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.

The Republic

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

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.

Black Forest Brew Haus

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!

$.10 Wing Night!

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

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.

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?

Old Fields Restaurant

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

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

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.

Kool Bloo

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.

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.

Ninety-Nine

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!