CT Classics: Wings & History at J Timothy’s Taverne

I’m a little late to this review party and can’t add much to what’s already been said, but this was one of the greatest Unilocal events I’d ever been to. I love J. Timothy’s dirt wings, and I love Relic Brewing Co. beers. An abundance of each was more than I could ask for from one evening. It was fun to learn the story behind the dirt wings and sample three flavors along with other delicious J. Timothy’s appetizers and Relic beers.
J. Timothy’s and Relic were more than generous with their offerings. After we had our fill of the best wings in the state — the dirt wings are fried, sauced, fried again, and sauced again for wonderful crispiness and flavor — I thought we had more than enough. Then the J. Timothy’s staff came out with little slices of bread pudding — a perfect dessert. In terms of Relic samples, I was able to have multiple pours of each and really liked the winter beer. Thank you, J. Timothy’s, Relic, Emily, and Unilocal for hosting another great event.

My review is probably more than I little biased since its one of our favorite places during football season. I would have been happy with a beer and wing event just about anywhere but the fact it was at J Tim’s rocked my socks.
In my attempt to join hop (who doesn’t love a good pun, seriously?) on the microbrew bandwagon I have drank many many many beers that have left me poor, disappointed, and hungover. I’m so grateful for Relic introducing me to an IPA I actually liked and will purchase.
By far, my favorite part was hearing about the history of the the restaurant and buildings. I love those kinds of stories I think it adds to the whole dining experience. Thanks again guys for setting up an amazing and special event!

Considering wings constituted 80% of my diet in college, I consider myself a bit of a wing fanatic, to put it mildly. And yet I’d never had the chance to try J. Timothy’s famous dirt wings until Wednesday night. Sigh… all that wasted time… because these are top-​notch wings! The double-​saucing and double-​frying method yields wings that have both a lovely crunch and flavor galore. They got two big messy thumbs-​up from me while I was busy stuffing my face during the event, and even now I’m drooling just thinking about them. We got to try three flavors – buffalo, sweet chili, and honey BBQ. The sweet chili was my favorite (I appreciated that it was actually spicy!), but the honey BBQ and buffalo were excellent as well, and that’s a lot coming from me, since I don’t usually like buffalo sauce.
In addition to the amazing wings, J. Timothy’s was also generous enough to bring out two appetizers – the butternut squash ravioli and the garlic gorgonzola bread with fondue. Both were delicious, and as a fan of all stinky cheeses, the garlic gorgonzola bread was love at first sight, as evidenced by Jess L’s picture of it where I had already swiped a slice (heh). For dessert, I loved the blueberry bread pudding and was excited to see actual black specks of vanilla bean in the sauce. It’s the details that really matter!
And how can I forget the beer tasting, courtesy of the awesome people from Relic Brewing Company. I was impressed by both of the beers that I tried (not being a fan of IPAs personally), and I appreciated that the owner of Relic was on hand to describe the beers himself. Clearly a lot of passion and dedication goes into his work.
Aside from the food and drink, I loved learning about the history of the place. I was astonished to find out that the building we were sitting in had existed since the 18^th century. I’m glad to see that after all these years, J. Tim’s is still consistently putting out quality food and drawing crowds; after this event, it’s easy to see why. A huge thank you to J. Timothy’s, Relic Brewing, and all the people at Unilocal for putting together such a wonderful, memorable event!

1^st Unilocal event and I hit the jackpot! I’ve always heard of Jr Timothy’s «dirt» wings, but have never got to experience them first hand. Let me tell you, this was a good time.
First we started with a beer tasting hosted by Relic Brewery. We sampled 3 different beers. I admit to not being fond of «good beer», usually commercial light beer, but Relic has opened my eyes. I really enjoyed the double IPA and the L’ORANGERIE SAISON, which is has a nice citrus taste to it. Also, the owner of Relic, gave a nice background of the company and the beers we were tasting.
Then, the we started with garlic bread with gorgonzola fondue. The bread was a soft melt in your mouth ciabatta wedge. This is good enough to go here and eat. No B. S. This was awesome! Also, at the same time we tried the butternut squash ravioli. This was tasty also. My only gripe is I wish we had more. Oh well, next time I go I will treat my self to my own order.
Lastly, we feasted on 3 different types of dirt wings. They were all good, but the SWEET RED CHILI wings were the star of the trio for me. The thing with good wings is a nice cook and crunch. They do it right at J. Timothy’s.
I met some great people and look forward to my next event and meeting more foodies like me. Also, thanks to Emily, Joe, and Thien for being great hosts and having me.

