RECIPE: Boss Hog's Suicide Wing Recipe

Tom Diavolitsis, owner of Boss Hog's, contacted me recently. Famous for their ribs that the crew and myself tried out at Ribfest (see review HERE), Boss Hog's won the prestigious People's Choice Award for their smokey, sweet, delicious ribs.

He was kind enough to send me his recipe for Suicide Wings that he says "I have had rants and raves about that sauce on wings... myself just the fumes while cooking it are enough to keep me on the simple bbq sauce path!!"


BOSS HOG TOM DIAVOLITSIS's SUICIDE SAUCE

In a medium saucepan add....

• 2 cups chicken broth (canned from grocery store)
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 cup crushed dehydrated habanero peppers or hot peppers
• 1/2 cup cracked black pepper
• 1/2 ground white pepper
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 cups Franks hot sauce
  

Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium, let simmer for 10 mins. Now add a cup of your favorite bbq sauce (next to Boss Hogs sauce my choice would be Diana's)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It sounds good and spicy to me! I don't know when I'll get the chance to make this but if anyone out there in the Wing Nation, let me know how it turns out.

Check out Boss Hog's Website at http://www.bosshogsbbq.ca/ (temporarily under construction)

Thanks Tom!

Wing King

Ask Men's Top 10 Hottest Foods,

Johnny Testa over at Askmen.com sent me this article on the Top 10 Spiciest Foods in the world. Sure, I'm a little sad Suicide Wings come in at only #5, but there wasn't a dish up there I would rather have (Actually, I'd like to sample so many of those dishes . . . mmmm spicy).
If you have any other suggestions, let me know.


http://www.askmen.com/fashion/wine_dine_150/193_wine_dine.html?FLASH

ROYAL OAK, Ottawa

TUESDAY NIGHT IS WING NIGHT!!! Across Ottawa, I would argue the majority of pubs and restaurants have Tuesday as their wing night. Sure there are some Mondays and Wednesdays and even a Thursday here and there, but Tuesday seems to be the night of nights. In search of a potentially good wing place, LJ and I decided on the Royal Oak.

There are two pub chains in Ottawa that you seem to be able to throw a stick anywhere in the city and hit. One is the Heart and Crown, while the other is the Royal Oak. We attended the Wellington location pub, nestled in the heart of the Westboro area of Ottawa. We were having a late dinner and the place was pretty packed when we got there. We took a table by the window, which viewed what is normally their patio.

The inside decor was classy British Pub: hard wood, dark, but very clean and sophisticated feel. The majority of patrons appeared to be baby boomers and older, with a few 30 somethings in the crowd. Their own website describes the location as an "upscale Oak is panelled in rich dark mahogany with an impressive oval-shaped bar. Lighting is a highlight of the interior as two sides have floor to ceiling glass walls and two glass garage doors that open to our L-shaped patio. Very popular with civil servants and hospital staff during the day, and the local crowd at night. " Yup, seemed about right. Our server 'Wendy' was friendly, prompt and attentive without doting on us too much. We ordered our appetizer and food, and in a short while, we were eating.




We split an appetizer of deep fried pickles. This is one of my favourite accompaniments to wings and I couldn't resist this order of 6 spears.


Not only were they coated in a perfectly seasoned blanket of breading, the dip they came with was a Royal Oak house dip. Delicious I say. It was some sort of creamy garlic aioli/ranch type and I wanted more. The pickles were freakin hot (temperature) but given a few minutes to cool down, they were gone in no time.


The Royal Oak is celebrating its 28th anniversary and is having a "Best of Britain" special celebrating traditional British fare. LJ went with their "Two Bangers in a Blanket", which translates as 2 battered, deep fried sausages with fries.



There was a 'healthy' amount of battering on these sausages, and they were big enough to begin with. The sausage was juicy and tasty, but mild in flavour. LJ described these as "good" and "a nice twist on traditional British fare." The fries were equally tasty but the whole thing was so much, even I had to help and we still couldn't finish this plate. Yes I was helping because I had enough room from eating my wings.

