Wing-Off 11 - Brooklyn Style! The Wing Bar vs. Bonnie's Grill

From the same people that bring you Burger Conquest, we bring you the New York City Wing-Off. A crew of men on a search for the best wing in NYC. Wing-Off judges solely on quality of the Medium and Hot wings only. Service, ambiance, beverage selection, price and other menus have no factor but they sure do count for a good time! Also, NO WOMEN ALLOWED!!

WING-OFF 11
THE WING BAR vs. BONNIE'S GRILLE
-Brooklyn Style!!!

The Wing Bar
275 Smith St
Brooklyn, NY 11231
(718) 237-2728
http://brooklyn.citysearch.com/profile/603161632/brooklyn_ny/wing_bar.html

Bonnie’s Grill
278 5th Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11215
(347) 673-1162
http://brooklyn.citysearch.com/profile/7356065/brooklyn_ny/bonnie_s_grill.html

THE WING BAR


Rather new to the scene, popping up in 2009, Brooklyn's The Wing Bar has been making some waves with their hot wings. Located in the Cobble Hill section of the borough, they offer a small yet inexpensive selection of bar food, all centered around the hot wing. The Wing Bar is also known for lost but not forgotten liquid serving container that is almost extinct in New York City; the pitcher! Their open until 2 am and also have a back patio but on this particularly warm winter day there were 2 other reasons to be here - 1. Wing-Off 11, 2. USA vs. Canada Olympic Gold Medal Hockey game.

The place is small and tight so we all owe a big round of applause to Ashely who not only saved us a space right under the TV but also did a fantastic job as our server. With no delay and a game to watch, we ordered a selection of medium and hot wings with a various assortment of beers to wash them down. Kudos to The Wing Bar for having Captain Lawrence on tap (big fan.)

Holy crispiness Bat(wing) Man!! Both the mediums and the hots were cooked to a perfect crunchy outside while remaining nice and juicy in the middle. As meatiness, the wings were just right; not too skimpy, not too much. The flavor in the mediums were right on the money with a buttery - peppered taste. The hots were good too but could've used a little more in the heat department. A strong showing on both accounts.




Literally at the end of the 2nd period, the Wing-Off crew jumped up from our tables and high-tailed it across town to our 2nd location. Along the way we crossed the Carroll St Bridge. Not that this bridge crossing the Gowanus Canal has anything to do with wings but as an interesting pieces of history, it's worth pointing it out. Erected by the Brooklyn Department of City Works in 1889, " is one of two retractile bridges left in New York, and one of four left in the United States. A retractile bridge slides along a track to allow the bridge to move and ships to pass." Thanks to Wing-Off member Leo F. for the education and link.



BONNIE'S GRILL


Bonnie's Grill is a tiny little cafe located in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn. Offering counter or waited service at one of their very few tables, this grill was created by 2 sons of the town that invented the hot wing; Buffalo, NY. Known mostly for their wings and burgers, Bonnie's has a decently sized menu with quite a lot of options for such a small place. Some might even call it a hole-in-the-wall, but a really, really neat and clean one.

We piled in taking up every single table in the place, eyes fixed on the TV as the 3rd period began. While the only Canadian amongst our group, Adam ordered a Labatt's Blue, the rest of us try to stick with American brewed beers. In the race against beer, Bonnie's beats The Wing Bar not in the fact that they too offer beer by the pitcher but an actually glass pitcher! Drink up, we did.

We placed the standard order for mediums and hot wings and waited for them to arrive. Bonnie's wings were cooked well and meaty with a crispy outside and juicy inside. The wings were just slightly less crispy than The Wing Bar's wings and done right on the money. The mediums had good flavor and enough bite to remind you that these are "hot" wings. The hot on the other hand, were no joke. Their peppery flavor danced across the tongue leaving a blanket of heat that lasted a good 2-3 minutes. This was hot done right. Although we don't judge on them, we also order the "hotter" wings. These spicy little numbers were as intense as the game tying goal scored by Zach Parise of the NJ Devils with only 24 seconds left on the clock. There is not a single member of the Wing-Off who I would call a "sissbag" but these wings called for a glass of milk after 5 minutes of lingering heat.

WING-OFF 11 OFFICIAL WINNER - BONNIE'S GRILL!

