Candlelight Inn

I'll preface this by saying this is not going to be a review, not a formal review anyway. For quite some time I've heard great things about the Candlelight Inn in Scarsdale, specifically their wings. I was in the area last week taking my mom to the doctor and I suggested that we try the Candlight for a late lunch/early dinner. It's not every day I'm in Scarsdale so this just had to happen.

Upon arrival, I checked in on Foursquare and my friend Nick hits me up and simply asks, "Chernobyl?" I answer in the affirmative and he replies "You could have just come over to my place and I would have stabbed you in the tongue." I laughed for a while and debated leaving to go get stabbed in the tongue, after all you need a baseline to determine which of these things feels worse.

Chernobyl

I knew what I wanted but for some reason, the waitress didn't believe. Or maybe it was she didn't want to serve me? Or most likely, she just didn't want to see this grown man cry. I asked for an order of 10 wings, Chernobyl. She said, "Are you sure?" Yes I'm sure. She asked again, "Why don't you just get hot wings? I can bring you some Chernobyl sauce on the side." I replied, "No thanks, I want Chernobyl." She said, "You really sure? They're so hot. 98% of the people who order them can't eat them." Yes, I'm sure.

All this talk made my mouth water. I LOVE hot food and was ready to take on these wings that share their name with a Russian nuclear disaster. Deep down, I never did question whether or not I can finish the ten wings. My own stupidity would not allow me to stop short of finishing the heat these wings could deliver. I must say these wings are HOT! They are possibly the 2nd hottest wings* I've ever eaten and my physiological reaction spoke volumes - uncontrollable tearing, sweating, red swollen lips. However, as strange as it may seem, my mouth did not feel hot. It sounds crazy and it's hard to explain but these things are so hot but it was not unbearable.  More important than the heat is the size. For under $7 I got 10 wings and look at the size of them. Big, meaty, juicy and NOT fried.

If you enjoy hot wings I'd suggest the Candlelight Inn to you. If you want to push how high you can go on the Scoville Scale, go for Chernobyl and let me know what you think.

*Note - The hottest wings I've ever eaten were at a spot just outside of Boston. I challenged that place to make them as hot as possible and when I bit into the first wing it felt like I was kicked in the teeth and my mouth went numb.

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Croxley Ales

Croxley Ales Front

What started as a quest for a SICK wing special ended up being a quest for an even SICKER burger. For those not in the know, Croxley Ales on Ave. B (near 3rd) is the home of the 10 cent wings (Mon-Wed). I arrived as a skeptic for a couple of reasons - 1) that's too good to be true 2) the wings must be as tiny as popcorn chicken 3) there's gotta be a catch, there's ALWAYS a catch. Much to my surprise, this was not too good to be true, the chicken wings were big, not Dallas BBQ BIG but still a big wing, and there is no catch. Well, not really. If you consider buying a minimum of 15 wings a catch, well then they got you! Buy 15 and spend a buck fifty or ELSE! The wings alone are worth the voyage. Heck, the wings are worth more than they're charging but I am NEVER going to complain about wanting to pay more for something. Great wings at an even better price and the place is loaded with TVs to watch the game, TMZ, Golden Girls, whatevs.

But you're saying, what about this burger you speak of. Welllllll kids, lemme tell you about this burger known as "The What The S*?!" burger which is your typical 8oz burger with lettuce, tomato, and onion.

You say, "What's the big deal DJ?"
I say, "There's no bun!" 
You say, "Carb conscious all of the sudden?"
I say, "Nope, who needs a bun when you can put this burger between not 1, but 2 grilled cheese sandwiches?"
You say, "I wish I was your cardiologist b/c your heart's gotta blow sooner, not later."
I just laugh in your face.

Croxley Wings!

Now there are a number of other wild concoctions on the burger front and I promise to do more burgers and less wings next time so that I can maybe tame a pair of wild beasts (the Triple Threat - topped w/bacon, cheddar, pulled pork and the Mac Daddy - topped w/Mac N Cheese come to mind). The waitress was kinda rooting against me finishing my burger, said she's only seen 1 person do it and eat all the fries. I told her I don't eat fries and she rolled her eyes. My boy stands up and says "dude at 15 wings" she seemed apathetic. I'll show her. One day she'll be proud of me.

The What the Burger!

On the real though, the burger is kinda flavorless. Maybe it was flavor overload? Maybe I was in a state of delirium with all the chickens and grilled cheesy goodness running through my system. But if I use some ketchup, the burger definitely needed some help when there was no more lettuce, tomato, or onion to save it. Sorry Louis, I didn't mean to do it!

Rating - 4/5 - this is a big burger, needs some flavor. Meat was fresh, not frozen. Cooked to perfection so I can't complain. But with all the options, I feel like I'm rating one and Croxley deserves a better fate because the burgers are stand out and the wings are spectacular!

Their site - www.croxley.com

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