Cornerstone Pub

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

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.

Genesis Bar and Restaurant

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?

Elijah Churchill's Public House

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.

Press 195

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.

Cavanaugh's

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!

Churchill's

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!

Manny's On Second

Manny's On Second

1770 2nd Avenue

Between 92nd and 93rd

New York, NY 10128

212-410-3300

http://www.mannysonsecond.com/index.php

Map and Directions

Friday night, Manhattan, a bit of a spring chill in the air, but an otherwise gorgeous May evening. New York City is a mecca that The Wingmen have yet to truly explore, but to truly explore this plethora of dining locations would take a lifetime. There seems to be an infinite number of bars, restaurants, diners, pubs, take-out joints and sidewalk carts to satisfy any craving one may have, including those of you hankering for wings.

Jody and I were on a mini-mission to hit at least two places that serve wings that night. It didn't seem right doing a real big NYC review sans Jeremy. We need a full crew to not do this amazing island dirty. As you read earlier this week, we hit 1849 in the Village first and then took off with BJ and Dina to Manny's on the Upper East Side.

In our younger days, BJ and I would hang out in this area a lot (BJ still does... me, not so much). We would frequent Blondie's (which is now Manny's) and the Big Easy (which is now out of business and vacant... and also where Jeremy obtained the best wing stain ever! Ask him about it). I was a little sad when I saw how desolate the place looked when we got there. Manny's has a temporary sign on the front, the Big Easy was boarded up and the street seems to be under some major construction... hence no picture of the front of Manny's. I just couldn't get a good shot of the place and their website does not have one either, it seems that they had the same issue. It is not the prettiest part of Manhattan right now, but I assure you, this area can be a lot of fun.

Manny's On Second's wings are really good. Just look at that picture on top of this post! We ordered the buffalo wings, hot. They are coated in hot sauce, the aroma as they waft by your nose can be felt in your throat and they were big wings. Not the biggest we have had, but big. The sauce was buttery and spicy and all those things you would expect from really good hot wings. They were so sauced up that you were a mess when you finished them, but they tasted so good, you really didn't mind.

As for value, well, you are in Manhattan, so it is hard to measure value, but they are still under a buck a wing, so that can be considered a win. 10 wings for $9.95, 20 wings for $17.95, 50 wings (up to 2 sauces) for $39.95 and 100 wings (up to 4 sauces) for $69.95. You can choose from Honey BBQ or Buffalo. The Buffalo sauce come in Mild, Medium, Hot or Scorchin. They come with bleu cheese, celery and carrot sticks.

I suggest trying Manny's On Second. They have a good beer selection, usually a really cool crowd hanging out there, better than solid wings and Beer Pong tables upstairs. Yes, Beer Pong Tables in the bar! It seems they picked up where The Big Easy left off and kept Beer Pong on the Upper East Side. They supply the cups and balls, you just have to buy the pitchers. So order up some wings, buy some pitchers and challenge some friends (or strangers) to a good ol' game of Beer Pong!

Hooters of Fresh Meadows

Can you say Big Daddy? BIG DADDY!!!!!!! It wasn't a Western Wednesday at Hooters in Queens but it was quality. The new Hooters in Queens is located off the service road by the Long Island Expressway (exit 25). Now that the weather is nice, you have the option of sitting outdoors as well as sitting indoors. The outdoor area, however, is not equipped with T.V.'s. But let's be real, the inside is better. The atmosphere was great, especially if you have the seat where the step stool is. If you don't know what I mean, ask for that table and tell them that the Wingmen sent you. You'll thank me later. In addition, the girls were having fun with their beer promotion. If you stated you want a Big Daddy, they'll give you a big beer. Its kind of funny when the Hooters girls are laughing at your expense.

