The Wingmen

Cornerstone Pub

2012-01-09T10:00:00.017-05:00

Cornerstone Pub
288 Jericho Turnpike
Mineola, NY 11501
516-741-6095
Directions

In what was the first group Wingmen outing of 2012, Jody and I met up at Cornerstone Pub in Mineola for some wings and camaraderie, oh, and a few pints of beer. Jeremy was unable to attend and was sorely missed.

Cornerstone is a neighborhood bar where locals seem to gather, yet has a very comfortable feel for a couple of outsiders. The menu is full of the typical pub grub fare making it a great place to stop after work and grab some apps or even a burger. The bar is stocked with plenty of liquor and has a decent selection of beers on tap. Want to have some fun? Well Cornerstone has a juke box, pool table and darts, so there is plenty to do while knocking back a beer or three. They also have skee ball, but more on that later.

Just a lovely spread, don't you think?

We ordered their hot wings, teriyaki wings and jalapeño poppers. Their hot wings were a nice variation on the clarified butter and hot sauce recipe. The sauce was reduced, a step, as Jody points out, many other kitchens don't normally take. Reduction is a technique that thickens a sauce, intensifying the flavors by boiling it down in an uncovered pot. Crushed red pepper was added to the sauce making these wings very spicy and extremely flavorful.

Hot Wings

The teriyaki wings also had a very tasty, reduced sauce with the perfect combination of salty and sweet. Both Jody and I were very happy with the way the wings were cooked, juicy on the inside with a decent crisp on the outside, as well as with the size of the wings. No complaints at all with the wings. They also have BBQ wings, but I'm not a big fan of BBQ and Jody agreed not to order them.

Teriyaki Wings

We also grabbed an order of jalapeño poppers, made with cheddar. Hey, even the Wingmen want to try something other than wings once in a while. They were a nice change of pace, and create an interesting question for the comments, Facebook and Twitter: how do you like your jalapeño poppers, with cheddar or with cream cheese?

Cheddar or Cream Cheese?

I said we'd get back to the skee ball topic and here it is, Jody and I played 2 games each in order to see who the skee ball champ of the night would be, here's how it broke down:

230- Steve Game 1 240- Jody Game 1
280- Steve Game 2 320- Jody Game 2
510- Steve Total 560- Jody Total: WINNER

It kills me to admit this, but Jody is the superior skee ball player. He even called a 100 point shot with his last ball in the second game. What a dick.

I owe Jody a beer since I lost.

The Library Cafe

2011-08-09T10:00:00.001-04:00

The Library Cafe
274 Main Street
Farmingdale, NY 11735
516-752-7678
Website
Directions

Also located on Main Street in Farmingdale, The Library Cafe has been around for about a decade and has been serving up good food, better drinks and a city-like atmosphere for suburban Long Island. Owned by Lessing's, the folks that catered my wedding and also run Maxwell's, The Library has a great feel to it and seems to be a hotspot for people who work in the area to come to for happy hour or nightly specials. The Library Cafe got its name from it's building, which was build as a bank and then converted to a library in the 1950s and eventually into the restaurant in 2000.

I grabbed a seat at the bar and quickly noticed that Lessing's has their own beer on tap, Lessing's Local Ale, and I had to try one. It is brewed by Blue Point Brewing Company and is a smooth and robust beer that if I had a few bucks more in my pocket, I'd have brought home a growler ($20).

Lessing's Local Ale

Knowing I was having dinner too, I grabbed the small order of wingshalf; hot and half teriyaki, which they don't normally do, but the bartender (Jimmy) was kind enough to ask for me. The price was good, $8.95 for a pound and for an extra dollar, you get a half a pound more. The wings were solid with a lot of extra sauce for each flavor. The hot had a good kick, were flavored well and got the nose a bit runny. The bleu cheese helped. The teriyaki were the perfect combination of salty and sweet with just the right amount of sticky. All were crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside and big.

Hot and Teriyaki Wings

What was I going to have for dinner? Shrimp po boy? Marinated sliced steak sandwich? One of their 4 burgers? Spicy shrimp pad Thai? Blackened crab cake sandwich? I couldn't decide. On Jimmy's suggestion, I went with the sliced steak sandwich with fries. The sandwich was tender, cooked to perfection and stuffed with medium rare sliced steak, mozzarella cheese and fried onions. It was the perfect ending to a long work day. The waffle fries were also good. Came with a pickle, which I can do without, but it is a nice gesture.

It still looks good... I want one now!

When it comes down to it, The Library Cafe has an amazing atmosphere, great drink and food specials, awesome wings, tasty food and is definitely Wingmen approved.

The Republic

2011-08-04T10:00:00.000-04:00

The Republic
"Teach Tabhairne"
217 Main Street
Farmingdale, NY 11735
516-293-4400
www.therepublicpub.com
Directions

Although Main Street of Farmingdale, NY is not hurting for bars and pubs, a void did exist when Granny O'Shay's closed. Luckily for Farmingdale, the loss of the Irish pub would be short-lived. The Republic opened just about a year ago and has quickly become a local hangout. With a solid menu, tons of beer on tap, a rotating beer menu and an outdoor patio, The Republic is a great place to hang out after work or chill for the evening.

The current line-up

I showed up one day after work craving some wings and a burger. That is why I love pubs/bars, they almost always have wings and burgers, and for the most part, they are always good. After checking out the menu, I was astounded by how much food they offered and the interesting takes they offer on Irish and American fare. From Irish nachos to drunken shrimp, and macaroni and cheese stuffed meatloaf to shepard's pie, there will always be something interesting to try.

Hot Wings

I ordered the traditional buffalo flavored wings. They also have an Irish Whiskey BBQ flavor, but as you know from past reviews, I just don't like BBQ. A few things hit me right away when they got to my table, 1- They smelled hot. 2- they were all wings, no drumsticks. I have never seen that before. And 3- they came with ranch dressing even though the menu says they are served with bleu cheese. Upon trying them I noticed a few other things. They were not very crispy and the sauce mixture was a touch off, almost as if they added too much salted clarified butter. The salty flavor was a bit overwhelming, and really made them hard to eat. I truly think it was just an off night because I could taste a hint of the hot sauce and with more of that and a bit less salted butter, I am sure they would have been much better. Fix the mixture, fry them another minute and I think they would have been great.

The Republic Burger with Sweet Potato Tater Tots

On the other hand, the burger I had was very good. The Republic Burger has bacon, Irish cheddar, Irish whiskey BBQ sauce and onion strings loaded on top of a 1/2 lb. ground sirloin patty and is served with tater tots. This was the highlight of the night. The tater tots, on the other hand, were a bit disappointing to me and me alone. I am not a fan of sweet potatoes, and these tots were sweet potato tots. If you like sweet potatoes, then these will be awesome for you. They did taste like mini churros, with cinnamon bursting out of every bite. Worth a try.

The Republic wings deserve another try before a final judgement can be made, but with their beer selection and awesome menu of Irish-American food, it won't be hard convincing the other Wingmen to join me for a final assessment.

So... if you go to their website, you'll notice a fascination with Guinness; I had to have one.

Just plain beautiful

Sapsuckers Hops & Grill

2011-08-02T10:00:00.004-04:00

Sapsuckers Hops & Grill
287 Main Street
Huntington, NY 11743
631-683-4945
http://www.sapsuckersli.com/
Directions

One of the newest bars in Huntington Village, NY, Sapsuckers has quickly become a local favorite with their craft beer selection, variety of top shelf liquor options and gastro-pub style cuisine.

My wife and I found ourselves here on her suggestion. She, being the Wingmen supporter she is, and knowing my love for craft beer, had heard about this place from a co-worker and figured I'd want to give it a try. She was right, as always.

Two Brothers Witbier

I was initially struck by the ornitholigical theme to the place (a sapsucker being a woodpecker common to the northeast), complete with lithographs of birds on the wall and a field guide, not to the birds of the area, but to BEER! A clever touch to a subtle theme. The beer selection, which includes cans, bottles and the tap, is extensive and the field guide does help. I had the Two Brothers Witbier and my wife had the Steigl, which is a lager.

Very small wings, big taste

We ordered the wings, which were pricey at $8 for 6 small wings. They were lightly breaded and were generously coated in hot sauce, served with thin strips of celery and a gorgonzola dipping sauce. Despite their size, they were cooked well, spiced well and a great start to our meals. The gorgonzola dipping sauce was a nice variation on the typical bleu cheese, and had a salty and sharp flavor that complimented the wing sauce.

As for our meals, she had the nachos which were loaded with goodies and I had the Sardinian Style Dog, which is wild boar sausage loaded with caramelized onions. The meals, reasonably priced were very good and are different from anything else you'll find on Main Street in Huntington Village.

Sardinian Style Dog

With the price of the wings for what you get, it's hard to say Sapsuckers is approved for their wings alone, but as an interesting craft beer bar with unique food and great atmosphere, the Wingmen approve the restaurant as a whole.

Product Review: Michele's Buffalo Supreme Popcorn

2011-07-28T10:00:00.001-04:00

Michele's Totally Awesome Gourmet Popcorn
PO Box 1662
Concord, NH 03302-1662
603-798-5300
www.michelesweetshoppe.com

Jody and I were at a Yankees game a few months back when Rebecca P., one of the Wingmen faithful, contacted us about a product she wanted us to try. Despite my stupidity about what she meant by "mail you something to try" (see our Facebook page for the comment on April 27, 2011 for what I mean), she was able to ensure that a large bag of Buffalo Supreme popcorn arrived for us to review.

That's a big bag o'popcorn!

Michele's Totally Awesome Gourmet Popcorn operates out of Concord, NH, and was founded by Michele and Dave Holbrook in 2007. This family-run business is not only an American phenomenon, but has been shipping globally too. Michele's offers twenty flavors of popcorn that include Cookies-n-Cream, Peanut Butter Cup, Caramel Apple, Garlic &Rosemary, Cajun BBQ, Dark Chocolate Orange and many others. Their fresh, sweet, savory and deluxe flavors of popcorn were selected for the Official SWAG Bags of the 37th Annual Daytime and Sports Emmy Award Shows of 2010.

The popcorn arrived with a note that says "The Wingmen, Rebecca P. wanted you to give this a try. Let us & her know what you think. Michele" so here it goes: upon opening the bag, the aroma of buffalo wings fills your nose making you think a fresh plate of wings has just arrived at your table. As you take a bite, the flavor of hot sauce and butter fill your mouth and before you know it, your nose is running from the heat. This popcorn is spicy! It was everything I could do to stop myself from eating the whole bag. The buffalo blend seasoning captures the wing flavor quite well and the canola oil seems to act like the clarified butter. The only thing missing is a bleu cheese drizzle, which I can make happen with a quick drive to the supermarket!

Check out Michele's by heading to www.michelesweetshoppe.com or by visiting them on Facebook. Michele's Totally Awesome Gourmet Buffalo Supreme Popcorn is Wingmen approved! I can't wait to try some of the other flavors... Cajun BBQ has piqued my interest.

Thanks Rebecca P. and Michele for the support!

Black Forest Brew Haus

2011-07-26T10:00:00.007-04:00

Black Forest Brew Haus
Microbrewery & Restaurant
2015 New Highway
Farmingdale, NY 11735
631-391-9500
www.blackforestbrewhaus.com
Directions

Hidden, secluded, and off the beaten path are just a few ways to describe Black Forest Brew Haus. Nestled off New Highway in Farmingdale, NY, both Jeremy and I passed it two or three times before we actually found it. Unassuming from the outside, Black Forest is one of the best kept secrets that Farmingdale has to offer.

Pub grub? Check. American fare? Check. German food? Check. In house brewery? Check! Yes, you read correctly. Black Forest is a German-American restaurant that has its own brewery. You will only find their beer on tap and the selection is good enough for the pickiest beer drinkers. There is a Pilsner, an Amber, a Hefe-Weizen (my favorite), a Sticke and they have seasonal brews like the Summer Ale and Chocolate Doppelbock to name a few. Can't make up your mind? Order the sampler and when you find your favorite, bring home a growler ($12).

Black Forest Chocolate Doppelbock

But this is a wing site, so let's get to why you read this blog. Jeremy and I decided to split the hot wings. One plate, and before you accuse us of being panty-waists, we were getting dinner too. We ordered and as we spoke to Jamie, the bartender, he said that we should have ordered the wing sampler (Spicy hot, honey BBQ, and sweet & spicy wings). Jeremy and I looked at each other, shook our heads and then lowered them in shame. How could we miss the sampler? Jody will be very disappointed.

Not the sampler... oops.

The wings came out and the first thing we noticed was the smell of heat. You know what I am taking about, that smell that singes your nose and settles in the back of your throat letting you know something spicy comes your way. Once we got passed that initial "warning," Jeremy and I dug in to our dozen wings.

Black Forest does not stray from the tried and true method of cooking buffalo wings. Clarified butter, hot sauce and a deep fryer. The flavor was well balanced, the wings were crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside and were everyone one wants from a wing. Spicy enough to make you reach for your beer, tasty enough to make you reach for another one and filling enough to whet your appetite for whatever you'll be having next.

Black Forest has some great specials and happy hours, so check out their website for upcoming events. Friday nights are dueling piano nights and that starts at 9pm; you don't want to miss that. We didn't get all the details, but there is a beer stein culture here as well. I suggest asking about it when you are enjoying your Black Forest Burger or Sauerbraten. they also have a beer garden for outside drinking and dining.

Potato Pancake with Applesauce- German staple

When it comes down to it, Black Forest Brew Haus is a great restaurant with solid food, fresh tasty beer and very good wings. Black Forest, you're Wingmen approved!

Blackbird's in Astoria

2011-05-18T12:00:00.001-04:00

41-19 30th Ave.
Astoria, NY 11103
Website

This trip started with an email I got from our correspondent in the field, BJ:

"Meant to text you yesterday, but I went for a nice long walk yesterday, ended up at a place called Blackbirds, solid place, nice, laid back (at least during the weekend/day), also there was a really cute bartender, she looked like a redheaded Amy Poehler.

Anywhoozles, she and a couple of patrons told me that they believe the wings there are the best in NY. I said, “Best in NY? That’s bold, are you sure you don’t mean best in NYC or Queens or Astoria?” They assured me that they meant best in NY. So, challenge thrown down…"

I agreed. That's a mighty bold statement. To say you not only have the best wings in NYC, but all of New York is pretty gutsy. You don't need me to tell you that Buffalo, home of the hot wing, the Mecca, falls into this jurisdiction. The more I thought about it, the more I realized the magnitude of this claim. For me, if you're saying you have the best wings in all of New York, you might as well be saying you have the best wings in the country. And if you're saying that, you might as well be saying you have the best wings in the world. Wow. Could it be possible that the best wings on the face of the planet were right under our noses in Astoria? Obviously I assembled a team to find out.

Original tipster, BJ, fellow food blogger, Lee (2plus2 NYC Review) and I met at Blackbirds on a Wednesday night. Wednesdays are great because they have half priced wings and four dollar draught beers served in mason jars. Already I liked their style. Bring on the wings. As per usual, the BBQ did nothing for me. I had to test them out though, for science. They were just your typical, sweet, slighlty tangy wing that I've never been too fond of. I will say though that there was a nice coat of sauce, so if you're into BBQ there's a good chance you'll like these.

