2011 Wing Tournament: Downtown Results

And here we go... the Downtown bracket kicks off the 2011 Pulled Into Syracuse Wing Tournament. Dinosaur Bar-B-Que will take on J Ryan's Pub, followed by Bull & Bear Pub vs. Syracuse Suds Factory. Winner of the Downtown bracket advances to the Final Four and will take on the winner of the Northside / Eastwood bracket. To see a list of all qualifying teams, how each neighborhood bracket looks, and tournament rules, click here for the initial post. Here's how the Downtown bracket ended up...

Downtown Opening Round: Game 1
(1) Dinosaur Bar-B-Que's "Wango Tango" wings: 4
(4) J Ryan's "Hot" wings: 0

As a 4 seed facing a 1 seed, J Ryan's wings (pictures on the right) put up a good fight against Dino's heavily favored Wango Tango variety (pictured left). A zero in the score shouldn't imply that J Ryan's were bad by any means. They were delicious and fared surprisingly well. They were just no match for Dino's smokey, spicy, and sauce slathered chicken wings. J Ryan's were above average in most aspects despite the sauce having had no indication of Frank Red Hot (which may have been blanketed a bottled brand). Regardless, they still had that great Buffalo-style flavor. If you love crispy wings, look no where other than J Ryan's as these were the crispiest I've ever had. But Dino pulled out the stops with an amazing skin that was slightly charred and had enough crispness to balance the chewiness, a lingering heat that makes you want to eat more, and some of the most tender chicken wing meat ever.

Untraditional, yes. But for perfectly crispy and smokey wings, Dino doesn't mess around.

Winner: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que

***

Downtown Opening Round: Game 2
(3) Syracuse Suds Factory's "Fiery" wings: 5
(2) Bull & Bear Pub's "Hot" wings: 2

Somewhat of an under-matched 2 and 3 seed match-up pitted Bull & Bear's hot wings (pictured left) against Suds' Fiery ones (pictured right). For what it's worth, J Ryan's probably could've beat either contestant, but alas, this is what happens in a single-elimination tournament. Since Bull & Bear's wings were advertised as "Award Winning!", some serious competition was expected, but they were certainly the weakest among the Downtown seeds as there was almost little to no Buffalo flavor, or any flavor, going on. Its generally small wings were topped with sliced pickled jalapenos, which were a nice touch and added some much needed heat that was nonexistent otherwise. I'd consider Bull & Bear's wings slightly below average bar wings in most aspects as they picked up a few points where Suds could not. Despite being served on the cold side and a sauce that could've been a notch hotter, Suds Factory's Fiery wings did well. It's jumbo-style sized wings had an excellent skin that was not overly crispy and was perfect on my account. There was a slightly odd flavor to the sauce that was lingering, leading me to believe that it may have been a less than higher-end bottled brand. Suds' main downfall however, was that the meat was incredibly dry; which had it not, and had the sauce had a little more kick, they certainly could've been considered excellent wings.

Overall, Suds' fared better and could probably even do really well in other cities that aren't in Upstate NY.

Winner: Syracuse Suds Factory

***

Downtown Second Round: Championship Game
(1) Dinosaur Bar-B-Que's "Wango Tango" wings: 6
(3) Syracuse Suds Factory's "Fiery" wings: 1

Despite the lopsided score, Suds' are decent wings. But with dry meat, a slightly odd flavor, and blue cheese that was tangy but a bit watery, it never really stood a chance against any 1 seed and its great skin just wasn't enough to overcome Dino's perfectly balanced wings. Dinosaur indeed brought its "A" game: covered in a spicy and smokey barbecue sauce, with a lingering heat that makes you want to eat more in each bite, and a good blue cheese that doesn't cloud its wings.

If my entirely cleaned plate of with Wango Tango wing bones soon thereafter wasn't any indication, these are delicious.

Winner and champion of the Downtown bracket: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que

***

Stay tuned for the remaining 3 brackets, the Final Four, and Pulled Into Syracuse's 2011 Wing Tournament Champion which will be crowned later this month. Also, I'll add an actual bracket sheet at some point before the Final Four.

Review: J Ryan's Pub

Name: J Ryan's Pub
Address: 253 E Water St, Syracuse, NY
Phone: (315) 399-5533
Neighborhood: Downtown
Website: www.facebook.com/pages/Syracuse-NY/J-Ryans-Pub-in-Syracuse-NY/205867684374
Menu: View Menu
Cuisine: Bar Food, Sandwiches, Burgers
Bar Hours: Monday-Saturday 11 AM to 2 AM, Sunday 12 PM to 11 PM
Alcohol: Beer with limited liquor selection
Parking: On-Street
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Take-Out: Yes
Takes Reservations: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Delivery: No

In a spot that was once the former MacGregor's and Kelly Cole's, J Ryan's continues the tradition of Downtown beer bar in its own unique way. Although not technically within the confines of Hanover Square, it's a very short walk from there or Clinton Square and one of the few thriving businesses located on the desolate border between Downtown and the Northside.

