HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2020!

 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We may not get to celebrate they way we used but I hope you and your family are safe, healthy, and well fed.

Thanks to everyone who helps keep us safe, healthy, and well fed to.

LOTW Meme Monday = I Could Be A Drug Addict ...

 

Right? Preach.

#nonwingsunday = Cheeto Cheeseburger

 

#nonwingsunday = Cheeto Cheeseburger

Yes I did do that. No I'm not proud of myself, but I've had so many burgers at home during the COVID times I needed a change. Mayo, hot sauce, processed cheese slice & Cheetos on a grilled burger.

Don't judge me. #chestercheetah wouldn't. pic.twitter.com/WtZy8XYwOx

— LORD of the WINGS (@LordoftheWings) September 28, 2020

FARM REPORT #12 Still No Sauce, But Still More Peppers

 

LOTW Meme Monday = $0.10 Wing Nights? Sure Grandma ...

 

Do remember that? Do you remember wing nights at all?!?!?

#nonwingsunday = Beef Ho-Fun, Manchurian Fried Rice, General Tao Chicken From Fine Taste

 

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#nonwingsunday =Ho Fun with Beef, Manchurian Fried Rice, & General Tao Chicken from Fine Taste Hakka Chinese Wish I could get Chinese take-out like this in Ottawa. Only made better with some Wing's Hot Sauce. #lordofthewingsblog #lordofthewings #hakkafood #chinesefood #manchurianfriedrice #hofun #beefhofun #generaltao #finetaste #finetastewhitby #whitbyeats #whitbyontario

A post shared by LORD of the WINGS (@lotw_wingking) on Sep 20, 2020 at 6:27pm PDT

PC CRISP & CRUNCHY SPICY SOUTHERN-STYLE CHICKEN WINGS - Quarantine Frozen Wing Review

The grocery store had PC wings on sale a few months back, so I grabbed a box that had the words crunchy and spicy and thought that was the way to go.

As it turns out, I already did a review of these wings back in 2008! Things that were immediately noticeable in change was the box art, that they used to be 1kg, and that they now come with a dipping sauce. The price is still in the same target though!

Is this the longest name for a product? "Crips & Crunchy Spicy Southern-Style Chicken Wings". Not having remembered doing a review in 2008, I came at these relatively fresh in perspective. 

The ingredients on the box actually weren't bad. The chicken was seasoned, the coating was in wheat flour but not a crazy amount.  Could be worse?

I opened the plastic bag the wings came in, and they looked pretty big. Sightly frost bit, but that's on me I'm pretty sure.

Also in the box was Garlic Dip ... this is not like the usual dips (ranchy, blue cheese) so maybe this one would be worth while. Into warm water it went to thaw.

I dumped the bag out and there were 21 wings in total. The box guarantees 16, so 21 seemed like a bonus. 

I decided to toss these on the old bbq grill. I used a BBQ mat which I find helps crisp up chicken wings, or in this case, keep them crisp. 

I had the right grill on high and the middle grill on low to cook relatively indirectly. They cooked for about 10-15 minutes on one side till I flipped them over. You can see them getting golden brown and crispy here. You can also see some bacon wrapped jalapenos that I was also cooking. 

I walked away from the wings, and something bad happened. See I had the bacon wrapped jalapenos cooking on the bbq mat as well, and, well, the bacon grease pooled on the mat. Then it over flowed, and drip down into the flames. It caught fire, and woosh! We had a huge rager, which meant charred bacon, and collateral damage - badly charred wings. Woops. The wings were salvageable. The bacon, not as much.

I took the wings off and some were way to black. I still tried scraping them, but those wings were going to be burnt and bitter. Bollox.

Here was the final product: Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos with almost no bacon, and over cooked frozen breaded chicken wings. 

I mean, most were still edible. They were just a lot tougher and hard crunchy rather than lightly crunchy. That's all on me and not PC.

There's a pretty shot of them with some of the lighter ones and the Garlic dip.

The platter of the best jalapenos and wings for my wife and me. Doesn't look to shabby eh?

The size of the wings were not huge, but not tiny either. They were also pretty meaty, but there was also a fairly thick breading.  The coating was very crunchy. The meat wasn't too tender either. Again, my bad on cooking. 

