ or the wings.

LJ didn't have lunch, so both of us were really hungry. We decided to to a big sampling feast:

We started off with the Iron Skillet Sour Dough, which is "a sour dough loaf dripping in chipotle garlic butter with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese" ($6.99) with cheese (+$0.99). We both love sour dough loafs, but the presentation of this one is quite different than I had seen before. Usually they are a whole loaf that you tear apart (and after going back to Oshawa Ogre's review, seems to have changed) but is now slices with the cheese melted over. The melted butter, cheese and soft bread just make this wonderful.

Going to a BBQ joint means I want to do a lot of sampling. We shared "The Trough" ($18.99): "Belly up; everything including the kitchen sink is here in true Southern BBQ Style. It's loaded with all you favourite including ribs, brisket, pulled pork, BBQ chicken and sausage. We're not finished yet, it also comes with beans, slaw, fries and cornbread."

What a combo!

1. The bun. Generic. I would like it to be more fresh.
2. The Sausage. Kristopher informed me it was a pork/beef mix. The skin was crispy, the meat was tasty - this was probably my favourite part of the trough. 
3. Brisket. Sliced thin. It was a bit cold. Was better dipped in BBQ sauce.
4. BBQ chicken. Liked the skin where most of the taste lie. The chicken was a bit tough. 
5. Ribs. had a bit of pull (which is good). There was a mild pork/smoke taste. Not bad, but not great.
6. Smokin' Bull BBQ Sauce. Darker, smokeir sauce - not that sweet. Great for dipping the que into.
   
   

7. Coleslaw. It left no impressions on me.
8.  Pulled Pork: Tender, but no flavour. BBQ sauce was a must.

9. Beans. They came out in this awesome little cast iron-like pot. But the beans really turned me off. I was expecting a rich, thick, savoury bean. Instead they tasted like it was beans mixed with salsa. Maybe this is more my hang up because I expected something else, but I just didn't care for them.

Not shown are the french fries. Crispy, fluffy inside, seasoned well. Good fries.

Oh, our sampling didn't end there. We also had the Fiesta Platter ($18.99).  "Stuffed Jalapenos, Pig Skins, Deep Fried Pickles, Wings and a mound of Nachos with cheese, Pico, peppers, onions, jalapenos and baked beans."

i)   Deep Fried Pickles. Generic, but good.
ii)  Pig Skins. Standard potato skins with pulled pork and bbq sauce. I love potato skins, and if this was warm, it would have been great.

iii) Stuffed Jalapeno. Bacon wrapped jalapenos. They were cold. But it was still good. But would have                         been much better hot.
iv) Baked Beans. More salsa-like beans.

v) Nachos. Slathered on high. Lots of cheese, lots of toppings. Not a fan of pico cooked right on it, but oh well. The jalapenos actually had a nice kick.

Of course, the Fiesta Platter had wings.

The Fiesta Platter clearly doesn't represent a regular order of wings. On the platter, there are 3. I asked Kristopher how they are cooked and he said smoked, then deep fried and sauced. This is the way to do BBQ'd wings.

The big dissapointment with these wings were that they were cold when they came out. They looked great though and were nice and saucy.

In length they were about a medium, but they were very meaty chickens. The skin was crispy, and the meat was tender. After biting into them I wanted more than 3.

Sauce wise I went with their Hot BBQ. This was their  BBQ sauce described above mixed with a hot sauce. This was a nice blend that was going to be palatable and tasty to anyone no matter their heat level.  I also got a side of suicide on the side ($0.99). This was very fresh and had a good bite. It was full of chopped peppers and very juicy. Not exactly my favourite style of suicide, but lots of flavour and had a good kick.

The SCORE: I felt the Bull and Boar was all over the place. Some things were good, others ho-hum. Nothing was terrible, but the fact that both platters were half hot, half cooled down food made the experience less enjoyable. The BBQ was decent, but little stood out - I liked the ribs and the sausage. The wings were cold, and that was sad. At the same time, they were really good.  Kristopher was a good server, but I should have mentioned the temperature issues. Overall, I liked it there, and I would go back for the wings for sure. I just hope if I do, they are hotter. 6/10

The Bull & Boar Smokehouse Grill

13 Bell Blvd, Belleville ON

thebullandboar.ca

WWWWWW #51 - Mahalo Tristan Blash

Yes, World Wide Web Wacky Wing Wednesday. WWWWWW. This is where I will surf the Web, and find other people talking about chicken wings. The world is full of chicken wing stories, wacky and otherwise. Recipes, restaurant reviews, eating contests or whatever. Today's Blog relating to wings in some shape or form:

Mahalo: Learn Anything

This week we are looking at Mahalo, a website to, well, learn how to do stuff. More importantly, we are looking at Tristan Blash:

Tirstan is one of Mahalo's cooking experts:

"Tristan Blash is a chef and teacher at the San Diego branch of Hipcooks, a hands-on culinary school for adults. A graduate of Colorado University-Boulder, Blash has been a caterer and event planner in Scotland, New York City and Oregon. Blash left the food industry for a while to become a nutrition teacher, but she returned because she said she was "not able to keep her hands or brain off of food.""

She is also really into chicken wings. Go to the link on her name up above and you will see a ton of wing recipes that are simple to do. I started off excited, then came across some serious errors, which I will get to, but overall she is a great wing resource.

First off, she will totally teach you How to Brine Chicken Wings.

Want to bake chicken wings? Here's "How to Make the Best Baked Chicken Wings Ever"

Then I watched this video, and my Spidey-sense started tingling. "How to Make Classic Buffalo Hot Sauce for Chicken Wings." OK the sauce is pretty close - the addition of pepper and garlic powder is forgivable.

But then I saw "How to Make Restaurant Style Buffalo Chicken Wings" and I was like no. These look like well made 'Hot Wings', but Buffalo wings are NEVER tossed in flour with a load of ingredients. Deep fry right, sauce is soo close, but the chicken is never dusted or breaded.

And if you aren't using all your chicken, Tristan teaches you "How to Store Leftover Chicken Wings."

So check out Tristan's videos (there's lots). I can forgive her for the "Buffalo Wing' snafu for her simple but effective videos. While the videos are almost (almost) unintentionally funny (like how some internet cooks are sad to watch like those on infomercials who aren't quite comfortable) but she isn't so pretentious like tv chef's who ooh and ahh about their own dishes. She's down to Earth, clear and she seems to like wings. That's a good combo to me.