It's a cozy place with black and white checkered flooring, neon signs in the windows, a low ceiling, and with plenty of seating at small tables, at the bar, or outside (when weather permits). Pretty much every spot in the place is utilized in some way by a zigzagged style bar with tons of beer on tap, a pool table, a jukebox (with a good selection of music that's never played too loudly), electronic darts, an ATM, and Big Buck Hunter. And with plenty of flat screen TVs scattered about at all corners and walls, there's definitely not a bad spot in the place to watch a game.

J Ryan's claim to fame? 69 beers on tap. Yes, 69. Kind of hard to believe that there can be this many affordable beers and such a huge variety in a generally small establishment, but they're able to fit them all in here. Everything from stouts, IPAs, local microbrews, and selections from Bear Republic, Horseheads, Troeg's, Rooster Fish, and Sly Fox to name just a few from the large selection. For lack of a better word, it's a supurb listing and probably the best in Central New York. If you can't make up your mind on what to order by the taps lining the bar, there's a beer menu as well as a huge, easy-to-read chalkboard listing every beer option available. The staff and bartenders are also extremely friendly and welcome any questions, so don't hesitate to ask if you're undecided.

Other beer notes...

- Every night there's a "$2 Holla Special" which features 2 selected beers on tap for $2 (served in an 11-ounce glass) or for $9 a pitcher.

- There's a storage cooler as you walk through the E Water St entrance with large glass bottles of beer for sale.

- Growlers are available for $5, which makes them one of the few bars in Syracuse to do so.

J Ryan's menu features your standard pub fare like wings, fried foods, soups, salads, sandwiches (like the beef on weck), wraps, and angus burgers. Choice-wise, I'd say it's right in the middle between traditional and slightly upscale bar food. And if one of the 70-ish varieties of beer does not entice you, there's non-alcoholic drinks available like sodas, juices, milk, hot chocolate, pink lemonade, and fresh-brewed iced tea.

The order...

Onion Rings: $5
Bubba Plate: $8.95
Great White Wit (not pictured): $4
Total Money Spent with Tax & Tip (approx): $22

Pictured above are J Ryan's beer-battered onion rings.

Not too bad. I really liked the flavor of the batter (beer-battered, which I believe was black and tan based). Excellent crunchiness and perfectly cooked onions (biting right into the ring didn't result in the onion strand coming out). Personally, I wasn't really a fan of the texture. I prefer onion rings with a flakier batter, not something so rigid, but these were still good none the less. No dipping sauce, which was kind of a let-down. A mustard-horseradish-style dip would've fit nicely.

The Bubba Plate, J Ryan's personal take on the traditional Garbage Plate, consists of mac salad, fries, 2 cheeseburgers, meat sauce, and onions. All and all, I was impressed by this. Mainly because I expected not to be blown away (we're in Syracuse, not Rochester). The plate featured crunchy fries with the skins on, freshly chopped onions that weren't too overwhelming, thick and juicy ground angus beef that was cooked very well, and topped with a spicy meat sauce that blended everything on the plate together nicely. Though within the style of a true garbage plate, I would've liked to see a bit more grease at the bottom of the plate. Though not unwelcome, this was more like a "clean" version. It's a huge portion and I barely finished it, so you certainly get your money's worth. The only thing I wasn't too keen on was the mac salad, which I thought was a bit flavorless and overly gooey. Overall though, thumbs up. I'd order it again. My one major regret from living in The Rock briefly was never going to Nick Tahou's for late night, so it's nice to know that there's a decent option right here in 'cuse.

J Ryan's is slowly moving up on my list of favorite Syracuse bars. And with the recent closure of Clark's Ale House, it's only moved up further. It's a great place to drink, comfortably socialize, watch a game, and enjoy some decent bar food. If you love beer, you will love J Ryan's. 5 stars for beer, 3.5 for food.

My rating of J Ryan's Pub:

NCAA Cleanup Effort

The Sweet 16 and Elite 8 tournaments come to town and the city is asking residents to help volunteer to clean up before the basketball crowds roll in. Organized cleanups are set for this Saturday and will take place at...

- 8:30 AM at the parking lot at Erie Boulevard E, S Warren and James streets
- 8:30 AM at Forman Park across from the Renaissance Hotel
- 9 AM at the VA Medical Center, University and Irving avenues
- 9:30 AM at the Museum of Science and Technology, Jefferson St lawn
- 9:30 AM at E Adams St and University Ave
- 10 AM at Harrison St and University Ave
- 10 AM at Harrison Pl between E Adams and Harrison streets
- 10:30 AM at Walnut Park, Walnut Pl and Waverly Ave

Equipment, juice, and snacks will be provided. Lunch will be available to volunteers at Varsity Pizza and J. Ryan's after the cleanup. More info is available here.

Is it so hard for the city to organize something like this every spring instead of doing it only when visitors are in? Sigh...