When in Rome, do as the Romans do. So, when you go to a Wild Wing restaurant, it’s natural and appropriate to get your hands messy and order a whack of wings. This is exactly what I did in pursuit of Peterborough’s best Caesar salad. I went to the Wild Wing on Charlotte Street one slow Tuesday evening, when wings are half price with the purchase of a beverage. Although Wild Wing is a franchise chain and the décor and atmosphere is a bland corporate vision of the American West, there’s a certain charm to Charlotte Street. Wild Wing is nestled between Wild Rock Adventure Outfitters and the White House “hotel” (a bar), just a short jaunt from the landmark of Market Hall’s clock tower. I had just a side order of Caesar salad to go with my wings, and it came in a small bowl. Adding the Caesar salad cost me $2, and the cost of ordering a chicken Caesar salad from the menu is $13.25.
Lettuce? Romaine, chopped into small bite sized pieces.
Dressing? Basically the Gar-Par dressing they drench the wings in. Lots of dressing, the salad was well covered.
Parmesan? Not noticeably added on top of what’s apparent in the dressing.
Bacon? So much bacon. The bacon-iest Caesar salad yet reviewed. The bacon wasn’t crispy, but that’s not a bad thing. I asked, and if you wanted to you can get a salad without bacon!
Croutons? Okay, so I stabbed something with my fork that I thought was a crouton. It was roughly crouton shape and size, a small rectangle of material. It was not a crouton. It was a chunk of bacon. A bacon brick, if you will. There were a couple of these misleading meaty non-croutons in the salad. Honestly? An unsettling experience.
Overall? This Caesar salad is a frat bro. This Caesar salad would wear Nike sandals and a t-shirt with the sleeves ripped off. Best accompanied by a Bud Light and a sport of the big screen. A laid-back salad that doesn’t mind getting messy.
FUN FACT: Romans didn’t have forks, so eating wings with your fingers is very era-appropriate for Ancient Rome. Romans would wash their hands with perfumed water before and between courses. Romans had two napkins, the sudaria and the mappae. The sudarium was smaller, and used to wipe sweat from your brow. The mappa was larger, spread over the lap to protect from dropped food, and served as a doggie bag to take home leftovers at the end of the feast.