Wingalicious!

Who loves wings? We do! Well I never did but the hubs loves them and now I’ve grown to like them  too. Give him wings, pizza and beer and he’s a happy man. When it comes to wings, everyone’s got their secret joints and if you’re lucky they will whisper the name after a few drinks. Now my problem is that I can never remember the place when it comes down to wing night.  So when a friend suggested a wing off, we were all over that.

Criteria recommended medium spicy wings with a  side of the hottest sauce on offer.  Given that we love everything extra spicy the hot sauce really was for our benefit more than the other guests. Phew! Our favourite joint is Duff’s (I wrote about it here) but we decided to try something new. I got a recommendation from a co-worker who highlighted a joint that boasts the best wings in Toronto (as voted by Eye Weekly  in 2009) and since  I was in  the neighbourhood that’s what we brought. I must say that we received great service while we were waiting for the wings.. I’ll be back to try the wings right from the source next time.

Keep in mind that I like my wings like my friends…. juicy and saucy.

So here’s our round up (stay tuned for version 2.o…coz this hunt is never gonna end!)

St. Louis Wings– by far the favourite. The wings were the sauciest without being overly saucy (you get me?). The medium wings were still spicy and  the dry rub version was very flavourful. The wings were quite meaty/fleshy as well. Overall the best performer for this round. Oh and they gave us fries. Umm. Yes hello fries! Forget the carrots and celery. St. Louis also had the most branding between the players.

Wild Wing – The medium Buffalo was a very good average plate of wings. Juicy but not overly  meaty. If you like KFC you’ll like the jerk wings from these guys. Their wings tasted just like Dubai KFC (those who’ve tried KFC in the Middle East will know what  I’m talking about!).

The Right Wing Sports Pub – I had never heard of these guys before popping one of  their meaty meaaaaaaty wings in my mouth. My! They were mediocre but they were extremely fleshy. Oh and HOT DAMN… their Exorcist sauce was craaaaaaaazzzzzy hot. Yes even for me. But in a good way.. I’ve been using the left over sauce (perks of hosting such an event!) in everything.. Egg McMuffins, pasta, burgers… oh yeaah.  That sauce can send a banshee crying.

Crown and Dragon – I think I had high expectations here. Especially after bonding with the crew while we waited for the wings. However sadly they were just okay. The original buffalo was not hot  at all and I was dousing it in all the sauces provided and yet it wasn’t hitting the spot.  Once I slapped on some Exorcist it  did the trick! These guys have  tons of flavours on offer so we will be back to try it again. I still have hope.

I did make my own version and I believe it held it’s own against some of these guys (not  as good as St. Louis though). Recipe is simple.. mix flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder and italian spice. Coat wings and freeze for 90 mins (YOU HAVE T O DO THIS FOR BEST  RESULTS). They bake in an oven at 375C for 45 mins.  I lined the pan with a thin layer of oil and turned the wings over half way through. You get  a crunchy finish this way. I also basted the wings with a concoction of garlic,  melted butter (1/4 part) and franks red hot (3/4 parts).

So do you  have any secret joints you’d like to share? We’ll try to bring them along  for version 2.0!