Review: Chuao Chocolate orange-a-go-go & Friday Question: What is YOUR favorite chicken wing joint?

Junk Food Nation, let me tell you, I am obsessed with chicken wings.  Despite the fact that chicken is not even the top meat on my list of great meats, it is undeniable that chicken wings, when done right, as the best. Food. Ever.  And being from Upstate New York, on the Western half where Buffalo is, I should know /end snobby voice.

Since moving to DC, I have been obsessed with a whole new kind of chicken wing – the super SUPER crisp Korean double fried chicken wings at BonChon Chicken.   These bad boys are double fried so that the skin is super thin and almost shatters when you bite into it, it’s so crisp. Top it off with some amazing soy garlic blend, and it’s a definite winner.  Come to DC and visit me, and I’ll take you there. All of my skeptical friends have had their minds blown after trying this stuff.  I’m looking at you, CapitolZ. It’s life changing.

That said, traditional chicken wings are still my jam, and I’m curious: EVERYONE out there has their own favorite chicken wing joint. I know I have readers from all over the country, heck, world, so I know that you all have your favorite place/pub/restaurant where you can go, plop down, and order a dozen wings and celery.  So tell me: What is YOUR favorite chicken wing joint? Tell me in the comments below.

I want to know the name of the place, where it is, link me to it, tell me how they do their wings and why it’s so great.  Because when I travel, I might wanna hit up some of these joints and see if your opinion is up to snuff.  So tell me below, Junk Food Nation!

Today’s junk food: Chuao Chocolate orange-a-go-go!

Chuao Chocolate orange-a-go-go

Chuao Chocolate orange-a-go-go: The Money Shot

Chuao Chocolate orange-a-go-go is another one of the wonderful Chuao line, and is one of their newer flavors.  I first tried it at this year’s Fancy Food Show, and the folks at Chuao were kind enough to send me a bar.  Chuao is one of my favorite chocolate companies, and I’ve reviewed their stuff in the past on my blog.  Plus, Chuao is fun to say. CHEEWWW-WOW

Chuao Chocolate orange-a-go-go

Chuao Chocolate orange-a-go-go

I always love Chuao’s design, with the white background foil wrap, and this Chuao Chocolate orange-a-go-go is no exception.  Seriously, for orange infused dark chocolate, how can you get better than an explosion of chocolate and sliced oranges on the front, like an orgasmic whirlwind?????  What, I can’t describe art as orgasmic?  Stop being a prude.

Chuao Chocolate orange-a-go-go

Chuao Chocolate orange-a-go-go

Chuao Chocolate orange-a-go-go has bergamot orange in it, which apparently is a more fragrant orange that has the color closer to a lemon.  Bergamot peel is used in a lot of perfumes.  I expect the orange flavor in this, therefore, to be front and center.

Orange-a-go-go is fun name, by the way…Chuck Brown would be proud.

Chuao Chocolate orange-a-go-go

Chuao Chocolate orange-a-go-go

Chuao Chocolate orange-a-go-go contains some great ingredients and is 190 cal per serving.  I’m not a huge EAT AN ENTIRE BAR OF DARK CHOCOLATE kind of guy.  I like to sample bits here and there.  I feel like if I ate an entire bar of dark chocolate, I’d go into sensory overload and pass out.

Chuao Chocolate orange-a-go-go

Chuao Chocolate orange-a-go-go

Chuao Chocolate orange-a-go-go has the signature Chuao style, with its bar stenciled like a bunch of cocoa beans.  As soon as I opene the package, I could smell orange wafting out.  It’s interesting…this is what bergamot orange must smell like, because it wasn’t a tangy citrus orange juice smell that came out, but rather a hint of orange oil smell.  Sort of like when you buy citrus oils that you rub on your skin or face – it was more perfume aromatic.  Very different.

Chuao Chocolate orange-a-go-go

Chuao Chocolate orange-a-go-go

The taste of this Chuao Chocolate orange-a-go-go was pretty eyebrow raising…in a very good way!  The dark chocolate was classic great Chuao quality, but it wasn’t so dark that it was super bitter, like how some companies like it.  This still had plenty sweet notes, but was dark enough to be hearty and not overly sugary.

But the orange was the kicker. This wasn’t just some chocolate/orange mix, like when you get a Valentine’s Day crème-filled blicky. This was more complex.  With no visible orange pieces/bits/whatever, everything was cooked right into the chocolate itself. As soon as I bit off a piece, my mouth filled with the flavor of orange essence.  I don’t know how to describe it.  It’s sort of like even though my tongue was tasting dark chocolate, and certainly orange-y notes, the air in my mouth was orange orange everywhere!  As I was chewing, I opened my mouth at one point to inhale and exhale air, and let the air pass over the chocolate in my mouth into my nostrils, and all I could feel/taste/breathe/smell was this wonderful orange essence.  Quite intoxicating, actually.