They also offer mild, hot and Nuclear. Since BJ is a huge wuss and can't take the heat, we ended up going with mild. These were solid. The flavor was a very traditional hot sauce and butter concoction. It was a bit tangy, which I like, a tad salty, which I also like and, considering we ordered mild, there was a decent amount of heat. It was still enough to make BJ sweat, although he'd break a sweat if we replaced the sauce with ketchup so I don't know if that's saying much.

In general, the wings were cooked pretty well with a great crisp but they were a little on the skimpy side. The flavors were solid but nothing ground breaking. Would I eat them again? Absolutely. Were they the best wings ever known to mankind? Probably not. Blackbirds was a pretty cool place though with a good beer selection and friendly service. Plus I always like hanging out in that part of Astoria. I can recommend it as a good place to meet up with some friends and catch up over a cold beer and some wings while watching the game.

O'neills Is The Latest Wing Spot To Fall Victim To Fire

2011-05-16T12:44:00.000-04:00

[Queens Courier] A 5-alarm fire engulfed O’Neill’s Restaurant in Maspeth [on May 1st] sending six fire fighters to the hospital.

The call came in just after midnight of a fire at 64-21 53rd Drive. The fifth alarm came after 3 a.m. and the fire was under control at 3:23 a.m.

One hundred and ninety-eight fire fighters responded to the scene. The six injured were taken to Elmhurst hospital.

O’Neill’s Restaurant has been a Maspeth fixture since 1933. There is no known cause of the fire. An investigation is under way.

"O'Neill's Restaurant has been a staple in Maspeth," said Conuncilmember Elizabeth Crowley. "Last night's tragic fire was a loss for the whole community."

Well, I don't know how I'm going to break this news to Jeremy. This is one of his favorite wing joints. I'm really kicking myself now for never having made it there. I can't tell you how many times I told Jeremy we should go and then one thing or another came up. Well, RIP O'neills. Hopefully you can pull through and reopen a new location in the future.

- Thanks to Joe Piscatella for the heads up.

A New Champ is Crowned!

2011-04-13T19:12:00.000-04:00

Bell Peppers... wimps. Jalapeños... pantie-waists. Ghost Chiles... move over, a new champ is in town and its name is the Trinidad Scorpion Butch T Chile. This pepper is equivalent of just about 1.5 Million SHU (scoville heat units). To give you a sense as to what that means, well, a Bell Pepper has 0 SHU, Jalapeño ranges from 2,500 to 5,000 SHU and the Ghost Chile hits just over 1 Million SHU. Good luck eating that bad boy.

Naga Jolokia is also known as the Ghost Chile

By the way... the growers say this pepper gets its heat from "worm juice" which is liquid runoff from a worm farm. Yummy.

$.10 Wing Night!

2011-04-01T21:27:00.000-04:00

I've found the Holy Grail of wings! $.10 wing nights have all but disappeared, but they do still exist and one is in Rockville Centre, NY!!! I was Happy Hour-ing with some work folks at Stinger's Irish Pub on Sunrise Highway and noticed this sign:

He said boneless.

I was stoked... I mean, when was the last time you saw a $.10 wing night? Dempsey's in Bayside is now $.20, there are a lot $.25 or even $.50 wing nights and paying $1.00 a wing is far from unheard of these days. This was a find of a lifetime, or so I thought.

A sampler platter was ordered and the wings, admittedly were small, dry and not very good, but they weren't horrible. I'd have to go back and order the wings by themselves, but hell, for a $.10 wing night, I'll give them a real shot.

Hunter's in Glen Cove Decimated By Fire

2011-04-01T10:00:00.008-04:00

According to Glen Cove Patch, another potential wing establishment has burned down. Hunter's Grill in Glen Cove was located on Forest Avenue and was known for its hunting lodge atmosphere and barbecue cuisine. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

For us wing enthusiasts, Hunter's menu boasted "Smoked BBQ Wings: Flames that roast pieces of fresh cherry wood, create smoked atmosphere for our savory wings that cook to a perfect temperature with the addition of a homemade BBQ sauce (choice of Sweet, Hot and I Dare You!)." Just reading that, I want to try them, and I have never been a fan of BBQ wings. This is a shame, let's hope Hunter's can recover and re-open soon.

Keep checking with the Wingmen and the Glen Cove Patch for more information on this story as it develops.

The Wellington In Middle Island Is Gutted By Overnight Fire

2011-03-30T17:50:00.000-04:00

"A longtime local tavern with deep roots in the Middle Island community, Wellington Bar and Grill is likely no more after an overnight fire gutted the inside of the watering hole early Wednesday." (North Shore Sun)

Well this is sad news for wing enthusiasts. The Wellington has been on our list for a while, but we just don't get the chance to get that far out East for wings too often. Has anyone eaten there before? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

UPDATE: South Houston

2011-03-28T10:56:00.000-04:00

331 W. Broadway
New York, NY 10013
Website

Wingmen favorite South Houston in SoHo has added a couple new flavors to their menu. In addition to their grilled Buffalo and Apricot-Peach BBQ wings, they now offer honey mustard and teriyaki - two of my personal favorites. Jeremy and I gave the honey mustard a try on Friday and they live up to the original flavors. I can't wait to try the teriyaki.

Genesis Bar and Restaurant

2011-03-25T10:00:00.003-04:00

Upper East Side

Genesis Restaurant and Bar
1708 2nd Avenue
New York, NY 10128
212-348-5500
www.genesisbar.com

After reading through some of our reviews, lately, it seems that we are a bunch of homers that love every place we have been to. And the truth is, we go to places that you, the Wingmen Faithful, suggest because you love those places. So of course the wings are good. We have not been blindly just stopping in a place and testing out their wings. Well, Jody and I stopped at Genesis Bar and Restaurant the other night without any recommendations, without knowing what the place was like and not knowing if their wings would be any good. This is what happened...

We were on the upper east side and decided to look for wings. We saw the menu outisde of the restaurant and liked what Genesis promised: Genesis Jumbo Chicken Wings- Buffalo, BBQ, Bourbon Street, Korean Style and Bayou (their to-go menu has Southwestern on there as well, but the restaurant did not offer this selection). We were stoked, starting planning what we'd try and went inside.

After sitting down and ordering our beer, we finally decised on Buffalo because we had to, Korean Style because Jody loves the Asian flavors and Bayou because I love Cajun wings. We stayed away from BBQ and Bourbon Street because they seemed similar and too sweet.

Here is what was GOOD about the wings: They were jumbo, they were cooked well, crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.

Hot Wings?

Here is what was BAD about the wings: EVERYTHING ELSE! I mean, honestly, how do you fuck up buffalo sauce? It is clarified butter and hot sauce. That is it! They were sweet and had zero heat to them. Buffalo wings should not be sweet. The Korean Style wings were even sweeter, sickly sweet. Authentic chili and garlic sauce my ass! It tasted like Karo syrup with a sweet soy sauce. They were, in my opinion, disgusting. The Bayou wings were fried chicken wings. They were described as a dry rub by the waitress, but there was no rub. They were bland fried chicken wings. They even came with a bland sauce that did nothing to the taste excpet make them wetter. Kentucky Fried Chicken wings are worlds better than these were. They were also $8.00 per plate of 8 wings, so not only were they horrible, but they cost $1.00 each.

KFC?

The place itself was nice and had a good beer selection, but I cannot recommend this place's wings. Just horrid. This place is NOT Wingmen Approved.

On a funny note, as our wings arrived, the women sitting at the table next to ours looked over and said "I think I'm going to throw up," and we are not sure if they knew the wings were bad, thought three plates of wings were just plain disgusting, or just didn't like Jody and I. I guess we'll never know.

Something clever about bad Korean Style wings?

Kabooz's Bar and Grill

2011-03-18T10:00:00.001-04:00

Penn Station
2nd Floor, Amtrak Terminal

Just another late night in Penn Station, looking for a place to grab a beer and some wings. Everyone knows about Tracks, and for good reason. There is a lesser known pub upstairs though called Kabooz's. I've never had the wings there so I decided to give them a shot.

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. They were lightly breaded which is not a deal breaker by any means in my not-so-traditional book. The sauce was much lighter than what I'm used to seeing. It almost looked like a cream sauce that you'd find on penne al la vodka or something like that. Don't worry, the comparison is for appearance only. There was a pretty significant amount of heat, but it didn't overpower the strong flavors. They were cooked very well with a bit of crisp to the skin.

Not too shabby for an uncrowded pub tucked in the corner of the second floor of Penn Station. They certainly blow Tracks' wings out of the water. While I can't crown them the best wings in NYC, I am willing to crown them the best wings in Penn Station. For now at least.

The Mermaid Oyster Bar

2011-03-16T10:00:00.001-04:00

79 MacDougal St.
New York, NY 10012
Website

Last weekend was date night for me and the Mrs., so we headed into The Village to one of our favorite little restaurants, The Mermaid Oyster Bar. It's not an overly stuffy establishment but certainly a little classier than the bars and pubs we usually write about. It was voted "Best New Seafood Restaurant" by Time Out New York Magazine last year after all. However, they do have excellent happy hour specials and the staff is not afraid to promote them. Oysters, lobster sliders, shrimp corndogs, fish tacos and, of course, lollipop chicken wings. We were in the mood to pick at a bunch of finger foods, so I did my civic duty and asked for the wings.

These were by far the "fanciest" wings I've had so far. The meat is pulled mostly off the bone towards the shoulder of the wing, giving it the appearance of a lollipop. As you can see, they were served meat down and bone up, not unlike the way you typically see lamb chops served. In the center of the plate was a celery and cucumber salad, which I thought was an interesting take on the common celery side. There was also chunks of bleu cheese distributed around the plate. Bonus points for presentation.

The bunched up meat made the wing super neat and extremely easy to eat (no Trongs necessary for these guys). The sauce was based off the traditional blend but had a really nice amount of sneaky heat. I'd go so far as to call it a creeper sauce. I really loved the bleu cheese. It added a great burst of flavor that was a little more concentrated than what you get from dipping in dressing. The only real problem I had was, due to the meat being all bunched up, they were a tad undercooked. I don't know if it was a one time thing or if that's the norm but all the other food is cooked perfectly so I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. We're dealing with chicken here though and most people are smart enough to avoid pushing your luck with undercooked poultry. I, however, am not one of those people and I decided to forge ahead... stay the course. It's due in part to my unbridled love of food, part due to my extreme hatred for wasting food but mostly due to the vow I took to uphold the code of The Wingmen. I have a duty to carry out. An obligation to the people. So, I finished the entire plate and I'm happy to report that my stomach did just fine.

We've been here a couple times now and absolutely love the place. It's cozy, has great food, super friendly service and incredible happy hour specials 7 days a week. Plus, they finish off each meal with a little sweet surprise. I can highly recommend it... even the lollipop wings. Just order extra oysters as a backup, just incase.

[Side note: while writing this review and poking around online, looking for the address and whatnot, I found out that Zach Braff is an investor in Mermaid Oyster Bar. The Chef, Laurence Edelman, is his high school friend.]

Old Fields Restaurant

2011-03-11T10:00:00.014-05:00

Old Fields Restaurant
81 Broadway
Greenlawn, NY 11740
(631) 754-9868
Facebook
Directions

Old Fields, established in 1956, had been closed for the majority of the time that I lived near there, but reopened recently and has been an overwhelming hit. My wife and I have been there a few times and she has gone multiple times with her mom and dad as well. We have ordered the skirt steak, lots of burgers, Guinness stew and even the desserts, but never the wings. Finally, on our 1 year anniversary, we went back and I suggested that we try the wings. My wife, being, as I have said, a huge Wingmen supporter, was game.

We had some champaign at the bar as we waited for our table to be ready. Since reopening, Friday and Saturday nights have been packed. This was the Sunday before President's Day and it was still mobbed. We did not expect the 20 minute wait for our table, but didn't mind since we knew how good the food we were waiting for would be.

We ordered the hot wings and my wife ordered the filet mignon skewers and I had a burger. The wings came out on the plate with celery, carrots and a cup of bleu cheese. The sauce was a traditional buffalo sauce; a perfect combination of hot sauce and clarified butter generously coated over crispy, well cooked wings. They were spicy, tasty and some of the best wings my wife and I have ever had. They ran $8.95 for the plate of about 8-10 wings (I didn't count), so they were pricey, but worth the money. They only have the one flavor and they come in just one temperature, but who cares when they taste that good.

That is a plate of perfection

My wife's filet skewers were AMAZING. Medium rare and cooked to perfection, juicy and served with french fries. My burger, and I know what you are thinking, "why would he get a burger when his wife orders filet?" and the truth is, until you have tasted one of their burgers, you just won't understand, was just plain awesome. I don't know what they do to them, but they are like biting into heaven. I had "The Greenlawn" burger which normally has cheddar, bacon and fried onions, but I switched out the cheddar for pepper jack cheese. If I wanted to, I could have added a fried egg to the burger too, but I was not that adventurous that night. They have a long list of things that can be added and subtracted to the burgers, so you can make it your own. I also had a side of onion rings, which were more like onion strings and delicious. I love their burgers.

Old Fields Restaurant is Wingmen Approved. Beyond that, if you find yourself on the north shore of Long Island in western Suffolk County, stop by and give the menu at Old Fields serious consideration. The owners of Old Fields have opened a lot of successful restaurants, and they have done a fine job with the rebirth of this old Greenlawn favorite. Enjoy.

Happy 1st year baby!

Elijah Churchill's Public House

2011-03-09T10:00:00.023-05:00

Elijah Churchill's Public House
1031 Route 25A
Fort Salonga, NY 11768
(631) 261-9678
Website
Directions

Elijah Churchill was a sergeant in the American Revolution who was one of three soldiers to receive the "Badge of Military Merit," or Purple Heart of the American Revolution. Sergeant Churchill, who served in Connecticut, was in charge of a few raids that had him cross the LI Sound. He and his company stormed both Fort St. George at Mastic and Fort Slongo near Northport. He lead both these raids, fighting along side his men. He was the only American soldier wounded in the raid on Fort Slongo. For his bravery, honor and injury, the 26 year old sergeant was the first American in history to receive the purple heart.

Elijah Churchill's Public House in Fort Salonga honors an American Hero by telling his story on their menu and website, and uses the original "Badge of Military Merit" as their logo. Churchill's is a cozy, friendly and homey restaurant and bar. They have live music, develop specials around various holidays, have a catering menu and are even allowing St. Baldrick's shavees to get 10% off their meal on a specific night (see their website for details).

Living near Elijah Churchill's, I had been meaning to get in there and review their wings for a while. Jeremy decided to join me, so we met there and quickly ordered up some hot wings. As we waited, a basket of soft hot pretzel rods were placed on the table. Not knowing why and wondering if they were delivered to the wrong table, we looked at each other and I said, "I'm going for it." Jeremy was very nervous, "Don't," he said, "I always get in trouble." I grabbed one anyway, dipped it in the mustard cup and enjoyed. They were well cooked, hot and the mustard was very spicy. It was a very nice starter and a refreshing change from the normal bread one usually gets.

