As CFL and NFL football fever takes over, we huddled up with Drew Barrymore’s go-to chef, Anthony Rose — the actor visited Fat Pasha in July — and tasked him with crowning the ultimate spot for championship Buffalo wings for a wing-credible start to football season.
Super Bowl Winner: Bistro on Avenue
“The chicken is very juicy and the sauce is nice with a little bit of spice, but it’s not too hot that you can’t taste the flavour of the chicken. The wing itself is a good size, and there’s lots of meat.” 1988 Avenue Rd., $22.50 — hot sauce bistroonavenue.com
Conference Champs: Drums N Flats
“These wings are huge — just the way I like them. It’s rare to find wings this size. The sauce has a lot of depth — nice and spicy, and the meat itself is really good. This is a solid wing; its juicy and packed with flavour.” 1980 Avenue Rd., $15.99 — Go Bills sauce www.drumsnflats.com
Duff’s Famous Wings
“It’s hot but not over the top. Nice buttery goodness. I’m not crazy about the blue cheese dipping sauce. The chicken is a little dry — a tad bit overcooked. But the sauce on the chicken is great.” 9360 Bathurst St., Vaughan $15.75 — Authentic Buffalo sauce www.duffsfamouswings.ca
Crown & Dragon
“This is a solid wing, not overly spicy. I typically don’t go for anything hotter than “hot” because, otherwise, the wing’s flavour gets lost, so this heat level is just right. Plus it has a great buttery taste as well.” 890 Yonge St., $16 — Buffalo butter sauce www.crownanddragon.com
Allstar Wings & Ribs
“I’m not loving the thickness of the blue cheese dressing. Considering how small these wings are, they’re pretty good, but there’s nothing impressive about them — especially not in terms of size or sauce.” 667 College St., $20.95 — American sauce allstarwingsandribs.com
St. Louis Bar & Grill
“This is a really good wing. This is very similar to the second one I tasted [Bistro on the Avenue]. The wing is not too spicy and is a great size. It’s a throwback to a classic wing.” 808 York Mills Rd., North York, $17.79 — Buffalo ranch sauce www.stlouiswings.com
