That night her kiss
told me it was over
I walked out late
into the dark
The misty gloom
seems to soak up my sorrow
Another Tuesday... another Taste! This week we're reviewing some catchy sloganeering that's certain to unify national identity and stand steadfast against a wantonly oppressor that... oh wait, this is Wings Up. Damn, I was in the mood for some tasty elbows though... wings are technically chicken elbows, right?
Wings Up! is a chicken wing chain that clearly likes to exclaim. This is what I mean! They have several locations across the city! Daily specials and a variety of menu items beyond wings! Their logo looks like it's trying to hypnotize you! Run don't walk to your nearest location! Eat more wings, people! Catch the frenzy! My voice is somehow strained now from typing this paragraph!
The name "WingsUp!" itself is also a versatile proclamation. Does it mean these wings are so good they originate from a higher, heavenly place? Is the "Up!" signifying the level of approval you're sure to give upon trying them? Or, is it like a 'raise your glass' to these bite-sized chicken morsels? Cheers me with that wing! I really do often wonder the thinking behind these names...
Speaking of that, this is a restaurant chain that's likely much older than you think. Originally what was called "The Incredible Wing Ding" (this company has a way with names, eh) opened up in Milton, Ontario back in 1988 and expanded to a couple of modestly successful locations regionally... eventually rebranding as "WingsUp" in the late 1990s. Along came Darren Czarnogorski, fresh out of university and working in the investment industry, looking to operate his own small business and, on advice from his father, really get into working the day-to-day dirty details of it. WingsUp was that business which Czarnogorski (friend of all spell checkers) took over in 2004... in the two decades since (but especially in the past five years) they've expanded their reach with a few dozen stores all throughout southern Ontario, plus a smattering of spots out in the Western provinces of Canada as well (their 'Franchising' page on their website also appears keen to attract potential franchisees down south in the Texas and Florida markets).
Until then, they'll have to settle for Toronto being the most populous and prominent city to feature their brand of wings... and hey, Toronto happens to be the city I live in so lets actually try these damn things! (Things Up?). They have a location in Liberty Village in that sort of outdoor mall south of East Liberty Street and Lynn Williams (the very same walkway which has the Aloette Go I checked out last winter). From what I can tell this particular WingsUp outpost is pretty brand shiny new (it was a Pita Land last summer) and does kind of have that "paint still fresh" type of aura.
Entering the location itself is also an exercise in... misdirection. Not only is it located on a laneway instead of an actual street, they share the building with an Osmow's and... the WingsUp itself is down a flight of stairs underground. While clean and sleek, I couldn't escape the notion I was entering some kind of nuclear fried chicken wing bunker and got my order to go.
It must be mentioned first off... at full freight these prices are rough. This is a 1/2 pound (or 2/3... their sizes are somewhat vague) of wings with their potato wedges... right around twenty bucks. So we're not exactly looking at a full-sized lunch here despite the full meal price tag. The wings are of a larger size sure, but there are only four of them so...you see what I mean.
I've found my enthusiasm for potato wedges have waned over the years mostly because, well, a lot of places make them terribly. Whether they be fried in an overused oil, undercooking them so that they're partially raw on the inside, or letting them sit out too long before re-frying (resulting in a stale, chalky experience)... whatever it may be, rarely does it seem I encounter a good one.
These ones from WingsUp... they're pretty good actually. I'd like a bit more crispiness and seasoning, but the overall texture is decent (light crisp on the outside, fluffy inside) and there's a light pinch of much needed salt to tickle the taste buds just a little. Potatoes are tough on a reheat (I had to start work and left these unfinished) as they dry out and shrivel rather quickly... though the air fryer was able to restore some of their fresh glory (a positive sign in regards to their quality). Are these fresh cut daily? I'd wager no... the flavour is rather muted... though I didn't get the familar numb sting of frozen food either. Maybe they are fresh? Either way... a very average potato wedge.
Like I said... twenty bucks but at least the quartet of wings are individually large. WingsUp have a variety of sauces (a little over a dozen) yet only a couple carry any kind of spice alert (like, multiple flaming peppers next to the name). I guess I was feeling especially adventurous this afternoon because I went for what they deem their hottest one: the "Sweatin' Bullets", which they even sell bottles of.
On that first bite the familiar tropical sweetness of a scotch bonnet made my acquaintance, although I must say this is a very PG version of that notoriously fiery pepper. The sizzle and the sting are greatly watered down and diminished, as though the fire in your mouth is actually across a lake and you're just watching it, some of the heated smoke hitting your nostrils only occasionally. It still has some lingering bite however, especially on the lips... and frankly I quite liked it as a sauce. Accessible with a more well rounded heat rather than a direct assault. Easily the best thing I encountered here at WingsUp.
