Rookie's Sports Club

70 Gerard St.

Huntington, NY 11743

http://www.rookiesny.com/

On a recommendation, a bunch of us hit Rookie's Sports Club in Huntington. It's a pretty cool sports bar with all kinds of nightly specials. We went a little earlier in the day so we missed out on their $16 all you can eat wing night (9-11 PM Mondays and Wednesdays), but we did not miss out on their "Rookie's Wing Sampler". What?! Sampler? 3 wings x 8 flavors?! Honey Thai, Chipotle BBQ, Honey Thai Hot, Buffalo, Jamaican Jerk, Parmesan Garlic, Pan Asian and Hell Fire all one ONE PLATE?! Holy shit. I was a little flustered. Anyone who's been out to eat with me knows that I get overly excited for anything with the words "sampler" or "combo platter" in it. It was obvious what we were going to order. The only question? How many? There were four of us, so if we divide the number of flavors x 3 by the amount of...screw it. We each got our own. Bring it on.

We were all a little shocked when they came out. These were not your average size wings. Hell, they weren't even large wings. These were mini drumsticks. All of a sudden, the all-you-can-eat option looked like the worst deal in town.

So, variety - check. Size - DOUBLE check. But how did they taste? Um, they were ok. We all pretty much agreed that the Pan Asian was the best, followed by the Parmesan Garlic and Hell Fire (yeah, surprisingly something called "Hell Fire" actually had some of the best flavor). The Honey flavors were by far the worst. The reason I say they were just ok is that we all felt like the flavors weren't bold enough. They just lacked a little bit. There was so much potential with the variety and size that I'd love to give them another chance, but judging solely on flavor these were middle-of-the-road type wings.

Since Rookie's was recommended to us, it can't just be dismissed. And don't get me wrong, they weren't bad. We just thought they would be better. Maybe it was an off night. I know just the mention of the word "sampler" would be enough to get me to give them another try. Have you been there? What do you think?

Taxi's Grille

217 New York Ave.

Huntington, NY 11743

www.taxisgrille.com

I was working in Huntington recently and a couple of co-workers and I ordered some lunch from Taxi's Grille, which is up in the Village. I'll keep this one short and simple: STAY AWAY - from the wings at least. We got two orders, Buffalo and honey mustard. They were both over-cooked and dry with very little meat. The buffalo wings were made with Texas Pete's sauce, right out of the bottle. I have nothing against that, but there wasn't much of a coating. The honey mustard was down-right awful. It tasted more like a mayonnaise than a mustard. Gross.

Luckily, we only ordered these as a side. And luckily, their steak sandwiches are really good as are their chicken sandwiches. I did eat there a few times during my six weeks working in Huntington, but I never went near the wings again. I'd advise you to do the same.

Wing Zone

Get in the Zone ....Wing Zone... Who's lazy? Who hates leaving the house in this aweful weather? Me and if you like traveling in the snow there is something wrong with you unless you are the wingzone delivery guy. The wingzone delivery guy, in my book, is cool and better have a postal person attitude. Make those deliveries in rain, storm and snow. Anyway.....what's better than eating wings at a pub.......having them brought right to your home. And the best part is, they are actually very good.

I hit up the nuclear hot, buffalo blue, honey mustard, spicy bbq and the garlic parmesan. I wanted to try and grab as many flavors as I could that were similar to O'Neils in Maspeth and see who rated better. O'Neils is still better but for delivery and not having to travel to Queens...worth it. First let me get into the nuclear. Damn hot, crazy hot. I wasn't able to eat four in a row. They weren't kidding with their slogan its like having a firecracker in your mouth. Not that I would know what a firecracker in my mouth would feel like. Imagine the guy that did that. Yep, I just lit a M-80 in my mouth, gotta go to the hospital and that would be a great name for a hot wing. Keep in mind he probably wrote that because if he actually did do that it would probably sound like hffhfmmfhyfufjmfhfyffyfyujmyh (mumbles, if you didn't get it).

The other flavors were very good as well. The honey mustard was covered with suace as well as the garlic parmesan, the spicy BB and the buffalo blue. The garlic parmesan were good but only for about 4. Any more than that it got old. The buffalo blue were good but it defeated the point in getting a hot wing and dipping it into the blue cheese. The spicy bbq were awesome. You could eat 20 and they wouldn't get old. Just the right amount of spice and bbq. The wings were medium sized and very tasty. Wingzone offered a variety of ways to order. It ranged from 7, 10, 15, 20 30 50, 100 or more. In addition, you can order them online, pay online and not have to phone it in. Awesome.
I give them a B plus.

Mustang Sally's

324 7th Ave.

New York, NY 10001

http://www.mustangsallysny.com

A good friend of mine was in town last week and we were going to meet and do some catching up after work. After a few texts back and forth, he told me he'd be at Mustang Sally's in Chelsea on 7th and 28th. I'd been there a few times. Its close proximity to Penn Station/MSG makes it a good jump off, or a place to kill some time before you catch the next train heading out of town. I had never been there for wings though.

After a beer or two, we decided to order some food. We only had to peruse the menu for a minute before deciding on an order of wings. We ordered, and they promptly brought out a plate of traditional buffalo wings. I was very pleasantly surprised with the quality. Meaty and well cooked. A heavy coat of thick, flavorful sauce. Nice amount of heat, but not over the top. We turned our plate of deep-fried treats into a pile of bones in minutes. Still hungry and pleased with the last batch, we asked for another order of wings. They again came out pretty fast and we took care of business.