The pretzels that didn't get us in trouble

Then the wings arrived. They came in a metal bucket, garnished with bleu cheese and celery, and were piping hot. Jeremy and I dug in and were quickly pleased with the flavor. They were crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside and cooked to perfection. The hot sauce was as traditional as it gets; hot sauce butter and hints of cayenne pepper. They had a good kick, but weren't overpowering. The spicy flavor after the salty pretzels got us ready for our meals. They serve mild, hot, hotter, nuclear, teriyaki and BBQ style. They are a bit pricey, at $8.99 for 8 wings, $12.99 for 12 and 20 wings for $17.99. Trust me, worth the buck a wing price.

What a pretty bucket of wings

Jeremy ordered a burger and I grabbed a Skirt Steak Walla-Walla Sandy. Both were well prepared and tasted great. Jeremy thoroughly enjoyed his burger and fries. I ordered the steak sandwich medium rare and it was great. The fries and onion rings also did not disappoint. I'd suggest it to anyone who asked. They also have a decent beer selection and a very large menu that consists of burgers, salads, and lots of comfort food options. Meatloaf, sauerbraten, pot roast, turkey dinner, salmon and lobster ravioli; Elijah Churchill's will have a dish for any palate. I feel like I have to mention "The Northporter" burger. It is a pub creation that makes my mouth water and arteries clog at the same time. It is a 1/2 lb. burger sandwiched between two bacon and tomato grilled cheese sandwiches and topped with sauteed onions. Oh, and it comes with french fries. Yeah... exactly.

Jeremy's Burger

Steve's Skirt Steak Sandwich

So head on down to Elijah Churchill's PublicHouse for some wings and and whatever else you are in the mood for, it is Wingmen approved.

Wings To Go

2011-03-07T10:00:00.018-05:00

Wings To Go
400 Newark Street
Hoboken, NJ 07030
(201) 459-6070
Website
Directions

This review has been a long time coming, and I apologize for that, but I am back with a review from September. This review started on the drive up to the National Buffalo Wing Festival in Buffalo, New York. Jody and I took off from Manhattan, through the Lincoln Tunnel and into Jersey. Despite a couple of wrong turns, which is inevitable in New Jersey (I swear that the state of New Jersey turns while you drive in it. Heading north? Gotcha... you're going south! Too far south and you hit the Jersey Shore, but no cheap shots about it being t-shirt time, GTL or grenade whistles... on to the review) we found Wings To Go.

The last time Jody and I ate at Wings to Go was close to a decade ago in York, PA. We had gone down to play paintball with my brother and his friends. Among them are Matt and Zak from the Our List Podcast. I remember ordering buckets of wings... Honey Mustard, Hot Buffalo and Teriyaki I think. We were hooked then, but living in New York, we had no way to have them again without going back to York... or so we thought. Jody found one in Hoboken, NJ!

We started strong with a smörgåsbord of flavors that included Chesapeake Bay, Caribbean Jerk, Honey Mustard, and Parmesan Garlic. Here's what we thought:

Chesapeake Bay: Chesapeake Bay spice is typically used with sea food and the salty, peppery flavors really enhance crab and other seafood flavors. At Wings To Go, we found a combination of salt, cayenne pepper, ground celery seed and sweet Hungarian paprika, mixed with clarified butter and tossed over wings. We expected a bit more of a kick and it reminded us of a wet Cajun sauce. All in all, the weakest of the flavors, but still worth a try, especially if you are a fan of sea food.

Chesapeake Bay

Caribbean Jerk: Caribbean Jerk is probably the most robust and ingredient filled recipe we tried that day. Jerk flavoring is primarily pimento (or allspice) and Scottish bonnet peppers (100,000-350,000 on the Scoville scale, just below the habanero chili) with a mixture of cloves, cinnamon, scallions, nutmeg, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. At Wings To Go, this sauce was missing the heat of a mixture that contains Scottish bonnet peppers. These wings were good, despite missing that kick. Is it the best jerk chicken you'll ever have? No. Are they solid wings when you want something different? Absolutely.

Caribbean Jerk

Honey Mustard: These were nostalgia on a plate. Exactly what we remembered from York, PA and lived up to our fond memories. The biggest problem with many honey mustard sauces is that they use too much honey and too little mustard. The honey allows the sauce to stick to the wing better, but gives the sauce a sickly sweet edge. I don't know how they do it, but Wings To Go has the recipe down. They weren't too sweet, did not have an overpowering mustard flavor and yet, the sauce clung to the wings perfectly. Although the wings were coated in sauce, their only knock was that there was no extra reservoir to dip into. Get these wings, they are awesome.

Honey Mustard

Parmesan Garlic: If there is an overall winner of this stop, it was easily the Parmesan Garlic. These wings were saturated with butter and oil, heavily dusted with Parmesan cheese and slapped you in the face with their flavor. It is well known that Parmesan Garlic is Jody's favorite, and it is safe to say that these passed his flavor test. The generous amount of ingredients in this version helped to make these easily the best flavor of the day and well worth ordering. One warning, if you are going to share a car with someone like Jody for the next 7 hours, be warned. His Parmesan Garlic burbs could make a dead man open the door and jump out of a moving vehicle at 65 MPH. Unbearable.

Garlic Parmesan

The fear with going to Wings To Go was ruining our memory of their wings from about a decade ago. Restaurant chains can vary significantly from one location to another. This experience was a pleasant reminder that we liked Wings To Go for a reason. Their vast menu of flavors, crispy (maybe double fried) wings, and multiple locations makes Wings To Go a great option when on the run and looking for more than just a hot wing. Like Atomic Wings, Hurricane Grille and Wings, and WingZone, Wings To Go is a solid place and should be located in every college town.

Check out any of their locations because Wings To Go is Wingmen approved.

St. Baldrick's Day: Pre-event Interview

2011-03-06T10:00:00.001-05:00

With St. Patrick's Day just around the corner, bars are gearing up for the "everyone is Irish today" holiday by buying extra Guinness, corn beef, cabbage and of course, wings. Well, maybe that last one is a bit of stretch, but you catch my drift. As important as all those things are, bars are also getting ready to help raise money for children's cancer research by breaking out hair buzzers and shaving their way to a cure.

According to their website, the St. Baldrick's Foundation is a volunteer-driven charity committed to funding the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long and healthy lives.

Two members of the Wingmen will be taking part in different St. Baldrick's Day events in New York and the following is part of an interview for Wing World Quarterly.*

I am sitting here with two members of the Wingmen, Jody and Steve, who will be shaving their heads in solidarity with kids suffering from all forms of cancer. They are doing this as part of St. Baldrick's Day events and I caught up with them the other night while eating some wings and I asked them a few questions about their charitable work.

WWQ- Hi Jody, Steve, how are you guys doing?
Jody- Good
Steve- Alright, how are you?

WWQ- I'm just fine, thanks for asking. So I was wondering, what made you guys decide to participate in such a worthy cause?
J- Truth be told, I really need a haircut. I knew about the event through Steve's participation last year, so I decided to grow my hair out as long as I could until March. I've done some charity work before and really like the atmosphere when people come together to help other people. It just seemed to make perfect sense to sign up for a St. Baldrick's event and they make it very easy to get involved.
S- I actually work with students at a local college and one of them decided to run one at the school last year. She asked me to shave my head. I said sure and low and behold, the day was planned and we were on our way to raising money for childhood cancer research. We pulled in just under $8,000 last year for the cause. Doing so well, there was no way I could refuse the challenge to beat last year's mark.

WWQ- When and where are you guys doing this?
J- I'll be taking part in the Hero Celebration at The Boathouse in Central Park on March 16, 2011. My shave time is set for 7:30 PM. There are 30 active fundraisers (with 53 total signed up) so it should be a pretty exciting event. I'm really looking forward to showing my support.
S- I'm taking part in Molloy College's event on March 7, 2011. I don't have a scheduled time for the day, I'll be going when there is time during the hours of 10 and 5pm. We have 19 shavees signed up, but we expect to have over 50 again this year. Molloy relies on a lot of walk-ins. They tend to see someone getting their head shaved, ask why and then donate some money for the "free" haircut.

WWQ- What are your fundraising goals?
J- I wasn't sure what to expect my first time out so I set my goal at $1,000. It seemed like a substantial but reasonable amount.
S Last year I set a goal of $500 and reached it pretty quick. I then upped the goal to $750 and raised $850. After doing so well last year, I decided to up my goal to $1,500.

WWQ- Have you reached it yet?
J- As of right now, I'm at $900, so just $100 shy of the goal. I've pretty much raised my funds in three separate bursts, each netting about a third of my goal. I have a little under two weeks to go so I'm hoping that one last push will bring me to my mark or beyond.
S- Well, my event is close, tomorrow close, and I am still not quite at my goal. I am currently at $1,381, just $119 more to go before the 7th. Just made my least plea to my friends an family, so fingers crossed.

WWQ- What is your favorite cartoon character(s)?
S- I am not sure how that's relevant?
WWQ- I am sorry, are you a reporter? Did you go to journalist school?
S- No, sorry, ummmm... Tom and Jerry. How about you Jody?
J- He-Man. Obviously.

WWQ- I must say, what you guys are doing is very commendable. Any final words?
J- St. Baldrick's has made this so easy and user friendly. If you're looking to get involved, head to their website and sign up. It's so simple and it really means so much to the kids. Seriously, go sign up right now.
S- There are literally dozens of bars, schools and other places running these events in New York. It is a great thing they are doing and I encourage everyone to get involved. Just the small gesture of shaving one's head can go a long way at helping a child with cancer smile.

The Wingmen serve as a reminder that it doesn't take much to do great things. They are just a couple of regular guys who have raised over $2,000 in the last few weeks for kid's cancer research. If you would like to help them in their efforts, you can do so by clicking on the following links:

Jody's event is 10 days away, donate here: http://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/jodyleggio
Steve's event is 1 day away, donate here: http://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/steveo1
Don't forget, you can donate to the participants even after the events have ended.

Steve's Before Picture

Jody's Before Picture

*Wing World Quarterly is not a real periodical, but should be.

South Houston

2011-03-01T10:26:00.000-05:00

331 W. Broadway
New York, NY 10013
Website

With spring teasing us a bit and waiting just around the corner, I have the perfect wings for you to check out. South Houston has a grilled peach-apricot BBQ wing that seriously tastes like summer. They are a little sweet, typical of most BBQ we've had, but the fruity undercurrent adds a nice flavor that sets it apart from other BBQ sauces. Couple that with the grilled char flavor and you'll be and looking forward to warmer times for sure.

They also make a Buffalo wing which is grilled as well. I think most Buffalonians would say that the fact that it's grilled means it's actually not a true Buffalo wing, but I'm going to say that they shouldn't be so stubborn. Grilled is better than fried, in my opinion anyway... I know, blasphemy! These wings are meaty, flavorful, have a generous coat of sauce and, again, you just can't go wrong with the grilled taste of crispy BBQ char.

I go to South Houston pretty often for lunch with a few guys from work. I don't think there's been a time yet that someone hasn't ordered the wings. As a matter of fact, there have been a few times when everyone ordered the wings. They're a staple. I suggest ordering the combo so you get half an order of Buffalo and half Peach-Apricot BBQ. You should also check out one of the many draught beers they offer. It's always a rotating selection of local and imported porters, ales, IPA's, lagers... you name it. They also brew their own craft sodas which is kind of cool.

The staff and management has always been friendly. They even gave us free pint glasses with their logo on them the first time we ate lunch there. We've been returning pretty regularly ever since. Check them out.

PS - They also have the coolest ceiling fans I've ever seen.

The fans rotate around the light.
I want one in my home.

Q & A with Sous Chef Katie of Keg and Lantern

2011-02-22T14:45:00.001-05:00

We were so impressed with our visit to Keg and Lantern in Greepoint, Brooklyn that I asked Sous Chef Katie if she would mind answering a few questions for us. She happily obliged. Enjoy:

Wingmen3: What is the inspiration behind your stuffed wings? Was there an epiphany moment or was it just a happy accident?

Katie: I guess the inspiration for the wings came out of need ... and possibly a bit of ADD. At the last restaurant I worked in, we used to get our chicken breasts in skin, and wing attached. After cleaning and butterflying the breasts, I was left with a batch of wings attached to about 4 inches of skin (gross as it sounds - everyone knows crispy chicken skin is the most delicious part). Before I started working there, the wings were pan fried and baked as is and eaten as kitchen scraps or thrown out; but as I was in charge of food-costs, I was determined to use them as staff meal, and after some experimenting, came up with the idea of stuffing them - sometimes with leftovers, and sometimes as a treat for the staff with their favorite foods.

W: Without giving away your trade secrets, how do you go about getting all that tasty food inside of a chicken wing?

K: It's mostly a matter of splitting the wing enough to leave space for the stuffing, without actually breaking the joints.

W: Why aren't more people doing this? Is it because the word hasn't gotten out, or is it just too labor intensive?

K: Both labor and food costs are prohibitive. People are only willing to spend so much on a wing, stuffed or not, so between the additional cost of the actuall stuffing, the staff time to do the stuffing, and the energy and labor for separate cooking, I imagine that even if the word DID get out, most people still wouldn't be doing it.

W: What are your favorite foods to stuff inside chicken wings?

K: Top 3 favorite fillings : Meatloaf and bacon, ham and swiss, mac and cheese (especially good wrapped in bacon before baking).

W: Do you have any crazy concoctions you're thinking about trying in the future?

K: Well, obviously the waffle fried version you guys inspired. How about a Turduckin version? Braised turkey wing stuffed with duck confit and buffalo chicken. I like that one.

If you're in the neighborhood, I highly recommend stopping in to Keg and Lantern to pay Katie a visit. If you're lucky, the Chef will have the night off and you may get treated to some of the amazing combinations she mentions above.

Keg and Lantern

2011-02-18T01:32:00.000-05:00

37 Greenpoint Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11222
Website

This past Saturday, Red Star - a bar in Greenpoint, Brooklyn - was hosting an event to crown the best wings in Brooklyn. It seemed like the perfect event for The Wingmen to check out. Not only would we finally put Brooklyn on the Wingmen map but three of the nine competitors have been recommended by readers on our Facebook page. Unfortunately, Steve and Jeremy were busy with life and it looked like a bust. However, at the very last minute I decided: what the hell. I grabbed my camera, sent Wingmen Field Taster* BJ a text and told him to meet me at the G train in LIC.

*I just made up that title, but BJ has been on a lot of wing missions with me now and is a little sensitive about not getting any credit.

BJ and I got off the train at Greenpoint Ave. and started hoofing it to Red Star. We were stopped in our tracks when we turned the corner and saw the line to get in. There were easily 400 people and the wait was at about 2 hours. Yeah, I like you guys and all but I don't like you that much. I looked at BJ and said, "shortest review ever".

This is what the line looked like. No chance. Sorry.