The wings themselves... oddly soft (the sauce does soak them) with a fairly indistinguished breading. The chicken inside is quite tender and mostly lean. While these aren't cheap in regards to quality, again I didn't get much depth to these wings in either texture or flavour (beyond the pleasant tingle from the sauce). Tender yes, but lacking juiciness. Are they good chicken wings? Sure. They are quite tasty, sneakily greasy. they fall off the bone well and are cooked consistently throughout. However, they're not outstanding... and when you're basically talking four bucks a wing here...
I was set to leave the review at just this simple wings and wedges order... but then I noticed they do daily specials on appetizers. Actually, the WingsUp Liberty Village offers so many specials on their walls it became distracting as to what the priority of this restaurant actually was. Daily chicken sandwich special! Wing Wednesday! Buy a large party platter for the price of 2/3 a party platter between 5 and 8 pm on the third Saturday of every other month! (Okay maybe I made up one of those).
Anyhow, I noticed how on Sundays they offered their "Multi-tizer" at 1/2 price, which is essentially a mini-platter of most of their appetizers. Seeing such an item potentially discounted to ten bucks... I decided to give WingsUp! a second visit before work, calling in my order online (uh... webbing my order?) for it to be ready once I arrived.
Twelve dollars? Now that's a bit more reasonable. Here we have an assortment of breaded pickles, perogies, mozzarella sticks, jalapeno poppers and fried mac n'cheese bites. Plus a side of sour cream, marinara and whatever the heck that mass-produced orange one is. My arteries were truly over the moon on my culinary choices this particular day, lemme tell ya.
Once again I didn't have time to properly sample these right away (lousy actual job, financially sustaining my actual life) so it was time again for the air fryer to do it's best to emulate what these would be like fresh. I do think in general I got a strong sense what we're dealing with here.
The perogies were probably the ones I was most skeptical about, yet might've ended up being the best thing here in the sampler, funny enough. They're very simple: cheese and potato filling (no trace or hint of onion), yet there's a lightness to them despite being rather dense with that filling. The exterior reminded me of a pizza pop or pizza roll in terms of taste and texture. Far from authentic, but they fill a sort of fast food pierogi definition capably.
Get ready to throw your pitchforks (pickleforks?) at me because... I'm not the biggest fan of pickles. There I said it. *ducks*
Now before you finish typing that angry message how I'm unforgivably wrong for slighting the greatest food to ever exist, let me just say I think pickles are an excellent supporting player for other dishes. Pickles on sandwiches or in spreads (relish) can be excellent, personally I love a pastrami sandwich with a pickle on the side. It's pure magic. When a pickle is the only thing though? The main attraction? I'm just not that into it. That's just not my preferred brand of stingy sour flavour.
As such... it's hard for me to judge these WingsUp fried pickles entirely fairly. Plus... there's only so much an air fryer can do to save a breaded (and now hollow and shriveled) pickle after several hours. I did like the touch of dill within the breading.
This colourful creation is a jalapeno popper, a fried item I can't say I've munched on extensively in my life. For instance, I wasn't aware these things had cheese inside of them...
...very much a gooey, fake/nacho cheese, a plasticky taste that does pair well with an angry hot pepper. These were indeed quite enjoyable, if a bit of a heartburn nightmare waiting to ambush you. Really quite loaded with that molten cheese and the shell of the hot pepper runs through most of the popper. Solid stuff.
It's a fried mozzarella stick. It tastes exactly like a fried mozzarella stick, which is both awesome and immediately guilt-inducing. Also don't worry, the contents of that ketchup container came nowhere near anything in these photos (no appetizer was harmed by ketchup in the making of this article).
Finally, the mac and cheese bite (likely what that nefarious ketchup was meant for). Imagine clumps of KD in a thin batter and fried... bingo. I tend to like my mac n cheeses much creamier and richer (I don't like KD is what I'm saying) but as a bizarre appetizer novelty, these were funky to try. The noodles on the inside weren't hard or overdone either... quite soft in fact. Would've liked it had they been cheesier though.
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Overall... honestly a very slightly-above-average fast food outing here. Nothing really blew me away, but everything was also mostly enjoyable and tasty enough. The wings are good but not as amazing as their cost suggests and as such... WingsUp isn't a place I'd recommend at full price... if they have a 1/2 off special or something of the like? I could see myself going back. I guess the hypnotic logo did something after all.
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Tuesday Tune
I genuinely can't believe this hasn't been a song of the week yet in the 130+ weekly reviews I've done over the years. Arguably my favourite BOC song and one that really takes me back to a particular era and time in my life, reminding me of cool people I knew and fun nights we had. Great song.
That's it for another week! Until next time... stay safe, stay cool, enjoy these remaining morsels of nice weather and most of all... don't spill that mustard.
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