I’ve never been a breast man. To be perfectly honest, I’ve always been more of a leg guy. Well, up until that restaurant opened up a couple of blocks from my house, way back when we were living in Montreal. I don’t remember its name or what else was on the menu, but I do remember the reason I loved the place and how it redirected my passion from legs to those fatty little pieces of utter bliss: heavenly garlic-parmesan wings.
Sadly, the restaurant didn’t last long, going out of business within the year, and I mourned its passing like an addict bemoaning the loss of his dealer. In time, I moved on, making due with more mundane substitutes such as buffalo or sweet and sour, resigned to the fact that my garlic-parmesan wing-eating days were behind me. Short of actually making them myself – which, of course, was not going to happen – I was out of luck. I moved on.
So imagine my surprise and utter delight when I walked into Wing Nuts the other night, scanned the posted menu, and had my eyes alight on one stand-out selection under the SAUCE category: Garlic & Parmesan. Ah, just like old times.
Wing Nuts offers some 18 different varieties of wings, sauced and dry, in addition to sandwiches, jalapeno poppers, onion rings, chili, and various salads. We were four and went with the 48 wings for $29.99 which came with four different flavors. Lots of great choices here but, in the end, we decided to go with the Garlic & Parmesan, the Chili ’N Lime, the Spicy Thai Peanut, and that day’s feature: the Mango & Habanero. We also ordered 6 dry spiced Cajun wings, some japaleno poppers, and a poutine (fries, cheese curds, and gravy) for Fondy.
Overall, good wings but not quite as plump and succulent as I’d hoped. I suspected they’d once belonged to mean street chickens, poultry who had perhaps suffered a difficult upbringing, forced to steel themselves against the harsh hand life had dealt them by adopting tough, uncompromising personas – fighting birds if you will, all lean and sinewy and tatted up.
But tasty nevertheless. We all had our favorites. While I liked the Garlic & Parmesan, everyone else found them a little too sharp. The chili ‘n lime were pretty good, not too spicy, but the mango-habanero was a huge disappointment. It was admittedly tasty but thoroughly lacking in any of the heat one would expect from a habareno-based sauce. My surprise favorite was the spicy thai peanut, especially after the wings had been allowed to sit a while so that the sauce could thicken. As for my fellow diners, they gave top marks to the Cajun wings.
For dessert – a little taste of Scotland in the way of deep-fried Snickers and Mars Bars. This was my first time having these delicious treats – lightly-battered and crispy on the outside, warm and melty-good on the inside – but my friend was a veteran and pronounced them the best he’s ever tasted.
Whoowhee, lotsa questions to get around to today. Let’s see what I can do –
NightSpring writes: “Carter’s a done deal. […] On the other hand, we could possibly handle that if we weren’t also losing Torri. Why is there not room for both of them to do 14 or so episodes??”
Answer: At the risk of repeating myself, it’s not an either or situation. The addition of Carter wasn’t the reason we decided to take Weir in a new direction.
Anonymous #1 writes: “Basically, we’re getting Carter on Atlantis because Scifi wanted a crossover. That is what you’re saying, right?”
Answer: Wrong. That isn’t what I’m saying. If you’re wondering whether the only reason we’re bringing Carter aboard because SciFi requested it, the answer is no. If you’re wondering whether SciFi and the production both support the idea of bringing Carter aboard, the answer is yes.
Anonymous #2 writes: “What kind of ratings numbers do you think the last half of season three needs to get in order for season five to go ahead?”
Answer: No idea.
Kellie writes: “ When writing about a subject matter or culture that isn’t highly familiar to you (excluding made-up aliens for whom you can call all the shots) what sort of research do you do to lend its expression an authentic voice and avoid clichés?”
Answer: Our meticulous research involves hours of online investigation, countless library visits, and the occasional necessity to ship office assistant Lawren Bancroft-Wilson to distant lands so that we can experience exotic, often alarming, customs vicariously through him.
Ankhmutes writes: “According to Hewlett’s blog, the team is wearing leather in S4. He may have been teasing us… but those of us in the shallow end of the pool are hoping he isn’t.”
Answer: He isn’t.
GrapsofWraith writes: “Also, have you ever thought of making lyrics to the Atlantis theme?”
Answer: Paul was working on them. I remember him getting as far as: “Weee’re in Atlaaantis. Wee’re under waaaater….”
Anonymous #3 writes: “Are there any gate stories in the works for Season 4?”
Answers: Gate issues complicate matters in the first two episodes.
Royal-Nonesuch: “Ever tried Kosher cuisine?”
Answer: I have. There are some great Kosher delis in Montreal, but only a few in Vancouver.
Anonymous #4 writes: “What does your sarcastic 8 ball say about the possibility of the Trust/exNID in Atlantis (again)?”
Sarcastic 8 Ball says: Not a chance.
Rebeccasaurus writes: “If there were a Joseph Mallozzi food pyramid, what would be the base food group?”
Answer: Chocolate of course.
Anonymous #5 writes: “Since that was the first any fans had heard of a move of character, and since the Beckett and Weir “going” rumors didn’t surface until fall, everyone pretty much assumed the command to bump the two and replace them came from Skiffy execs (in their infinite wisdom).”
Answer: Right. And, as I pointed out in yesterday’s response, it was an erroneous assumption. Glad I could clear that up for you.
Pati writes: “Joe can you tell Carl that he has fan girls.”
Answer: No way. That guy’s ego is so huge already I’m amazed he can even squeeze into that pimped-out Crown Vic he rolls in.
Anonymous #6 writes: “Will there be any McKay whumping or angst in season 4?”
Answer: No season would be complete without some McKay whumping. And you can count on some McKay angst as well, compliments of Pretty Boy Gero.
Anonymous #7 writes: “So I have to ask if are we going to see Morena Baccarin (Adria) in the first movie? And are there also plans for the Doci appearing in this movie?”
Answer: It’s possible. And – it’s possible. Not necessarily in that order.
Arctic Goddess writes: “Have you ever attended the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal? If so, do you prefer the French or English version?”
Answer: Never attended the Just for Laughs Fest. And my command of the French language isn’t strong enough for me to enjoy its comic stylings, so I would prefer English.
Anonymous #8 writes: “If you don’t know how many episodes Weir will be in because the back half of season 4 hasn’t been written yet, how do you know that Amanda will be in 14 episodes?”
Answer: I know because Amanda has a series deal for season four.
Sox Chica: “Can there possibly be any restaurant you haven’t eaten at yet?”
Answer Crazy as it sounds, there are.
TauriSith writes: “Is Elzabeth going to be horribly injured, ascend, and then be a recurring character?”
Answer: No.
Anonymous #9 writes: “1) Will be seeing more of Michael and 2) Will that Common Ground Wraith be returning?”
Answer: Looking good.
Cel writes: “Shall I send you some vegemite then?”
Answer: No need. Believe it or not, there’s a place in town that sells a lot of unique products from other countries including vegemite.
TheOldOne writes: “Joe, to save you some time I think I have decoded the first few lines of the message from Jenny. If I am right, it seems to be the same message that was decoded in the bathroom scene in the movie “A Christmas Story””
Answer: Thanks. In that case – I’ll remember to eat it. Thanks, Annie.
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