NYC Wings: A 2nd Try of Lansdowne Road Proves Scruffy Duffy’s Wings Are Really Gone
January 16, 2009
A 2nd attempt at rediscovering the magic of Scruffy Duffy’s Buffalo Wings at widowed sister bar Lansdowne Road has failed. On my initial visit, I ordered the wings hot and was disappointed by the crusty sauce and dried out wings. On my second visit, I ordered the wings medium but the result is what you see below: under-sauced, dried out wings. They weren’t as dry as the hot wings, but the sauce was vinegary and generic. It’s with great sadness that we say goodbye to the fiery, red pepper flake-studded hot sauce that made the original Scruffy Duffy’s so good.
Posted in Lansdowne Road, MANHATTAN, MIDTOWN WEST
content rss
January 16th, 2009 at 11:21 am
those look pretty bad….. what a tragedy 🙁
January 16th, 2009 at 8:46 pm
The worst part was, I tasted them the entire day on Friday. Terrible.
January 16th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
(I ate them Thursday night)
January 17th, 2009 at 7:02 am
No good!
Hey Foodguy and Dr Dr. – this one’s directed straight at you. Wanna go to Arizona??
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4632991n
January 17th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
weak wings, they did not sit well with me at all if you catch my drift.
January 17th, 2009 at 9:06 pm
Hey NYCFG! What do I have to do to sign up for the next wing outing? Pleeeeeeease??? (I was almost bummed that I missed the Lansdowne trip until I read the verdict.)
January 18th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
hey nycfg
my names Will and i’m surprising my gf with a birthday surprise visit to nyc 23rd to the 26th jan, and i intend to visit a few places you have rated. we’ve both been to ny a few times before, but that was before i discovered your blog.
we arrive on the friday at about 230pm, so time for some lunch. we’re staying in mid town, so i was thinking vigils, or RUB for some bbq before i get dragged round lots of shops. later in the evening, i was hoping for italian, but blind tiger is looking great!
saturday, there a few sights we want to take in, i would like to go ice skating and as the gf loves polar bears, so maybe we’ll go to the zoo. lunch on saturday is undecided, so any ideas please share. later in the evening we have a table at maze at the london, which i’m really excited about. the table isn’t booked untill 930pm so lunch can be quite big. the roast pork sammies at porchetta look fantastic, and the cheesesteaks you’ve written about at (?) have made my mouth water.
i’ve emailed some of our ny based friends for a surprise meet-up in an undecided bar in the late afternoon, early evening on sunday. any recommendations? food is gonna be important. if we haven’t done blind tiger, then i’m thinking that looks like it could fit the bill.
on saturday, i’m also going to propose, but don’t want to do the cheesy after dinner thing in a posh restuarent, so that explains the ice skating. haha.
great blog btw, i love it.
W
January 18th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
hahahaha watch your girlfriend reads the food guy as well and sees that you’re about to propose to her. lucky for you, Will, the food guy doesn’t review any posh places…but who wouldn’t want to make the biggest commitment of their life over a large order of ziggiz french fries at 3 am?
seriously though — look at you food guy — bringing people together and playing a KEY role in marriages around the country.
Do you have a picture of your gf to share with us Will? I’m sure with a pic, many of nycfoodguy’s readers will pipe in with recommendations as well…
January 18th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
can i post pics here?
maybe nyfg can remove my name? but no, she doesn’t read this blog. we’re flying in from london, it’s gonna be really great long weekend, and with some of these recommendations i’ve been reading…
January 18th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
essentially, i’m down a couple of good breakfast places, and a couple of lunches… and possibly a few nice dinner places, like landmarc or something?
what are like the top 10 places if you had 4 days in new york? we’re staying a couple of blocks east of times sq, if that helps.
on the list so far are RUB, blind tiger, virgils, katzs, magnolia (for birthday cakes) possibly the comfort diner… so more suggestions greatly received.
i’ll stop now.
cheers
w
January 18th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
Hey Will – in terms of breakfast places, I honestly can’t recommend this place enough.. bubby’s in TriBeCa.. GO!
http://bubbys.com/
January 18th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
if it’s good enough for Bob, Harvey, JohnJohn, Isabella, Hillary, Bill, Billy, John, Elvis, Bernie, Eliot, Mike, Chuck, JLo, Ben, Brad, Gwyn, Lou, Laurie, Roberta, Johnny, Gina, Spike, Kevin, AnthonyMichael, and Michael, then it’s good enough for me and the missus.
phil, it’s on the list.
January 19th, 2009 at 7:25 am
Phil,
Definite tragedy. No doubt about it. The real tragedy is that Scruffy Wings are dead.
Lil NYC Food Guy,
Brother, I feel your pain. It didn’t stop me from eating Angelo’s the next day though. Mmmm Angelo’s garlic and pepperoni pie. Delicious.