Luckily for us, our loss was our gain (or something like that). While all of Brooklyn was waiting on line to get into Red Star, we decided to find a participating bar and taste their wings on their own turf. I pulled up the flyer on my phone. There was one competing bar (other than Red Star) in Greenpoint: Keg and Lantern. We were off.

95 Nassau Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11222
Website

The place was cool. It had a welcoming atmosphere and a friendly staff. We found a couple of stools at the bar, ordered a couple of Brooklyn Lagers (what else?) and a plate of wings. They were pretty good wings. I'd file them under "traditional" with the hot sauce/butter combo. They were a bit on the small side, but the flavor was great and they had a nice amount of heat. It wasn't so hot that it was overwhelming, but the heat definitely made its presence known. It seemed like a pretty average wing excursion, until Sous Chef Katie came out. We had no idea what we were in for.

Katie was holding down the fort while the Chef was serving wings at the Red Star event. She seemed indifferent when we started talking to her about the wings she made for us. She let us know that her real specialty was her stuffed wings. Wait... what? Stuffed wings? Yes please. Katie seemed a little excited that she was able to peak our interest. She told us that all of their stuffed wings were sent to Red Star and it would take her about a half hour to make a new batch from scratch. We let her know we weren't going anywhere, and off she went to the kitchen.

About a beer later, Katie emerged with a small white plate with two chicken wings sitting on it. At first I was a little confused. Is this just a sample? Are they that good that an order is only two wings? She set the plate on the bar and just said "chicken cordon bleu". Sure enough, one bite would reveal a wing stuffed with bacon and swiss cheese. It was amazing. Just the fact that we were eating wings stuffed with other food was great enough... but when that food is bacon... I was pretty sure we were going to have to retire the site. I don't know how you top that.

On the menu, Keg and Lantern lists only one type of stuffed wing: "Sin Filled Thai Wings", stuffed with Thai sausage and topped with sweet chili sauce. But you know what they say... When the Chef is away, the Sous Chef will play. Katie continued to treat us with her own concoctions and her special take on stuffed wings. She brought out a few rounds, two at a time. It was like a Chef's tasting but with chicken wings. It's definitely the classiest I've ever felt while eating pub grub, that's for sure. Here was the lineup:

Course One: Chicken Cordon Bleu (Bacon and Swiss)

Course Two: Sauteed Onions and American Cheese

Course Three: Bleu Cheese

Course Four: Mac and Cheese with Hot Sauce

Course Five: Pulled Pork with BBQ Sauce

They were all so good. None of them were overstuffed to the point of being overwhelming either. There was just enough stuffing to give you a taste - a nice little burst of flavor when you bit into the wing. I can't decide if I liked the bacon or the mac and cheese better. One thing I do know though, these wings are very unique and unlike any I've ever eaten. If you get a chance, definitely check them out. I know BJ and I will definitely be back and we'll be bringing Jeremy and Steve with us. Thanks Katie!

Search Feature Is A Go!!!

2011-02-10T18:56:00.000-05:00

For those of you who were wondering when we'd add search technology to our site, the answer is NOW!!! Yes Mike O., I'm talking to you!

If you are wondering if we've reviewed your favorite place, just type it into the search box on the top right of the page and you'll get your answer!

Enjoy and keep your eyes peeled for Wings To Go in New Jersey and Elijah Churchill's in Northport, NY. They'll post soon, as well as others!

Kool Bloo

2011-02-04T15:37:00.000-05:00

117 Avenue of the Americas

New York, NY 10013

Website

I've worked across the street from the takeout/delivery joint Kool Bloo for about a year now. I went there once when we first moved into the building... and hated it. I take full responsibility though. I ordered a shawarma sandwich from a place with nary a spit. I should know better. Still though, I've avoided this place since then. Until today. They advertise wings in huge letters on the outside of the building (which Steve noticed when he picked me up for our trip to Buffalo), so I guess it's about time I gave them a try.

The wings come in a combo deal that set me back $9.75. It includes 5 wings and fries. Not exactly a huge portion, but, as you may know from my last post, I'm not a fan of huge portions anyway.

Right from the first bite I could taste the recognizable combination of Frank's Red Hot Sauce and butter. If I had to guess, I'd say the normal 1:1 ratio was slightly skewed in favor of the sauce, giving it a little extra heat. There were also some added seasonings which kicked them up a bit. The wings were relatively plump with a decent amount of meat, but very little (if any) crisp in the skin. These were pretty average across the board. I wasn't disappointed because I didn't have high hopes, but I wouldn't go out of my way for them either. Put simply: they'll do.

The fries on the other hand, those were good. I'm getting those again.

Smokin' Al's Famous BBQ Joint

2011-01-20T11:00:00.000-05:00

4847 Merrick Rd.

Massapequa Park, NY

Website

This past Sunday, as we sat at Jeremy's house and watched the Jets shock the Patriots (while eating mediocre wings), our friend Pat asked us why we haven't tried Smokin' Al's wings yet. Well, I had never heard of the place before, but tucked it away in my memory. When it came time to choose a place to go for our Wednesday wing meetup, I threw out Smokin' Al's as a suggestion. Knowing that Massapequa is a hike for me, Steve suggested Sly Fox Inn by St. John's University. We decided to make our choice based on the menu. I copied the descriptions into an email and sent them to Jeremy and Steve. Sly Fox Inn offers "Jumbo Buffalo Wings... tossed in pepper sauce with bleu cheese dressing". Smokin' Al's describes their "Some Like it Hot" wings as "Chicken wings, rubbed, smoked and then smothered with Al's Famous Rattlesnake Sauce". Steve's reply:

Rattlesnake sauce! We HAVE to go there!

Sorry Jody... My vote is for Smokin' Al's!

Fair enough, it's tough to argue with that. So I walked to the subway station, took the A train to Penn Station, took the LIRR to Bayside, walked home, got in my car and hopped on the Grand Central Parkway. About two hours later I was in Massapequa ordering a Sierra Nevada and wings.

The waitress warned us that they didn't serve traditional pub wings. They are conjoined, smoked and coated in BBQ sauce and she didn't want us to be disappointed. We assured her that this wasn't our first rodeo and we knew what we were in for. The wings came out very quickly and were as advertised. I'd put them in the same category as Virgil's wings, which I really liked.

Jeremy rolled up his sleeves and dug in first. He gave his stamp of approval almost immediately. The wings were cooked really well. They are smoked for hours, seasoned with a dry rub and drenched in BBQ sauce. They have just enough char on the skin and are moist and tender in the middle. They were conjoined, pretty large and had a good amount of meat. They offer two choices of sauce: regular and rattle snake. As far as we could tell, the only difference between the two is some crushed red pepper in the rattle snake to give it a little more heat. It didn't make it all that hot, so if you tend to shy away from very spicy foods, don't worry, you can probably handle the rattle snake. I felt the sauce was strong on the vinegar and maybe a little thin. Steve thought it was too sweet, which I agreed with. Jeremy was the biggest fan of the three of us and didn't have much in the form of criticism. Small critiques aside, we had no problem polishing them off.

Instead of ordering another plate of wings, we decided to mix it up and get a haystack and burnt endz. The haystack is an obscenely large portion of fried onion rings piled about ten feet high on a plate. Seriously, the three of us went to work on it and didn't even come close to eating half. I'm not a fan of the huge portion. I feel like it's gimmicky and most of it ends up wasted. No question it was a tasty appetizer, but I'd say it would take about 6 hungry guys to polish it off. That seems excessive to me. The burnt endz were much more manageable (although they were served on a bed of haystack!) and we took care of them no problem. These are the seasoned, crusted, burnt ends of their brisket that they chop off after smoking for 12 hours. They are of course coated in their BBQ sauce. Unlike a lot of imitation BBQ places, the smokey flavor really comes through at Smokin' Al's. I guess that's why Zagat voted them best BBQ on Long Island six years in a row.

Overall, I'd say they're a few notches below Virgil's but a solid choice if you're on LI and need some BBQ. They also have a location in Bay Shore. Check them out. Make sure you're hungry. Really hungry.

Tracks Raw Bar and Grill

2011-01-11T11:45:00.000-05:00

Located in the LIRR terminal of Penn Station

7th Ave. between 31st and 33rd Streets

Website

Thanks to LIRR service cuts, I literally ran to track 18 in time to watch the 8:19 depart and had to wait an hour for the next train. Bad enough I was working on a Saturday, now I was stuck in Penn Station. But, I decided to turn a negative into a positive by planting my tuckus at Tracks to watch the game, eat some wings and enjoy a couple of adult beverages.

See the tracks around the plate?
Get it?

The wings were cooked beautifully. Buffalo would be proud. They had a very crispy shell while keeping the meat juicy and tender. They were also meaty and had a nice coat of sauce. So far, so good. The problem though was the sauce. It was too sweet. It wasn't quite Redemption or Johnny Famous sweet, but still too sweet for my taste. It was kind of a shame because there were some good flavors. This was another case of a ketchup based sauce ruining both the flavors and the finely cooked wings. They came so close to being a good wing, but it's all in the sauce.

While I can't quite approve these wings, don't let that stop you from stopping at Tracks to kill some time waiting for your train. It's always a friendly, inviting atmosphere and a perfect place to grab one last drink before you head home. You can also try their famous raw oyster bar. It's their claim to fame but I've never tried it. Next time I'll ask for that instead of the wings.

Mets v. Yanks, Part 2 - Hard Rock at Yankee Stadium

2011-01-05T11:00:00.001-05:00

Hard Rock Cafe

1 East 161st Street
Bronx, NY 10452

Now that Citi Field was on the board, it was time to check out what Yankee Stadium had to offer. With tickets in hand, I jumped on the 4 and headed to the Bronx to meet my friend at The Stadium. I went in with a little bit of a different strategy this time. Instead of finding wings wherever I could, I wanted to eat wings from an establishment that was comparable to McFadden's. There were a few places I thought I'd be able to order wings, but The Hard Rock Cafe seemed like it would be the best match-up. I also went with a different entrance strategy. Instead of going in before the game, I waited until after. This had as much to do with McFadden's kitchen hours as it did with the fact that I was now watching the Bombers, not the Amazins. I guess you have to give the Hard Rock a point there. Being able to get wings before or after the game is a nice option.

Looks like something you'd get at a diner

The wings themselves though were unimpressive. They had a good amount of heat, but that's about all they had going for them. Other than that, they were kind of tough, the sauce was too thin and there weren't too many on the plate. These fell into the "bad but they're still wings so I'm going to clean this plate" category. I didn't hate them, but they were totally forgettable.

As much as it pains me to say it, I have to give the Mets the nod over the Yanks on this one. Overall, they brought their A game and wanted it more. Well, it was more like their C+ game but still, they had better wings. Good thing the Yankees are still better at that whole baseball thing.

Mets v. Yanks, Part 1 - McFadden's at Citi Field

2011-01-03T11:00:00.001-05:00

McFadden's Restaurant and Saloon

Citi Field

Behind Center Field on 126th Street

Flushing, NY

Remember that day that Steve and I went looking for McFadden's, to no avail? Well, ends up we drove right by it. Like, four times. Steve had an extra ticket to a Mets/Phillies game and he invited me along (thanks again Steve). Quick disclaimer: I am not a Mets fan, I am a Yankees fan. However, pretty much all of my friends are Mets fans and I live in Bayside - heart of Mets territory at only 5.2 miles away from Citi Field (according to Google maps). So, somehow I end up at more Mets games than Yanks games. For shame, I know.

It's pretty clearly marked

Anyway, it's game day and Steve gets to the stadium before me. He says he's in McFadden's and we should meet up there. I'm thinking to myself, it must be inside the stadium since we surely couldn't have missed it if it were accessible from the outside. Wrong. I hop off the 7 train and start walking around to the bullpen entrance of the park, which is on the same street that we drove down last time we were looking for McFadden's. Sure enough, there it is. In our defense, it's tough to see... if you manage to look past the huge awning bearing the bars name as well as the additional signage that pretty much lines the whole block. Long story short, we're idiots.

Just an average picture of some average wings

But how were the wings? Eh, they were ok. They had average flavor, were average size, had an average amount of heat... just all-around average. The thing about wings though is that finding a place serving average wings is still a victory. I mean, come on, they're wings. You know that saying about pizza right? Something like, pizza is like sex... even when it's bad, it's still pretty good. Well, same goes for wings. And being that these were better than bad, there were no complaints.

I'm so glad my doctor doesn't read this blog

We also ordered this heart attack on a plate, which was pretty decent - for those of you looking to supplement your wing intake.

We didn't want to stop there though. We killed a lot of time at McFadden's and still hadn't even entered the stadium yet even though it was like the 6th inning. We decided to finally make our way in and see what else we could find... and maybe even catch some live game action. Unfortunately we were out of luck. We tried the World's Fair Market and they had fried chicken but no Buffalo wings. The concession stands had chicken tenders but no wings. Looks like McFadden would have to be the lone wing representative for Citi Field. Obviously our next task was going to have to be making our way to the Bronx to compare McFadden's wings to the wings at Yankee Stadium.

For the baseball purists out there who might be upset that we spent so much time in McFadden's before actually entering the stadium, it gets worse. While we were sitting there, watching the game on the LCD screens, we subtly pointed out to each other that R.A. Dickey was throwing a no-hitter - without using the actual words, obviously. That put us in a tough spot. Everyone knows that you can't move your seat when a pitcher is making a bid for the no-no. But on the other hand, no pitcher in the history of baseball has ever thrown a no hitter for the Mets. Not Nolan Ryan, not Tom Seaver and not Doc Gooden. We couldn't miss witnessing the first in person... it would have been history. Hell of a catch 22. So of course, we moved... and got to our seats just in time to see Dickey give up his first hit. So yeah, sorry about that. Maybe next time.

Anyway... we did eventually make it to Yankee Stadium for a wing challenge. Check in on Wednesday, we'll have part 2 posted then.

Dempsey's East Meadow

2010-11-20T12:44:00.004-05:00

Dempsey's at East Meadow

Dempsey's in East Meadow is not to be confused with the other Dempsey's that are out there. This one is off of Hempstead Turnpike not too far from Nassau Coliseum. I have to say, this place is the gem that is staring you right in the face and you don't notice it. I must have passed this place a thousand times and never stopped in until recently. The bar is actually in a store front right next to Texas Roadhouse. Just some advice, don't wait forever to get a table at Texas Roadhouse, go next door and get much better food. Trust me, you won't be sorry.

As soon as you walk in, the bartender and wait staff are extremely friendly and go out of their way to introduce themselves, especially if you are sitting at the bar. Jay, who runs the place, was the perfect host. The bar is set up in a big L with plenty of seating for casual dining.

Now onto the wings......fantastic. Different type than the usual bar wings. The hot was pretty good with just enough kick. Nothing that you have to worry about if you're not good with the hot stuff. We thought they were double fried but we were wrong. That's how much flavor was in these wings. The meat to bone ratio was great and the prices were reasonable. Originally, we weren't going to review this place, we were just going to hang out and catch up about the Buffalo Wing Festival from the summer but it was that good. This place will be visited again to have a more thorough review but overall, it is worth going to.

Next time you're in East Meadow, go to Dempsey's, ask for Jay and tell em the wing men sent ya!

