Buddha Pie
With Buddha in the name, you’d expect a humble, quiet, and contemplative pizza shop. And while the small place, decorated with children’s drawings on pizza boxes, certainly is humble, the owner is a gregarious, funny, and a genuinely nice guy. His sign advertising rabbit pizza on the day before Easter drew me in, and I’m glad it did.
The pizza here is interesting. It is by far the thinnest crust I have ever had. The dough is pressed by some sort of device, which results in a crust not much thicker than a few sheets of paper. It is then baked at high heat producing small blisters, but without the charring you get from ovens like those at Libretto. The toppings however were delicious. The pear and prosciutto pizza, with a mild blue cheese, was perhaps my favorite pie in Toronto yet. The BBQ chicken, with some coleslaw on top, also made my taste buds jump. If you are in the area craving pie, check the place out!
Splendido
I went to Splendido for a special occasion last week, and I have to admit, I had an amazing meal. On top of that, Splendido had the best service I have experienced in Toronto. Before our reservation we received a phone call asking if there were any special dietary needs, and informing us that there was no more valet service (which I am happy about, because patrons would clog the bike lane on that portion of the street). At the restaurant, our server was knowledgeable and friendly, but the coordination of the service was remarkable. Below the waist each wore jeans, while above it white collared shirts and black vests or jackets were the uniform. When serving a large table, all the food came out at once with the servers coordinating the exit from the pass, as well as ensuring that the placement of the dish on the table happened at the same time for each diner. Very impressive.
The food was as good as the service. Memorable was the deer heart tartar with an oyster emulsion. While I usually think of organs as chewy, this raw heart was tender and delicious. My salmon entrée was nicely balanced with a white bean ragu and a delicious chive and mustard combination. My partner’s lamb was tender and delicious – she wouldn’t share much of it with me! We finished the meal with a goat cheese cheesecake. The next day we enjoyed the complimentary shortbread, provided by Splendido upon retrieving our coats, with tea. Overall a great experience.
Campagnolo
First of all, I need to apologize to Chef/Owner Craig Harding for complaining on Twitter about my reservation. See I had used Urbanspoon to make a reservation for “next Thurs” by selecting the next Thursday listed on the reservation site (which was the 30th). When I showed up on “next Thurs” (the 23rd) the restaurant was closed. I was disappointed and said as much on Twitter. I obviously hadn’t looked at the dates, which had skipped a week in Urbanspoon’s system due to the closure. I hope Craig accepts my apology.
That said, I kept my reservation and dined with a good friend at Campagnolo. The brick building just west of Bathurst on Dundas used to be a Coffee Time before being painted gray and turned into this award-winning Italian restaurant. I’ve frequently ridden down Dundas at dinner time, and I can assure you the place is usually full. Given what I had seen and heard, expectations were high.
Service
The service at Campagnolo was not overly friendly or attentive. I arrived in advance of my partner and sat a bit. A few servers asked me if I wanted drinks, but I asked for only water until my companion arrived. When my dining partner did arrive, the server only came to the table to lean over my shoulder and check what I was looking up on my cellphone. We ordered two appetizers. The table next to us was then seated. About 10 minutes later, they ordered four appetizers. Despite ordering later and having a larger party, their appetizers came out a good 5 minutes before ours arrived. We were drooling over our neighbor’s food.
Atmosphere
The wood tables, big chairs, and candle light reflecting off of wine glasses, really gives this place a cozy feel. The tables can be quite close to each other – but this is sometimes a good thing. By the end of the meal we had a good rapport with our neighbors. They had been picking on me for taking photos of my meal – and even asked, in tourist like fashion, if I wanted to pose with both dishes at once. They joked about switching dishes and stories about ex-girlfriends started to flow. Really, making new friends over food became the highlight of the night!
