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?

Atomic Wings

528 9th Ave
New York, NY 10018

(with other locations throughout the city)

www.atomicwings.com

While working in Midtown, I see these delivery guys riding around on bikes wearing "Atomic Wings" vests all the time. One day while sitting around, waiting to hear from a client, I decided to google them and find out where they were. Ends up, they're a franchise and have (as far as I can tell) ten locations in and around NYC. I found the one nearest to me, grabbed my jacket and headed out.

One thing that they offered, which I've suggested on this blog before and am a big fan of, was the option of ordering your wings "dry" and getting you sauce(s) on the side. The reason I'm such a big fan of this is it gives you a better chance of testing out a lot of flavors without having to order a hundred wings. So that's what I did, opting for traditional buffalo, teriyaki and honey mustard - my three favorites.

Atomic Wings, dry.

My selection of sauces: Teryaki, Honey Mustard and Buffalo.

All-in-all, these were average wings. I wouldn't go out of my way to get them, but the convenience factor (bike delivery guys) and being able to order sauces on the side is enough to give them another go. My biggest complaint is that they were really oily and my stomach was paying for it later. If you've got a good wing/lunch spot near you, that's probably still the way to go. But if you're craving some wings and can't get out of the office, this isn't a bad option. The reason I'm labeling it a lunch spot is because it kind of had a chain fast food vibe when I was there. Sure, you can order a beer but you're still putting your tray on top of a garbage can when you're done eating. After a day of work, there's no way you'd pick this place over any local sports bar. Consider them a decent delivery option in NYC.

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.