Pluck U.

Pluck U.

Wings & Things

230 Thompson St.

New York, NY 10012

http://www.plucku.us/

This was another lunch time mission for me. I've pretty much been given the responsibility to take care of as many NYC wing joints as I can, so I grabbed a work buddy and we headed off to The Village. We got to Pluck U. and it was a total dive - small, dirty and awesome. I was pumped. There were "Best Wings in NYC" awards hanging all over the place and I felt like we were on to something. Apparently they had the highest rated wings in NYC six years running. So were my hopes high? Abso-plucking-lutely.

You have to love the story behind this place. It's the age old fairy tale of two friends in college turning down lucrative offers after graduation to start a less than prestigious business venture - and succeeding. I also love the menu. It is full of all kinds of combo meals - 5 wings, fries and a drink ($6.50), 10 wings, fries and a drink ($9.85), etc. Unfortunately, this is where my troubles began.

They have a decent variety of flavors (mild, medium, hot, death, BBQ, honey mustard, gold and 0 carb [huh?]) and I wanted to at least give two of them a try. I asked the woman at the counter if I could break the 10 wing combo into two portions of five. When she told me I couldn't do that, I said I would take the 5 wing combo with an extra order of 5 wings. Thinking back now, it makes no sense that I can order two separate orders of 5, but not break the 10 wing combo in half - but whatever. The woman was friendly enough and wanted to save me some money, I guess. She tried persuading me into an order of 10 wings, dry, with the sauces on the side (which was just over a dollar cheaper than my 5 plus 5 idea). I had a bad feeling about it but she was very persistent. Add that to the language barrier and the fact that I wasn't really sure what she was doing at the time and... well, I got a little flustered and went with her suggestion. It would prove to be a huge mistake - one demerit for me. My order: 10 wings dry with a side of hot sauce and honey mustard, fries and a coke.

Nice lady, but her effort to save me a buck and change came back to bite me.

We got back to the office and I got down to business. I separated my wings into two groups of five, poured the sauce on and gave them a toss - still confused as to why they couldn't do it in the kitchen. First up, the hot. I took a bite and... what the pluck? Is this - ? No, can't be. Another bite. Yup... tastes like ketchup! Who does that? I'll tell you who does that, Johnny Famous. And if you've been following along at home, you know we've got a saying: "At least they're not Johnny Famous bad" (or something like that). Well these were, in fact, Johnny Famous bad. But it gets worse. While Johnny Famous had the worst sauce we came across, they were cooked alright. The worst cooked wing award, so far, goes to CJ Sullivan's. Pluck U wings were not cooked as poorly as Sullivan's wings, but they were damn close - totally dried out and crispy. So I'd actually describe these as a combo of the two worst wings we've had so far. The sauce wasn't as bad as Johnny Famous, and they weren't as dry as Sullivan's but put them both together and it's just a sorry wing.

On to the honey mustard. It's almost impossible for me to even review these. First of all, they only gave me one little cup of sauce. Again, I'm the idiot who caved and got the sauces on the side but come on. You have to at least give enough to give the wings a nice coat. I ended up eating half of them dry. It wouldn't even make sense to critique the sauce anyway. It's not like they made it. It came in a little Ken's Steakhouse Dressing container.

Overall, I thought Pluck U had a resemblance to Atomic Wings. Take-out/delivery spot catering specifically to wing lovers and serving mediocre poultry. I'd definitely put Pluck U a rung under Atomic Wings though, mostly due to the awful hot sauce. The fries were actually pretty decent though. And walking from Soho to The Village on a nice day is always a good way to spend a few minutes. Maybe it was just me though. What about my co-worker, Chris? He actually sent me this email right after he finished:

"wings-weak

fries- not bad

walk-well worth it"

To which I replied:

"couldn't agree with you more. did your sauce taste like spicy ketchup?"

He followed with:

"YES!!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't put my finger on what it was but that's exactly it."

Ok, so it wasn't just me then. But now the real question is, who the hell gave these guys the "Best Wings in NYC" award? Six years in a row! I bet they don't even make the best wings on Bleecker St. So would I recommend this place, or even go back to give them a chance at redemption? Pluck no!