Anyway, the wings were delicious. That night, the three of us ordered the hot wings along with the garlic parmesan. The waitress claimed that after ten of the garlic parm, we would be tired of them but we ordered 25 anyway. Long story short, she was right. They were good, but there was something about their consistency that tired you out. My recommendation is to order 10 and split them up. A few will do and not tire you out. The hot, however, were great. They weren't ridiculously hot, but they cleaned your sinuses. Those wings didn't stand a shot. We were good lil' Wingmen and cleaned our plates and were allowed to have another Big Daddy.

Hurricane Grill and Wings

Hurricane Grill and Wings

1037 Route 112

Port Jefferson Station, NY 11776

http://www.hurricanewings.com/PortJeff/

Map and Directions

The second stop for Jody and I on our Monday off was Hurricane Grill and Wings in Port Jeff Station (it is in the shopping center with the DMV, we had a little trouble finding it). Back in November of '09, Jessica Miller Gomez commented on our Facebook page that Hurricane's was coming soon and we would have to check it out when it arrived (Thanks for being a fan Jessica!). We finally were out there and decided to give them a shot. Eric, don't get upset that we didn't stop at Grumpy's, we plan to, but it will be a huge Wingmen Event! It will take some planning.

So we walked into Hurricane Grill and Wings and instantly felt like we were in Orlando or Tampa at some waterside bar. It felt very different from your typical Port Jefferson, North Shore of Long Island, right on the Long Island Sound bars.  This was more tropical, complete with hardwood floors made to look like they have sand on them, seascapes on the walls, luau feeling decorations Reggae music playing, and fake palm trees. I feel like I have been to this exact place in San Diego, Miami, Orlando... and now Port Jeff, which is good because I can't remember when 3 feet of snow have fallen in Southern California or Florida, but it does in Port Jeff!

After polishing off quite a few wings at Tommy's Place, we decided to try the $18.49 sampler plate. Anyone who knows Jody knows he has a hard time passing up a combo plate, so this choice fit right into his indecisive sensibilities. We had 20 wings with four different flavored sauces. We ordered the Honey Mustard, Mango BBQ, Thai Ginger and Garlic, and Gold Rush as our four flavors. They mostly came at the suggestion of the bar tender, since there are a LOT of flavors to choose from. Check them out here.  You can see there are quite a bit of them and you can even create your own.

Combo Platter- Starting to the left of
the ranch dressing and
moving clockwise: Gold Rush,
Honey Mustard, Thai Ginger & Garlic,
and Mango BBQ.

Lets get into the review-

1- The Honey Mustard were good. The flavor was a bit on the sweet side, not enough mustard, but it is understandable, since a lot of people are getting into the sweeter flavored wings these days. Miller's Honey Mustard was way more traditional, as are Wings To Go in York, PA (which I have not been to in years. We need a trip down there boys, those were good wings). I would suggest staying away from these only if you don't like sweet wings.  If you are a honey mustard fan, go for it.

2- Mango BBQ were a wildcard for us. As our faithful followers may know by now, we have never been really happy with any BBQ wings we have tried, but Mango BBQ, how do you pass up Mango BBQ? They were quite sweet, as I am sure you can imagine, but also completely solid. A lot of flavor. Best BBQ wings I have had, and I have tried a lot of BBQ wings.  The Mango adds sweetness, but also distracts your mouth from the tomato and molasses base that usually makes BBQ too much for me.  I'd eat these again.

3- The Thai Ginger and Garlic wings were way too gingery for my liking and sickly sweet. There is way too much honey in that recipe. They were good, but the flavor was just too strong and sweet for me. If you are into ginger, give them a whirl.  We all have our own particular tastes and these just were not for me... they can't all be winners.

4- The big winner of the afternoon was the Gold Rush Sauce. They are described as a "special honey mustard sauce with a hint of heat" in the menu and as "not honey mustard tasting at all" by the bar tender. In my opinion, it was honey mustard mixed with a buffalo sauce with some spicy red pepper thrown in the mix.  This sauce is great and I wish I had some bottles of it right now, I'd BBQ myself some winglets and douse them in the stuff.  I'd go back for these... and of course to try some of the other flavors.

