Weekly Wings: Give Us More Duck Wings

OK, we’re still on wings, we’re just changing the bird.

But you’d want to, too, if you’re either at the Crafty Irishman downtown, the Playwright Irish Pub in the Dallas Arts District or Cannon’s Corner Irish Pub in North Oak Cliff. For the purpose of this report, we stopped by Cannon’s, as it’s the newest one of the three under the same ownership.

Sure, they have normal wings, but skip them. Instead, just ignore that section of the menu, look to starters and order the “Duck!” ($13.50). Be sure to shout a bit when you order, too: Cannon’s should expect nothing less for putting such punctuation on its menu.

One plate comes out with six duck wings covered in a wonderfully sticky sauce. (Wonderful while eating, though you will want to wash your hands afterward; the napkin’s not enough.)

These larger wings are tossed in an orange marmalade sauce with ginger and scallions, topped with sesame seeds. “Spicy” is mentioned on the menu, but they’re just not, and that’s OK. These are sweet wings – not to the point where they should be a dessert, but where there’s just enough to make you keep eating.

Despite the heavy sauce, these wings stay crisp, with a crunch revealing tender dark meat with plenty on the bone to make you feel like a true carnivore. The meat pulls away gently, revealing good care in its preparation.

If you’re going to offer some wings that aren’t basic Buffalo chicken wings, this is a good way to go about it. Once you get this, you won’t want to take your time or save belly room for those normal ones.

Cannon’s also has a decent beer list and plenty of specials throughout the week; it’s a nice one among the establishments that are newer to North Oak Cliff, and with wings like these, we’re pretty happy about it being there.

Cannon‘s Corner Irish Pub, 1314 W. Davis St. (North Oak Cliff). 214-643-6442. Open 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily.