the wing quest continues…
Coming back to the states for the holidays has satisfied many of my cravings for home, family, the familiar, Santa Clauses and jingle bells. But perhaps one of the best things about being back is, well, the buffalo wings. Yes, those lovely little hot wings that I miss so much in Turkey. If you’ve been reading my blog, you are well aware of the lack of good wings in Istanbul. And hey, I can’t blame them, it’s not their schtick. Just like borek and baklava are not America’s schtick.
Anyway, being back has given me the opportunity to indulge in as many wings as I can. And fortunately, or unfortunately, almost every place I go to eat here offers wings. So I’ve been indulging. In fact, so much I thought I would take a day off today. My stomach begged me. But I am happy to report that I have been repeatedly happy with the wing quality I’ve experienced thus far.
Check out my latest Ohio wings… next week is NY wings. :)
The Boulevard ~ Eastlake, Ohio
28 cent wings and $1 beers — can’t beat it! Wing quality is superb, perfect crispyness, and fantastic hot sauce. Although I got hot twice now, and medium once (to appease my mild-spiced friend), I think I will go for inferno next time. I like a little more heat with my hot wings. Oh and the celery is great here – fresh, juicy and not dried out in any way. Blue cheese is pretty good. Overall 9.5 on the Chicken Wing Scale of Loveliness.
And as an added bonus for those burger lovers, not only are the burgers great, but all toppings are only 15 cents! I love Ohio.
Panini’s ~ Willoughby, Ohio
On to Panini’s, an establishment known for their famous panini sandwiches, which come complete with fries inside the sandwich. I was told I have to get the wings, which I didn’t really need much arm twisting for, so I got them — Buffalo Hot, extra crispy (the later part which was recommended by a seasoned Panini’s hot wing friend). These wings got a solid 10 on the scale! There was a perfect amount of sauce, they were cooked to perfection, and the size and juiciness of the chicken was like no other. At first I thought the hot was not hot enough, but after a few wings, I was happy with the heat level. I could have kicked it up a little, but maybe next time.
And I can’t forget to thank my friend Tsam for sending me a write up on the best hot wings in NYC. I read it, studied it, and can’t wait to go to the Blind Tiger Ale House next week when we’re in NY. Thank you Tsam!! To read the review yourself: NYC Best Wings Review by nycfoodguy
total disappointment
At the grocery store last week I was so excited to find in the meat section a package of chicken wings labeled “Buffalo Wings”. Yes, hot buffalo wings! I thought for sure these would be close to the real thing since they looked like they were pre-cooked in some sort of hot sauce and they also came with their own side of “aci sos” (hot sauce). The folks at Keskinoglu (the Purdue of Turkey) took the time and effort to perfect buffalo wing sauce and bring it to life in their little chicken wings for those of us Americans missing our favorite hot wings… or so I thought.
These wings were a total disappointment. The sauce was more of a tangy barbecue – I can’t even classify it as hot. The wings were small, as you can see, and they were prepared in too much of something… butter, grease, who knows??
They rank 1 on the Chicken Wing Scale of Loveliness. Let the search for good hot wings in Istanbul continue…
jips and chicken wings
For those of you who know me, you know that I love to eat. But I’ve always been able to manage my eating habit in NY by walking a lot, working out, and good old stress. But as my mother-in-law so kindly pointed out the other day at dinner, I’ve gained a few kilos. Yes, I will admit I’ve gained about 6lbs since getting married. Maybe even 8, but since all scales here are in kilos, you know it gets lost in conversion.
But I only have my dear friends to blame. You see, if it weren’t for the crazy number of going away dinners, parties, lunches, drinks, etc, before our departure then maybe I would be 6 (or 8…) lbs less than I currently am. (Ok and the month of wedding celebrations may play a role here, too). But the problem is I love to eat. And it doesn’t help that I just discovered my new favorite chips here (or “jips” as I learned they are called from some little kid in the grocery store yesterday). They are this great cross between mini bagel chips and sour cream and onion loveliness. And the best (or worst) thing is that they are only 1.5 liras! (about one dollar). Did I mention I’ve been going to the gym a lot? 
I’m also on an official chicken wing hunt to find the city’s best hot wings. It’s not so common here, but there’s gotta be a place that does it well… and I’m going to find it! Unfortunately there is no Citysearch or Menu Pages, so we’re on our own.
We went for mexican food last night (which was surprisingly really good) and got wings as an appetizer. I know, weird that you can get wings at a mexican restaurant. Equally as weird that you can get good mexican food in Turkey. While the wings weren’t bad, they were small in size and rate a solid 5 on the Chicken Wing Scale of Loveliness. And the blue cheese got a -5. The search continues…