Yup, that's all the sauce they gave me to coat 10 wings.

Lauren's* Adirondack Red Wing Burgers

My beautiful wife texted me asking when I was coming home from work. I tend to work late, but I was able to escape a bit early and she told me that she was going to make Adirondack Red Wing Burgers for dinner. Knowing my love for buffalo wings, and being a huge supporter of The Wingmen, she knew this would get me to come home even faster. It worked. I am nothing but predictable.

My whole drive home I was completely intrigued. I had no idea what to expect other than a buffalo wing inspired burger. I kind of thought they would be beef, then said to myself, "don't be an idiot, it will be a chicken pattie," and then thought, does it really matter, it will be a burger of some sort with hot sauce. How can it be anything but brilliant?

When I got home, she had just began making them, so I was able see the whole process. She started with ground chicken meat and added sauteed onions, carrots and celery to the meat. She made them into patties and pan fried them in olive oil. When they were just about ready, she removed them from the pan and then melted butter in the pan and poured in some hot sauce. When the hot sauce and butter blended together, she put the burgers back in the pan and cooked them a bit longer on each side. They absorbed the hot sauce and then she covered them with crumpled bleu cheese and a slice of cheddar. When the cheeses were melted, she put them on large toasted English muffins. The bottom half of the English muffin was lined with shredded lettuce and the burger was placed on top of it. She then finished the meal off with corn and French fries.

This was an amazing burger. First of all, chicken meat is just juicier than turkey meat and the blended tastes of the sauteed veggies, cheeses, chicken and butter hot sauce were perfect together. I have not eaten a burger like that in my life and really feel that I have been deprived. If I could think of any way to improve the burger, it would be to make it hotter (I know, shocker right?). The butter hot sauce did not absorb into the burger as much as I would have liked, but a solution was found that night. The hot sauce left in the pan was collected and poured over the burger and the English muffin. This gave the meal a much better kick. So if you try to make these yourself, do not toss the Hot Sauce!

All in all, this is a Wingmen approved recipe! Thanks for the great dinner baby!

* My wife wants me to mention that she found this recipe on the Racheal Ray website.

Mooncake Foods

28 Watts St.

New York, NY 10013

mooncakefoods.com

A soggy view across Watts St. at Mooncake.

Purists will say this isn't a true Buffalo wing. They'll point out the undivided wing. They'll complain about the lack of cayenne hot sauce. They may even say it doesn't even look like a real buffalo wing. Well purists be damned. If these wings are wrong, I don't want to be right!

Mooncake is a place I've been going to pretty regularly for lunch lately. I've tried a bunch of their dishes, from grilled chicken to beef shins, miso glazed salmon to pulled pork sandwiches - and I have yet to be disappointed. I never thought to order their wings because it's a much different establishment than the pubs and sports bars we usually chow down in. Its just a tiny, trendy-ish bistro dishing out solid Asian fusion comfort food.

Well this week I decided to give their honey and soy chicken wings a try and I'm really glad I did. I don't think I've ever eaten a wing that was cooked better than these. They were fall-off-the-bone tender as if they'd been slow-cooked for hours, but had a great grill char on the outside. Normally I'm not a fan of wings with honey based sauces, but the flavor of these things was terrific. The honey mixed with the soy gave these a unique taste that doesn't really compare to anything we've had so far. They also came with a citrus dipping sauce (which was great in it's own right) in lieu of the traditional ranch or bleu cheese.

The order only comes with four pieces of chicken for $6.50... but wait. Before you dismiss this as a terrible deal you should know that the wing itself is not divided into a wingette and drumette. Instead, it's served as a whole wing. So really, it's like getting an order of 8 wings anywhere else. Not to mention (and I'm not sure if you can tell this by the picture) they are pretty large pieces of chicken. The drumettes are almost the equivalent of a full size drumstick.