While Bonnie's won the Wing-Off and Canada won the Gold Medal the real winners here were the baker's dozen of us that had a fun afternoon filled with hot wings, cold beer, history and using our bitterness to make a tasteless, yet funny joke at Canada's expense.



WING-OFF HISTORICAL

WING-OFF 1
January 28, 2007
Scruffy Duffy's vs. Atomic at Down the Hatch
WINNER: SCRUFFY DUFFYS

Scruffy Duffy's
www.scruffyduffys.com
743 Eighth Avenue
(between 46th & 47th)
New York, NY 10036

Atomic at Down the Hatch
http://www.nycbestbar.com/downthehatch/
179 W. 4th St
New York, NY

WING-OFF 2
June 3rd, 2007
Scruffy Duffy's vs Blondie's
WINNER: SCRUFFY DUFFYS

Scruffy Duffy's
www.scruffyduffys.com
Scruffy Duffy's 743 Eighth Avenue
(between 46th & 47th)
New York, NY 10036

Blondies's
www.blondiessports.com
212 W 79th St
(Between Amsterdam Avenue and Broadway)
New York, NY 10024-6225

WING-OFF 3
September 11, 2007
Mudville 9
http://www.mudville9.com/
126 Chambers St
(Btwn Church and W.Broadway)
New York, NY 10007
Phone: (212) 964-WING

WING-OFF 4
January 20, 2008
Scruffy Duffy's at Lansdowne Road vs. Texas Arizona
WINNER by disqualification, SCRUFFY DUFFYS

Lansdowne Road
www.lansdowneroadnyc.com
599 10th Ave (Btwn 43rd and 44th St)
New York, NY 10036-3008

WING-0FF 5
June 27, 2008
Lansdowne Road vs. Croxley Ale House vs. 1-2-3 Burger Shot Beer
WINNER: SCRUFFY DUFFYS

Lansdowne Road
www.lansdowneroadnyc.com
599 10th Ave (Btwn 43rd and 44th St)
New York, NY 10036-3008

Croxley Ale House
www.croxley.com
28 Avenue B
New York, NY

123 Burger Shot Beer
www.123burgershotbeer.com
738 10th Avenue
New York, NY

WING-OFF 6
October 6th, 2008
Scruffy's Retirement Party at Lansdowne Road

Lansdowne Road
www.lansdowneroadnyc.com
599 10th Ave (Btwn 43rd and 44th St)
New York, NY 10036-3008

WING-OFF 7
TOWN TAVERN vs. WOGIE'S
WINNER; WOGIE'S

Town Tavern
http://www.towntavernnyc.com/
134 West 4th St
(at MacDougal)
New York, NY 10012

Wogie's
http://www.wogies.com/
39 Greenwich Ave
(btwn Charle's & Perry)
New York, NY 10014

WING-OFF 8
BLIND TIGER ALE HOUSE vs. THUNDER JACKSONS
WINNER; Both DQ!

Blind Tiger Ale House
http://blindtigeralehouse.com/
281 Bleecker St (@ Jones St)
New York, NY

Thunder Jackson's
http://www.thunderjackson.com
169 Bleecker St (@ Sullivan St)
New York, NY 10012

WING-OFF 9
Tuesday, August 4th
Johnny Utah’s VS. Point Break (formerly Nation)
WINNER: Point Break
EX-PRESIDENTIAL RUBBER MASKS ENCOURAGED!

Johnny Utah’s
25 W 51st St (Between 5^th and 6^th Aves)
New York, NY 10019-6902
(212) 265-8824
www.johnnyutahs.com

Point Break
12 W 45th St (Between 5^th and 6^th Aves)
New York, NY 10036-4202
(212) 391-8053
http://pointbreaknyc.com/

WING-OFF 10
Saturday, November 21st, 2009
Bar-Coastal vs. Brother Jimmy's BBQ vs. The Back Page Sports Bar
WINNER: Bar-Coastal

Bar-Coastal
1495 1st Ave (at 78th St)
New York, NY 10075-1355
(212) 288-6635
www.barcoastal.com

Brother Jimmy's BBQ
1485 2nd Ave (at 77TH St)
New York, NY 10075-2001
(212) 288-0999
www.brotherjimmys.com

The Back Page Sports Bar
1472 3rd Ave (Btwn 83rd and 84th)
New York, NY 10028-1967
(212) 570-5800
http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/7175125/new_york_ny/the_back_page.htm

WING-OFF 11
Sunday, February 28th, 2010
The Wing Bar vs.Bonnie's Grill
WINNER: Bonnie's Grill!

