Product Review: Michele's Buffalo Supreme Popcorn

Michele's Totally Awesome Gourmet Popcorn
PO Box 1662
Concord, NH 03302-1662
603-798-5300
www.michelesweetshoppe.com

Jody and I were at a Yankees game a few months back when Rebecca P., one of the Wingmen faithful, contacted us about a product she wanted us to try.  Despite my stupidity about what she meant by "mail you something to try" (see our Facebook page for the comment on April 27, 2011 for what I mean), she was able to ensure that a large bag of Buffalo Supreme popcorn arrived for us to review.

That's a big bag o'popcorn!

Michele's Totally Awesome Gourmet Popcorn operates out of Concord, NH, and was founded by Michele and Dave Holbrook in 2007. This family-run business is not only an American phenomenon, but has been shipping globally too.  Michele's offers twenty flavors of popcorn that include Cookies-n-Cream, Peanut Butter Cup, Caramel Apple, Garlic &Rosemary, Cajun BBQ, Dark Chocolate Orange and many others.  Their fresh, sweet, savory and deluxe flavors of popcorn were selected for the Official SWAG Bags of the 37th Annual Daytime and Sports Emmy Award Shows of 2010.

The popcorn arrived with a note that says "The Wingmen, Rebecca P. wanted you to give this a try. Let us & her know what you think. Michele" so here it goes: upon opening the bag, the aroma of buffalo wings fills your nose making you think a fresh plate of wings has just arrived at your table.  As you take a bite, the flavor of hot sauce and butter fill your mouth and before you know it, your nose is running from the heat.  This popcorn is spicy!  It was everything I could do to stop myself from eating the whole bag.  The buffalo blend seasoning captures the wing flavor quite well and the canola oil seems to act like the clarified butter.  The only thing missing is a bleu cheese drizzle, which I can make happen with a quick drive to the supermarket!

Check out Michele's by heading to www.michelesweetshoppe.com or by visiting them on Facebook.  Michele's Totally Awesome Gourmet Buffalo Supreme Popcorn is Wingmen approved!  I can't wait to try some of the other flavors... Cajun BBQ has piqued my interest.

Thanks Rebecca P. and Michele for the support!

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!

Blackbird's in Astoria

41-19 30th Ave.
Astoria, NY 11103
Website

This trip started with an email I got from our correspondent in the field, BJ:

"Meant to text you yesterday, but I went for a nice long walk yesterday, ended up at a place called Blackbirds, solid place, nice, laid back (at least during the weekend/day), also there was a really cute bartender, she looked like a redheaded Amy Poehler. 

Anywhoozles, she and a couple of patrons told me that they believe the wings there are the best in NY.  I said, “Best in NY?  That’s bold, are you sure you don’t mean best in NYC or Queens or Astoria?”  They assured me that they meant best in NY.  So, challenge thrown down…"

I agreed. That's a mighty bold statement. To say you not only have the best wings in NYC, but all of New York is pretty gutsy. You don't need me to tell you that Buffalo, home of the hot wing, the Mecca, falls into this jurisdiction. The more I thought about it, the more I realized the magnitude of this claim. For me, if you're saying you have the best wings in all of New York, you might as well be saying you have the best wings in the country. And if you're saying that, you might as well be saying you have the best wings in the world. Wow. Could it be possible that the best wings on the face of the planet were right under our noses in Astoria? Obviously I assembled a team to find out.

Original tipster, BJ, fellow food blogger, Lee (2plus2 NYC Review) and I met at Blackbirds on a Wednesday night. Wednesdays are great because they have half priced wings and four dollar draught beers served in mason jars. Already I liked their style. Bring on the wings. As per usual, the BBQ did nothing for me. I had to test them out though, for science. They were just your typical, sweet, slighlty tangy wing that I've never been too fond of. I will say though that there was a nice coat of sauce, so if you're into BBQ there's a good chance you'll like these.

They also offer mild, hot and Nuclear. Since BJ is a huge wuss and can't take the heat, we ended up going with mild. These were solid. The flavor was a very traditional hot sauce and butter concoction. It was a bit tangy, which I like, a tad salty, which I also like and, considering we ordered mild, there was a decent amount of heat. It was still enough to make BJ sweat, although he'd break a sweat if we replaced the sauce with ketchup so I don't know if that's saying much.

In general, the wings were cooked pretty well with a great crisp but they were a little on the skimpy side. The flavors were solid but nothing ground breaking. Would I eat them again? Absolutely. Were they the best wings ever known to mankind? Probably not. Blackbirds was a pretty cool place though with a good beer selection and friendly service. Plus I always like hanging out in that part of Astoria. I can recommend it as a good place to meet up with some friends and catch up over a cold beer and some wings while watching the game.

O'neills Is The Latest Wing Spot To Fall Victim To Fire

[Queens Courier] A 5-alarm fire engulfed O’Neill’s Restaurant in Maspeth [on May 1st] sending six fire fighters to the hospital.

The call came in just after midnight of a fire at 64-21 53rd Drive. The fifth alarm came after 3 a.m. and the fire was under control at 3:23 a.m.

One hundred and ninety-eight fire fighters responded to the scene. The six injured were taken to Elmhurst hospital.


O’Neill’s Restaurant has been a Maspeth fixture since 1933. There is no known cause of the fire. An investigation is under way.


"O'Neill's Restaurant has been a staple in Maspeth," said Conuncilmember Elizabeth Crowley. "Last night's tragic fire was a loss for the whole community."

Well, I don't know how I'm going to break this news to Jeremy. This is one of his favorite wing joints. I'm really kicking myself now for never having made it there. I can't tell you how many times I told Jeremy we should go and then one thing or another came up. Well, RIP O'neills. Hopefully you can pull through and reopen a new location in the future.

- Thanks to Joe Piscatella for the heads up.

A New Champ is Crowned!

Bell Peppers... wimps.  Jalapeños... pantie-waists.  Ghost Chiles... move over, a new champ is in town and its name is the Trinidad Scorpion Butch T Chile.  This pepper is equivalent of just about 1.5 Million SHU (scoville heat units).  To give you a sense as to what that means, well, a Bell Pepper has 0 SHU, Jalapeño ranges from 2,500 to 5,000 SHU and the Ghost Chile hits just over 1 Million SHU.  Good luck eating that bad boy.

Naga Jolokia is also known as the Ghost Chile

By the way... the growers say this pepper gets its heat from "worm juice" which is liquid runoff from a worm farm.  Yummy.

$.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.