Phil,
Heart Attack Grill! Love it. Place looks insane. Quadruple bypass burger? Lard fries? Did you check out their website? They also sell Lucky Strike non-filtered cigarettes and Jolt Cola. Insantiy. I wonder who goes for the food and who just goes for the waitresses.
Dan,
That’s not what I like to hear. Did these wings force a push of the reset button?
Will,
Thanks for stopping by and thanks for the kinds words. Congratulations on the proposal dude. Big moves. Good luck, brother. Are you from England?
RUB and Virgil’s are two great spots to have midtown meals at. RUB is on 23rd street and Virgil’s is on 44th so it depends on what’s more convenient for you unless its more about staying around the hotel or shopping spots. In that case let me know where you’ll be and I’ll try to recommend something solid. Blind Tiger would be a place that you should probably save for the crew of friends because it’s more of a place to go have a bite and a few beers more than it is a dinner spot. If you bring friends you can all share a couple of different small plates, sandwiches, quesadillas and naturally wings.
If you are looking for Italian, I say go for it. Head over to the East Village if you want a new, affordable, and innovative spin on some traditional flavors. There’s a place on 4th street and Avenue B called Perbacco and it has been receiving great reviews. One thing I recommend above all is the Parmesan Creme Brulee with Balsamic reduction. Trust me. It’s killer. A simpler option for good atmosphere and a delicious truffle oil pizza and tasty pastas is Gnocco, owned by the same guy as Perbacco, but more traditional dishes. There’s also a nice place in SoHo on Spring Street near Hudson Street called Giorgione. Great atmosphere, moderate prices, nice pizzas to share and well made pastas. Only thing is portions are a little on the small side.
I want to talk more about Saturday. You’re looking for a meal near Central Park? Or you’re willing to go to another neighborhood after the park for food before Landmarc? Great move on the ice skating dude, you should call the guys who run the rink and investigate if you could somehow get on the ice before the first session and have it all to yourself to propose. That would be a badass move. A great place to go after the park, however, is Sant Ambroeus on 77th and Madison. It’s an upscale coffee place where prices are manageable but definitely would be a great place for a day as special as the one you have planned.
As far as the Sunday bar get together goes, I’ll do some investigating but I look forward to hearing the suggestions your friends provide.
If you have any other questions feel free to ask.
sam powers,
I do what I can. Thanks for the recognizing.
Will,
No need to stop man, this is one place where you can keep talking about food until you just have to stop and go eat.
Great breakfast spots:
Norma’s at Le Parker Meridien Hotel, pricey but ridiculously decadent and delicious.
Clinton Street Baking Company: always a line and a wait but the banana walnut pancakes with maple butter are pretty fantastic.
Shopsins: This is a no frills food experience. Really need to try it to believe it. The menu is insane and the owner/chef and his son are both unlike any two restaurateurs you’ve met. They may curse at you, they may tell you leave. But don’t let it bother you, make yourself at home, bus your own table and you’ll be in good shape. The food is unique and delicious enough to make it worthwhile and one of a kind experience.
Yuca Bar: An East Village Spanish restaurant with a great brunch special. $13.95 for a few different choice and a coffee or juice. My go to is the skirt steak with chimichurri and mixed home fries and a side of fried sweet plantains.
On Bubby’s. I’ve been there before, I had pancakes and banana cream pie. Both were good but neither truly wowed me, I’ve heard enough good praise that its probably worth checking again again but I’m not ready to send you there based on my one visit.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. We could continue this conversation for a long time.
Phil,
What are your go to dishes at Bubby’s?
January 19th, 2009 at 8:01 am
NYCFG thanks a lot for your help on this. I like food, she like to shop, so as you may have gathered, i want to combine the two! our favourite parts of the city are, well all of it, but for shopping, it’s soho and the East village.
here’s a rough itinerary…
Arrive in New York at 2.30pm. Cab to hotel.
Shower. Unpack.
Have a walk. Shop. Grab some bbq at vigils or Daisy May’s
shop
Later that evening, pizza at Bleeker Street or Trattoria Trecolori or Pellegrino’s in little Italy, for Italian. Or send for take out pizza and chinese. any recommendations?
Saturday birthday:
Breakfast/brunch at Normas or another one of your suggestions.
Central park, zoo and ice-skating.
shop
Lunch at Pastis?
shop
Magnolia bakery for birthday cake.
More shopping.
Cocktails and dinner at Maze
Sunday:
Katz diner or similar for late breakfast/brunch
shop
meet friends in either Yuca or Blind Tiger for afternoon drinks, food and fun
shop
I’m trying to get a table at the little owl for our evening dinner.
and thats where i’m at. should be a killer trip.
thanks for all your help thus far, I’ll let you know how i get on.
and yes, we live in London. I wish there was a similar blog for london. i can read this all day long.
January 19th, 2009 at 11:05 am
looks like you’ve got a quality day planned will. and good luck with the proposal!