The Wing Bar
275 Smith St (between Degraw St & Sackett St)
Brooklyn, NY 11231
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-wing-bar-brooklyn

Bonnie's Grill
278 5th Ave (1st Street)
Brooklyn, NY 11215
http://brooklyn.citysearch.com/profile/7356065/brooklyn_ny/bonnie_s_grill.html

Shake Shack - First Ever Polar Brrrger Club

Shake Shack
http://www.shakeshacknyc.com/
11 Madison Ave
New York, NY 10010

THE CONQUEST
SNOWMAGEDDON has struck NYC! With 10 + inches of heavy, wet and still falling snow, I woke up and thought "what a great day to go eat burgers at the Shake Shack!" The lines at Shake Shack are notorious long and I say it all the time, the best time to go to the Shack is during bad or cold weather. If you just aren't the outdoors type, you can always try the Upper West Side location that happens to be inside. But not me, I am from Michigan and I enjoy the elements.

After a quick weather check, 10"s on the ground and more to come, I dropped a line to the Shake Shack to see if they would be open. Moments later General Manager, Vernon Patterson replied "We are definitely open. Come on down. We are giving out free hot chocolate all day!" I quickly put on a Hawaiian shirt and sent out an APB via Twitter, Facebook and email - "1230pm today @shakeshack MSP; #PolarBrrrgerClub. Hawaiian shirts encouraged but not necessary. Who's with me?!?!? Free hot chocolate all day. I will be the guy in the WHITE CAMO VISOR."

Around 12:30 I was met by 10 other burger hungry snow birding friends including Nick "Beef Aficionado" Solares & J. Kenji "Good Eater," Lopez. both from A Hamburger Today. As we walked up to the Shack, I was pleasantly surprised to see a decent sized line. Nothing like a true blizzard to kick up a case of the Shack Shakes amongst New Yorkers. Standing in the shadows of the Empire State Building, Madison Square Park was actually quite busy. There were kids making snowmen, people play with their dogs and of course, a long line of bundled up burger fans. We got in line, placed our orders and waited under the heat lamps for our personal burger alert buzzers to go off.



THE BURGER
The Shake Shack burger has a spot in our top faves, just like everyone else who has tried it. The burger is just superb. They use a high quality mix of beef, that is freshly ground, hand pattied and cooked right there. Served with fresh lettuce, savory cheese and the oh so tasty Shack Sauce. It's all gloriously held between the beauty of a soft potato roll. One bite and you'll know, only a burger this good would incite people to remove clothing and stand in the cold just to eat one.


8 out of 10 ounces
-Rev

So with that, let the photos tell you the story of the First ever Burger Conquest Polar Brrrger Club. Kenji definitely gets an award for outstanding journalist bravado for inciting rabid squirrels in the park with free hot chocolate and hot french fries.

Burger King - Our Broiler Can Beat Up Your Broiler

Burger King
http://bk.com
255 West 34th Street
New York, NY 10001-2803

THE CONQUEST
We don't do this professionally. In fact, there may be actually nothing definably "professional" about this blog. But we do love burgers and we do love writing about them. The View, The NY Post, Rachel Ray, Daily News, Gawker, FOX News, Thrillist and A Hamburger Today, they're all professionals. So how the hell we got invited along with them to the unveiling of Burger King's new "secret weapon," and corresponding tasting party, well that's the power of passion.



But why they felt we were important enough to send a limo to pick us up, well, that's because of you, our readers. On this particularly rainy day, we thank you for your readership as it's warmth and shelter helped guide our mission.



So what was this party all about? The "BK Lounge," as it's affectionately called, is launching a new series of burgers known as the "Premium Steakhouse XT™ Burger Line." The Answer to McDonald's Angus Third Pounders, these 7-oz. bad boys are the latest manuever in the fast food burger battle. But more on that later.