Candlelight Inn

2010-10-11T10:07:00.006-04:00

The Candlelight Inn is located at 519 Central Park Avenue in Scarsdale, NY.

I love this place. Out of all the places I have gone to, these wings are worth traveling into Scarsdale for. Its a bit of a shack with enough seating on the inside and some tables on the outside if the weather calls for it. I have been here a number of times and never get tired of it. I'm the only wingman that has hit this spot up so far but it is on my top five list of all time.

The wings come combined. The drumstick is attached to the wing. If you get the hot, it is soaked with hot sauce and goes down down like butter. The hot is good, not ridiculous but hot enough. The meat to bone ratio is plentiful and is always cooked to perfection. I don't think I have ever had a bad wing session. The Candlelight offers a few flavors; hot, medium, mild, BBQ and teriyaki. All flavors, even the teriyaki (which I'm usually not a fan of) are great. In addition, the prices are fantastic. Very easy on the pocket!

Next time you're in Scarsdale, hit up the Candlelight and tell em' the wingmen sent ya!

The Long Room

2010-10-11T10:01:00.007-04:00

The Long Room

The Long Room is located on 120 West 44th Street between 6th Avenue and Broadway. This place was awesome in every way. It is now on the top three replacing my past number four and five. Nice size bar, with a tremendous amount of televisions; perfect for football. I had the opportunity to celebrate my father in law's birthday in Manhattan a few weeks ago. We went to see "The Perfect Crime" and hit up the "The Long Room" for dinner afterward. Don't see the show. It was aweful. The bartender at the bar, next to the show said one of the actors in show hates the show. Others around us laughed as well since it was so true. Anyway, back to the "Long Room" The bar keeps it dim lit to almost give it a trendy appeal but the actual bar is huge and plenty of tables and t.v.'s to watch.

Now on to the food. The wings were awesome. They had the Hooters type of texture to the wings as well as the sauce flavor. If you can't get your gal to go to hooters for the wings, go to the Long Room. The meat to bone ratio was perfect along with the kick to the sauce. The difference between the two was the wing itself. They weren't as edgy as the Hooter wings. They offered the traditional flavors, BBQ, mild, medium and hot. I, of course, ordered the hot and they were nice. Nothing "hot" contest worthy, but nice. I wish I ordered more but this place is on my radar to go again. Absolutely worth it. I did, however, top the wings off with a ridiculous bacon blue cheese burger covered in tobasco sauce. This dinner absolutely destroyed me but soooooooo worth it. Next time you're in Manhattan, gonna catch a game, go to the "Long Room" and tell em the wing men sent ya!

J'n"R's Rocky Point

2010-10-02T11:48:00.006-04:00

J'n'R's in Rocky Point has a big history behind it. This place used to be the one of two Big Barry's. If you have just jumped on board with the Wingmen, Big Barry's is how it started. As high school students, we used to pack in the mighty max, Steve's boat and whatever was working for Jody at the time. Maybe the vete.......chevete. Big Barry's had the atmosphere of an old western saloon. If were drunk enough, we used to put a quarter in the automatic piano and make like we were crooning an old country and western song....we'll at least I did. The burgers used to come out in a pan somewhat similar to what the cowboys used to bring with them during an adventure. The wings, however, were about 3 cents a wing. Good ol' large use to down about 50 hot wings and grub some of ours. Good times.

I had the opportunity to visit J'n'R's in Rocky Point a while ago. The outside and the inside were basically the same bringing back a lot of memories. Immediately, I checked the menu to see the wing selection. The menu had the basic choices of mild, medium and hot. Once the wings arrived, you could smell the sauce permeate through the entire dining room. They smelled fantastic. The wings had a nice texture to them with enough kick from the hot. The hot wasn't something an average joe couldn't handle but good enough. The meat to bone ratio was very good and they were cooked to perfection. In addition, there was plenty of blue cheese.

In my opinion, this is a place worth going to. Food was outstanding, prices were cheap, friendly service and best of all.....has the ol' Big Barry's appeal. Next time tell em the wingmen sent ya!

Our Top 5

2010-09-22T10:00:00.001-04:00

Yes, this is what happens when you have a site run by a bunch of dudes... we forget anniversaries and birthdays, even our own. Our first post went up on July 16th, 2009. We wanted to have some sort of event to celebrate. Maybe take over a bar and have wing and beer specials all night. Well, our birthday came and went. We didn't even realize it until the guys at Our List asked to interview us for our one year mark. There were no parties, no cakes, no streamers.

However, we did manage to come up with our lists of top 5 wing joints. These lists (we each came up with our own) are not meant to be the be-all-end-all. They're more of a conversation starter. As you can see, we rarely even agree with each other so, chances are, you guys may have some discrepancies as well. Feel free to pass along your top choices. There are still thousands of places dishing out wings that we haven't visited yet. If you don't see your favorite on any of our lists, most likely we haven't been there yet... Either that, or you have terrible taste in wings.

So, without further ado (or any fanfare), I give you our lists - year one edition:

Jeremy:

1. O'Neills, Maspeth, Queens. Bar/restaurant offers a wide variety such as honey mustard, jack daniels, traditional-mild, medium, hot, garlic butter, cajun, teriyaki, and some more but drawing a blank. Good meat to bone ratio and the sauces are excellent. Decent service, great atmosphere. Offers valet parking. 4 dollar plates for 10 wings on Monday nights.

2. Hooters, Anywhere. Hot 911 flavor. Can't go wrong. Sauce is excellent, excellent meat to bone ratio. Atmosphere is unbeatable. A little pricey and obviously there are a ton of locations. Gives you the option of going naked and east meadow hosts western wednesdays.

3. Candlelight, Scarsdale, NY. Wings come conjoined. Not breaded. Hot sauce has a lot of kick but not anything that would hinder you from eating only hot in abundance. Service is so-so and the joint is kind of hole-ish. Bit of a dive, but I like that. No specials that I can speak of and the prices are decent.

4. Longhorns, Rockville Center. Chipotle BBQ. Meat was abundant as well as enough crisp on the outside with excellent moisture inside. Flavor had a kick to it as well. Actually went back to have the wife try and they were given the thumbs up. Atmosphere was cool. Kind of a texas thing going on and the service was great.

5. Hurricane Wings, Port Jeff Station. Ridiculously Hot. The hottest I've had so far. Only ordered and ate six and paid for it the next day. Even saw one of my buddies try one, turned red and threw the towel in. Great service, decent prices but were always running out of beers. Meat isn't as abundant as the rest but it didn't matter. Anything larger would have killed me.

Jody:

1. Blind Tiger Ale House - West Village, NYC

The only thing keeping these from being the perfect wing is a little crisp - they're baked. They've got great flavor, moist and tender meat and just the right amount of kick. Probably my favorite so far.

2. Mike's Place Too - Mastic, NY

These could just as easily been my top choice. They're actually very similar to Blind Tiger plus they have the crisp. The only thing they're missing is the kick. If I could just mix the two together. Special mention to Grumpy Jacks and Coach's Corner. All three locations had the same recipe at one time or another. We have plans to visit Grumpy's soon. Maybe they'll make the 2nd Anniversary list.

3. Mooncake Foods - Soho, NYC

These wings are unlike any other I've had. Like all of Mooncake's dishes, the Asian inspired flavors are infused into the meat and somehow makes it seem as if you're tasting it from the inside out - if that makes any sense. They are huge, meaty and come conjoined. Definitely an under appreciated wing.

4. Virgil's Real Barbecue - Times Square, NYC

I have finally turned over a new leaf and can appreciate a good BBQ wing, and I have Virgil's to thank for it. These are the real deal, no overly sweet and sticky, ketchup based sauces here. They're slow smoked to perfection and rubbed with a mixture of spices to compliment but not overpower the BBQ sauce. I'm sure there are people out there that will say Dinosaur BBQ or Blue Smoke is better. Well, I haven't been to either of those yet so Virgil's is the default king of BBQ... so far.

5. Black Rock Tavern - Yaphank, NY

Just a towny bar in a small town, cooking wings the right way. They're simple, but good and can be made to order. This was one of my favorite spots of the last year for a basic, traditional, Buffalo style chicken wing. I'm sure there are many that can compete for the final spot here, but Black Rock just stands out to me so I'm giving it to them.

Honorable Mention: Cabo, Bourbon Street, Canz, 1849, PJ Carney's.

Steve:

1- Nicky's of Centerport: Centerport, NY

When it comes down to making buffalo wings, you can do no better than Nicky's. They are piping hot, cooked to perfection, drenched in sauce and spiced perfectly... not too mild, not too hot, just plain old perfect. To top that off, it is just a completely local and welcoming bar that is full of characters and just plain great people. They are famous for their wings, but you'll go back for the company.

2- Bourbon Street: Bayside, NY

If you are looking for some New Orleans inspired cuisine, Bourbon Street is the place for you. They have Cajun just about everything and the wings are no exception. They take your traditional buffalo wing sauce and spice it up with some traditional Cajun spice. The mixture of hot sauce, butter, salt and Cajun spices are phenomenal and you won't be sorry you ordered them.

3- Lisa's Buffalo Grille: Greenlawn, NY

Lisa's would be higher on my list if the wings were bigger. Their hot sauce is amazing and super spicy, the honey mustard is great, teriyaki is salty, sweet and close to perfection and the Cajun wings are a great change from sauced wings. They have an amazing dry rub on them that has my wife asking me to get wings a lot more than before she tired them. I'm not complaining.

4- Brian Dempsey's: Bayside, NY

This was our go-to place before we started this project and always worth a trip on Wednesday Nights, which is Wing Night. $00.20 wings and $3.00 pints of domestic beers. Their wing sizes vary from week to week, which dropped them in my list, but the hot wings are usually some of the best in Bayside and the teriyaki are also forces to be reckoned with. They even have a good BBQ wing, which is strange because I really don't like BBQ sauces. The service even seems to have picked up a bit lately.

5- Cabo: Rockville Centre, NY

At the suggestion of Jimmy Junior on our Facebook page, Jody and I checked out this place and we were impressed. The sauce they use was nothing we have ever tried before and the wings they serve are huge. The sauce is a tamarind and pepper blend that melds sweet and spicy in a tropical way that has a late burn to your mouth which is soothed by the tropical tamarind fruit flavor. Completely intriguing flavors in a pretty cool restaurant.

Honorable mentions- Longhorns- RVC, Barefoot Peddler- Greenvale, Miller's Ale House- Levittown, Cavanaugh's- Bluepoint

Blind Tiger Ale House

2010-09-19T10:00:00.001-04:00

281 Bleecker St.
New York, NY 10014
Website

Craving wings, but running out of places to try in SoHo, I took advantage of the nice weather and crossed Houston St. into the West Village (along with my co-worker, Chris). I've heard of Blind Tiger Ale House a few times on various "best of" lists so I've wanted to try them for a while. This microbrewery has a cool old school vibe accentuated by the use of wood from a 19th century farm house (according to this article in New York magazine). It's really cozy, the type of place you enjoy spending some time in.

... and the bottles.

The chalk board menu
for draught beers...

Luckily for us, when we ordered we were told the wings were baked, not fried, so they were going to take a little while to prepare. It was clear by the boards posted on the walls that there was an outstanding selection of beers. Since I'm always a fan of making a slightly negative situation positive, we decided to sample some of the brews. They have over 30 rotating beers on tap and an almost countless amount by the bottle. I decided to spend my wait with the Alagash White.

After about a half an hour, the wings came out. They absolutely lived up to the hype and were worth the wait. Obviously, since they are baked, they are not going to have that crispiness that we usually demand of a wing. This would be the only negative though and I was happy to make an exception. Baking does give you a nice and tender meat though, and these were fall of the bone tender. The flavor was pretty unique, although there were some similarities to Mike's Place wings (which are right around the top of my list). Maybe it was Italian dressing? What separated it from Mike's though, was a nice smokey flavor - probably chipotle. They also had a nice, creeping kick. It doesn't get you right away, but the heat does sneak in and kick you in the mouth after a minute or two. To me, this was an exceptional blend of flavor and spice. The sauce was "suck-off-the-bone" good. I'd probably drink it out of a cup. Well, probably not. But still, it's really tasty.

So, head-to-head, I'd give Mike's the advantage in crispiness while Blind Tiger gets the nod in heat and a slight edge in flavor. Did Blind Tiger Ale House just knock Mike's Place Too off the top of my list? Hm, I think they did.

Press 195

2010-09-10T10:00:00.001-04:00

Press 195

40-11 Bell Blvd.

Bayside, Queens 11360

718-281-1950

www.press195.com

Maps and Directions

It was the Monday before the National Buffalo Wing Festival in Buffalo NY, and Jody and I needed to get together to discuss details about travel, itinerary and iPod playlists for the drive up. Instead of just meeting at one of our homes, we decided to make it a working review... which is kind of like saying we were doing work while we worked. A bit redundant, but it was just that. So we met at Press 195 in Bayside, NY, ordered a couple of Allagash White beers and took a look at the menu.

Press 195 has two flavors; buffalo and BBQ. We decided quickly that BBQ was not happening and went with the large order of buffalo wings. For $8.00 you get a normal order and for $15, you get a large order. The large had about 16 wings, making them just under a dollar per wing. We also placed ordered up some french fries. Press has amazing french fries and they have homemade dipping sauces as well. More on that later.

Large order of wings... about a buck a wing.

The wings came out and smelled delicious. The sauce did not disappoint. It was a very well concocted version of the traditional buffalo wing sauce which includes butter and hot sauce. Jody, on his trip to the little boy's room, a bottle of Frank's Red Hot sauce in the kitchen, making this sauce as traditional as it gets. Press 195 did add a nice amount of heat to these wings, I am assuming cayenne pepper was their weapon of choice since it seems to be the standard for spicing up the traditional buffalo sauce.

So, if they smelled good and the sauce was good, what was wrong with them? Well, they were a bit inconsistent in size, making them a bit inconsistent in how well they were cooked. The larger wings had a nice crisp on the outside, but juicy on the inside, making them delicious. The smaller wings, on the other hand, which probably cooked just as long as the large wings, were a bit overcooked which robbed them of their juicy cores. Having about eight wings each, we may have had 2 or 3 over cooked wings each, which is not horrible, but not great either.

Let's rearrange the alphabet and put
U and I together. Oh yeah!

As you can see by the above picture, the sure do make some good looking Belgian fries. I mean, if I were at a bar and saw those fries, I'd do a shot, walk up to the bar, order the fries a drink and do my best to get their number. I'd probably strike out, but hell, just telling my buddies that I tried with something that hot and failed, now that would be a great story. They taste better than they look too. Hand cut, double cooked, seasoned perfectly and served with your choice of dipping sauces ($.75 each), these were worth the trip alone. I took the picture before we threw the ketchup out. Who needs ketchup when you have Chipotle Jalapeno Mayo (not pictured) and Traphagen's Honey Jalapeno Mustard? Both sauces were amazing compliments to the fries and both had a nice spicy kick to them. Try the fries when you go!