January 19th, 2009 at 11:06 am
Food Guy – depending on my mood, I typically go with the burger or eggs benedict at bubbys… love that spot!
January 19th, 2009 at 11:53 am
ok, i think i’m done.
having read a lot of reveiw sites and taken in what you guys have suggested, heres my places of awesomeness. my better half will be dragging me from boutique to boutique, so with this list in my pocket, i think we’ll never be too far from a great bite.
Breakfasts and Brunch:
Friend of a farmer: 77 irving place
Clinton street baking company: 4 Clinton Street (btw. East Houston & Stanton)
Good: 89 Greenwich Ave (between 12th St & Jane St)
Normas at Le Meridien 118 W 57th St
Waverly Diner 385 Avenue of the Americas
(between 8th St & Greenwich Ave)
Katz’s Diner 205 E Houston St
(between Avenue A & Essex St)
Yuca Spanish: 111 Avenue A
BBQ:
Virgils: 152 W 44th St
RUB: 208 W 23rd St
Snacks and coffee:
Shortys cheesesteaks: 576 and 9th
Porchetta: Bleeker St: 110 E 7th St
Magnolia bakery: 401 Bleecker St
Sant Ambroeus for coffee: 259 W 4th St
Pizza and Italian:
Gnocco: 337 E 10th St
Perbacco: 234 E 4th Street
Dinner:
Gordon Ramsey Maze: 151 W 54th St
The Little Owl: 90 Bedford St (walk-in at 6pm)
Market table: 54 Carmine St
Delivery pizza or chinese: ?????
Beer and Wings hook up:
Blind Tiger: 281 Bleecker St
thanks for all your great suggestions
January 19th, 2009 at 8:09 pm
As far as pizza goes, ya gotta go with Angelo’s Coal Oven pizza on 57th between 6th and 7th. There’s another one on 55th and 2nd that is similar but no coal oven and another one on 53th and Broadway that I’ve never been too (dunno if the big guy has)…i prefer the one on 57th even though there’s not much of a difference. We always get a large pie with pepperoni and fresh garlic…definitely recommend that as your pizza experience. They do deliver but I’d go in for the real experience.
January 19th, 2009 at 8:18 pm
awesome man, I’ll add it to the list. It’s gotta be stone baked everytime.
January 19th, 2009 at 11:29 pm
Wow its unbelievsble that ppl like will actially exist. ill bet anyone u give me 2 to 1 odds she says no haaahhaha. Seriouslu rho will congrats n good luck. Can the foodguy come to the wedding if (and when!) Ur misses says yes….can he bring a handfulof his readers too?
January 20th, 2009 at 6:07 am
i’m hoping she says no dude LOL!
nah, we’ve been together just over 7 years now, and i’ve been getting serious hints (well, not even hints, more like statements!) for at least a year, if not longer, so she’s bound to say ‘er… yeah ok then.’ hahaha.
i imagine the actual wedding won’t be for a good 18 months, but who knows? maybe i should have him shipped over to the UK to do London Food Guy?
January 20th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
From the obsessive posts here, I’d wager than Will is not a thin guy….
January 20th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
lmao… seriously, i’m about 10.5 stone… not sure what that is in pounds, but it’s not big at all. I JUST LOVE FLAVOUR!
January 21st, 2009 at 7:57 pm
Phil,
I had the pancakes at Bubby’s and they were good but not great. My sister had a BLT but the bacon was extremely greasy and made her feel kind of sick. We ordered some banana cream pie as well and the crust was nice but the pie filling wasn’t as sweet as I would have liked, probably as a result of added sour cream.
Will,
I’ve never even heard of the measurement stone.
January 22nd, 2009 at 1:14 pm
FG, 1 stone = 14 lbs. It is a British term.
So that would mean our friend Williams weighs a whopping 147 lbs. The man needs some food 🙂
January 22nd, 2009 at 2:26 pm
anyone who orders a BLT deserves to be tarred and feathered
January 22nd, 2009 at 10:15 pm
Phil,
Well if thats the case, Will came to the right place huh?
BLT,
Bacon, good. Lettuce, good. Tomato, good. What’s the problem?
January 23rd, 2009 at 11:35 am
Indeed he did. And Will’s weekend begins NOW. Wonder how it’s going for the man. Think he will update us?
January 23rd, 2009 at 12:00 pm
food guy, you’re not really defending the BLT are you? you are going to lose all credibility if you don’t renounce that last comment and acknowledge that ordering a BLT is blasphemy
January 25th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
Will, we’ll be looking for a report on your gastronomic successes this weekend! (Oh yeah, and also on how the Big Question was received!)
NYCFG: I’m with you on the merits of a blt. Esp. if the bacon is crisp, the tomato flavorful, the bread toasted, and the mayo slathered on!
April 6th, 2009 at 9:07 am
Guess he was turned down 🙁