The food
First thing to note is that the prices were (too?) high, but the entrée portion size was huge. The two of us could have shared either of the two entrees we ordered and been satisfied. The menu changes frequently, but presented a bit of a challenge for us. My dining companion is pregnant (our neighbors thought it was my child! It’s not!), so shellfish (Chilled Corn Soup with Lobster) and possibly undercooked fish (Seared Albacore Tuna) were off the menu for us. We had also just cooked pasta for a recent dinner party, and thus felt compelled to order something else. So we started the meal with the house-made Baguette and Gougères and the Roasted Bone Marrow with Oxtail. For mains, we ordered the Crispy Sea Bream and the Buttermilk Fried Chicken.
House-made Baguette and Gougères – $4
So yes, I was looking up what gougères were when the waiter leaned behind me to see what I was doing. I hadn’t run across these French cheese flavored pastry balls in a restaurant before. They were light, fluffy, and somewhat cheesy. The Baguette was a disappointment: it had clearly been in the oven a bit too long, and although still only a dark brown, biting into the crust gave off a displeasing burnt flavor.
Roasted Bone Marrow with Oxtail and Plum Marmalade – $13
This dish was the highlight of the night. Served in the cavity of a divided bone, the fatty bone marrow was cut nicely by the rich flavors of the oxtail. The plum marmalade gave it a slightly sweet finish. No faults with this dish, if you go, order it.
Crispy Sea Bream with Romano Beans – $28
Fish was served pan-fried with the skin on. The crispiness of the skin was delightful, and the fish was flavorful and not over cooked. Between the two fillets of fish were romano beans, arugula, tomatoes, and pesto Genovese. The tomatoes did a wonderful job of cutting the slight bitterness of the arugula and brought out the flavor of the beans. The pesto was good, although there wasn’t enough of it. Over all the meal was solid and tasty.
Buttermilk Fried Chicken – $27
Three large pieces of fried chicken were served with Parmesan biscuits and gravy, sweet corn salad, as well as a watermelon, mint, and cucumber salad. Although I’m sure the Italians fry chicken, this dish struck me as very southern American, except for the Parmesan used in the biscuit. Each piece of chicken was juicy and moist on the inside. The buttermilk coating was thick and heavy – a little too heavy for my taste, but it did pack a buttermilk punch. By the end of two pieces, I really wanted to soften the coating a bit – dipping it into the gravy helped – but there was not enough gravy to handle even a half piece of chicken. I didn’t care much for the sweet corn salad – all I could taste was sweet corn, and if we’re going to do that, let’s just serve it on the cob (we’re eating fried chicken after all). The watermelon salad was delicious, especially after the hard buttermilk coating.
Budino
Budino is the Italian word for custard or pudding. This custard or pudding, which I believe was caramel flavored, came with bits of meringue and a salted caramel sauce. While the texture was nice, the salt was overwhelming. My partner thought that both the custard and the sauce and been salted – which accounted for why we could taste little else.
Conclusion
Campagnolo did some things brilliantly (the oxtail), some things well (sea bream and chicken), but ultimately didn’t seem to pay attention to the details (baguette and Budino). Campagnolo’s signature dishes (oxtail, pasta, etc.) may be the talk of the down, and it may be our fault for not staying with those dishes while ordering. We left the restaurant satisfied, but by no means blown away. In the end we’ll probably remember our conversations with the table next to us more than the food. If our neighbors are reading, tell us if your experience differed in the comments.
El Arriero Restaurante
There are few chances to have Colombian food in Toronto, but El Arriero Restaurante on Jane St. north of Bloor is one of them. My dining partner and I asked the waitress what she recommended, and followed her recommendations of the Bandeja Paisa ($15.99) and Bistec a Caballo ($14.99). So this is a double “One Dish Review.”
Bistec a Caballo
The bistec was served with two fried eggs, a whole fried plantain, rice, and salad. The dish was extremely flavorful. The steak was cooked to tender in a sauce with a few onions. The eggs thickened things up a bit an accentuated the flavors. I love fried plantains, so I was happy with the two halves provided on the plate. The rice and salad were nothing special.
