The three pound platter: Dragon's Breath on the left, East Coast Donair on the right, and Smokin' Gunn in the back.
Almost ten years ago while an undergrad at U of T I had my first chicken wing and set the baseline for all future comparisons. On Mondays and Wednesdays the Gabby’s across Bloor Street from the ROM offered good wings for half price. The wings were larger than average, meaty and well-cooked. The sauce was thin enough that it coated evenly and was spicy and vinegary without any reference to tomatoes or ketchup. The level of heat was calibrated in a much more useful way than is normal: mild had a bit of heat instead of being totally insipid; medium was quite spicy and would pass for hot elsewhere; and hot was verging on painful. My tastes have matured, memories are always more pleasant than reality and things have gone downhill for Gabby’s (especially in the service department) but the memory of their wings is still the example against which I judge all others.
The Crown and Dragon lays claim to having the best wings in Toronto and on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and all day Sunday offer them at half price. The selection of wing flavours is long (25 fried and 5 bakes options) without being overwhelmingly encyclopedic. For our three pounds of wings (half of the regular $26.95) we went with the Dragon’s Breath (the award-winning staple), Smokin’ Gun (a slight twist), and East Coast Donair (totally off-the-wall) flavours.
The Dragon’s Breath showcases an excellent balance of heat, vinegar, and salt. The vinegar acts as a foil for the heat while the saltiness does its usual trick of amping up flavour. Those true chili heads who order the Triple Homicide Nuclear Inferno that some wing joints offer will probably be disappointed that the Dragon’s Breath (along with the Holy Habanero) is the hottest option on the menu. I found them quite hot–maybe a slight notch up from the medium at Gabby’s–but they didn’t cause the half hour of discomfort that attract the most hardcore wing afficianados.
The smoke flavour for the Smokin’ Gun wings obviously comes from a bottle and not directly from wood but doesn’t taste artificial. Smoke and spice are excellent dance partners that alternate between savoury pleasure and the pain of capsaicin. The donair sauced wings had the proper touch of sweetness but not enough garlic and leave a dry sensation.
Our wings were cooked slightly past where I like them. This made the skin crispier but the meat was a bit drier than ideal. The accompanying garnish (carrot and celery sticks and the blue cheese dipping sauce) were alright but obviously the wings are the main event.
Too many of these blurred my ability to take their picture
The service at the C&D is very good. While not oppressive we were never left with empty pint glasses. The draught selection availabe to fill these glasses could definitely use some work, though. With the exception of Guinness there are no options darker or more bitter than Creemore and no Molson Ex or similar “olde tyme” classics. The Crown and Dragon is my new go-to place for wings in midtown Toronto and on the next visit I’ll have to expand into the rest of the menu.