Each time I drive past J. Timothy’s, the parking lot is always packed. After last night’s Unilocal Event, now I know why. J. Timothy certainly knows how to some kick-@$$ wings and treat you like royalty!
The best partner-​in-​crime for wings is beer! Thanks to the generosity of Relic Brewery down the street, I was able to have awesome local beer. My favorite brew was L’ORANGERIE SAISON, a combination of orange and peppercorn; perfect for all the wings, cheese bread, and butternut squash ravioli we chowed down. There was so much food that I was lucky that I didn’t slip into a food coma.
I loved seeing new Unilocal faces and chatting up with them! I also appreciate the intimate space and learning the fascinating history of the J. Timothy’s building.
Thanks again to the dynamic Unilocal team trio of Emily C., Thien N. and Joe B.

YES. This was one of my favorite events so far: an intimate, raucous gathering of the chosen Elite, bonding over saucy dirt wings and Relic beer at J. Timothy’s Tavern.
J. Timothy’s is a CT icon, and it’s not hard to see why: built in 1789 and operated by only two owners over that span of time, it has a loyal fan base– generations worth, in fact. We were treated to a private party in the wine loft, which was a conversion of the barn’s hay loft. I loved the banquet-​table seating, and the family style plating. Neighbors chatted, friended each other, chatted some more, and discussed getting together for UYEs. #phoparty
After a brief introduction to J. Timothy’s Tavern by Nicki, and to Relic Brewery by Mark, we were served some appetizers to whet our appetites. While the butternut squash raviolis with candied walnuts looked phenom, I had to pass (food allergy). I did dive into the Gorgonzola cheese dip and toast triangles– it’s a good thing I’ve been practicing my self control! These things are deliciously addictive. I would definitely recommend these pre-​wing slices of heaven.
Next came the wings, big plates of a virtual wing mountain, piled high and saucy. Buffalo, BBQ, sweet chili. We joked that it was a good thing no «official» pictures were being taken. Gone were the societal pressures to eat with grace. We were digging in. I loved all the flavors, but have to say the sweet chili was really the winner. A hefty sauce that stuck you on a roller coaster ride of sultry heat and seductive sweet.
And just as we were all rubbing our bellies and toasting to a good night of beer and food, out comes dessert– a little bite of bread pudding that was just the perfect ending.
I had the opportunity to chat at length with Mark, the master brewer at Relic. He graciously donated three beers for sampling: the seasonal L’Orangerie saison, a double dry hopped beer The Huntress, and their upcoming winter offering, Biere de Noël. J. Timothy’s added Relic’s Tropicale beer (my favorite) at the end of the night.
Nicki also presented a wonderful and informative slideshow on the tavern’s history. It’s obvious that this place has a profound effect on its employees and guests, as many have found a very special place in their heart for it. This tavern, with its dirt wings and passion for history, in partnership with Relic, has a new believer: yours truly. You can fry me, sauce me, fry and sauce me again anytime.

Great food, great beer, great history — it doesn’t get much better than that!
Two of the biggest things I took away from the event — people seem to prefer drumsticks over wings, and the sweet red chili wings were the surprising favorite flavor (possibly because of their unexpectedness?)
Overall, I had a great time at my first Unilocal event and can’t wait to go to more in the future!

This event will go down in my memory as one of the best, delicious, and fun Unilocal events I’ve attended!
It was wonderful to hear about J. Timothy’s history — the building, the people, the beer, and the trees — while chowing down on some absolutely delicious dirty wings. I truly couldn’t decide which flavor I liked the most: sweet chili, honey bbq, or original BBQ. The other dishes were also wonderful, with rich yet not overpowering flavors. I could eat the Gorgonzola garlic bread ’til the end of time.
It was also great to have Relic Brewing Company as a co-​host, as we got to taste some beers, including a winter holiday beer and a double IPA. I really dug the L’Orangerie Saison. Mark also told us a bit about being a craft brewery at the same time.
Nicki was a wonderful host of the evening, and all the servers were nice. It was such a unique experience, and the set-​up was great; I got to meet a lot of Unilocal Elites while sharing this special moment.
I can’t wait to come back!