The Bandeja Paisa was a bit disappointing. The dish was a meat market in itself, with sausage, bacon, and steak. It was served with half an avocado, fried egg, rice, and half a friend plantain. The steak on this dish was much tougher than the other and lacked any of the sauce which made the other dish so delightful. I mixed it with some beans and avocado, but that only improved its flavor mildly. The bacon was thick cut and had a tough backing to it. It took me a little while to
Bandeja Paisa
figure out that I should probably peel this backing off, but I had been surprised that it was cooked with it on to begin with. After taking it off, the bacon was much easier to chew, but still nothing special. The sausage was the highlight of this dish. It was flavorful and cooked well. The meat overload left me tired.
One thing to note about both dishes – they are huge! We both took the leftovers home and had another complete meal for two.
So if you find yourself in this part of town craving Colombian, have the Bistec.
Zócalo
The front of Zocalo
1426 Bloor Street West
Toronto, ON M6P3L4
Zócalo may not be the perfect restaurant, but it is definitely one of my favorites in Toronto. I’ve been several times, and for the price, you don’t get a better meal. There is a slight emphasis on “for the price” in that sentence – Zócalo ’s hearty and rustic cuisine is sometimes a little too home-style for me (i.e. steamed broccoli and cabbage). Overall however, Zócalo has a solid, seasonally-changing menu that is sure to ignite your inner foodie.
Zócalo has a menu that matches seasonally available produce, meats, and cheeses. Staples of their menu include house made sausage, a Canadian cheese selection, and firecracker cornbread. Many of these dishes are served with their delicious flavoured butters.
While their menu is impressive, the location is understated. You might miss their north-side of Bloor heading into The Junction location, unless you see the “Z” in chalk on the blackboard outside. The restaurant boasts a capacity of 27 (including bar seating), most of which is around hard red tables. The walls were mostly bare during this visit, but the real candles on the table and happy customers around gave the place a cozy feel. Surprisingly, I’ve never waited in much of a line at Zócalo.
The service at Zócalo is friendly, knowledgeable, but NOT quick. The wait staff is usually only two people, so things can take awhile. The food is reasonably quick and, but really, there is no reason to rush out of this place.
Smoked Trout and Tarragon Celery Salad – $10
Smoked Trout with Strawberry and Pink Pepper Cream
The trout was served with a strawberry and pink pepper cream and a buckwheat crepe. Honestly, when this dish arrived I was skeptical that I would like it. I’ve had fish with a cream only once before and it was one of the worst fish dishes I’ve ever eaten. When I tried the cream alone, I thought it was going to be too sweet. I was wrong. Put a little cream and a little trout on the crepe and the combination of smoky and sweet flavors balances nicely. Adding the salad to my cream and trout crepe made the dish even more delicious. No regrets here, it was tasty to be wrong.
House made Steak and Cremini Mushroom Sausage – $11
Seriously good Sausage
I don’t like mushrooms, but this was possibly the best sausage I’ve ever tasted. It was tender, juicy, and delicious. The roasted corn hummus was very different than the Middle Eastern-style hummus I’m used to, but it was no less flavorful. The fresh breads and salad with the hummus was a nice blend of flavors. I loved the potato and pickled red onion salad, but my dining partner wasn’t as fond of them. She loved the sausage too. Did I mention that the sausage was really good?
Lamb and Kale Meatballs – $14
The meatballs came in a tomato and caraway sauce with firecracker
Lamb and Kale Meatballs
cornbread and spicy steamed broccoli and cabbage. The meatballs were tender and the tomato and caraway sauce added a touch of sweetness and moisture. The cornbread was soft and delicious (my diningartner and I love cornbread). The spicy steamed broccoli and cabbage was a disappointment. It lacked spice and simply tasted like steamed broccoli and cabbage. Overall the dish was solid, but not one to rave about.
Chocolate Stout Loaf – $8
This chocolate cake was made with honey and locally brewed coffee porter. It was served with a mashed cherry and bourbon syrup. The cake was good, although I was hoping to taste more of the coffee porter, which I could barely discern. Unfortunately, we didn’t notice the bourbon syrup below the cake in the bowl. The syrup added a lot of flavor and was delicious! I wouldn’t mind re-devouring this again with the syrup to see if it changes my somewhat lukewarm perception of the dish.