Press 195 is first and foremost a sandwich joint. With 40 hot sandwiches, a bunch of cold sandwiches and burgers on the menu, Press will impress you with their gourmet selection. I suggest getting fries every time you go, they are just that good. The wings were not too bad either and I have to say, I would order them again. They also have a very large selection of beer and they keep a lot of micro brewed beers on tap and bottled in stock, so step out of your comfort zone and try an Allagash or Magic Hat or even an Arrogant Bastard Ale. Last thing I'll say is that the atmosphere is pretty cool as well. It is not a sports bar and can seem a bit yuppie-ish from the paintings on the wall and modern feel, but they have a few TV's with the games of the evening playing, a very nice staff that is also very helpful and Elvis Costello on the radio and any place that plays "Veronica" is ok by me.

It is safe to say that Press 195 is Wingmen Approved!

This is why fruit-ing the beer is ok.
This fry lived to see another day.

Irish Times

2010-09-08T10:00:00.002-04:00

254 West 31 St.
New York, NY 10001
Website

Last week, I was heading out of work and was in the mood to grab some wings. I sent a text to one of my NYC correspondents, BJ, and we decided to give Brother Jimmy's a shot. We took one step in, realized the place was mobbed and it was going to be tough to get food and walked right out. So much for planning ahead... we scouted midtown for another spot.

Right up the road was a place called Irish Times (I wonder why no one has ever come up with that name for a bar before [sarcasm]). The crowd was much more manageable so we decided to give it a go. We ordered a plate of traditional Buffalo wings, which were their only choice, and got to work.

Decent flavor, but

rubbery and salty - Pass

The wings were a bit of a disappointment. They weren't very big and had a rubbery texture. The sauce was pretty standard and actually had a decent flavor, but was overwhelmingly salty. I think this may have been a mistake because I can't imagine they serve wings like that on a consistent basis. I'm thinking the salt was added afterwards and a line cook who might have been in a bit of a rush was a little too liberal with the shaker.

It was not a very good experience overall and we promptly moved on. It's possible we caught them on an off day, but there are just too many promising wing joints in NYC to find out. Maybe we should have just waited it out at Brother Jimmy's.

Ninety-Nine

2010-09-06T10:00:00.000-04:00

Ninety "99" Nine
Restaurant & Pub
5 Salem Turnpike
Norwich, CT 06360
860-892-1299
www.99restaurants.com
Map and Directions

Last weekend, my wife and I ventured out to meet an old friend and her husband at their new home in Connecticut. Their house was built on her husband’s family land adjacent to the family cow farm just outside the town of Norwich. According to Wikipedia and I, Norwich was founded in 1658 by settlers from Old Saybrook led by Major John “I love wings” Mason and Reverend James “got saucy fingers” Fitch. They purchased the land that would become Norwich from the local Native American Mohegan Tribe in exchange for a satchel of wings and a coupon for all you can eat breakfast at Denny’s. By 1694 the public landing built at the head of the Thames River allowed ships to offload wings at the harbor. The harbor area is known as the Chelsea neighborhood. The distance between the port and Norwichtown was serviced by the East and West Roads which later became Washington Street and Broadway where you can find a variety of places that serve wings with all sorts of flavors (I totally made that up).

Ninety Nine Bar and Grill was founded in 1952 when Charlie Doe opened a pub at 99 State Street in Boston. In 1962, the restaurant left Boston, moving its main location to Woburn, which still stands. Over the next several decades, the chain expanded throughout Massachusetts as well as the New England area. Before my friend’s housewarming, my wife and I were starving and were actually looking for a diner. Sorry Norwich, didn’t see one. Really didn’t see much. The houses were beautiful and the town seemed nice, but there wasn’t much…..at least by NY standards. After going through a no go zone and almost crossing a bridge somewhat similar to the one from the Beetlejuice movie, we gave up and looked for the next thing we came across. Ninety-Nine Bar and Grill. The parking lot was filled and it was only noon. Figured it couldn’t be all that bad. I gave up on my hopes of eggs and pancakes and figured lets’ wing it up!

The restaurant, itself, was very nice in its décor. It was very western like. For those of you who remember Big Barry’s, it had that kind of atmosphere. The servers were as hospitable as could be and the environment was super friendly. Kind of nice having people smile at you and saying hello. The place seemed as if this is where you go before or after a service of some sort depending on your faith.

The menu was very similar to AppleBee’s or Chili’s. The variety in the wing selection was the same. You had the choice of either hot or mild on bone or boneless wings with an option of an extra-large order rather than the regular. I ordered the extra-large order of the hot wings but the waitress brought me the boneless. I was so hungry that I didn’t care. They were very good but not to the point where I would drive 3 hours to get them. The size of the boneless wings was substantial and the amount they gave you was more than enough for two people to share. The sauce caught up to you after a while and eventually made you sweat. Overall, they met my standards and I was able to walk away satisfied. If you’re ever in Norwich, check it out and tell them The Wingmen sent ya!

Cavanaugh's

2010-09-03T10:00:00.015-04:00

Cavanaugh's

Restaurant and Pub

255 Blue Point Avenue

Blue Point, NY 11715

631-363-2666

http://www.cavanaughsbluepoint.com/

Map and Directions

Cruising the south shore of Long Island on a Friday morning traveling from one Long Island College to another doing a bit of non-Wingmen related research, I worked up a bit of an appetite. I saw what looked like a cool place, called The Portly Villager, on the north side of Montauk Highway and decided to stop. Well, they only serve sandwiches, so I was a bit out of luck. The bar tender, Bob, told me that if I wanted good wings, I needed to head on down to Canavaugh's. A small pub with tons of TV's and serving up cold beer and pub grub. I ordered Cav's Chicken Wings ($7) and a Stella Artois. They seem to be the only flavor and only spice level, so we'll see how they taste.

A busy place at lunch, Cavanaugh's seems to have a very dedicated crowd that frequents this small Irish pub. It seemed to me, even before I feasted on my wings, that Bob's suggestion was going to be a good one. If you are a gambling person, well, there is plenty of it here: buy a Mega Millions or Powerball ticket, play Quick Draw or bet on some televised horse racing, you can do it all... you can even buy some scratch-offs if you'd like. Not being much of a gambler, I was watching golf.

My 12 wings came with celery and bleu cheese, piping hot and sitting in a large reservoir of extra hot sauce at the bottom. Before I bit into the first one, I took notice of the presentation. Good sized wings cooked well and charred a bit on the outside edges. They reminded me a lot of Mike's Place's wings. My first bite made me a very happy man. The spice was non-existent, but the flavor was like a tidal wave of hot sauce, butter, spices and what I can best describe as Italian dressing. I am not sure that is what is in there, but it was a tangy flavor with a lot of layers to it, so Italian dressing is my best description. They were quite crispy, most of them had a good juicy core (some of the smaller ones were over cooked a bit) and then, couple those qualities with the char on the outside and one could argue that they were perfectly cooked.

So, next time you are on the south shore and in the mood for wings, stop by Cavanaugh's and order a dozen. They will be cooked well, served in a very tasty sauce and you'll be surrounded by good folks in a great bar. Cavanaugh's is Wingmen Approved! Try them out some time soon!

More please!

Eat Oceanside

2010-09-01T10:00:00.002-04:00

Eat Oceanside
Busco's Deli & Catering
Busco's Gourmet & Kitchen
234 Merrick Road
Oceanside, NY 11572
www.EatOceanside.com
Maps and Directions

For some reason, this place seems to have three names, and it could have 33 names, it will not mask the fact that they had the worst wings I have ever eaten. I am not exaggerating. The worst. Johnny Famous is gourmet and Redemption Grill has the Queen's royal cooks compared to how bad Eat's (Busco's) wings are.

I barely finished these disgusting hot wings

Butter, butter and more butter. These hot wings were just poorly cooked wings drenched in butter and then spritzed with hot sauce. I choked all six of them down because I was hungry and really wanted to like them. They were soggy, they were slimy and they were disgusting. I have to be honest here... I will never order them again.

Those three wings were never eaten

The teriyaki were even worse. What a waste of time, appetite and money. The sauce, first off, was a thick Peking style Mandarin flavored sauce, not a salty, soy sauce based teriyaki. Secondly, it was also wretched. Sickly sweet, poorly cooked, and just plain bad. I am not sure how they call it a teriyaki sauce. I honestly did not finish these. By the third one, I was so put off by the wings that I just packed them up and threw them away.

We order from Eat every so often from work and I know they have good salads and sandwiches. What they don't have is good wings, they don't even have edible wings. I will never order wings from here again, in fact, I don't think I will ever go back there again. Eat Oceanside, definitely NOT Wingmen approved. There are a lot of good wings out there, avoid this place at all costs.

Smok-a-Burger's

2010-08-30T10:00:00.010-04:00

Smok-a-Burger's

380 Larkfield Road

East Northport, NY 11731

631-266-2600

http://www.smokaburger.com/

Maps and Directions

Running errands a few weekends ago, I was heading down Larkfield Road in East Northport on my way to Commack and saw Smok-a-Burger's and decided to stop for a quick lunch. It's a small roadside burger joint with a solid menu. Lots of burger choices and loads of sides as well as quesadillas, starters, sandwiches, wraps, salads and drinks (soft drinks and beer). They also have desserts and milk shakes... mmmm.

The wing menu was pretty impressive too. They offer BBQ, Buffalo, Blazin', Sweet Chili and Bourbon. Only having appetite for one order of wings with my burger, I could only try one flavor and choosing was going to be difficult. I wished I had a big spinning wheel with all the flavors on it so I did not have to choose, but after some real soul searching, the Sweet Chili called to me. It was a flavor I have not seen on many menus, so I decided to give it a whirl. My burger on the other hand was much easier to choose and dress up. I grabbed a single patty with American cheese, tomato, jalapenos and ancho chipotle sauce. I was stoked for both of my choices!

(tear)... they look so beautiful together!

How were the wings? Well... They were awesome! The sweet chili sauce was, as the name suggests, sweet and tangy with a tiny bite to it. The wings were not very crispy, but were juicy, pretty big and delicious. I was fascinated by the arrangement of flavors, so I asked the server how it was made and he said they buy it "pre-made," and that it is very similar to a "duck sauce." Duck sauce is made from fruits (like apples, pears, plums) apple juice, garlic, mustard powder and a few other ingredients. I could taste the fruit, although this seemed to have a bit more citrus to it and the chunks of chili peppers in there is what gave the wings their little bit of spiciness. They were very tropical in flavor, in fact, they reminded me of wings I used to eat weekly when I lived in the Cayman Islands. On Grand cayman, there is a bar called The Wreck Bar in Rum Point and their wings were amazing. Ahhh... nostalgia.

The Wreck Bar, Rum Point, Grand Cayman

How was the burger? Also quite good. Cooked well and big for a cheeseburger that cost me $3.89. The spicy flavors of the jalapenos and ancho chipotle sauce were a perfect compliment to the sweet wings I had just devoured.

From what I can tell from the limited menu items I sampled, Smok-a-Burger's has really good food. It comes out fast, hot and tasty. The Sweet Chili wings are Wingmen approved, but because there are so many other wing flavors on the menu, another trip (or 2) for the Wingmen will be necessary. I guess I will just have to take one for the team and go back again and again. Don't feel bad for me, it's my job.

Cross Sound Deli

2010-08-27T10:00:00.003-04:00

Cross Sound Deli

41270 Main Road (Route 25)

Orient, NY 11957

Although the receipt had this address:

2 Ferry Street

New London, CT 06320

(I was totally on the Long Island side)

Heading up to Massachusetts for a party to celebrate my friends, Seth and Allissa's wedding, I decided to take the Cross Sound Ferry from Long Island to Connecticut. I made 2 PM reservations out of Orient Point and drove east. Hitting traffic, I showed up 20 minutes after 2 and missed my boat. So as I sat in the standby lane, I noticed two things, 1- a little deli and 2- I was hungry.

Walking in I stood on line thinking a BLT would be perfect and as I looked at the menu on the wall I saw "Buffalo Wings...... $5.95" and thought to myself, "how many times am I going to be out here, in standby and hungry? I have to order wings," and anyway, I am a Wingman, it's my job.

They came out, piping hot and in a Styrofoam container served with a package of Ken's Bleu Cheese Dressing. Frozen, breaded and a bit small, these didn't have much going for them. And then add the fact that I saw the cook take a plastic bottle, squeeze out a bunch of hot sauce on the wings and then bring them to me with no shaking, no mixing, no agitation at all and you have a recipe for poorly prepared wings. I got a bit sad.

Hot wings, lemonade, and my Jeep's fender as a table.

Oddly enough, they were surprisingly good for what they were. The hot sauce from the bottle had a decent kick and the cook was very liberal in the application, so there was a generous pool of red goodness in the container for dipping. Again, they were small, but crispy and juicy on the inside. I really had no problem polishing off all 10 of them.

If I had been at a bar or restaurant, I would be a hell of a lot more critical of the wings, but this is a little stand at the easternmost tip of the North Fork of Long Island. This place feeds beach goers, ferry riders and people heading over to the casinos. It is not a wing place... Heck, they seem to be known more for sandwiches and ice cream.

I am not going to say that the Cross Sound Deli is Wingmen approved, but when you are waiting for a ferry (be it the 3, which just left, the 3:30, which I may or may not get on, the 4, which I have a chance for or the 5, which is guaranteed), they are good in a pinch. Honestly, if I miss the 3:30 too, I see ice cream in my future.

Yup... Missed the 3:30. I made it onto the 4.

Wingus Dingus

2010-08-25T10:00:00.002-04:00

"Wingus"- The Latin term for Wings. "Dingus"- Meaning served by women in orange and white. "Wingus Dingus"- That's right, you guessed it!!! HOOTERS! This time in Islandia.

Hooters
3701 Express Drive North
Islandia, NY 11749
631-582-2599
http://www.hootersli.com/
Map and Directions

After sitting around in the rain at the Long Island Ducks game last Wednesday, it was time to move on and hit up some wingy dingy's. Wednesday.....do you mean Western Wednesdays? Yes, I absolutely do, but to my dismay, not in Islandia... Booooooooooo. What a disappointment.

The wings are always classic at Hooters, but just better on Western Wednesdays. The hot are excellent as well as the medium and the mild. If you want to go hotter, just add the tobasco sauce and you're all set. The other flavors are not for me, I like the traditional buffalo flavors.

The atmosphere, on the other hand, was extremely disappointing. Throughout my ventures to the various Hooters, I would have to say, the East Meadow Hooters is in the lead with Fresh Meadows, Queens a solid second. I haven't been able to visit the Farmingdale location but I'll be there soon. So overall, wings excellent, atmosphere poor. So when you go to any Hooters... Tell em The Wingmen sent ya!

Redemption Grill

2010-08-23T10:00:00.000-04:00

1003 2nd Ave (@53rd St.)

New York, NY 10022

Website

I was hanging out with my wife, daughter and buddy (BJ) on Saturday and we stopped at Redemption Grill for a bite, al fresco. I've been craving wings lately and was happy to see them as part of the brunch menu, so I got an order.

You can almost see the sweetness
in the photo.

