#bcwlyfe

Bulldog Ale House – the Miseks are crushing these BCW guest posts!

Chicago, IL

Buffalo Chicken Wrap: Buffalo Chicken tenders, mixed greens, tomatoes, bacon, shredded cheese with house blue cheese dressing

Fantastic wrap! would definitely get again, maybe ask for a spicier sauce, quite a steal for the price, skip the fries tho, get a different side

THE SCORECARD:

Overall: 8/10

Chicken: breaded/fried, super delicious

Sauce: mild buffalo, lots of flavor, not too spicy, could have used a bit more of it

Cheese: cheddar was good, mine seemed to be missing the promised blue cheese dressing, so I sort of dipped my in a side of dressing as I went with probably equal effectiveness. 

Chicken to Vegetable ratio: chicken heavy, but the cherry tomatoes were great and the lettuce was bright green and tasty

Wrap: standard flour

Temperature: Room

Fork in the Road – a BCW from the Lake County Fair

Crown Point, IN

Wonderful guest post from Katie & Ryan Misek! Tiny cutie pictured is the famous Ellie Misek.

THE SCORECARD:

Overall: 7/10

Chicken: Fried to order, crispy with light breading

Sauce: Spicy with citrus undertones 

Chicken to vegetable ratio: Chicken heavy with standard lettuce

Wrap: Skinny wrap, appropriate for food truck sized portions 

Temperature: Hot chicken, cold refreshing sauce/veggies

photo cred: Adam Howard

ROCKS Lakeview – an “Angry!!” BCW

Chicago, IL

Buffalo Chicken Wrap: Basic ingredients, outrageous flavor! Grilled chicken tossed in our Buffalo sauce (or try it Angry!!), ranch dressing and shredded lettuce stuffed in a tomato basil tortilla. Note: tried it Angry!!

I know that you’re thinking, dear reader. “Shannon! You’ve already reviewed the ROCKS BCW!” And dear reader, you’re correct. However, this BCW post is with the ROCKS signature “Angry!!” sauce, which is an entirely new experience. Overall though, while the sauce was definitely angry, it wasn’t delicious.

THE SCORECARD:

Overall: 4.5/10

Chicken: over grilled, tough

Sauce: v spicy but flavor not quite right, seemed more about heat level than quality flavor

Chicken to vegetable ratio: good ratio  

Wrap: standard, did not taste tomato basil-y per the menu description 

Temperature: room

photo cred: Adam Howard

Old Town Pour House – a summer Sunday afternoon BCW

Chicago, IL 

Nashville Hot Chicken Wrap: Buttermilk breaded crispy chicken breast, hot cayenne pepper mop, romaine, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, ranch dressing, flour tortilla

While technically not a traditional BCW by name, the Nashville sauce was buffalo-y, therefore qualifying for the blog. ENTIRELY too much iceberg lettuce, like whoa, your sauce might not be labeled “buffalo” but you are not a salad.

THE SCORECARD:

Overall: 5/10

Chicken: fried and normal 

Sauce: pretty spicy, but not enough quantity

Chicken to vegetable ratio: really too much lettuce. Really really.  

Wrap: beautiful panini lines

Temperature: room

Side(s): “olive oil parsley fries”, oh hell yes

Bonus image of my first impression skepticism based on massive the amounts lettuce:

photo cred: Adam Howard

Meli Café – a brunch timed BCW

Chicago, IL

Buffalo Chicken Wrap: Southern fried chicken, Buffalo style hot sauce, ranch dressing, romaine, tomato, avocado, flour flatbread Edit: no avo (allergy)

A BCW the morning after Kween Bey’s concert timed while others were brunching was a top notch way to start a Sunday. Cafes continue to pleasantly surprise me with their high scoring BCWs.

THE SCORECARD:

Overall: 6.5/10

Chicken: fried and yummy 

Sauce: good balance of spicy and ranch

Chicken to vegetable ratio: ratio excellent, room for distribution improvement. As you can see in the photo, very center heavy and ends empty 

Wrap: spilled out the back

Temperature: room

photo cred: Adam Howard

The Stretch Bar & Grill: a pre-Cubbies game BCW

Chicago, IL

The “Lou” Buffalo Chicken Wrap: Grilled chicken breast basted in our homemade Buffalo sauce, garden fresh greens, tomato, Applewood smoked bacon, carrot, celery, Gorgonzola cheese, crispy tortilla strips and Dijon ranch dressing. Wrapped in a warm tortilla. (Louis Victor Piniella, Cubs Manager 2007-2011, W316-L293) Edit: No cheese

A middle of the road BCW experience. Ingredients were quality, but the wrap leaked and chicken was grilled and I’m pretty sure the celery was a lie and the bar was v deafening. Tortilla strips addition seems to be a new trend and has become a welcome positive across BCW experiences.

THE SCORECARD:

Overall: 6/10

Chicken: grilled

Sauce: good, v runny

Chicken to vegetable ratio: heavy chicken in the middle

Wrap: panini’d

Temperature: room 

photo cred: Alex “Fergie” Ferguson

Bar Jack: the BCW blog expands internationally!

Ritz Carlton, Grand Cayman

Buffalo Chicken Wrap: Bacon, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, onions, ranch dressing Edit: no cheddar

Wowza, so many firsts on this one! First beachside BCW, first BCW outside the US of A, and it was SO good! Atmosphere could not be beat, and the BCW was excellent quality. Probably the most expensive one to reach the blog, but definitely worth it.

THE SCORECARD:

Overall: 8/10

Chicken: fried, crispy, oh so good

Sauce: spicy and well proportioned

Chicken to vegetable ratio: excellent balance throughout

Wrap: standard

Temperature: warm

Side(s): fries