Dessert
Ricotta and Roasted Corn Cheesecake – $8
Although good, the chocolate cake was put to shame by this cheesecake. The cake was light and fluffy, with a touch of added sweetness from the roasted corn. It was served with a roasted plum and granola cracker and combining the flavors proved to be a brilliant move. This is a great ending to a summertime meal.
Conclusion
Well, it’s obvious I like Zócalo . Two can eat some really high quality food for under $50 total. It’s not a perfect place. The menu includes cornbread with too many dishes; it’s very possible that it will come with your appetizer and your entrée (in fact, I usually order in a way that ensures I don’t get two cornbreads, despite my inclination for cornbread). The service isn’t fast, and sometimes, you get some boring old veggies on the side of your otherwise tasty meal. Still, I will continue to recommend Zócalo to my friends interested in good food at reasonable prices.
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- Lamb and Kale Meatballs
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- Seriously good Sausage
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- Smoked Trout with Strawberry and Pink Pepper Cream
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- Dessert
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- Chocolate Cake
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- Cheesecake
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- Front of Zocalo
Ducks in the Window’s New Look
Ducks in the Window has a new look! The old theme was attractive, but several people complained about the difficulty they had navigating the site. This new theme has navigation options at the top and right hand side of the page. You can easily see recent posts, the archives, and tags. I hope this will encourage readers to browse past reviews. The new theme is a little plain, but I hope I can use pictures to spice things up! Comments on the new look are very welcome.
Saving Grace
907 Dundas St W
Toronto, ON M6J1V9
Note: I forgot the battery to my camera, so I apologize in advance for the camera phone pictures in the gallery below.
Saving Grace is one of those places I’ve been meaning to eat at for awhile now. The unusually small breakfast and lunch nook on Dundas always boasts a line of hungry patrons waiting outside on little pink and green benches. It used to be a residential home and the kitchen, if you peek in, almost looks like your mother’s. While the place is cute, Saving Grace’s fare isn’t as good as the long lines would make you believe.
Service
It’s a good thing we were early. A line the size of the restaurant’s capacity had formed well before Saving Grace opened. There was no semblance of order when the restaurant opened, and some line holders were upset that recent arrivals walked into the restaurant ahead of them. While we got a cozy seat without much problem, the staff wasn’t good at dealing with the hordes who were all seated at once: our drinks took 20 minutes to arrive and we had to wait another 20 minutes to order. When we ordered, the table on one side of us already had their food; the table on the other side was complaining that they hadn’t even received their drinks yet. After all of that, one of the two dishes that came to our table was incorrect. The meal took almost two hours. It’s no wonder why there are lines in front of this little eatery.
Savory French Toast – $11.50
The savory French toast sounded delicious. French toast served with gruyere, caramelized apples, and roasted red onion accompanied by mixed greens and roasted potatoes. But descriptions in restaurants are often deceiving. What arrived at my table was closer to a grilled cheese sandwich than what the menu described. Lots of gruyere overpowered the smaller amounts of apple and onion. The real disappointment was the French toast. Each slice had only been grilled on one side, which left the middle and non-grilled side soggy and bready. This is not a sandwich that I would order again.
Potato and Green Pea Masala Omelet – $12
The potato and green pea masala omelet was ordered on account of it being an interesting dish that neither one of us had sampled before. This dish was much better executed than the French toast, but was still a bit disappointing. The masala just wasn’t very flavorful, and when you put something like that inside eggs, you want it to provide a flavor that pops. Instead it landed flat. When combined with the super-tasty chutney and eaten on the provided roti, the dish wasn’t bad, but definitely not worth standing in line for.
Summary
The best part of saving grace was certainly the atmosphere: the small space allowed us to interact with both of the nearest tables. I’m not sure if my taking pictures of the food tipped them off to my blogger status, but when we had finished, the table next to us struck up a conversation about the food. They, having ordered totally different dishes, also found the meal unsatisfactory. At first I had thought maybe I was being too hard on Saving Grace; maybe we just ordered the wrong dishes and deep down, there was more that the little place had to offer. But when strangers, unsolicited, want to share their poor experience? Maybe it’s a sign to wait in line elsewhere.