I mean, they weren't pretty looking, that's for sure. Again, that's mostly on me and my grilling negligence. They didn't have much flavour to them - maybe I burnt it off? There was a bit of smoke flavour from me cooking them on the grill, but that's it.  The name says spicy but there was no spice. Even with my mistakes, I wouldn't eat these naked. They are a great vessel for saucing or dipping. 

I was hesitant to try the dip, because PC may make some decent wings, but dips are just not that good. I wish they put in an extra wing instead of the dips.

This dip wasn't that bad. It helped with the plain flavoured wings. I didn't love it either. The texture is kinda weird after thawing. Still, it's creamy and garlicky, it did what it was supposed to do, I guess. I'd rather use my own dips though.

 

Would I buy it again?

Ya probably. Not for the flavour, because it was pretty blah, but because these are a pretty good crispy canvass for sauces and dips. Disappointed in the lack of heat especially, but I can get past it. I do recommend cooking them on the grill, just never leave bacon unattended on the grill. Ever. Ever. Ever.

8.5/14

President's Choice

https://www.presidentschoice.ca/product/pc-crisp-and-crunchy-spicy-southern-style-chicken-wings/20708933_EA

Happy #fryday - Gabriel Wings

 

Happy #fryday y'all!

Stay safe out there. COVID cases are going up. We should all know the drill; mask up, socially distance, & eat your wings from afar!#lordofthewingsblog #lordofthewings pic.twitter.com/xgJC3FokEr

— LORD of the WINGS (@LordoftheWings) September 18, 2020

WINGS & WINGS Scarborough 2014 - LOST REVIEW

-WINGS & WINGS closed/re-branded as WOW WING HOUSE -

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

It was April of 2014. Somehow I had access to a car and I was looking to explore Scarborough a bit more. I had looked up wing places on the Internet, and came across a take-out wing joint called Wings & Wings. Well that sounded good. They didn't have a website but I did find a menu and noticed they had a ton of wing flavours. I was excited to go.

It's sad to say, but Wings & Wings is no more - sometime between 2016 and 2018 it closed down, and then became part of the chain WOW Wing House. I should also mention I have no notes from this trip. I remember going, but I can't remember the details.

Wings & Wings is situated in a strip mall that's about 5 minutes South of the Scarborough Town Centre mall. There's a Dominio's, a hair salon, travel centre, and a whole bunch of other businesses, and then I think apartments above.

The place was empty when I went, which was great for me doing a review. I don't know if I was there early, at lunch, after lunch, but I had the place to myself. It's mostly take-out, but there are a few tables as well as window counter seating. 

The place itself was facinating. It had dark wood accents on everything from the menu boards to the counters. You can see in the above photo the decorative elements under the counters. There was shelves all over (I don't know why), with nic-naks and chicken decorations. It was kinda weird, but it was all good.

Taken from https://www.yellowpages.ca/bus/Ontario/Scarborough/Wings-Wings/5225141.html

I didn't take any photos of the menu, but I did find the menu above from the Yellowpages. There are a over 40 flavours and some of them I had no idea what they were. You can only ask so much to explain the heat differences, or what are Terydactyl flavoured wings?!?!?!

I got two orders of wings, which equaled about 20 wings. I had to get two because like many specialty wing places, they don't let you split the flavours. I don't know why, but I don't like that. Oh Well.

I got the wings for dining in, and they came in wicker baskets with classic food paper. They didn't come with any sides, but I did get wetnaps and napkins. There was also a bone bucket on the table so that was pretty cool.

The wings were in the smaller end of the spectrum. Maybe in the medium range? They were also not big meaty wings. 

They were crispy (they came out fresh from the fryers), and boy were they saucy. There was not a wing that wasn't wet and with extra sauce for dipping. That's the way I like it!

One order of wings I am not quite sure what flavour I got. Probably Hot, just to see what there's was. But maybe I went with New Yorker (I'm guessing a more Buffalo-like flavour) or Devil? Maybe Double Face? I'm not too sure.

Either way it was crispy and very saucy, so I imagine they were pretty good. They look good don't they?

The other flavour I got MUST have been Spicy Dill. First, I love that flavour combo of hot sauce and dill sauce. Second, it's the only one the menu I can see that has a red sauce base with a cream sauce cover. So Spicy Dill. Just call me Sherlock.

Again, I can't remember the flavour, but look at how well sauced they are? I'm drooling here just thinking about them!

I'm pretty sure I enjoyed these wings, but alas, never had them again. I didn't go to Scarborough often, so if I did again, I wanted to try somewhere new. I'm curious how much things have changed since they became WOW ...

