St. Louis Bar & Grill, Toronto - They give you wings!

Wing! Wing! Hi, its me, flavour!

We have just arrived in Canada, and the list of things we want to try is longer than a hockey stick. I've never been to The Americas before, let alone Canada, so while I am trying to sample as many Canadian specialties as I can, I'm also happily trying out a few things from the USA along the way.

Dual Tractor Beams. There is no escape.

With an urge to try something well known, I ended up in the St. Louis Bar & Grill, in central Toronto. I was lured inside by the tempting chalkboards advertising half price wings and very cheap little jugs of beer. The whole place was chock full of young people with faces covered in sticky sauce from their individual baskets of chicken pieces.

We found some space to sit at the bar, where an array of local beer taps were being put to good use, and a large TV on the wall was showing the current hockey game. The friendly bartender took the order - 2 pounds (abut 900g) of wings with spicy BBQ sauce and complimentary fries on the side. A pint of strongbow and an ever so cute 32oz 'personal pitcher' of Budweiser were added to the bill, since it just seemed right to pair beer with wings while watching 'the game'.

The glass is about the same size as the jug! It's so cute!

First of all, I don't like Budweiser beer. It is like watered down water, and if it weren't cheap and refreshing, then there would be no argument for it at all. Strongbow on the other hand is fine, but to be fair, the numbers suggest that it's more difficult to make a bad cider, so to be judged as an 'okay' one is about as hollow as winning a nine hour monopoly game against yourself; and we all know what that feels like.

Our greasy basket of wings and fries showed up soon enough, and were attacked as if the chicken bits might still be able to run away. Hot, swathed in a thick spicy sauce, and wonderfully soft, so much so that the meat could be sucked straight from the little bones like ice cream melting off the stick. Messy, sticky fun. The fries were just there for decoration, and added no real weight or flavour to the meal.

The scene of the crime.

By the time we were done with our wooden bowl of chicken arms, the only thing I couldn't wipe from my face was the contented smile. However, the brown beard made of sauce smeared across my whole face required a trip to the washroom before I felt clean again.

RECOMMENDED

I probably wouldn't go back, since my arteries have made it clear that they won't stand for it, but I would recommend others to try this place at least once. Of course I've had chicken wings before in other countries, but the vibrant setting and the memorable sauce made this place into a whole bucket of greasy wings & grubby fun.

The bill (for 2):
2lbs of chicken wings in spicy BBQ sauce - CA$11.99
1 x Strongbow Pint - CA$7.00
1 x 32oz Jug of Budweiser - CA$7.49
TOTAL: CA$26.48 (Approx. US$25.50)

Restaurant address: 528 Yonge St, Toronto
Website: http://www.stlouiswings.com

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