There's really no need to go into a ton of detail on these. They may have been the worst I've ever eaten. If I had to choose between these and Johnny Famous wings, I'd take Johnny Famous every time. They were just generic, probably frozen wings soaked in an unbearably sweet sauce. It was another one of the now infamous ketchup based sauces, but sweeter than any of them I've had so far.

I ate one of these as well. It was the
best thing I ate all day.

The bleu cheese was actually pretty good, and my wife like her sandwich (It was some kind of turkey club). The rest of the menu looked interesting (Mexican fusion?) so I'm not going to say that you should stay clear of this place totally, but definitely skip the wings. BJ ordered the Buffalo chicken sandwich which was made with the same sauce. He was also not a fan. My daughter, Gianna-Rose, had an uncrustable peanut butter and jelly sandwich which is always excellent, but not on the menu - we brought it from home.

On weekends they have a brunch special from 11:30am - 5pm. You get your choice of a meal plus three cocktails for $20. Not a bad deal considering it would normally cost close to that for the drinks alone. The service was pleasant and people watching on 2nd Ave. is fun. I'd go back and give it another shot, but I'm not going near the wings.

Jugs-N-Strokers

2010-08-13T11:00:00.000-04:00

1828 Sunrise Highway

Merrick, NY 11566

Website

The final stop on our National Buffalo Wing Day tour was a spur of the moment one, sort of. We were en route to Longhorns from Paddy Power. It was a gorgeous day and we were cruising down Sunrise in Steve's Jeep with the doors off and the wind blowing through --- WHOA! What hell was that place?! The neon sign called out to us like a beacon of awesome biker dive bars. It read: "Jugs-N-Strokers". No way we're not stopping there on the way back.

Steve, after getting beaten up by a biker

We couldn't stop talking about it the whole time we were in Longhorns - except we couldn't remember the name. Brams-N-Stokers, Mugs-N-Jokers, Rugs-N-Pokers... whatever, we'll just follow the neon glow. We also decided that the night would be a failure if at least one of us didn't get beaten up by a biker. Jeremy and I were thoughtful enough to nominate Steve for this mission. When he didn't agree, we put it to a vote. He lost 2-1.

Smooth Jeremy... real smooth.

When we got there, it was everything we hoped it would be. As soon as we stepped through the doors, we were transported to some other place and time... I don't know where exactly, but probably somewhere in Texas. Unfortunately, there weren't many bikers for Steve to get assaulted by - however there were a few packs of Cougars visually assaulting us with their eyes. Sweet. The closest thing to a fight that happened was when the older female bartender challenged Jeremy to an arm wresting match. He obviously had to give in on purpose (at least I hope that's what happened), but as he did, he knocked over the entire plastic trough of lemons, cherries, limes and whatnot. They ended up all over the floor. It was kind of awesome.

The Hog Pile Plater. You can probably have a heart attack just

by looking at this.

On to the food. After eating four orders of wings from two different bars, we needed to mix it up a little. Obviously we love wings, but still, after a while you just need some variety. The perfect compromise is to go with a combo platter. It allows you to mix it up while still sampling the wings. Yes, the combo platter is a beautiful thing (I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to start a spin off blog devoted to them one day), and Jugs and Strokers had a whopper of one - "The Hog Pile Platter". We tried asking two different bartenders what was in the HPP. They both said, "a little bit of everything." Ok, I guess we'll have one of those then. The HPP came out and I thought, be still my beating heart... no seriously, there's a good chance this thing will literally put you in cardiac arrest. It was the most epic combo platter I've ever seen, every fried food you can think of. Wings, mozzerella sticks, Philly cheesesteak croquets, fried ravioli, onion rings. Even little tacos. The bartender said it had everything except a burger. I have to wonder, why not just throw a burger in there?

This was exactly what we needed to finish off the night. The combination of foods was like none I've ever seen before, and it was all pretty decent. As for the wings, they kind of just got lost in the mix. They weren't really Buffalo wings, more just fried chicken wings. They were crispy, but a little dry and didn't come with any sauce on them. Not the worst we've ever had, but definitely an afterthought in the whole mix of things.

Jugs-N-Strokers is never going to make our list of top wings, but it will always hold a special place in our hearts.

Longhorns Saloon and Barbecue

2010-08-12T11:00:00.000-04:00

Longhorns Saloon & Barbecue

12 S. Park Avenue

Rockville Centre, NY 11570

516-245-9191

Map and Directions

National Buffalo Wing Day Week continues as our adventure at Paddy Power brought The Wingmen to Longhorn's Saloon & Barbecue. Caitlin Nicole, on our Facebook page, suggested it a few months back and we finally decided to take her up on her recommendation. Since this "saloon" seems to celebrate the Old West, please indulge me as I add in some western slang and phrases (in italics) to the post. If you would like to understand what I am saying, go to the Old West Writer's Guide.

Our posse rolled up to Longhorns in the early evening to hang around and gabbed a seat near the front of the saloon by the wide open front windows. It was a small place with huge tracks of land and western themed decorations and license plates all over the walls. A bit rich, but it worked.

Longhorn's has one of the best wing specials we have come across to date, Monday through Thursday from 5PM until 10 PM wings are just $.25 each, and is not afraid to play to the gallery. In order to get multiple flavors, you must order them in groups of 20 and you get just one bleu cheese per 20. Extra carrots and celery are $2.50 and if you add an extra $.10 per wing they will make them honey wings. "What are honey wings?" you ask, well, good question, we had to ask ourselves. The waitress told us that they take whatever sauce you want and add honey to them. Who knew it would be such a simple answer?

We ordered up 20 Buffalo Hot Wings and 20 Chipotle BBQ Wings. We knew forty wings may be a heap for us, but since we had to try at least 2 flavors, 40 was the minimum for us on this night. Although Jeremy wanted to try the honey wings, he was out voted 2-1 and we had honey-less wings. We decided to bend an elbow and then waited for our forty wings to arrive.

When the wings arrived the first thing we noticed was how large the wings were and usually being a good thing (and still is) but after eating three orders of wings at Paddy Power, these large wings were very daunting. But we are The Wingmen, damn-it, and we will persevere! I'll start with the Buffalo Hot Wings. These large wings were a bit shoddy. They were juicy on the inside, but not as crispy on the outside as we would have liked. A wing that is not crispy seems unfinished, but the buffalo sauce was exactly what you would have expected it to be. Butter, butter and more butter with tons of hot sauce added. If you ask me, it may have been a bit too much of the butter and I am not going to soft solder them too much, they were good, but could have been better. The three of us polished off about 15 of them... yes, I know, we left wounded soldiers in the field.

As for the Chipotle BBQ Wings, well, I think an explanation of what "chipotle" is in order first. I have found that not many people actually know what chipotles are, other than being a burrito place that until 2006 was pretty much owned by the McDonald's Corporation. Chipotles are smoked, dried jalapenos which are brownish in color and shriveled up (kind of like sun-dried tomatoes). They vary in variety and spiciness. Now, when it comes to barbecue sauce, I can be a real croaker but at Longhorns, the chipotle is put to good use making their BBQ sauce very unique. The Chipotle BBQ sauce has a smokey, spicy flavor with very little of that over-the-top sweetness that many of the other barbecue sauces that we've tried have had. We were very pleasantly surprised. They were hot as a whorehouse on nickel night and flavorful and meaty and juicy and crispy... Longhorns did a bang-up job. We also polished off about 15 of these guys which made us all a bit sad. We wanted more, but our bellies were full and no matter how hard we fought the Kilkenny cats, we just couldn't finish them.

Longhorns is a decent place to find wings and I highly suggest that you try the Chipotle BBQ sauce. If you like barbecue, smokey flavor and spice in your wings, you won't be disappointed. Longhorns is definitely aces high and Wingmen approved... Bully for you! Thank you, Caitlin, for the suggestion!

Paddy Power!

2010-08-10T11:00:00.005-04:00

Totally kick-ass mullet

Totally kick-ass boom pole

Last week, on National Buffalo Wing Day, The Wingmen were all set to embark on a new feature of the blog to enhance your reading pleasure. We were going to shoot our first semi-sort of professional video review. We gathered a bunch of ragtag video equipment (including a boom pole made out of a painting pole, curtain hook, rubber bands and tape - eat that MacGyver), met up nice and early and promptly got the phone call informing us that the shoot was a bust. But we're professionals now, we improvise. With a majority of the day ahead of us, we decided to go on a 3 stop wing mission - the old fashioned way.

So, for National Buffalo Wing Day, we'll post each stop over the course of the next three days. First up for The Wingmen's National Buffalo Wing Day Week is: Paddy Power!

Paddy Power

70 Merrick Ave.

Merrick, NY

516-223-3900

Website

Maps and Directions

During the colonial period, Merrick became a trading center because vessels could enter Jones Inlet and sail up deep channels to docks beside what is now Merrick Road. During the War of 1812 these channels, canals and coves made Merrick a haven for buccaneers who preyed on merchants in search of wings (probably true). Pirates (one eyed Willy) in whaleboats once robbed prominent landowner George Hewlett and two friends while they were duck hunting (for wings), ripping the silver buttons from their coats (so they can play a few songs on the juke-box). At one point, residents armed with muskets captured one bandit leader and shipped him to New York in irons for trial because he would not share his wings (probably true as well).

Paddy Power is a bar located in the town of Merrick. Just along other shops and stores, Paddy Power provides a nice Irish tavern appeal that seems to bring in a local crowd. Throughout random conversations with my neighbors, they all suggested we try this place out. Bottom line....worth it. The bar set up was perfect for whatever mood you are in. If you feel like sitting at the bar, it is l-shaped and goes throughout the entire pub. In addition, there is a long bar set up in the middle of the place as well as tables for a more private option to your outing. There are an abundance of televisions as well as games available.

The Hot Wings at Paddy Power- what can I say, as good as buffalo wings get. Images of the BBQ and teriyaki can be found on our Facebook account.

Now for the wings: simple but good. Paddy Power provided you with flavors such as BBQ, teriyaki and buffalo. All excellent, especially since I'm not a teriyaki fan and they were great. My fellow wingmen were fans as well. The meat to bone ratio was just right with enough crisp on the outside as well as moistness on the inside. All in all....spectacular. This place will be my new towny spot, replacing Cassidy's. Cassidy's is great but this place offers a better variety and is just as convenient to get to. Go there and let 'em know The Wingmen sent ya!

Studio Square

2010-08-05T10:00:00.001-04:00

35-33 36th St.

Long Island City, NY 11106

Website

Recently, I met up with friends of The Wingmen, Lee and BJ, at Studio Square - the "new" beer garden in Astoria (actually Long Island City). We've been to Bohemian Hall, the original, a bunch of times and it's always fun, so I was excited to see how the new one would stack up.

It's tough to judge. I'm not sure if it's a beer garden or a hip bar with a really large outdoor drinking area. Although it's missing a lot of the charm that Bohemian Hall has, it's still not a bad place to grab a beer after work.

As for the wings, I was not impressed. They were meaty, and they were certainly crispy but the flavor was generic. They were breaded and coated in a basic traditional sauce and reminded me a lot of the wings at Top Bunz. They may both get their stock from the frozen food section in Costco, who knows. I'm not saying I wouldn't eat them again. Hell, I could down a plate of frozen Costco wings with no problem - they're still wings. They're just not worth going out of your way for. If they're just something to pick at while you guzzle pitchers of beer and watch the game on the gigantic screen they have set up outside, well, then they're perfect. Eat them fast though. They seemed to get rubbery as they got colder. I'd really like to compare them to the wings at Bohemian Hall.

Eh. I'd eat them again if I end up there. I'm not going out of my way though.

I've heard a lot of negative comments on the overall atmosphere of this place. Apparently it gets pretty Bro'd out. Like Jersey Shore Bros. We showed up around 7 on a Wednesday and it didn't seem too bad. There was plenty of open space (the place is HUGE), the Yankees game was on the 1,000 foot (give or take) screen and there was absolutely no line for beer or food. So I guess if you want to avoid the hair gel and wife beaters (as well as tight white tank tops), it's probably best to go during the week and earlier in the evening. If you're a Bro, well, go whenever and have at it.

Ok, maybe it's not quite 1,000 feet but it was pretty big.

This has nothing to do with wings, but check out this space-aged, laser sighted hand dryer. I think it took a couple of layers of skin off.

Churchill's

2010-08-02T13:00:00.002-04:00

Churchill's Restaurant and Bar

18 South Park Avenue
Rockville Centre, NY 11570

516-766-2500

http://www.churchillsrvc.com/

Maps and Directions

Lunchtime today came about 3 hours later than I wanted it to and without eating breakfast, which is my favorite meal of the day, I was starving. So I jumped in my Jeep and headed to Downtown Rockville Centre for some wings. Park Avenue, the same road where Croxley's and Cabo are located, has tons of bars (all of which we will get to at some point), and I ended up at Churchill's.

I walked in and felt a bit out of place. Churchill's has a very local feel and there was no room at the bar so I grabbed a seat in the dining room and took a look at the menu. Churchill's has three flavors of wings, Buffalo (mild, medium and hot), BBQ and Peking. I asked the waitress how many wings were in an order and if I could split one order in half and have multiple flavors. She said there were 10 in the order and I could do whatever I wanted. That was an awesome answer, so I ordered half Hot Buffalo and Half Peking. I am sorry BBQ, but, unlike Jody, I am not about to make up with you, we are still not friends.

I looked around the bar as I waited for the wings and noticed a couple things. 1- They have a Major League Menu that boasts $3.50 Miller Lite Aluminum Bottles, $5.95 for an order of wings, $5.95 for 3 sliders, $5.95 for twin Boar's Head hot dogs, $6.95 for thin crust pizza, $2.50 stadium pretzels, and "The Grand Slam Combo" of 2 sliders and 6 wings for $7.95 if you sit at the bar during any Mets or Yankees game during the baseball season. And 2- Happy Hour is Monday through Friday from 4PM until 7PM and they have a slew of drink specials as well as hot and cold hors d'oeuvres. Those two things along will bring me back to Churchill's.

The wings arrived and although the waitress was wrong about the number of wings in the order, she was wrong in a good way for me... there were 12 wings! Six hot and six Peking! It's like playing Monopoly... Bank Error in MY Favor! They were accompanied by carrots, celery and a bleu cheese dressing. I dug into the hot wings first.

The hot wings were exactly what you would expect from hot buffalo wings. They were spicy, they were crispy and they tasted good. It was your traditional butter and hot sauce tossed over chicken wings and served to bar goers. I can't fault a bar for making them, but there is no originality to them and I got exactly what I expected. I was very happy about their flavor since many bars still mess up the traditional sauce. The only issue was that they were a bit small and some lacked in the meat department. They were scrawny.

As for the Peking wings, since they were not your typical teriyaki that you will find in most bars, I figure I should explain what Peking flavor is. Peking was the American work for Beijing and why we used to call it Peking and now call it Beijing is beyond me, but the word has not disappeared even after we have corrected our dictionaries. Peking flavor is known for being salty, sweet and spicy. Chilies, garlic, soybean paste, vinegar, sugar and many other ingredients go into making a Peking sauce and the actual taste varies from chef to chef. Hoisin Sauce and Tian Mian Jiang are both considered Peking sauces.