2008 THE SCORE 3.0: Royal Oak, Ottawa (Wellington Location)

STYLE:	Deep fried, traditional pub style
PRICE:	$9.99 for 10 $17.99 for 20
SAUCES:	mild/medium/hot suicide honey garlic Thai	1/1
HEAT:	Suicide (3rd Degree sauce) had some bite
SIZE:	small	0.5/3
WETNAP FACTOR:	Dry – not much sauce except for my side of suicide	0.5/3
CRISPINESS:	Crisp – they were deep fried right	2/3
FLAVOUR:	Ok – bottled 3rd Degree is good, Hot was strange	1/3
SIDES:	Sour cream again!	1/3
CLEAN UP:	Napkins, and that’s it	1/3
WING NIGHT:	Mon/Tues and Sens tv games, $5.99 for 10 after 5pm	1/1
OTHER:	Pepsi, patio8
TOTAL:	Just barely passed the ok mark	8/20

As I look at the picture above, the wings don't look so bad. When they came out and when I had them, they looked disappointing. In fact, my dinner companion said: "your wings look like @!#%". They were tiny, almost sauceless and well, tiny. There was next to no meat on them, but at least they were crispy.


The 'hot' flavour was not, once again. But their sauce was a strange concoction; some sort of Tabasco, tomato sauce/ketchup butter. I didn't care for it, but fortunately they didn't put much on. I had my safety suicide on the side, but that turned out to be 3rd Degree, a good, reliable spicy sauce. And once again, I was given sour cream as a side!!! What is with O-town and the sour cream?


FINAL SCORE: This is a super pub inside. Friendly service, a great atmosphere and what looks like a great patio. Most of the food is good. The wings are bad. Don't come for the wings. At regular price, they are highway robbery. On wing night, they were the appropriate price (and should be cheaper for wing night). Also, what about some wetnaps and a wing plate? Thumbs down wings for the Royal Oak. 8/20

Royal Oak Pubs
1217 Wellington Ave, Ottawa (and other locations)
royaloakpubs.com

CASALUNA PIZZA, Ottawa

Taking in one of the first days that if really felt like spring was out, I stumbled across a little pizzeria tucked into the Westboro neighborhood LJ lives in. It was after lunch and I hadn't had anything to eat, and I thought, maybe this place will be a goldmine for the future of take-out.
From the outside, it didn't look like anything special. Inside looked even worse. The 'seating' area was an old office chair, an old wooden chair from a kitchen set, and a chair from a restaurant from the 80's. There was no menu board, just a take-away menu. I decided on a small cheese pizza, and of course, the wings.


The man behind the counter was an older Lebanese gentleman. He didn't speak much, and he didn't have much in the way of any emotion, but I felt like I was in a place where the food was important. When I ordered the wings, he asked what kind of sauce I wanted. I knew already, but to fish out some more info for this review (because the flyer didn't list them), I asked what kind of sauces they had. "We have, the sauces. You know, I can put on sauces like mild, or hot, bbq, and ah, honey garlic". I suspect there might be more, but really, I was only interested in hot.







I sat and waited, and another worker (family member I think) came in, then a little while ago another guy with his kid went in. It felt like a nice family business. Then another guy came up to the counter and was like "Hey, what's going on here!?!" I was a little shocked until I realized he was a regular just joshing the staff. I waited for my food, chatting with one of the guys about the gorgeous weather, then headed back to eat in the comfort of the apartment.


On the way home, I noticed a smell. It wasn't agreeable, and it was coming from the food. "Oh no" I thought, "The food isn't cooked right or the wings are going to be terrible. Or the pizza." I couldn't figure out which it was going to be, but I was pretty sure the food was going to suck.



I opened up the pizza box . . . it was a mighty good looking cheese pizza. I love a meat pizza, you know, pepperoni, ham, sausage etc. but every once and a while just plain cheese is the way to go. I took a bite, good. The sauce was a little generic, but the cheese was good.


Ok so it wasn't the pizza that I thought was going to be bad, it must be, sadly, the wings. I took the styrofoam container, and took a whiff . . . the wings smelled. . . good. They looked good and they looked big . . . but what would the taste be?

2008 THE SCORE 3.0: Casaluna Pizza - Ottawa

STYLE:	Deep fried take-out pizza wings
PRICE:	$7.75 for 12 $13.25 for 24 $16.00 for 36
SAUCES:	Medium Hot BBQ Honey Garlic *(may be more sauces)	0/1
HEAT:	Tingle
SIZE:	Large, especially for take-out	2/3
WETNAP FACTOR:	Wet – could use more sauce, but with little prevented sogg from setting in	2/3
CRISPINESS:	Crisp – despite the walk it stayed crisp	2/3
FLAVOUR:	Nothing special – Frank’s and butter	1.5/3
SIDES:	n/a [Can be upgraded to a platter (fries & coleslaw) $9.70]	*
CLEAN UP:	n/a	*
WING NIGHT:	n/a	*
OTHER:	Decent pizza, free delivery
TOTAL:	Good pizza, good wings	7.5/13

I couldn't believe how big they were for a pizza place. They were the size that the average restaurant should serve. And crispy and just looked the way a simple wing should - deep fried not too long or not long enough. They weren't particularly meaty inside, but it was a good piece of chicken.