All of the wings were large, juicy and had a good crisp to them, like all wings should. They reminded Jody of Rookie's in Huntington because they had some many flavors on the menu and they were big juicy wings. Hurricane's has a good beer selection, advertises a happy hour everyday from 4-7PM with two for one appetizers, $2 pints and $8 pitchers, and is a nice novelty bar. If there were outside seating and it was located closer to the water in Port Jeff Village, I could see this place being crazy in the summer. I am looking forward to seeing how popular it becomes.

The Wingmen should make another trip there with some fans to help us get through all of the wing sauces. It is a job for more than 3 people! Who's in?

We will give this a preliminary Wingmen Approved stamp, we have to go back, try more and see what else we enjoy.

Canz Restaurant & Bar

Canz Restaurant & Bar

1610 Old Country Road

Westbury, NY 11590

http://www.canzusa.com/

Map and Directions

Canz Roadhouse or Canz Restaurant & Bar is a localized version of Hooters in Nassau County, NY. The place has, you guessed it, empty cans all over the place but I think they mean something completely different when they say "I (heart) Canz" or "Do you have a Crush on my Canz" on the back of the waitresses' shirts. I may be wrong, but I am sure I am right. It is a sports bar with a lot of TV's playing just about any sport event airing that particular evening and hires attractive waitresses that wear skimpy uniforms... like Hooters. Another one is opening soon in Astoria, Queens.

Jody and I were there for a team dinner with our baseball team and the guys had already ordered hot wings and they arrived at the tables just after we grabbed our seats. Great timing on our part, if I do say so myself.

The hot wings were really good. They were the traditional butter, hot sauce and cayenne pepper hot wing recipe, but they were made perfectly. They were of decent size, coated well with sauce, and had a little kick to them, but not too much. They seemed to be fried first and then baked/broiled to make the inside juicy and outside crispy. If that is not their method, then whatever it is, they need keep it up because it's working! For traditional hot wings, these were some of the best I have had.

Since that was just the appetizer, some of the team ordered dinner, but Jody and I happened to notice that hot wings were not the only wings on the menu. Upon further review, we saw that there was Plain, Mild, Medium, Hot, BBQ, Honey BBQ, Asian, Teriyaki and Dirty Canz. Dirty Canz has a note that says "Extremely Hot" next to it. Jody went with teriyaki, being a big fan of teriyaki flavored wings, it was an easy decision. I, on the other hand, went with the Dirty Canz wings. I mean, "Extremely Hot" is a relative phrase... what is hot to one person is mild to another, so how bad could it be?

As I ordered, the less than polite waitress told me that they were "inedibly hot" and asked if I was sure. Of Course I Was Sure! Damn it, I'm A Wingman! I politely said yes, I am sure and she kind of shook her head and walked away. The team, upon hearing that I ordered the Dirty Canz, proceeded to rib the crap out of me. Now, this was nothing new, I had already been taking abuse for ordering a Blue Moon beer which happens to come with a slice of orange. I heard such clever things as "You don't fruit the beer!" and "What size skirt do you wear, Sally 'Fruit-in-the-Beer'?" I don't care, Blue Moon is good and the orange is a nice addition. Why am I explaining myself to a computer screen? Whatever, back to the review.

Well, I ate my words with the Dirty Canz wings. When they came out, I did not get the smell of something really hot and spicy... you know, when you nostrils burn before you even taste them... they just did not have that kind of smell. They looked good and they were the hottest wings I have ever eaten in my life. I mean these were eyes tearing, nose running, lips burning, forehead sweating, mouth smoldering, hiccup inducing hot. These wings need to be served with bread or milk because water and beer just do nothing to combat that kind of heat. After the first wing, everyone was laughing at me, and I would have been laughing at me too if I was not looking for a fire extinguisher to put our the fire in my mouth. That level of heat is nothing I have ever tasted before and most likely will never do again. Of the 12 ordered, I only could eat 4, Jody had 2, and the rest were eaten by other members of the team. They all agreed that they were HOT wings.