Churchill's Peking sauce is more on the sweet side of the spectrum and did not have much spice or saltiness to it. It was applied as a glaze and the sweetness, hint of citrus and tangy flavor was what I picked up as I devoured the wings. The sauce/glaze was very think in consistency (much thinker than the saltier teriyaki you normally find at bars) and was heavily applied, which is a huge plus. These wings were larger and juicier than their hot wing plate-mates (which is odd since they probably came from the same package), and were the better of the two flavors I tried that day. I am very glad I left these guys for last.

Churchill's is a solid place with solid wings and what seems like an even more solid menu. There is an outside dining area out back and has a lot of seating at the bar and in the dining room. It has a very towny feel at lunch time, but I am sure that changes at night and on the weekends. I would definitely go back and it is safe to say that Churchill's is Wingmen approved! Check them out soon!

Dixie's Smokehouse

2010-07-30T10:00:00.005-04:00

Dixie's Smokehouse

"Texas BBQ and Rotisserie"

12 Indian Head Road

Kings Park, NY 11754

(At the LIRR Station)

631-292-2520

http://www.dixiessmokehouse.com/

Maps and Directions

Jimmy Junior, let me get this straight, you suggest Dillinger's Pub and Grill, and Jody does the review. You suggest Cabo, A Taste of Mexico, and Jody and I do the review. Now there is a review of Dixie's Smokehouse because you suggested it? Are you kidding me? You are 3 for 3 son... we must really like your suggestions! Don't worry everyone else who suggested places, we really do have a list and we will get to most of them (we don't have a travel budget yet [the FoodBuzz advertising checks have not come in yet], so those of you across the state line, it may take us a bit longer to get to you), but we truly appreciate the suggestions! Now to Dixies...

Dixie's Smokehouse Texas BBQ and Rotisserie is settled in a small shopping center just south of Northern Boulevard on Indian Head Road in Kings Park, NY... yes, the same Kings Park where Craig Biggio of the Huston Astros went to High School. It is a very small smokehouse with limited seating and a small bar. When I got there, it was pretty packed and it was a week night. I had spoke to my Uncle Carl that evening and he said the ribs were really good, but I was not there for ribs, I had three flavors of buffalo wings to conquer!

Cowboy Mike's Famous Chicken Wings come in Hot, Honey Mustard and Dixie's Smokehouse Texas BBQ flavors and are served in orders of five (5) or ten (10) wings at a time. The five size is perfect because it afforded me the opportunity to order 5 of each of the 3 flavors! I placed my order, tried a sip of a new beer they had on tap, Honker's Ale, decided I didn't want one and grabbed a Blue Moon instead. I then waited, and as I did, I read the placemat.

As I read, this caught my eye: "The Secret to True Pit Smoking- It's about time, temperature and heat source. At Dixie's Smokehouse, our smoker requires no electricity or gas to cook our meats. We smoke them using indirect heat from burning hickory wood at low temperatures over long periods of time. There are no shortcuts in our smoking process 'low and slow.'" Now that is cool and made me wish that I had ordered something smoked, not fried. But alas, my wings were on their way, and I couldn't have been more excited!

My wings arrived all on one plate and ready to be consumed. I took my usual picture and the family next to me started whispering about how weird that was. I tried to explain that I blog about wings, but I still think they walked away thinking I was a complete weirdo. Some people, I mean really. I then went back to the wings and tackled them one flavor at a time, starting with the hot.

Bottom left- Hot

Bottom Right- Honey Mustard

Top Center- Dixie's Smokehouse Texas BBQ

The hot were not overpowering and the heat did not blow me out of the water by any stretch. What they did have was late blooming spice that got stronger as I hit wings number two, three, four and five. The sauce was not your traditional butter and hot sauce, but it was very tasty. I know there was cayenne pepper in there, but the other flavors I could not place. They are worth ordering again.

I then moved on the the honey mustard and just looking at them I was a bit disappointed. The fatal flaw with these wings were that they were fried first and then tossed in the honey mustard. If you want the sauce to permeate the wing, you really need to fry them after they are dipped in the honey mustard and then toss them again in the sauce. What saved these wings was the fact that the honey mustard they use is very good and they used a lot of it. There was a decent puddle of it on the bottom of the plate and you know I sopped up the last few wings in it. Again, I'd order them again.

I finished the night off with the Dixie's Smokehouse Texas BBQ sauce. Anyone who knows me (or has read previous reviews) knows I don't like BBQ sauce on wings. It is usually too sweet and is just not for me. Dixie's BBQ is really no different. The wings were drenched in it, which is a plus, the smokey flavor in the BBQ sauce was a nice change from the norm and they had a bit of a kick, but they were still too sweet for my liking. If you like BBQ sauce, and you like the taste of smoke, then you may enjoy these, but they just are not for me.

These wings were all cooked to a nice crisp, retained they juiciness on the inside and just as Jimmy Junior said on our Facebook page, they were a bit small in size. They are a decent deal though, five (5) for $4.49 and ten (10) for $7.49, so my fifteen (15) wings set me back $11.98 or $00.80 per wing. My beer was $6, so I was sated on $17.98 + tip worth of wings and beer.

The only side note I have to this review is the day after eating these wings I was not feeling too well. Those of you who know me, know that I have a bit of a weak stomach at times, and those of you who don't know me, well, now you know too. I am about 99.99% sure that the food was not the issue and it was too many incredible flavors for my weak stomach to handle. I have to tell you about this aspect of the experience because if the same thing happens to you, then our readers need to know!

All in all, give Dixie's Smokehouse a try when you are in Biggio's backyard! I can't wait to go back and try the ribs and brisket!

National Buffalo Wing Day

2010-07-29T12:29:00.002-04:00

:::: Happy National Buffalo Wing Day!!! ::::

In July of 1977, the Mayor of Buffalo, NY, Stanley Makowski, proclaimed this date National Buffalo Wing Day. Some Hooters locations are giving away free wings, check the location nearest you. We'll be in Port Jefferson, NY - most likely Grumpy Jacks, but we'll keep you posted. Join us if you like! What are your wing plans for the holiday?

Virgil's Real Barbecue

2010-07-28T10:00:00.003-04:00

152 W. 44th St.

New York, NY 10036

website

map

Dear BBQ Wings,

It's no secret that you and I got off to a bad start. You're generally too sweet... too tangy... and pale in comparison to the myriad other varieties of wings available. I've said some bad things about you, publicly. I've embarrassed you and called you mean names to our readers. While sometimes you do deserve it, I have to admit that my feelings have changed. I think we're turning over a new leaf you and I. Ends up, I was just at the wrong places at the wrong times. I've been enlightened though. My last two experiences have been wonderful. We got off on the wrong foot, but I think we can turn this around. I'm willing to give it a try if you are.

Your new friend,

Jody

Yeah, that's right. I now like BBQ wings and I'm not afraid to say it. After having a pretty satisfactory batch at Canz in Astoria, I followed the recommendation of reader Rebecca Podniesinski and visited Virgil's Real Barbecue in Times Square. We've really been trying to hit all of the recommended places lately, which is really great for us. We used to actually have to do research and whatnot to try and come up with places to go. Now we just work our way down the list. Keep 'em coming. The other day, I found myself in Chelsea with some time to kill, so I hopped on the 1 train and headed for 42nd St. I'm pretty sure that most of our readers are either from NY or have been there, so you can appreciate the amount of dedication it takes to brave the perils of Times Square. You're welcome.

Luckily, I went late in the afternoon, after lunch but before the PM rush - it was fairly empty. I found a spot at the bar and put in an order for wings. Like I said, I did like the BBQ wings at Canz. However, they're not even in the same league as Virgil's. Canz has wings with BBQ sauce on them. Virgil's has real, smoked, BBQ wings. There's a huge difference. While sitting and waiting for my wings, I read that they're smoked over a combination of three different types of wood which, obviously, impacts the flavor of the meat. I'm just an amateur foodie, but from what I know there are basically two schools in the BBQ world. One is all about the sauce. The other casts the sauce aside in favor of a dry rub... and never, so I thought, the Twain shall meet. Not the case at Virgil's. The wings were coated in sauce as well as a mixture of spices. I loved this. Between the smokey flavor, the taste of the sauce and the accent from the spices, these wings were among the tastiest I've ever had. They were excellent. They looked great too... there was a Midwestern tourist couple sitting next to me. They weren't hungry, but popped in to grab a beer and escape the heat for a while. After seeing my plate of wings, they were convinced to come back later to try the food. I hope they did.

I tried the chipotle ranch dressing. It was good, but unnecessary. These wings were fine on their own.

I know we usually look for the perfect char or crisp on the skin but, since these were slow cooked, I didn't feel bad making an exception. They were so tender that the meat basically just fell off the bone. I don't think I even needed my teeth. As for the price, here's your tip of the day: sit at the bar. On the menu, it lists wings at $13.95. However, everything on Virgil's "bar bites" menu is $8.95. There were about 8 full wings to an order, which means 16 when broken into the wings and drums. That puts them around 56¢/wing, which is a pretty good price... but in Times Square that's basically free.

One of my favorite side notes was the "napkin". Normally, you'd go through a whole stack while eating these wings. Virgil's thought of that and, instead of napkins or paper towels, they give you a full sized kitchen towel. When you're done, you get a wet, steaming wash cloth instead of a wet-nap. Classy.

If I had a washing machine in my Co-op, I might do this every night at dinner.

Well, consider me a convert. I'm a fan of a good BBQ chicken wing. Now I just have to convince my colleagues. Jeremy, Steve... maybe Dinosaur BBQ?

Epilogue: I did have leftovers. After writing this review, at about 1 am, I'm heading to my refrigerator to crush the survivors. Mmmm.

Trongs 60 Second Commercial

2010-07-27T10:00:00.004-04:00

Wow. The only thing worse than Trongs is their infomercial. Somewhere, Billy Mays is rolling in his grave right now.

"Come on guys... that's why you hire a professional, like me."

Seriously though, I hope these guys make like a bajillion dollars off of these things. Long live the American Dream.

See their website here. Read our original review of their product here.

Cabo- A Taste of Mexico

2010-07-26T10:00:00.001-04:00

Cabo

"A Taste of Mexico"

3A N. Park Avenue

Rockville Centre, NY 11570

516-255-0065

http://www.caborvc.net/

Maps and Directions

My wife and I were married back in February, but delayed our honeymoon a few months because of work. So, we left for Cabo, Mexico on July 11th and came back on July 17th. Let me tell you, Cabo San Lucas and Cabo San Jose are amazing places. Great food, amazing beaches, beautiful hotels and pools, great activities (ATV rides through the desert, catamaran sunset cruises, jet skiing, zip lines, fishing trips, etc.), and amazing night life. We stopped at Cabo Wabo, which was a bit of a disappointment this time of year, Senor Frogs closed at like 8 PM but the Giggling Marlin... now that place was CRAZY! We had a blast in Mexico... but we did not have any wings! I know, I know... but I think I found a way to make it up to you guys.

Three days after coming home from my honeymoon, Jody (one of my fellow Wingmen, not my wife) and I went to Cabo, Rockville Centre. Listen... it is "A Taste of Mexico" so it will have to do! Jimmy Junior, a member of the Wingmen faithful, actually suggested Cabo back in April on the Facebook page, so I was glad we could get there. We really appreciate the suggestions and are doing our best to get to all the places you guys recommend.

Jody and I took a look at the menu and there seemed to be only one flavor of wing, but it came in three different heat categories. Their "secret sauce from across the boarder" can be made in Mild, Medium or Diablo. I don't speak Spanish, but Diablo, if I am not mistaken, means Devil and my Dirty Canz Wings experience makes me a bit weary of any wing that threatens to be that hot. I asked the waitress how hot the Diablo is and she said, "I have not tried them, but most customers eat just 3 of them." Jody and I looked at each other and, at the same time, said "medium."

We ordered the double portion of medium south of the boarder wings and asked the waitress about their beer selection. She told us that "we don't really have a lot of bottled beers, but we do have a Mexican beer." Her answer, not being very helpful, caused me to look at the bar and I grabbed a Dos Equis, which I saw they had on tap, and Jody had "the Mexican beer," which happened to be the Modelo Negro. Happy with our beverage selection, we just waited for our wings.

When they came out, the waitress brought them over to us and said "wow, that's a lot of wings" and we agreed. We thought we would have a hard time finishing such a massive plate of wings. There had to be 16-20 wings on that plate and they were HUGE. I mean, the chickens that had these wings spent a lot of time in either the gym or sitting around watching late night TV and eating bon bons. I guess my main point is that these were big chickens.

As for how they tasted, well, they were phenomenal. These perfectly cooked wings were everything you want in a non-traditional buffalo wing. They were crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside and extremely meaty. Each wing was a mini-gourmet hot wing meal and I have not told you about the sauce yet.

I think the sauce was one of the best flavors I have ever eaten. The first bite explodes in your mouth with a subtly sweet, almost molasses flavor. As you chew the last few bites of the wing, the sauce is still not done. It then switches over to a spicy, peppery finish that completely compliments the sweet beginning. The flavors were so amazingly balanced that we just annihilated the plate. We had no trouble consuming every last wing on the table and they got better as we got to the last few. As you may now know, Jody and I are huge fans of the sauce reservoir at the bottom of the plate and Cabo did not disappoint. There was a nice big puddle at the bottom and the last few wings were drenched in the tangy, peppery sauce.

The flavors were so unique that I had to ask the waitress what the sauce was. Now remember, her description of Modelo Negro, was "a Mexican beer," so it was a bit of a stretch to think she knew, but I asked anyway. She didn't know, but asked the chef. She came back and told us the following: "He said it was a 'tamarang' sauce, I don't know what it is, but it is a sweet and spicy sauce." Neither Jody nor I had any idea what "tamarang" was, so I looked it up. So, according to Google, "tamarang" is a pharmaceutical company, a country in some fantasy novel world, and an engineering company. Ok, so not really a sauce ingredient, strike 1. I then looked up "tamaran" thinking maybe the "g" was me mishearing. "Tamaran" is the planet Starfire of the Teen Titans is from in the DC Universe. Ok... Strike 2. The spelling autocorrect on my Mac says maybe it is "tamarind." Tamarind is a tropical plant native to Africa that was heavily introduced to Mexico in the 1600's by the Portuguese and Spanish colonists (or African slaves of that time, there seems to be some debate). The legume or, fruit of a tamarind plant is best described as sweet and sour. I think we have hit a home run with that description. Add some spicy peppers to the sweet tamarind and you have the Cabo "south of the border" sauce.

Cabo- A Taste of Mexico is a solid restaurant that has great wings. Their Jalapeno Snappers (not poppers) were really good and piping hot... Jody, has your burnt mouth healed yet? They also supply chips and salsa which were also really good. The wings were a good value, 16-20 of them for about $13.00 which is $00.65 at the low end and $00.81 at the high. Cabo is very much Wingmen approved! Head on over there and try them out for yourself! Thanks for the suggestion Jimmy Junior! Maybe next time I'll order the Diablo wings.

Here is a shot of us actually on our honeymoon in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico at The Office. Can't wait to go back!