#tbt & #lostreview - DERRINGERS EATERY & SALOON 2014 Ottawa ON

 = DERRINGER's SALOON is NOW CLOSED - RIP =

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

This week we are looking back to November 5th, 2014 and another review that didn't get posted. Why? Who knows.

Photo from Google Street View from 2014

Derringers was one of the first places I reviewed wings at in Ottawa, way back in 2006. My review was a bit harsh, but I didn't end up going back for almost 10 years. But I decided I would, and I noticed some changes when I did.

The actual physical restaurant seemed the same; cowboy/saloon themed bar and grill. Cow skulls, wood everywhere. Nothing inside looked any different really. I was there by myself and it was a very quiet Wednesday, just some old timers who were clearly regulars at the bar day drinking.

 I don't remember why I was dining by myself on this occasion, but I know I went because it was wing night, or I thought it was. Turns out wing night didn't start until 5pm, and I was there too early to get the deal. I was not happy about that. It would have been $0.75 a wing.

One change that I noticed was the menu. The ownership must have changed in the years since I went there, because the menu was very different. A lot of the Tex-Mex items were gone, and in it's place was Middle Eastern cuisine: shawarma, baba ghanoush, shish kebabs.

 But now they also had a lot more sauces on the menu too! I asked my very friendly waitress Kim about the sauces, like what was the difference between Hot and Suicide? She told me they were different sauces and recommended I get one on the side, so that's what I went with.

I was ready for a feast! My wings came, with a side of Onion Rings, and a bowl of Suicide sauce. I also had a Diet Coke, but it came without syrup, just carbonated water. I told Kim who told me they may have cans in the back, but I just went with a regular Coke, which was better, but still not great.

The rings were my favourite; battered (not breaded), crispy but light. Really good.  This was a great side. 

Wings come by the pound (or just 1lb orders) which came out to be about 9 wings. There were no sides of veggies or dip.

The wings weren't long (a medium in length, but they were big and meaty! The wings came with a nice flour dusting on it, and they were deep fried just right, which meant a nice crispy skin that went well with the sauce.  Had a nice little crunch when you bit into it. The meat was tender and the bones pulled away easily.

The wings were all sauced really well. Each wing was coated and wet, and there was ample sauce on the plate to mop up with. 

I got Hot as the base sauce. Hot was kind of a spicy bbq; a little bit sweet, a sticky sweet. It wasn't a strong flavour of either. It was nice but I was expecting something a little more zingy.

My side of Suicide was a nice bowlful, enough for more than another order of wings! It cost $0.75 extra so I was glad there was a lot, but I've certainly gotten less before for that price!

Suicide was really good. Really peppery suicide sauce. Slow burn that builds a bit, but not that hot. Clearly not just a commercial sauce and if I was doing the order over again, I would have gone all in on suicide.

I was really impressed how much better the wings were. Bigger, meatier, sauced really well with a great suicide and a great crispy skin. My onion rings were good, I just wish I had some blue cheese dip and a better pop. Kim was a great server, and I was all set to return on another Wednesday night for wing night. But by 2016 Derringer's went out of business after 30 years. It became Pizza & Kebab, which closed shortly after that, and has been Habesha, an Ethiopian restaurant ever since. 

Derringers Eatery & Saloon (now closed)
99 Montreal Road, Ottawa ON

#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

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