Bellwoods Brewery
124 Ossington Ave
Toronto, ON M6J1R5
http://www.bellwoodsbrewery.com
@bellwoodsbeer
I’m a food critic, and in all honesty, I drink very rarely. But since I was visiting a Brewery, I had to sample the brews. Still, I thought it best to invite along a true authority on beer with me, Kevin Kuhl (yes that’s his real name). This review will be divided into two parts, one reviewing the food, and one reviewing the beer. Thanks goes to Kevin for a fun night of drinking and an excellent review!
THE FOOD
Let’s be clear, the beer at Bellwoods Brewery is really good. Both the brewhouse and patio create a comfortable and lively atmosphere. The food however, doesn’t live up to the brews. The portions are underwhelming and the flavors are not adequately balanced. While I respect Bellwoods’ efforts to bring pub fare to new gastronomic heights, they need to ensure they put the same kind of care into their food as they do into their beers. No criticism I make can’t be easily fixed. In truth I’m pulling for Bellwoods and want them making food and brews for years to come.
Bellwoods has really tried to bring pub grub to a new level. Their small menu (on a chalk board) looks more like the offerings at a corner bistro than it does a sports bar. Dining with a friend, we sampled the veggie board, the sausage, the cold fried chicken, and the duck hearts. We had high expectations after the waitress informed us that the breads they serve are locally baked, the pork sausage was created from a pig slaughtered in house, and the chicken was hand fried. While theoretical considerations had our mouths watering, the actual food didn’t match the anticipation.
Veggie Board $12
The board consisted of olives, spicy peanuts, spicy lima beans, pickled carrots with daikon, and white bean dip served with freshly baked dark bread. The flavors on the board were good, and overall this was the best dish in terms of execution. Outside of the bland bean dip, the flavors were rich and went well together. Getting more than a slice and a half of bread would have been nice, as we had much more dip than we had things to dip. When paired with the beers, these flavors, especially the carrots and daikon, served as a sharp cut to the beers [Kevin pointed this out].
Sausage $8
This was a Toulouse style sausage with crispy pork, sauerkraut, spicy sauce and homemade mustard. The sausage was tender and cooked well, but lacked even the mild salt and pepper flavor you expect from a Toulouse sausage. If there was any flavor to the sausage it was masked by the toppings. These toppings were great, and deserved to go on a sausage that complimented rather than highlighted their flavor. One other thing to note, if you look at the photos, all the other dishes had been plated nicely; this one however, looked like it was just thrown on a much-too-large plate.
Cold Fried Chicken – $9
The cold fried chicken was served with strips of cucumber, chopped radish, and drips of hot sauce. The fried coating was simple and delicious. My dining companion and I agreed that the hot sauce wasn’t spicy enough and tasted simply like black pepper and Tabasco. We were puzzled by the chunks of radish that easily could have been sliced for a sleeker appearance (which would also indicate we should eat it with the chicken). The serving size of this dish was a real disappointment. The serving was approximately half of a chicken breast, a total of 6 bites.
Duck Hearts – $4
The hearts were served 4 to a skewer. Coming off the grill, they maintained a pleasant texture. The roasted jalapeño sauce, however, dominated any other tastes. Commenting on this to the waitress, she acknowledged that the recent batch of sauce had come out much spicier than it was supposed to be. It is relieving to know that it is not normally served that way, but why are they still using that sauce on the dish if they know it is too overpowering?
Summary
The food at Bellwoods aims high, higher than most Brewhouses and gastropubs in Toronto. They should be applauded for that, and for their commitment to local and fresh ingredients. However, they fall short of the high expectations their own menu establishes. It won’t take much for Bellwoods to be a truly great brewery and eatery, but there is still a bit of ground to cover.