After I devoured my lunch (they stood no chance) I had to get up to wash my hands. I came back to find that my whole office smelled like honey & soy wings. I have to say, this made me happy. In fact, and I probably shouldn't be admitting this, I gave the bones one last sniff before I tossed them in the trash. Yes, I liked them that much. I definitely have them in my top five right now, and they're in strong contention for the top spot. The only thing bad I can really say is that I'm sorry this was a solo mission and Jeremy and Steve have to hear about it through this review instead of tasting them for themselves. Well, it's not like I would have shared anyway.

So if you're in the mood to try something a little different, or just want some solid Asian fusion, give Mooncake Foods a try. The service is fast and friendly and the food will not disappoint.

Nicky's of Centerport

Nicky's of Centerport

"Where Everyone's A Regular"

6 Little Neck Road

Centerport, NY 11721

http://www.nickysofcenterport.com/

Map and Directions

Sometimes a place completely takes you by surprise. I have lived in Centerport for about a year and a half now and I have driven by Nicky's everyday. It is in a little, unassuming shopping center just off Northern Boulevard and nothing about the outside of it says "come on in for wings." Don't get me wrong, the parking lot is ALWAYS packed and I just assumed that the price point was good and the food was good enough to get the local Centerport faithful to come in and eat. I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I walked through the door. Please indluge me here while I go on a bit about this place. If you are looking only for the wing review, please skip the next six (6) paragraphs.

To call this place local is to completely underestimate what "local" means. When I walked in, I felt like a tourist, I may as well have been wearing a Goofy t-shirt and Mickey Mouse Ears because everyone seemed to have their place in the bar. I would not have been surprised if they told me that there was assigned seating. They all knew the bartender (Sandy) and she knew all of them. They all knew the waitress, they all knew each other and here I was, a foriegner, crossing their border into a country I did not have a Visa to enter. One patron even brought a board game to play at the bar. Nicky's did not give me a bad feeling, but walking in alone, it was a bit uneasy.

I pulled up a seat at the bar, hoping I did not take someone's assigned seat, and was greeted quickly and kindly by Sandy. I ordered a beer and a menu. As I looked over the menu, a young couple sat down in the two empty seats next to me and they were regulars. Sandy guessed exactly what he was going to order. I ordered my wings and a side of jalapeno poppers. When the wings arrived, I took out my phone and took a picture of the wings (you can see our pictures of most of the places we review on our facebook page). As I took the picture, the couple inquired as to why I was taking a picture of my dinner. I explained to them about the blog and we chatted for a while about wings and the local area.

The young couple told me about Off Broadway, a place in Greenlawn, NY (just south of Centerport), that has a wing night on Wednesdays. They don't have a kitchen, but Lisa's Buffalo Grille (which is right across the street) supplies the wings. They are owned by the same person, according to the husband. They were also very interested in what I thought about Nicky's wings, since Nicky's is known locally for having the best wings. In fact their menu tells you that their wings are their most popular appetizer. The husband also ordered a plate of wings, which was exactly what Sandy had guessed he would order. Something tells me he has had them before, but that is just a guess.

Enter Kenny. An infamous local at Nicky's. He walked in and the insults started flying. Nothing offensive on this night, but from what I can gather, this was more of an off night for him. He was wearing a bright orange sweater, drank red wine and was hilarious to observe.

I heard him reffered to as "Comb-over Kenny" for reasons that would be very obvious if you were there and he did nothing but insult me from the second we spoke to each other. He seemed harmless enough to me, but he has a very wicked tounge at times. I get the sense that they humor him a lot at this place. Kenny owns a local business that claims to be "Specializing in Courtesy" and the people at the bar seem to find this hilarious. He went from calling me a "nice man" to saying that he was "done with me" back to being a "nice man" to saying that I should be kicked out of the bar for being mean to him. I was cracking up. When Sandy came over, I explained to her that Kenny wanted me to be kicked out of the bar, so she bought me a beer. Kenny's plan seemed to backfire.

I have not laughed or had this much fun with people I had never met before in my life in about a decade. By the time I left, I really understood the slogan, "Where Everybody Is A Regular," because I felt like a regular. The young couple, Kenny and Sandy did not care that they had never met me before, I just became a member of the Nicky's family. It was a very good time.

