Winking Lizard
 Akron, Ohio         Date of Visit  07/20/13            http://winkinglizard.com/

We enjoyed the cast of the flick Red and decided we would make one of our few trips to the actual theater for the sequel and swung through the Winking Lizard for some lunch before the feature. I would consider the place a pretty upscale but comfortable bar. I don’t think they actually had a lizard in the place when they were up the street closer to the mall but they do have one now. His name is Zippy and he seems to be entertaining many of the children there with their families, mostly by laying there. The place is packed but they are set up to be busy and managed pretty well.
 

Zippy Wasn't Winking
 

The walls are layered with TVs offering all sorts of sports related programming, today, replays of NFL games and the British Open. Over the din of the clientele is maybe the strangest music I have ever heard in a restaurant. Imagine a free internet jukebox in the ward of One Flew Over the Cookoos Nest and you might get an approximation. From emo-ey dirges to growling lyrical aggression it was distracting.

We were on a clock so we ordered 10 Caribbean wings, a burger and a chicken sandwich off of the seasonal menu. How did I miss the seasonal menu? The wings said they were spicy, they weren’t. They were tasty regardless. Clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, thyme, garlic and honey all made for an interesting and unusual profile which we enjoyed. They would likely have benefited from anther thirty seconds in the bubbles to improve the texture but the seasoning worked well.
 

The burger was the bleu shroom with a great crust of Cajun spices with cheese, shrooms and bacon. It was a fairly good burger with the outer crust taking it up a step from typical bar fare. Their fries are also better than most, Thick and skin on with a warm puffy center and thin crisp exterior. In addition to the standard condiments on the table there is a bottle of their house bbq sauce which after a taste I used instead of the ketchup. Nicely balanced between sweet and heat with a strong punch of vinegar, it makes a nice blend between the sauces of the national Meccas of bbq.
 

The chicken sandwich made me a little grumpy I didn’t order off of the seasonal menu too, we didn’t see it until we were actually ordering, Steph changed her order and I didn’t pull the trigger. She ended up with a crispy peanut chicken sandwich which hit a lot of great notes. Breaded breast was tossed in a lightly spiced peanut sauce and topped with smoked cheddar cheese and bacon all on a pretzel roll. Essentially a Thai sandwich it featured the rangy blend of varied flavors and textures which make Thai so tasty. I was then wishing I had gone with the BBQ shrimp burger on the Hawaiian roll to see if it manufactured similar magic. The burger was good, I still felt regret. The Winking Lizard is a much better than the average bar, all things considered. Food, adult beverage selection, atmosphere (aside from the creepy tunage) it’s a nice place to load up before catching a flick which is much more entertaining than most critics give it credit for. We don’t go to either often. I think we might have to make a few more stop at the Lizard…shrimp burger please.