THE BEER
Guest review by Kevin Kuhl
Barrel Aged Biere de Garde
A coppery brown ale. A thicker head than other beers I had this evening, but nowhere near the thickness of an imperial stout. No lacing.
Strong malt which gives a bit of a caramel flavour, with fruitish notes over the top, maybe a bit of tannins. Not noticeably boozy, but a strong beer. If you’re in the market for hoppy beers, this wouldn’t really be your thing — a sweeter beer, with lots of malt flavours, and a bit of fruitiness.
Witchshark Imperial IPA
More of an amber than the barrel aged Biere de Garde, but a thinner head with more lacing, but nothing over the top (the residue you get from the head of the beer — beers which are stickier and sweeter will leave heavier lacing). Sweeter than the BdG, and of course, extremely different in taste. Definitely in with the family of North American imperial IPAs — hops and citrus dominate the beer.
Not overly boozy, but much stronger than the BdG. I’d say a more complex American IPA — think a less in your face Souther Tier Gemini. Doesn’t smash you in the face due to lack of citra hops, but a complex mix of flavours that certainly stand up with beers like Tree’s Double IPA. Some pleasantly citrus-y notes.
This is a seriously good beer. A little more moderate than something like the Black Oaks Ten Bitter years. It’s noteworthy, and certainly helps raise the bar for Ontario brewers when it comes to developing the style. The only complaint is that it wasn’t as large of a pour as you want.
Baltic Porter
More chocolatey than I was expecting, but still gives you the boozy feel that makes a baltic porter worth drinking. It’s pushing it for a beer in the summer — but it hits the right notes for the style. Molasses, chocolate and alcohol, definitely a beer I would drink in the fall or winter. Definitely a nice break from other boozy dark beers in Ontario.
Summary
All said and done, Bellwoods Brewery and bistro is doing very solid, good work on the beer front. Definitely worth going if you are a fan of carefully done, tasty beer.
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New Yorker Deli – The Reuben
1140 Bay St
Toronto, ON M5S
(416) 923-3354
This is the first one dish reivew for DITW. Since it isn’t always possible to order enough food to accurately establish the quality of a restaurant, these reviews will focus on one dish characteristic of the establishment in 300 words or less.
In Montreal, you order the smoked meat. In New York, you order pastrami or the Reuben. Since this is the New Yorker Deli, I went with the Reuben. The sandwich was nice with corn beef, melted Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing. I would have preferred a bit more kraut and dressing given the many layers of meat, but the ratio was not disastrous. The sandwich tasted good; the meat was warm and still tender. The biggest flaw was the bread, which looked like store bought toasted wheat. I really like my Reuben on marble rye, and locally baked is always preferred. The sandwich came with two latkes and a pickle. The pickle was delicious. The latkes, normally my preference at the New Yorker Deli over fries, had been swimming in the hot oil a little too long and were near burnt on the edges.
The Deli gets bonus points for its homemade lemonade as well as the 5 kinds of mustard (including wasabi) on the table. The service was kind and quick, although I was almost done my meal when other tables that had sat down with me were just ordering.
The big murals on the wall that emphasize the twin towers still make me shiver a bit though.
If you want a good sandwich for lunch, the New Yorker isn’t a bad place.
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- The New Yorker Deli as seen from Bay St.
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- Reuben, latkes, sour cream, and pickle.
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- Look at the layers of meat!
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- Interior of the New Yorker Deli
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Crown and Dragon Pub
Front of the Crown and Dragon Pub.
http://www.crownanddragon.com/
890 Yonge St
Toronto, ON M4W 2H2
Torontoians love their wings. Being the self-described foodie I am, I’ve been in more than one debate over who has the best wings in town. The Crown and Dragon Pub will inevitably come up in these debates, and for awhile there, I was a supporter of their claim to wing supremacy. After my last few visits, I’m not so sure.
The Crown and Dragon Pub looks like it was built in the early nineties. The outside has an “I’m walking into a strip mall bar” kind of feel to it. The inside is furnished with old wobbly dark tables, creaky chairs, and some built-in benches. Seating gets re-arranged willy-nilly, and it’s easy to be pinned in a corner or inches from strangers at another table. There’s a big projector TV on the far wall, a few LCD’s above the bar, and a sweet 20-something inch CRT television hanging over a booth. But who cares about all this? We’re eating wings!