I don't want to ignore the Teriyaki wings in this review, but honestly, I cannot tell you what they tasted like. The Dirty Canz burned my mouth so bad that I couldn't taste a damn thing. They were also cooked well and had smoked sesame seeds sprinkled on them. I was using the sweetness of the teriyaki sauce to cut the burning from the Dirty Canz. Jody will have to comment on the teriyaki sauce since I only saw what they looked like and remember a hint of ginger in the recipe.

Canz is nothing more than a sports bar with a similar gimmick to Hooters. It seems to be working for them and their food is pretty good. The wings are worth the trip, but they are expensive... $26.95 for 30 wings or, almost $1 per wing! They do have Monday Wing Night special, $19 for all you can eat/drink wings/draft beer. That is worth the trip. They have a bunch of other nightly specials, check out their website for more. The Wingmen would, and probably will, go back... maybe we'll hit up the Astoria one when it opens.

One last note. I am going on record and saying that I will most likely never eat the hottest wings on the menu again. I mean, normal hot wings are ok, but if they come with a warning label, make you sign a waiver or have to prepare them with a Hazmat suit on, I will shy away. I'm in this for the taste, not to prove anything. Does that make me less of a man? Probably.

Canterbury Ales

Canterbury Ales

314 New York Avenue

Huntington, NY 11743

http://www.canterburyales.com

The night Jody and I went to Meehan's, we also stopped at Canterbury Ales in Huntington and had much better wings. The first audio recording Jody and I tried happened here on my Blackberry, and it is a short, 28 seconds, but gives you a good idea of what Canterbury Ales had to offer. Take a listen:

As you can hear, the wings were big, spicy and "solid." Canterbury Ales also has a pretty good beer selection, is a nice replica of a typical British Pub and has a solid menu. This place is worth checking out if you find yourself in Huntington.

What do you think of the audio posts? Leave us some comments.

Croxley Ales

Croxley Ales

Ale House and Eatery

12 South Park Avenue

Rockville Centre, NY

Jeremy and I ventured out to Croxley's in Rockville Centre, NY a couple of weeks ago. I work in the area and Jeremy lives pretty close. Our buddy, and fellow wing enthusiast, Lee, met us there to take advantage of their $0.10 wing night special. Mondays and Wednesdays are wing nights and they choose a specific beer to be $4.00. This particular evening Hofbrau was the four dollar special and it was music of the 90's night (Lots of Soundgarden, 311, Pearl Jam, The Breeders, Alice In Chains, Sublime, Bush, Danzig and others... I felt like breaking out a flannel and a ratty old sweater).

We ordered up 30 Hot and 20 BBQ to start off the evening. We asked the bartender how hot the hot wings were and she said "not very hot." She did mention that she could bring an extra hot dipping sauce with the order, so we took her up on that offer.

As Jeremy and I waited for the wings, I noticed that they sold Monty Python's Holy Grail Ale. Jody had seen this at a beer distributor a few weeks back and had sent me a text message with a picture of it. Being huge fans of the Monty Python, I had to try it. It was a pretty good beer and went very well with the hot wings. Both Jeremy and Lee, when he got there, ordered them as well.

The BBQ wings were nothing special. They tasted like BBQ wings, but were a bit overcooked. Lee said they were "too tangy," and when Lee speaks, people listen. If you like BBQ wings, I am sure that you would enjoy them. They were not for me, but hey, someone somewhere may enjoy them. Lee said they were "too tangy."

The hot on the other hand were really good. They were cooked perfectly with the right amount of crisp on the outside and juicy-ness on the inside. The bartender was correct when she said they weren't hot but they had a very tasty flavor to the sauce. I am still searching for that wing that is perfectly hot and perfectly tasty. It seems that if a wing is hot, it does not have as much flavor and if they are flavorful, then they are usually not too hot. Croxley's fit the latter. The extra hot dipping sauce helped a lot, but still did not give them overpowering heat.