The real star of the show is the new state-of-the-art broiler Burger King is launching to enhance their signature flame-broiled flavor. So rather than me regurgitating the press release (in all its glory below) let these guys tell you.


And then the Whoppers started coming ... I will admit I lost my focus for a minute and despite BK's warning so did the rest of the room.



THE BURGER(S), ETC.
And with focus lost, we started to eat. Since they gave us the official professionally shot pictures of the items, I thought it might be fun to juxtapose them side by side with my "unprofessional" photos.

First the Whopper. Exactly as you know it. Didn't seem any different than it's tasted in the past. We've all eaten one (save Robyn from AHT ... WTF!??!?) so you know the deal.


Up next, the "A.1. SteakHouse XT." This ornately prepared fast food fiend has a 7-oz.beef patty that's topped with mayo, crispy onions, A.1. Steak Sauce, American cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. We sliced them up (I removed the tomatoes) and dug in. It was good, I won't lie. There is a whole lot of flavor happening inside of this and yes, as far as Burger King burgers go, this is a thick, juicy patty. I was impressed. I was also starving and rifled through my half-burger in about 17 seconds flat. Later, Jason, from Me So Hungry, and I split a 2nd one!


7 out of 10 ounces




The "A.1. Steakhouse XT" was followed by "BK Fire-Grilled Ribs." Charred right in the broiler, just like the burger, these Saint Louis-style baby backs come pre-seasoned and with a side of barbecue sauce. They were not bad. They would never stand up against real, slow cooked, open-pit, Texas style ribs from the The Salt Lick, but for fast food - again, I was impressed. The ribs were a little dry with a smoky, almost slight taste of beef jerky. Definitely not something I thought I would ever see at a fast-food joint. And yes, you will soon see these on the menu at a BK Lounge near you! I guess it's true, anything is possible. (Where's that winning Lotto ticket already!??!)



It's all cooked in this fancy piece of steel and innovation. It looks to me like some kind of rock and mineral gathering device designed for NASA's lunar missions. I guess that's why I am in the music business and not an engineer.


Not cooked in the broiler but served anyway, French Fries and "BK Fresh Apple Fries." Neither of which any of us spent any real appetite space on.


That's when the real fun began. Head BK Chef Jay Sullivan, just to prove a point, showed us what this broiler is really capable of doing. Don't let your eyes fool you, these are medium-rare Filet Mignon steaks "served with a Port Demi-glace and braised pearl onions with Baby Portobello mushrooms." Jackie, Adam, Robyn & Jason dug in with eyes agape. While I can't say it was the highest quality beef I have ever had, it was without a doubt, no question, cooked to perfection and that really is the point that BK is trying to make.



Not willing to settle on simply broiling up a steak, Chef Jay had a few more tricks up his sleeve. As if to say "Look Ma! Those years in culinary school were not wasted," he busted out a mixed-grill plate. It had "Argentinean chorizo, rosemary-scented pork tenderloin, red wine-marinated prime rib eye, cilantro pineapple-infused organic chicken. served with romesco sauce and grilled asparagus." The grilled meats were a little overcooked, but it still made for an impressive display of a machine designed to churn burgers out by the millions. The final move, a rich, thick, smoky tasting "Flame-Kissed" S'more. (Note: no one was willing to share a S'more and in fact, some of us walked out with an extra one!) Don't expect to see any of these items on the menu at Burger King any time soon. There was even some fancy language on the menu reminding us of this.


All in all, it was a fun event and an honor to be included. While we've certainly walked away with some free food, this was the first time ever we got some free swag at a Burger Conquest. Check out Jackie and I in our fly-ass, pimp-style BK bling!


So there, take that Ronald, you silly clown.

Our thanks to John Schaufelberger, Chef Jay Sullivan, Kevin Houston, Kimberly Bratton and all at Edelman and Burger King for inviting us to share. Special "Yo-what-what" props to Robyn and Jason for helping us to look like we belonged there.