The sauce was pretty simple. No heat to the hot, and nothing special in the sauce - another bottled hot sauce tossed on. It was just like a hundred other places, but I could have used more. Again, its good that there isn't too much because they would get soggy with sauce, but still, more sauce would have been nice.


FINAL SCORE: The food didn't suck like I was afraid. A small cheese pizza was pretty big, cheesy and tasty. The chicken was also a surprise with its generous size for a pizza place, well deep fried and sauced wing. I would probably walk to this place again . . . if the weather keeps up. 7.5/13


Casaluna Pizza
173 Hinchey Ave, Ottawa
613-729-4405

Check out the Menu HERE

NEW EDINBURGH PUB, Ottawa

The time; Lunch. The place; Ottawa. The need; food, preferably wings. I had access to a vehicle this day, driving to see sights I normally would not see on foot or by transit in the nation's capital. However, on my travels I came across a pub I had heard or read about before, I think because of their wing specials. The New Edinburgh Pub is one I have been past before, but never actually tried. Well, today, today would be the day.

The joint was relatively empty. Its relatively small inside, with small tables and not a generous seating arrangement. The atmosphere was local watering whole, and my hopes were high that they could deliver good wings. While the place was actually dead when I arrived, by the time I left it was packed. Solid. With a line up at the door. Clearly a local favourite, however the area doesn't really present a plethora of dining destinations.



My waitress was quick and friendly, telling me the days specials and some new items on the menu. I feigned interest in what the menu had to offer; classic pub fare with some upscale additions. I was there for the wings, and by gosh, that's what I got.

2008 THE SCORE 3.0: New Edinburgh Pub - Ottawa

STYLE:	Deep fried, traditional pub style
PRICE:	$9.49 for 1lb (1/2 order) $15.99 for 2lb (full order)
SAUCES:	mild/medium/hot chef’s challenge honey garlic tandoori	1/1
HEAT:	Tingle for chef’s challenge
SIZE:	Medium sized wing	1/3
WETNAP FACTOR:	Dry – very little sauce. I did have a side of “Chef’s challenge” so I could apply as much as I wanted	1/3
CRISPINESS:	crisp	2/3
FLAVOUR:	Ok – nothing special	1/3
SIDES:	Carrot and dip (sour cream)	2/3
CLEAN UP:	napkin, wetnap, and wing plate	3/3
WING NIGHT:	Tues/Thurs $0.40 each, 3pm-close	1/1
OTHER:	Rooftop patio in nicer weather
TOTAL:	Plain pub wing- nothing special, expensive for what you get	12/20

My first thoughts: this is it? The price of a half order is $10, and I got these insignificant wings? Where's the beef? I mean chicken, where's the chicken? They were small to medium, with some simple seasonings and deep fried. Classic deep fried pub wings. They were well cooked.

The hot sauce was also typical wing sauce. Not hot and not special. I ate it, don't get me wrong, but I sure wasn't dazzled. The 'Chef's Challenge' sauce is their version of suicide. It had a small kick, the way a Hot sauce should, but there was no challenge here. It came out cold, which not only neutralized the flavour of the sauce, but did not go well to my freshly fried wings. The taste was peppery, and I preferred the taste of the hot.

FINAL SCORE: The New Edinburgh Pub is a local watering hole that must have some charm to other food they serve other than the wings. For the price, and the taste - so not worth it. They have a wing night, which might make it worth it, and my server, who was quite busy always had the time to check in on me and make my stay worth while. So the wings aren't worth it, but someone else may want to give this place a whirl. My day was completed with a terrible film (oh 10 000 BC, you had potential, except you ripped off Apocolypto), and seeing some beautiful sights.

PS: Another sour cream dipping sauce. Clearly Ottawaians love their sour cream dip.

12/20




The New Edinburgh Pub
1 Beechwood Ave, Ottawa
newedinburghpub.com

MARSHY'S BAR-B-Q & GRILL ~ Ottawa, On

After an anonymous reader left me a message here, about All-You-Can-Eat (AYCE) Wings at a place called Marshy's in Ottawa, I knew I was going to have to try them. LJ took a Thursday night off and travelled to the Centrepointe location (there is also one at the Scotiabank Place arena where the Ottawa Senators play hockey).