Chuao, great job with this bar.  Simple concept, yet very refined.

PURCHASED AT: Get it here

COST: $6

Thoughts? Please comment below or hit me up on Twitter @junkfoodguy or LIKE my Facebook Page and message me there. Also, you can always email me at junkfoodguy@junkfoodguy.com. Let’s do this.

Sincerely, Junk Food Guy

Discuss - 16 Comments

  1. Stephanie Stuart says:

    In Fort Worth Texas, The Flying Saucer uses Frank’s Red Hot as its wing sauce is the first clue that what arrives in a stainless steel bowl is the real deal. Buffalo wings should be coated in nothing but the cayenne pepper hot sauce, enriched with butter, brightened with vinegar and otherwise left alone. The kitchen at Flying Saucer keeps their traditional sauce traditional. From there things only get better.

    The wings are sizable, meaty and juicy with nice crisp skin.

    http://www.voiceplaces.com/dallas-fort-worth/flying-saucer-17599338-l

    • junkfoodguy says:

      @Steph: spoken like a true Upstater! Flying Saucer sounds pretty legit. You probably react the same way I do – whenever chicken wings come fully breaded, I want to request the chef/cook come put so I can give them the evil eye in person.

  2. Lindemann says:

    I’m in the DC area just like you, and haven’t been to BonChon (yet). But my fave wings are those at Quarry House Tavern in beautiful Silver Spring, Md. They’re standard Buffalo-style wings, except that the sauces are genuinely hot, but it’s the execution that puts them over the top. They’re crispy even after being covered in sauce. The blue cheese dip is full of chunks of blue cheese and tastes like real blue cheese. And it’s a former dive bar (now a yuppie dive bar due to a change in clientele) with a nice jukebox and a terrible bathroom.

    • junkfoodguy says:

      @Lindemann: WE WILL TRY BON CHON. You’ll love it. I promise.

      QUarry House is awesome too – I enjoy the wings there. But yes, it has one of the worst bathrooms on Earth. But no bathroom is worse than the old Brickskeller Bathroom. Ugh

  3. Elisa says:

    I saw Chuck Brown for a Christmas charity event he was doing around DC one year.

    Ooh, this chocolate bar looks delicious! 🙂 It reminds of me of a chocolate store (Maison Georges Larnicol) I visited in Paris last year!

  4. Shorneys says:

    Bon Chon came to Boston, and it is glorious.
    Also a fan of Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor, which is an upscale attempt at down-scale Americana diner food. They don’t just do chicken, but the chicken they do is pretty tasty.
    And finally, there’s a soft spot in my heart for Buffalo Wild Wings. It’s ridiculous, and I never leave without feeling a little gross and shameful, but the wings are meaty. Which is nice.

    I thought from the title you were going to ask which of the 3 joints of the chicken wing we liked best. I like the flats.

    • junkfoodguy says:

      @Shorneys: I’ve heard of Zingermans…for some reason, I thought that was a sandwich shop? Or maybe that’s Klingermans. hmmm.

      BWW isn’t bad, and I do like they’re wings, but I have to be honest, they’ve NEVER been crispy enough for me there!

      I’m a mini-drumstick guy, myself.

  5. Jorge Montenegro says:

    I’m from Venezuela, and this makes me so proud… ’cause the venezuelan chocolate is one of the best in the world. Chuao is a little island a few milles away from Maracay one of the most important cities in Venezuela.

  6. Trout Poutt says:

    You sound slightly crazed in this post with your chicken wing obsession, or maybe that’s just how I’m reading it. Good old internet.
    Also bergamot is the flavour in Earl Grey tea and it is very fragrant. Sounds like Chuao got it right, love citrus!

    • junkfoodguy says:

      @Trout Poutt: lol – don’t you have buffalo chicken wings in the UK?? If not, you have to try them next time you’re in the US…you’ll understand…

  7. Trout Poutt says:

    No, no, I get it, you just sound slightly crazier than usual! I guess this is what I sound like when I talk about fried pickles (definitely not available over here). Of course the UK doesn’t have buffalo wings, get real! This is a country that doesn’t even have BBQ. Over here, grilling some burgers/hotdogs is what people think BBQ is. And I love BBQ *cries*

  8. Nick Rovo says:

    Ever since I worked in a pizza place, I can never look at chicken wings again. Cleaning the container they come in could make anyone consider becoming a vegetarian.

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