I guess because I've always associated the area around Penn Station with a place to start and/or end your night, not spend it...I never really considered looking around there for good wing spots. Lesson learned. So, if you're in the area - whether you just got into the city, are heading out or just happen to be in the neighborhood - Mustang Sally's is worth checking out. As a side note, McSorley's was on tap and they were running a promotion. The bartender was giving away those little half pint mugs they serve their beers in at their location in the East Village. I love free pint glasses, especially when you don't have to have someone tuck one into their purse for you.

And now for something completely different...

We've spent the last few weeks critiquing buffalo wings made by various cooks in and around the greater NY area.  I kind of feel like a New York sports/talk radio guy, like Chris "Mad Dog" Russo.  You know, those irritating guys that flap their gums all morning about football when they've never touched an actual football in their lives.  

It's kind of the same for me.  I had never actually cooked a chicken wing before (even though I got a deep fryer for my wedding over 2 years ago that's still in the box), yet I've been giving my 2¢ about how professionals are doing their job.  I don't necessarily think you need to be a good cook to be a good eater, but it can't hurt.  And since I'm not totally lost in the kitchen I figured I'd try my hand at cooking my own wings.

Being that this was my first attempt, I decided to play it simple.  I'd go with the classic wing sauce mix (equal parts Frank's Red Hot + butter) as well as BBQ (store bought).  I figured it was more important to focus on the chicken.  Besides, if this hot sauce mixture is good enough for Anchor Bar in Buffalo then it's certainly good enough for me.  As for cooking method, this was the perfect opportunity to christen my deep fryer...but of course I didn't do it.  Instead, I opted for the dual cooking method of baking then grilling.  My goal was to get nice moist meat with crispy, even charred, skin - a la Mike's Place.

I started by brushing the wings with a light coat of vegetable oil and a pinch or two of salt and pepper.  I put them on a baking sheet and threw them in the oven at 350 until they started to get a nice golden brown color.  In the meantime, I was making the hot wing sauce in a frying pan on the range.  First I melted the butter, then added the Frank's sauce until I was happy with the color (I think I use color as a measuring stick way more than time or other actual measurements).  I took the wings out of the oven and brushed on a thin coat of the sauce, which I was hoping would burn just a little, then tossed them on the grill.  When I was happy with the look, I took them off and tossed half of them in hot sauce and the other half in BBQ sauce.  Then, time to chow down.

First, the important part, the meat.  I was half successful in my goal.  I got the meat perfectly moist and tender, but I wasn't happy with the skin.  I really wanted more crisp, but it wasn't there.  The sauce was tasty but basic.  I do wish it was a little thicker though, it ran off the wings a little.  The BBQ was what it was.  Just a store bought brand so not much to report.  I think I'd give myself a C+.  They were flavorful, tender wings but had plenty of room for improvement.  And I do plan to give it another go...I already bought the wings.  This time I think I'm going to try a more complex buffalo sauce.  For the second option, I'm going to ditch the BBQ and go for a Thai Peanut sauce - I think that could catch on!  Also, I have to finally take that deep fryer out of the box and do this right.

So, does anyone else have a recipe for buffalo wings that I can try out?  I know the other guys are into trying some recipes themselves and it could be fun to expand this blog into a place to get/give/trade recipes for wings and sauces.  I know Steve's dad has a kick-ass wing recipe.  He made them for Steve's surprise 30th Bday party, and they were good.  REALLY good.  Let's see if we can get him to give us a tutorial.

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.

PJ Carney's

906 7th Ave
New York, NY 10019

Friday was my last day of work on the show I was working on (I'm a freelance editor), so my bosses took me out for lunch and beers at the local dive bar, PJ Carney's.  One of them suggested getting an order of wings, the other agreed and, well hell, of course I was in.  We split an order for the table and the guy who brought it up put in the order.  PJ Carney's serves their wings two ways - with sauce or "crispy" with the sauce on the side.  We were getting the crispy.  I was a little skeptical, but certainly not disappointed.  I picked up a wing, dipped it in the sauce, chomped into that crispy goodness and immediately knew this would be an instant favorite.  

There wasn't just a little crisp to this wing, there was a solid layer of crunch.  It was great.  It almost seemed like a Korean-style chicken.  And don't get the wrong idea, it wasn't overcooked.  Not even close.  As a matter of fact, this is one of the juiciest wings I've had since we started this blog.  It was by no means a traditional wing, especially for an Irish dive bar.  But the uniqueness was appealing and makes it stand out as one of my top five wings on our mission so far.

My only criticism comes from the sauce.  It wasn't a Buffalo style sauce, which is fine.  It was more of a BBQ sauce.  But if you're going to serve the sauce on the side anyway, why not offer a large variety of sauces.  Maybe get your choice of a few different kinds.  It seems like the perfect option if you're not actually tossing the wings in the sauce.  There have been a few times where Jeremy, Steve and I have had to decide between different flavors and didn't get the opportunity to try them all since they come in orders of 10 or 20.  Imagine if you could order 30 wings with 6 different sauces to dip it in. That would be fantastic.  Maybe we'll save that idea for The Wingmen Restaurant, coming to a town near you.

If anyone is curious, I got the mexican burger as my main dish.  And although I kind of wish I just got 20 wings to myself, the burger was pretty flavorful as well.  Add to that multiple pints of Smithwick's Ale over the course of about 3 hours and it shapes up to be a pretty nice day of work.  I think this place actually inspired me to get some KFC - no, not Kentucky Fried Chicken...Korean Fried Chicken. Bon Chon for lunch tomorrow?  Maybe.