All in all, we were very impressed with Croxley's. The wings were good and inexpensive, the beer selection was very extensive and the atmosphere was pretty cool. The place was packed, everyone seemed to be having a good time and lots of wings were being ordered. It reminded me a little bit of Dempsey's in Bayside (our first review) because wing night there is always packed and people generally have a good time. The Wingmen are looking forward to making a return trip to Croxley's and the Rockville Centre area soon.

Half Penny Pub

Half Penny Pub

220 N. Main St.

Sayville, NY 11782

I get a call from Jeremy saying that he is heading down to Sayville to meet up with some old band mates of his. Before you go thinking that Jeremy used to be in a rock band, let me explain. In high school, Jeremy played the tuba or the trombone or some other brass instrument and he was meeting up with the high school band folks. I am not sure, but Jeremy probably has been to Band Camp. Ask him about it.

We are meeting up with all of them at the Half Penny Pub and since they have a menu that includes wings, we decided to order some up and do a review. They have BBQ, Spicy BBQ and Mild, Medium and Hot wings (this was all according to the bartender, who never showed us the menu). We chose the large order of the hot wings (20 for $12) and then enjoyed some beer while we waited for them to arrive.

As we waited, I took in the atmosphere of this Irish Pub. The place was great. The bar was as long as the entire building, the patron area was wide open to allow for more people to stand around and it was littered with signs advertising the specials they offer; ladies night, wing night (which includes free wings from 8 to 10 PM on Wednesdays), beer pong night and many more. They even have an Irish skydiving team that seems to jump from planes pretty often. They have pictures on their website and on their MySpace page (Who has MySpace anymore? Really?).

The drink selection was also very good. Plenty of alcohol for those "I want a shot and I want it now" kind of nights. They seemed to have a lot of whisky and scotch in easy pour taps around the bar, which seems to me to be extremely convenient. I saw Jager Bombs being made and consumed (seems like a great combo; Jager which is a depressant and Red Bull, a stimulant. Just creating angry sad people. Awesome.), and I am sure that if I asked for one, an Irish Car Bomb would have been concocted for me. The beer list was extensive. They had a lot of different kinds of beer on tap and an even larger selection of bottled beer which included Franziskaner (the only hefeweizen they had). Places with big beer selections make me happy.

As for the wings, they were a bit of a disappointment. First of all, they were breaded. I am not sure why a place would use breaded wings, but I imagine they were store bought frozen, in a large plastic bag and then deep fried with the hot sauce added just before frying. That is how I used to have to make them when I worked for the dining hall pizza shop at college. Not the best method, but it worked. I am guessing that since the Half Penny only has an appetizer menu, that they really only have a deep fryer in the back, which limits their ability to cook.

The wings were hot, I mean, they had my nose running, which is a great heat level. I was not sweating like at Miller's, but they were hot. The hot sauce tasted really good too. Again, probably a large jug of a generic hot sauce marinade that you can find in any supermarket, but it worked.

I do feel that they could have been fried a bit longer, and one of the Wingmen faithful, Jenn, who was at the bar with us agreed that they were just not crispy enough. The meat was cooked well, there was enough on the bone and they were juicy. But, if there is not crisp to bite through, they are just soggy wings. Soggy wings are not great. Now, I am not saying that the wings were bad, I am just saying that they were not very good.

Overall, the atmosphere of the Half Penny Pub overshadows their less-than-stellar wings. I would go back there and I would eat the wings again. Unlike Kelly's, which is a bar that is also a restaurant, and they still make mediocre wings, Half Penny is a bar that makes pretty good pub grub. They set out to do different things, and Half Penny is better at doing what they set out to do. Head on out to Sayville and check this place out, even if you don't order the wings.