Sky Restaurant & Cocktail Lounge

Every neighborhood in the city deserves a hangout. A convivial spot where the drink is always flowing and staff knows patrons by name. On the outskirts of Mississauga lies just such a place, Sky Restaurant and Cocktail Lounge. As a plaid carpeted haven for power lunchers, it attracts a steady daytime clientele, however, the evenings, such as on the Tuesday I visited, the restaurant often falls victim to a relatively hard to find locale.

Without a doubt, Sky Restaurant is a hangout waiting-to-happen. Tucked in the bottom of a Corporate Tower at the corner of Explorer and Eglinton, it is a homey and comfortable spot. The wood fixtures, the large banquettes and the smiling faces, are all charmingly un-Toronto like. Not only did I become well acquainted with my server (Karen), I got to know the manager (Bob), the chef on duty (Raj) and the owner (Phil).

Once settled in a booth, with a trivia key in hand (I'm a sucker for these consoles, blame my lack of Nintendo growing up), I began a conversation with Bob who fills me in on the restaurant's positioning as an "upscale sports bar." "During lunches we're packed," he says, "Evenings it can be a little slow. I think people just have a hard time finding us."

Enthusiastically, Bob fills me in on all the events at Sky. There are $3 breakfasts, weekends featuring live entertainment, Fridays are singles nights, there are Euchre and Poker tournaments, in addition to the numerous sporting events that play on the over 15 flatscreen TVs during game nights. There's a patio perfect for private parties, an impeccably clean kitchen and a darling deli that satisfies hungry 9-5ers with healthy made to order meals.

Believe it or not, for a pub in the vicinity of the airport, the food is all made fresh to order, with the exception of bar food staples like fries and onion rings. Everyone has a recommendation, Bob suggests the grilled salmon, Karen recommends a Blue Lagoon and Phil recommends I go straight for the wings. "This is a recipe that's followed me in my career," shared Phil, "and I can say without a shadow of a doubt that they will be some of the best wings you will ever taste!"

As a self proclaimed junk food addict, I was like a kid in a candy store! Perhaps bar food is at the opposite end of the fine dining scale, but who doesn't love it? It is a class all unto itself and I am more than happy to indulge! I begin with a serving of Deep Fried Pickles (they're on the happy hour menu). Upper Canadians seem to love their DFP, so I thought I would try them and yes, they do deliver as promised. Wedges of breaded, deep-fried, deli sized pickles sit on a plate garnished with chopped parsley. Crispy, ungreasy, juicy and dill-icious. I have to admit, they are pretty tasty.

Poutine ($5.25) is a favorite mix of grated cheese, gravy and fries, again, it's a pretty solid offering. It might not be traditionally considered Poutine, but I'm not going to split hairs over fries and gravy. More importantly, the Air Canada Burger ($10.99) is100% Angus beef burger with peameal and cheddar. It was lean, juicy and tender - by far better than most burgers I've eaten in this city.

The Grilled Salmon Fillet ($15.99), is pure home cooking. Charred grill marks gave way to flakes of salmon. While a little overcooked, it oddly worked in favour for the dish. I ended up sandwiching the fish in between slices of garlic bread and made my own sandwich. I'm the kind of girl that appreciates an honest meal. It is Bob's favorite for a reason and I can definitely see why.

Now it is imperative that I address the matter of the Jumbo Wings (1lb - $11.99; 2lbs $16.99). How can I adequately describe my thoughts on a pound of the "best wings in town?" After eating wings at over 20 different establishments in the GTA (and one in Buffalo), I can fairly say, without a shadow of a doubt, that Sky Restaurant occupies one of two spots in my heart for the best wings in Toronto. This is not a joke, this is the absolute truth. There are a few things I take very seriously in life and, I assure you, chicken wings are one of them.

Lemon pepper seasoned wings were flavourful.. The unusually large and meaty wings are dredged in a flour mixture that likens them to miniature pieces of southern fried chicken. The seasoning kept the wings dry and confirmed that sauce is unnecessary. Biting into the crisp coating revealed a juicy interior with meat that gave way from the bone. These wings defined my visit to Sky and warrant a return visit - for sure!

Supplementing breaks between wings with sips of a Blue Lagoon, I felt erroneously labelled as a "girl drink drunk" so I compensated with a pint of Germany's Paulener lager - also on tap at Sky. In addition, they do have a very well populated martini menu ($5.25).

Sky Restaurant and Lounge, the Mississauga haunt that's good to go breakfast, lunch, dinner and the big game! The adventure of locating this restaurant is well worth the trip, because once you go, I promise you that the wings will ensure that you will never have trouble finding it again.