First pizza review

Date: August 8, 2012

Location: Milky Way; Boston (Jamaica Plain), MA

Contender: Buffalo Chicken Pizza

This was a special on the menu.  It was described as buffalo chicken, gorgonzola cheese, and shaved fennel.  So, I thought fennel was similar to green onions.  I don't know what it was, but it was GROSS!  The taste was pretty bland, but the texture was abhorrent.  It was kinda crunchy but also kinda chewy - sort of like those awful bamboo shoots that show up in Chinese food sometimes.  Well, it basically ruined the pizza for me, because they were woven into the pizza and not easily removable.

Otherwise, the pizza was OK.  The buffalo chicken itself was legit.  Gorgonzola was not as great a substitution for blue cheese as I'd hoped - not as intense a flavor and a bit stringy in texture.  The best part of the pizza was actually the crust, which was really quite delicious and baked to perfection.  I did go around and eat just the crusts after I finished the first slice and resigned to the fact that the fennel shavings essentially rendered the inside of the pizza extremely unpleasant. :-(   

Ratings:
Portion: OMG! (and I ordered a small...I would hate to see the large!)
Spiciness: Medium
Deliciousness: 2/10

Disappointment

Date: August 6, 2012
Location: Friendly's; Watertown, MA
Contender: Buffalo Bleu Chicken Sandwich

I could have sworn I had this same sandwich several months ago and loved it. But then again it was just a couple of days after my knee surgery and I was on pain meds so...maybe I don't remember so well.  Anyway, I was excited to find myself near a Friendly's and decided I'd stop in and enjoy the sandwich and then rave about it.  Boy was I disappointed.

The menu says "Tender, crispy chicken strips tossed in our spicy Buffalo sauce. Topped with lettuce and tomato and covered in Bleu Cheese dressing, served on a soft wheat roll."  I thought the wheat bun would be weird, but it actually wasn't.  The buffalo sauce was...non-existant.  The chicken had a hint of spice to it, but there didn't seem to be any sauce to speak of.  Now, I'm a gal who likes her blue cheese, and there was not much of that either!  

I struggled with exactly how to rate this.  It didn't taste bad, and don't get me wrong, I ate it.  But this is, after all, a buffalo chicken blog, so it's important that the sandwich fulfill the basic expectations of being, ya know, buffalo-y.  So I couldn't, in good conscience, give this a good rating.  Additionally, there was an automatic 5/10ths deduction for tomatoage (I've clearly been watching too much of the Olympics).


Ratings:
Portion: Just enough
Spiciness: Mild
Deliciousness: 3/10

The importance of ratios

Date: July 6, 2012
Location: Boston Burger Company; Somerville, MA
Contender: Buffalo Burger


This place has an enormous selection of burgers, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to do my third blog entry in a week!  The menu says "Buffalo style with crumbled bleu cheese, diced celery, and Boney’s special sauce". I ordered it with a turkey burger instead of a regular burger.


I really had high hopes because of the crumbled bleu cheese and celery.  Well, I don't know who Boney is, but his special sauce was sorely lacking in the buffalo department.  There was a hint of buffalo flavor, but it was mostly just a little creamy.  


My other major complaint was the meat to other stuff ratio.  There was not nearly enough "other stuff" for the amount of meat and bread.  My friend Jordan asked me if I enjoyed non-chicken buffalo endeavors, and after answering enthusiastically in the affirmative I realized that for me, the chicken (or other protein) is really just a conduit for the buffalo/bleu cheese goodness.  So, I would say that a proper ratio is very important to my enjoyment.


Ratings:
Portion: Just enough
Spiciness: Mild
Deliciousness: 5/10

The sandwich that inspired a love affair

I don't think I'd ever had a buffalo chicken anything before my senior year in high school.  My friends, twinsies Stephen and David, convinced me to try the buffalo ranch sandwich at Chili's.  And that was it - I was hooked on buffalo chicken everything.

As it happens, the other day I found myself getting take-out from Chili's, so for the sake of my millions of loyal readers, I selflessly partook in a Chicken Ranch Blue Cheese Sandwich for your benefit.  You're welcome!

Date: July 3, 2012
Location: Chili's; Braintree, MA
Contender: Buffalo Chicken Ranch Sandwich
(Sorry for the crummy picture - it was taken in the car with my phone)


The menu says "Crispy chicken with spicy wing sauce and ranch dressing on a sesame seed or wheat bun."  As I always do, I replaced the ranch with blue cheese and skipped the tomato (in case you haven't picked up on it, I loathe tomatoes).  


The chicken is breaded and fried, which allows it to absorb a lot of buffalo sauce.  This one is not for the wimps!  I love me a good sesame seed bun and I've previously professed my love for shredded lettuce, so this one is just a classic winner for me.  I'm sure it's good with the ranch, too, I just never pass up an opportunity for blue cheese!  And to top it off, the fries at Chili's are just fabulous.


Portion: Artery clogging
Spiciness: Hot
Deliciousness: 7.5/10

The wrap that inspired a blog-o-lution

Date: July 2nd, 2012
Location: Joe Sent Me; Cambridge, MA
Contender: Billy Jo's Buffalo Chicken Wrap

This came at the recommendation of my friend Tom, another buffalo chicken enthusiast, which is what inspired this whole blog idea.  The menu description says "Grilled chicken tossed in buffalo sauce w/ lettuce, tomato, and blue cheese dressing".  I ordered it without the tomato, of course.

I was quite impressed.  The tortilla was grilled perfectly - warm and crispy in just the right places.  The buffalo sauce and blue cheese blended together nicely to make one delicious super-sauce that relentlessly dripped down my arms while I tried in vain to not make a mess of myself.  The chicken was nicely grilled and the shredded lettuce added a cool texture and slight flavor, and helped soak up the aforementioned super-sauce.  All in all, a delicious experience, washed down with the fruity, liquor-y deliciousness of the Slow Joe Fizz bowl and the company of some good friends.


Ratings:
Portion: Just enough
Spiciness: Mild/medium
Deliciousness: 9/10