Lately I've become curious about the Linzer torte cookie, a cookie that was named after a torte. But it wouldn't surprise anyone who knows me that it's because of a bar, not a sweet tooth. I'm not proud of that, it's just the way it is. And it would hardly be worth noting that the bar offers wings gratis on Fridays were it not for the inauspicious manner in which I came to know this. You see, my birthday was on a Friday this year, and instead of deciding for myself whether or not to go to work and surf the web, the decision was made for me and it entailed winding up at this bar.
Now this bar was not named after the torte. It is not called Zum Linzer Torte or Linzer Torte Haus, or anything like that, but its name does sound much like "Linzer Torte's". In fact, I doubt very much that this bar, or its name, has much significance, historical or otherwise. The torte however does, it being the first torte on record, dating back to 1653 in the annals of baking.
But this bar's neighborhood is not completely devoid of history, at least for me, as it was not far from this bar that I learned that one should not easily be swayed to go to a bar expressly for 10 cent chicken wings, and that it might not be a bad idea to look at them before partaking. Rubbery and undercooked, sour and yellowish, adorned with pimples and little hairs visible despite ample coverage by sauce, such are the hallmarks of the wings in this neighborhood.
And so years ago, I promised myself that I would never again eat wings around there. But that Friday a situation arose at this bar where the cards were stacked against me. I found myself in the midst of a delicate matter for which the wings, having been prepared by a particularly kind bartender, had become a critical olive branch. I should also note that I wasn't even hungry, as it was hard to have an appetite under the circumstances. I don't make many promises, and you can see why, but if that's what I get for acting like a gilded otter, then so be it. Besides, the wings were pretty good, although they could have been a bit more crispy.