Going there, I had no idea who Brad Marsh was. Immediately entering the place, I could see he was a hockey player, and I was pretty sure from the wall to wall Ottawa Senators memorabilia he played for Ottawa. Wikipedia states he:

is a professional ice hockey player who played the position of defenceman.
Originally selected by the Atlanta Flames in the 1978 NHL Entry Draft, Marsh played with the Flames and followed the organization when they relocated to Calgary. He also played with the Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, and Ottawa Senators. His number has been retired by his junior team, the London Knights.

Also:

He scored 23 goals and added 175 assists in 1086 NHL games, which is a
record for fewest goals scored by a player who played at least 1000 games.

Wow, clearly a hockey hero. But I don't care for hockey, so none of this mattered. What matters is the place not the man. The place inside, as mentioned before, is clearly decked out like a sports bar. Pennants, flat screen tvs with the game on (even booths here have tv's in them) and jersey's are all around. There were lots of servers running around which made service prompt and friendly. The crowd was a strange mix: men in suits, multi-generational families. I was getting mixed vibes all around about the nature of this place.

Of course, LJ and I came for the AYCE wings. A big sign outside say they are "simply the best and biggest wings in Ottawa" which is a pretty big claim. We would see. We ordered some fries (they were frozen fries, but they were big, not bad for frozen, but nothing special), and went on to sample various flavours of wings . . .

2008 THE SCORE 3.0: Marshy’s Bar-B-Que - Ottawa

STYLE:	Breaded, deep fried
PRICE:	$10.99 for 1lb $20.99 for 2lb
SAUCES:	BBQ medium/hot/suicide honey garlic dry spice	1/1
HEAT:	Tingle for the suicide
SIZE:	Medium with breading	1/3
WETNAP FACTOR:	Wet – a nice amount of sauce	2/3
CRISPINESS:	crisp – the breading gives it a slight crunch	2/3
FLAVOUR:	Terrible – 4 out of 5 sauces tasted were not good	0/3
SIDES:	Veggies, and sour cream dip	2/3
CLEAN UP:	Napkins and wetnaps	2/3
WING NIGHT:	Thursdays AYCE $11.95 with drink purchase	1/1
OTHER:	Free refills on pop, buffalo shrimp
TOTAL:	Good chicken and breading, terrible tasting sauces	11/20

The first batches of wings LJ & I got came in an order of 14. 14 is a big number! LJ was done after this, but I went on to try more flavours in multiples of 6. The wings are a small medium, but they grow because of the breading. They are meaty and fall off the bone. As the chicken itself goes, these were a well done wing. However, Local Heroes clearly serves a bigger wing.

Now to evaluate the sauce, lets look at them on their own:

HOT

LJ's first and only batch. She got hot, but they were not. They tasted like regular hot sauce on a wing, but something was off. I think there was too much butter in the mix because it tasted heavy and gave a churn in the stomach that was not heat related.

SUICIDE

They looked so good when they came out: lots of chili's and a dark red complection, I thought I was in for a heat treat. However, I did not feel like I was taking my life with these. In fact, I quickly began to dislike the pepper flake flavour that did nothing for taste.

BBQ

These were my absolute least favourite. Their signature sauce, was simply gross. I actually forced myself to finish these. It was a strange sweet sauce with an Asian flare added in that made for a mess. How do you mess up BBQ?

DRY SPICE

This was my favourite, and the last of my options. Very crispy with a salty, granualar version of KFC chicken. I wouldn't eat more than 12 without adding some sort of sauce, but after the BBQ, this redeemed Marshy wings.

FINAL SCORE:
So much about this place. Hockey atmosphere with strange patrons. Plain frozen fries, veggies and dip (and by the by, why is sour cream a dip? I know sour cream helps cuts the pain from heat, but it tastes terrible as a dip!). While the wings were not that big, they were well breaded, cooked with the right amount of meat that fell off the bone.

The sauces however, well, they seem to get as many goals as Brad. And for AYCE, 11.95 is not that cheap: I ate enough to make them $0.45 a piece. LJ got the wings down to about $0.85 a piece, which is more than you would normally pay for wings. Moral of the story: eat eat eat to make it worth while, but it makes it worth while when sampling flavours. In the end, I really liked the chicken, but the sauces sucked. I might try them again, but there's more wings in Ottawa to discover. 11/20

Marshy's Bar-B-Q & Grill
117 Centrepointe Drive, Ottawa (Nepean technically)
marshys.com (warning: website does not work with Firefox properly, use IE)