JOEY's EATON CENTRE ~ Toronto ON

AUGUST 2012

August is a busy prep period for us at work leading into September. To do some planning and some team bonding, we went out for lunch. 

Not far from our office is Joey's (Eaton Centre location). I had never been but was very curious since they opened.

The place has a unique look to the place: a little chic, a little modern. I mean, the chandeliers are a unique statement.

The inside is huge, with a giant open front window. There's even an upstairs. And it was needed because the place was packed. Lots of office types. Our server (name forgotten) was very friendly and professional, going so far to make sure no one had any allergies (there were) and having what seem like a manager come out and confirm the dishes were safe for the allergies or had been substituted.

Here is the crew: me, Naeem, Sarah and Kat. We had a nice big booth at a big table.

On top is Naeem's Bombay Butter Chicken (good he said). In the middle is Sarah's Ahi Tuna Club. On bottom is Kat's Yam Fries and Caesar salad. My order of wings also arrived, and one thing really stood out for me:

A very dramatic presentation - the pyramid of wings. But I couldn't help but notice the stark and giant plate made my order look really puny, don't you think? They are small wings to begin with, but a pyramid should be majestic, not pygmie. 

There are no options when it comes to wings at Joey's. Only one size of order (about 12) and only one sauce: "Blazing."

OK, with the right camera angle, this pyramid presentation can look impressive. I do love the colour contrasts of the red, the white and the green.

The only other thing on the plate was a side of blue cheese dip. It was thicker than I prefer in both consistency and flavour, but at least there was blue cheese. But not veggies to dip, suggesting that the 'blazing' wings are really hot, right?

Size wise, I was really not impressed. Pigeon sized wings. Little meat, little everything. What makes me angry that these wings cost $12 - at about a dollar a wing I expect something more impressive.

That being said, these wings were cooked well. The skin was crispy and the meat was tender. They were what I consider perfectly sauced too. Now the sauce was a great Buffalo sauce - cayenne and butter - but not at all "Blazing". They are using that word as a marketing gimmick, not as a descriptor.

FINAL SCORE:
I'm torn. Almost perfectly cooked and sauced wings with a fun presentation, marred by minimum standards of size and inflated price. They are good, but if you care about value, the wings at Joey's aren't for you. But all the other food looked tasty, so if I do go back, I'll be sampling something else. 5/10

Joey's Eaton Centre Grill/Lounge
1 Dundas Street West, Toronto ON
joeyrestaurants.com/eaton-crentre