Buckhead Saloon
I was skeptical of this bar from the very beginning. While they were building it, I thought it felt too gimmicky for a bar in Bayside (it has a Western theme and a mechanical bull). When it opened, they had velvet ropes lined up (no people to coral, just the ropes) and bouncers in black suits and ear pieces. Again, this bar is in Bayside - not the meat packing district - but blue collar, small-town-feeling Bayside. Strike 1.
However, there was a sign outside advertising 10 cent wings (1/2 the price of Dempsey's on the same night) and bikini bull riding. Obviously this sounded like a job for the Wingmen. Jeremy, Steve and I found a spot at the bar, ordered some beer and promptly looked for the menu. They promoted their latest hot wing sauce which they dubbed "Red Stag". Sounds impressive, we'll take 30 - hot. The wings came out pretty quickly, were steaming and looked very appetizing. They emitted a great smell that burned my nose hairs a bit - however, they'd get mixed reviews.
The plus: I thought they were perfectly cooked. They had a nice amount of crisp on the outside, but weren't over cooked on the inside. They were also very big and meaty - well worth 10 cents apiece.
The minus: The Red Stag sauce. It was very different from the usual hot sauce and butter concoction of a typical wing. It tasted tomato based, maybe made with ketchup. At first I was intrigued. I wasn't sure if I liked it or not. About ten wings later I decided it was too much tomato for me and I wasn't a big fan...especially when I realized that all that great heat that I smelled was nonexistent in my mouth. There was no kick whatsoever, and we ordered them hot.
Overall, the combination of the velvet ropes, black suited bouncers, and loud club music added to the less than stellar wings is enough to keep me away from Johnny Famous for a round 2 - even at 10 cents per wing. We went there, tried them and checked the place off our long list...but I think it's safe to say that none of the Wingmen will be back. Oh, and we left before the tops came off!
Overall Rating
Taste/Flavor: The "Red Stag" sauce did not live up to its billing. Tasted too much like ketchup and not enough like a wing sauce. All in all, the flavor was bad.
Heat: We ordered them hot and they were barely mild. They smelled like they would be hot and just did not live up to the aroma.
Price: $.10 per wing on Wednesday night is a great deal for good wings, but if they were free next wednesday, I still would not go back.
Service: The bartender that helped us was O.K., nothing to write home about. She seemed to ignore our side of the bar, which irritated some people next to us. We received our wings and drinks in a relatively timely manner.
Specials: How can you go wrong with with $.10 wings, $2.00 Domestic Pints and Bikini Bull Riding at 10:00PM on Wednesday nights? Serve horrible wings and by 11:00 PM still have had no one ride the bull.
Rating: 1 out of 5 stars. The bad "Red Stag" sauce and horrible atmosphere of Johnny Famous completely overshadowed that the wings were large and cooked well. Sorry Johnny Famous, but the Wingmen are not fans.
The first place we decided to go to and kick off this blog was never even in question. It had to be Dempsey's on Bell Blvd. in Bayside, Queens. We've been going there on wednesday nights for wing and draft specials for years, so it only made sense to start there. I met up with my fellow wingmen, Steve and Jeremy, where we scarfed down 15 hot wings, 15 teriyaki wings and 15 BBQ wings.
Here's what I thought:
The wings themselves were very small. Sometimes when we go there, we joke around and rate the wings at what we perceive to be their monetary value. It used to be 10 cents for a wing but, after the economy tanked, they were forced to raise - no, double - their prices to 20 cents per wing...still not a bad deal when you couple it with their $3 domestic drafts. So some nights we say we're getting a 10 cent wing, some nights we're lucky enough to get 20 cent wings and sometimes we get 3 cent wings. Tonight was a 3 cent wing night. They were tiny. Two bites and done.
As far as taste is concerned, it was a good night. The hot had a good amount of flavor. Not a lot of kick, which would have made them better, but the flavor was definitely there. The BBQ was surprisingly good. I remember not being too crazy about them last time we had them, but this time they seemed to be the favorite of the group (I still preferred the hot). The only disappointment was the teriyaki. I'm a little biased since I've had them before and they're usually my favorite. Tonight they seemed to be heavier on the sugar and lighter on the salt then usual. Teriyaki is usually a nice blend of sweet and salty, but my personal preference leans a little toward the salty side.
All-in-all, you can't go wrong with Dempsey's. It's probably my favorite bar in Bayside and I'll definitely be back - hopefully for some salty Teriyaki wings of the 20 cent variety.
Overall Rating:
Taste/Flavor: We all agreed that the Hot Wings tasted good, the BBQ were surprisingly good and the the Teriyaki wings were a bit weak. Dempsey's has great wings... all flavors.
Heat: The hot at Dempsey's are spicy, so if you don't like heat, order the mild.
Price: On Wednesday's the wings are $.20 each, as compared to about $.50 each on the appetizer menu ($7.95 for about 13-15 wings).
Service: The service was great, but has been suspect in the past.
Specials: Wednesday night is $.20 Wing Night and $3.00 Domestic Pints.
Rating: 4 Stars (out of 5) because of the size of the wings and disappointing teriyaki flavor.
