For those who do not know, wing night at The Pond this year is a bit different. The Pond used to cook their food in house. This made for lively and busy Thursday wing nights. This year, they made the choice to sell their wings out of Gracie’s Cafe, next door to the pub.. This could mean they have a different vendor for their wings this year. I am not here to critique the decision to collaborate with Gracie’s. This collaboration allows The Pond’s staff to not have to worry about their old, greasy, fryers breaking down every five minutes. Another perk of this change is that they can now sell other foods like fries and mozzarella sticks. As they are not limited to the previous two small fryers. Despite these benefits, the overall quality of the wings was sacrificed.
The wings this year are slightly smaller than before, and do not have as much of a thick, crunchy coating. Along with decreased wing size, the taste just is not the same. While the now thinner crust maintains some of the spice that it used to have, it is overall less flavourful and requires more sauce to compensate. At the last wing night I attended, my wings were light pink and cold on the inside, with some blood, pointing to them being slightly undercooked. This may be due to a high demand, rushing cook time, or a need to adjust cook time in general. The meat itself tastes like chicken, in a bad way. The first bite is blissful and almost passes as the delicious greasy taste it used to have. Yet, do not be fooled by this façade. After the first bite, a meaty, dog-food-like aftertaste fills your palate and overtakes the initial flavour, ruining your experience of the wings.
The prices at The Pond have remained reasonable. Before, six wings were priced at $7.00 after tax. Now, six wings are $7.50 before tax. While this increase may be make or break for some, if you take inflation and staff wages into account, the price difference is okay. If you really love wings, a few extra dollars, or cents, will not stop you from indulging. This year, the deals are also comparable to last year. For $12.25, you can get a glass of their infamous pond water and 12 wings. However, I am sure many will miss their old 12 wings and a pitcher for $20.00 deal.
Overall, it is just the beginning of the year, and they are still figuring out this new system. With wings being the star of wing night, these second-tier wings do not represent the spirit of the event. Just some-wing to think about.
