Wingnuts

Yes, I'm a wingnut, but you know that.

I have friends who are also wingnuts. Others are just nuts. I love them all.

Druther's are good - mild, nice cheese sauce, could be cripsier

The first time I had wings was in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on the rooftop patio of a pub on Spring Garden Row. It was 1984. Wing night meant 10-cent wings. I don't remember much about them except they were delicious - greasy, fried, and great with beer. The idea, back then, was to offer up a cheap snack to get us to drink more beer, which we were happy to do. For just a few loonies those were short but perfect summer evenings.

McGeary's Pub - these were excellent but others were disappointed when they were there earlier in the day

Fast forward 15 years. Since that summer I swear as Zeus is my witness I hadn't eaten another wing. They were not ubiquitous pub food, at least not in Canada. Or it could be I just skipped ordering them, sticking to "healthier" options like fish and chips and pizza and burgers. So anyway, I'm visiting Buffalo and someone insisted we go to Anchor Bar and eat wings.

Max Lager's Smoked Firecracker Wings in Atlanta, GA were crisp and tender but firecracker not

Did I ever - the entire order, the blue cheese dip, carrots and celery, a couple of pints. Did it again the next time I was in Buffalo, 2014, back at Anchor Bar in that windswept downtown. Yes, my superpowers with respect to eating wings can be pretty amazing, even at five-foot-f#*k-all 100 lbs soaking wet. This is where wings with hot sauce (Frank's) got their start, and trust me, they are still some of the best you could ever wish for: tender, slide off the bones, crispy, saucy - like all over your hands and face and clothes and in your hair. Not pretty, but wonderful.

Albany Pump Station - big and tender, a bit flabby. Carrot stumps and lettuce didn't cut it. 

Superbowl and wings??? Suburban myth has it that from 1990 to 1993 when the Buffalo Bills played the superbowl four years in a row that there was a connection, and now with an estimated 1.25 billion wings being eaten on game day alone. Sunrise even has a video so we can see how they keep up with the demand. It's not gory, FYI. So, what used to be the throw away, what was once a very unloved chicken part is now a booming business. Almost every fast food chain across the U.S. has dipped into selling wings, including "fake" boneless wings, which are really just breast meat (lower in fat, I guess, and easier to eat). Garlic parm and sriracha and maple chipotle and bbq and teriyaki and all kinds of other sauces and spices abound.

Hill Street Cafe - excellent: ask for extra sauce

But I still prefer the basics: crispy, hot, buttery, spicy Buffalo wings. No breading, bright orange, messy and zesty.  And there better be fresh carrot AND celery sticks, and thick blue cheese dressing to cool things off.

Graney's Stout on North Pearl has great wings - homemade dressing, a lick of parm in the sauce, perfect!!!

I went with a couple of my favorite wingnuts to eat wings over the weekend. I was impressed at how HUGE the wings were, everywhere we went. Restaurants must have a corner on the market because I can't find those at the grocery store.  I ate until I was about ready to pop but I didn't impress anyone with my superpowers this time...  (:

20 North Broadway in Schenectady still has the BEST wings in the area - crispy, crispy, crispy, tender and saucy (like me!)

And the price of wings has skyrocketed. Wings were for making stock. They were cheap!!! Now, during football season I think it's cheaper to buy super-natural boneless skinless chicken breasts than it is to buy wings. Go figure.Yes, I make wings at home. I never met a fried food I wouldn't eat. Next time I indulge I'll take some pics and send you the recipe. Or better yet, bring the beer and we'll make them together!!!

xxx

Zena, Winged Goddess of Fire