Wings & Wings (Now Closed)
1187 Brimley Road, Toronto ON (Scarborough)

no website

Canadian Spicy Chicken Sandwich War Heats Up

 

So the other day I went out and tried the much hyped Popeye's Spicy Chicken Sandwich which finally released in Canada on Monday after waiting a year:

The sandwich was pretty good, but not life changing. Check out my full review. But this heavily marketed sandwich was just the first shot in what I call, The Canadian Spicy Chicken Sandwich Wars.

Not to be outdone by Popeye's, most of the major franchises out here have introduced their own versions, some with specials. Now unfortunately due to my circumstances I won't be trying all these (I'm actually sad about this) but you can go out and try for yourself.

KFC

The KFC Famous Chicken Chicken Sandwich. Is this one famous? I have not had this one, but it seems to be fighting right along with Popeyes. 

"Triple breaded, buttermilk marinated chicken fillet, drizzled with buttery garlic oil, 3 sweet pickles, double spicy mayo on a potato bun."

So they've gone with a chicken mixed in with garlic oil, and a potato bun. There's spicy mayo there too. It looks good to me. And TODAY ONLY - WEDNESDAY SEPT 16th 2020 you can get it for $2!!!

KFC Famous Chicken Chicken Sandwich

MARY BROWN's

Mary Brown's has been doing a big chicken sandwich for years called the Big Mary. Earlier this summer she rolled out the Spicy Big Mary, and even more recently the Buffalo Mary:

Spicy Big Mary:

"The new Spicy Big Mary sandwich features a Signature Big Mary whole breast fillet amped-up with a cayenne kick, cool crunchy pickles and spicy mayo on a sesame seed bun."

Buffalo Mary: 

"It’s our Signature Big Mary® whole breast fillet, slathered in spicy Buffalo sauce, paired with blue cheese or ranch dressing and topped with crunchy lettuce! Serve it on a brioche bun and it’s a handful of awesome!" 

Now every Monday the Big Mary is on sale for $3.99 - that's when I tried it and it was really good.

Not only that, you can get a free Big Mary if you download their App!

Mary Brown's Big Mary Options

McDonald's

This is almost in a different category. McD's has brought back their Spicy McChicken Challenge

Last year McDonald's introduced a vamped up McChicken sandwich; they slowly raised the heat starting with the Spicy Jalapeno, the the Spicier Habanero, and finished off with the Spiciest Ghost Pepper McChicken. I only did the Ghost Pepper McChicken, but it was actually spicy!

This year McD's dropped the Jalapeno and introduced the Scotch Bonnet McChicken available from September 1st-28th:

"If you love our spicy Habanero sandwich but want to kick things up a notch, this spicier McChicken® is for you! Topped with our creamy Scotch Bonnet pepper sauce. Perfectly breaded seasoned chicken and crisp shredded lettuce – all on a freshly toasted sesame bun."

Compared to the other chains, this sandwich brings the heat. But the chicken is not a breast fillet, but formed patty product. I like a good McChicken, but the sandwich is just not on the same level.

Spicy McChicken Challenge

WENDY's

Wendy's has had a Spicy Chicken sandwich for a while:

Last year they even had a Bacon Jalapeno Chicken Sandwich which I really enjoyed (especially with their Bacon Jalapeno topped fries). But just to be different during the CSCS War, they went with a BBQ & Bacon Chicken Sandwich:

"Sure, pickles are great but why does a chicken sandwich have to stop there? The BBQ & Bacon Chicken sandwich adds crispy onion tanglers, cheddar cheese and melty cheese sauce plus three strips of our signature Applewood smoked bacon. Oh and also pickles."

I mean it sounds good, I'd get it, and I understand trying to pivot the spicy chicken sandwich battle with something different, but this was the time to bring back the Bacon Jalapeno chicken sandwich in my opinion.

Wendy's BBQ & Bacon Chicken Sandwich

A&W

A&W is coming a little late to the game with a new Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich: 

"5 oz of crispy, crunchy chicken, sweet pickles and nashville-style aioli, all on a brioche bun. Only available at Toronto locations for a limited time."

I've not had this one, but it sounds good. The problem is that it's only available in Toronto right now. I hope that's just a test market for now and will expand. But I don't know.

A&W Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich

So, what sandwiches have you had? What do you want to try? #lotwwants2know