Now, for the reason this blog exists, the wing review. Nicky's offers two different buffalo wings options on their menu. You can order the Half Serving Buffalo Wings for $6.95 ot the Full Serving Buffalo Wings for $9.95. They come in Hot, Medium and Mild. The half serving is 12 wings and the full serving is 25, which makes the wings between under $.60 per wing on the half serving and $.40 per wing on the full serving. That puts their wings about average in price, if not a little below average. I ordered the half serving of Hot wings, I was not feeling 25 wings that night... I would have been hurting.

My dozen hot wings came out and I dug right in. This place is known for its wings for a reason. They were big, juicy and cooked perfectly. I see why people, who know about Nicky's, drive from all over the island to visit this place. They take the traditional hot sauce and do it as well as it can possibly be done. I really have no complaints. They were hot. My nose was running after a few wings and I was actually looking to the jalapeno poppers to soothe the burning... yes, jalapeno poppers worked to soothe the buring in my mouth. I was impressed by the wings and am really pissed that it took me this long to step into Nicky's.

Overall, I really liked Nicky's of Centerport. I suggest that if you are off the beaten path and in the Centerport area, check this place out and definitely try the wings. It is truly a diamond in the rough.

P.S.- T, C, S and yes, even you K... it was very nice meeting you all! Thanks for making me feel at home!

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.

West Taghkanic Diner

West Taghkanic Diner
"The Home of Home Cooking"
Route 82 & Taconic Parkway
West Taghkanic (Ancram), NY 12502
http://www.taghkanicdiner.com/
Map and Directions

This place was awesome! I love old-school, greasy spoon, rail cart diners. I always have. Jody, Jeremy, myself and all of our friends used to hit up 24 hour diners after hockey games, high school events or even hill parties. There is nothing like an egg sandwich at 2 AM! It was a Saturday in April and I was on a mission to sell my boat... begrudgingly. As I was traveling back home after an exhausting day of running from Long Island to Massachusetts and then to Upstate NY and back, this place appeared on the horizon and I was destined to stop.

I will say that I had no idea where I was. Upstate New York is a ways from my stomping grounds and honestly, not a place I choose to visit all that often. I need to give this area a better shot because the diner was amazing. Long counter, multiple booths with tables and chairs thrown in, shiny metallic decor and a neon sign... I mean really, what is cooler than that?

My father and Uncle Phil were with me on this trip and as we walked in I was thinking breakfast for dinner all the way. It is damn near impossible for me to pass up eating breakfast at diners, but they also had wings on the menu and what kind of Wingman would I be if I did not see what the West Taghkanic Diner had to offer?

They had a few flavors of wings on the menu and for about $6.50, you get a dozen wings. That is just over $.50 per wing, which is a pretty good price. The flavors are Hot, Mild, BBQ and Honey Dijon. I asked if they could split the order 6 and 6 and they said sure, so I ordered 6 Hot and 6 Honey Dijon. My father ordered breakfast and Uncle Phil got the fish and chips, which the waiter said was one of their most popular dishes.

The wings were really good. The Hot Wings were traditional and were made well. They had a decent amount of kick while holding on to that quintessential buffalo wing flavor. They were not as crispy as I would like, but the taste and good size of the wing overshadowed the lack of crisp. The Honey Dijon were the best honey mustard wings I have had in a very long time. They were large, juicy and covered in honey mustard. They were perfectly prepared and the flavor was amazing. They are worth the trip up the Taconic Parkway. I am truly bummed that I live so far from this place.

The fish and chips, according to my uncle were pretty good and my dad enjoyed his eggs, fries, sausage and rye toast. The food at West Taghkanic Diner is better than one would expect when driving by the neon sign on the south side of Route 82. The service is a bit suspect (they forgot to bring me my fries, my dad only got 2 of his 3 eggs and they brought him white toast... he ordered rye), but they corrected their mistakes quickly and were happy to do so.

I suggest that if you are ever in the area, stop by and give this place a try... you won't be disappointed and you can buy a t-shirt as a souvenir.

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.