BURGER KING OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE:

News Release

BURGER KING CORPORATION FIRES UP GAME-CHANGING ‘SECRET WEAPON’ BREAKING NEW GROUND IN PRODUCT QUALITY AND INNOVATION

Leading the Way: Premium Steakhouse XT™ Burger Line

MIAMI – Feb. 22, 2010 – Burger King Corporation (NYSE:BKC) today announced that
BURGER KING® restaurants nationwide are cooking with a ground-breaking new broiler that takes product quality and menu innovation to great-tasting new heights. This state-of-the-art equipment is the heart of BURGER KING® restaurant kitchens. The broiler, supplied by two manufacturers, features proprietary technology that allows restaurants to further enhance the brand’s famous flame-fresh taste and provides the flexibility necessary to explore a wider range of innovative, delicious, fire-grilled foods.
“This new broiler is a game-changing piece of equipment and a significant point of differentiation for us,” said John Schaufelberger, senior vice president, global product marketing and innovation, Burger King Corporation. “Not only is the technology revolutionary to our industry, it is proprietary to the BURGER KING® brand. It allows us to up the ante in our product development across the board - from superior quality food and unconventional menu innovations to even more competitive value offerings.”
Burger King Corporation is currently testing a variety of products that can now be made on the new broiler, including fall-off-the-bone BK® Fire-Grilled Ribs, stuffed burgers packed with flavor from the inside out, and an array of one-of-a-kind offerings for breakfast, snacks and even flame-kissed desserts.
Hot Off the Broiler: Steakhouse XT™ Hits the Spot!
The casual dining quality Steakhouse XT™ premium burger line that are flame-broiled to perfection are more than 30 percent larger than McDonald’s® Angus Third Pounders. The extra-thick, juicy steakhouse patty debuts at BURGER KING® restaurants nationwide this month and is among the first menu offerings made possible by the revolutionary new cooking system.
• The Steakhouse XT™ is a steakhouse dining experience from top to bottom. The premium sandwich features 7 ounces of seasoned ground beef topped with crisp lettuce, onions, red-ripe tomatoes, ketchup and mayo all on a corn-dusted bakery bun.
• The A.1.® Steakhouse XT™ features all of the ingredients on the Steakhouse XT™ along with A.1.® steak sauce, American cheese and crispy onions.
• The Smoky Cheddar Steakhouse XT™ is named for its smoky barbeque sauce, cheddar cheese and bacon.
For a limited time only, the Steakhouse XT™ is available at participating restaurants in the U.S. and Canada for a special introductory retail price of $3.99. The A.1.® Steakhouse XT™ and Smoky Cheddar Steakhouse XT™ are available for a suggested retail price of $4.49. Both the Steakhouse XT™ and the A.1.® Steakhouse XT™ are permanent additions to the
BURGER KING® menu, and the Smoky Cheddar Steakhouse XT™ is available for a limited time, while supplies last.
Ranging from a suggested retail price of $3.99 to $4.49, the Steakhouse XT™ premium burger offerings further increase the variety of high-quality, affordable menu items to
BURGER KING® restaurant guests.

Environmental Benefits
In addition to advancing the entire cooking process, one of the proprietary systems supports energy efficiency by reducing gas consumption in BURGER KING® restaurants by 52 percent and electricity consumption by 90 percent when compared to systems of the past. As of Feb. 1, virtually all BURGER KING® restaurants in the U.S. and Canada have installed the new broiler and the broiler’s rollout to international markets is expected to be completed over the course of 2010.

ABOUT BURGER KING CORPORATION
The BURGER KING® system operates more than 12,000 restaurants in all 50 states and in 73 countries and U.S. territories worldwide. Approximately 90 percent of BURGER KING® restaurants are owned and operated by independent franchisees, many of them family-owned operations that have been in business for decades. In 2008, Fortune magazine ranked Burger King Corporation (BKC) among America's 1,000 largest corporations and in 2010, Standard & Poor's included shares of Burger King Holdings, Inc. in the S&P MidCap 400 index. Burger King Corporation was recently recognized by Interbrand on its top 100 "Best Global Brands" list and Ad Week has named it one of the top three industry-changing advertisers within the last three decades. To learn more about Burger King Corporation, please visit the company's Web site at www.bk.com.

Through its BK Positive Steps® corporate responsibility program, the BURGER KING® system is committed to being a socially responsible brand in all areas of its business – food, people, the environment and corporate governance. To learn more about the BK Positive Steps® corporate responsibility program and view the complete fiscal 2009 report, visit www.bk.com/corporateresponsibility. For more information on Burger King Corporation, please visit the company's Web site at www.bk.com.