I’ll be honest, I loved the Crown and Dragon for a long time. I would go on half priced wing nights, which used to be Tuesdays and Sundays. The wings were cheap, the beer flowed, and the place was packed. I would go with six friends or so and close our week with chicken and beer. This last visit, we were sad to learn that half price night was no longer, but had been replaced by a $3 off night. Not really an enticing offer, especially since you still had to buy a drink. The menu had also changed, and there were many more non-wing offerings. Wings are now regularly priced at $11 a pound with some slight savings for ordering multiple pounds.
The Wings
Foghorn Leghorn (left), East Coast Donair (center back), Honeycomb Heaven (center front) and Mardi Gras (right).
Crown and Dragon (C&D) has two types of wings and 32 flavors. 26 of the 32 flavors are for your standard fried chicken wings and the other 6 flavors adorn C&D’s unique baked wings. The expansion of the menu was not a significant change for us. We’ve sampled from the regular menu before, and nothing, other than the wings, was worth eating. Dining with 5 friends tonight, we ordered 11 pounds of wings and two baskets of fries. We ordered 3 pounds of Original Buttery Buffalo, as well as single pounds of Foghorn Leghorn (baked), Roadside Lemonade, African Firecracker, East Coast Donair, Viva Italia, Honeycomb Heaven, Asian Heat, and Mardi Gras. The wings C&D serves up are bigger than what I’ve found at the franchises (almost double the size of Duff’s or St. Louis). When cooked properly, they are juicy and delicious. Although good chicken is a prerequisite for good wings, good wings also require good sauce.
People were so eager to eat wings, they couldn’t keep their hands out of the photo! 3lbs. of Original Buffalo Butter in the foreground.
The sauces, unfortunately, were rather bland. The menu listed African Firecracker at “four dragons” in terms of spice, but the actual wings were less hot than the two dragon Original Buffalo Butter. I had a hard time telling the difference between Asian heat and Mardi Gras. The Original Buffalo Butter was the best wing that we had, but it wasn’t extraordinary in terms of flavor. There were more than a few East Coast Donair wings left over at the end. We also noticed that the recipes of some of our favorite wings had changed. Foghorn Leghorn, a traditional favorite of ours, now displayed some tomato based stickiness that it had lacked on prior visits. Asian heat was not the pleasantly spicy experience it once had been. The accompanying dipping sauce and veggies were also disappointing. You have to ask especially for blue cheese unless you are content to be stuck with a watery dill dip. The eleven pounds of wings were accompanied by 8 carrot sticks and 8 celery sticks. That’s not even a carrot stick per pound ordered.
Service
One pleasant change was the quality of the service at C&D. Prior experiences had led to a reputation for awful service. The last time I was at C&D, I received a set of cold wings. I asked for a fresh batch, and originally the waiter told me that he couldn’t do that because his “bar manager wouldn’t let him.” I asked again for a fresh batch, and he took them away. Two minutes later he appeared with more wings for me, but really he had microwaved my old order and told me they were fresh. They were now dry and dreadful. I wasn’t happy.
This time the server was friendly. He checked in on us, and he got some blue cheese when I asked, and tabulated the bill so that we saved the most money per pound with their special offer. I hope the service is a result in an overall change of attitude. However, it could be that the pub was no longer busy, and the waiter actually had time for us. Previously on half price wing night, the pub was packed. Only three tables were occupied for $3 off night.
Conclusion
Crown and Dragon beats any of the franchises when it comes to wings, without a doubt. C&D’s wings are bigger and juicier. Despite my gripes about the sauces above, they are still better than anything that Duff’s or St. Louis has to offer. However, the flavors aren’t as good as they used to be, and I’m sure they could be even better. I’ll probably still go to C&D, but the change in flavors, as well as the elimination of half price wing night, will have me looking around town for better and cheaper options.
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