Duke’s

You win some, you lose some.

Monday, Game 5, Yanks up 3 games to 1. Cliff Lee on the mound for Philly, AJ Burnett for the Yanks. A group of 6 gather around the table at Duke’s in anticipation of the Yanks clinching the World Series.

“Duke’s Original Roadhouse prides itself on delicious huge-portioned meals, friendly and fast service in a relaxed atmosphere. The staff is always welcoming while serving up the finest comfort food like Ma’s Macaroni and Cheese or our Kansas City Sloppy “Fall-Off-the-Bone” Ribs, the tastiest Southern Hurricanes and Duke-A-Ritas this side of the Mason Dixon. One visit and you’ll understand why “Everybody loves Duke’s!” (link)

And the pitch…Ball 1. Yankee fans cheer, Philly fans (well who cares what they think) yet we only cared about one thing, and that’s WINGS. As play resumes we order up from the menu an assortment of Billy Bobs Famous Chicken Wings. Now, the only famous Billy Bob I know of ends in Thornton, and I’m still distraught over the fact he wasn’t even nominated for an Academy Award for his role in Bad Santa. Come on Academy how could you pass that one over?  Rodriguez doubles and Damon scores! 1-0 Yanks!

While the Yanks have a not-so-commanding lead our assortment of wings arrive at the table; Buffalo, Honey BBQ, Cajun, and Buffalo Chicken Fingers. There is also an option to “holler if u like ‘em hot” which we most certainly did! As we dive into schmorgisborg of fried chicken, Rollins singled to center, and Victorino was just hit by a pitch. This is not looking good, and unfortunately for us, neither were the wings. Dry, inconsistent, and un-flavorful, these wings tasted like the fryer oil hasn’t been changed in quite some time. The best out of the batch were the Honey BBQ, only because there was some sort of sweetness to them along with the Chicken Fingers (they actually had a buffalo-like sauce on them). Apparently we also didn’t ‘holler’ loud enough because we like ‘em hot, and we surely did ‘holler’ but they were nothing more than medium, alas. Luckily there was a large assortment of hot sauces around to help…somewhat. Utley, 3-run Homer…this was not a good night for the Yanks, nor was it for our wing adventure.

Tonight’s special guests were Chandra, Jon, and Sam (who is a Phillies fan, but we wont rub it in too much). Here’s what they had to say.

Chandra: The “holler” (xspicy) wasn’t spicy to me, more like a mild. The Honey BBQ was the crispiest which I really enjoyed. I wasn’t too keen on the Cajun flavor and found the boneless regular buffalo to be spicier than the ‘holler’, and they were very good. A great experience with good friends. Would probably come back – but not for the wings. Thanks Pete for the invite (some smiley symbol, another something, and a heart). Overall Score: 6. Awww thanks Chandra, it was great having you, we’ll have to go review that place which has wings on a wooden stick!

Jon said the Honey BBQ were crispy; not overbearingly sweet; no kick whatsoever to these wings. The Cajun were crispy, no sauce. Again, no kick to these. The tenders were saucy with crispy breading. Strong flavor with real heat. And for the Spicy Buffalo, he said he had one wing that was spicy, but it seems that the hot sauce wasn’t very evenly distributed. Nonetheless it was a tasty wing. Overall Score: 7, and said he would return.

Sam stated the Cajun style wings were a bit dry and tasted more like a chicken sandwich with bread than boney juicy wings. I really enjoyed the Honey BBQ. The skin was flavorful with the meat making the entire wing enjoyable. For the Buffalo hot wings she added, the meat was tender and enjoybaboe and the food sat easily. As for “hot”? Not at all. Overall Score: 5.

Billy Bobs Famous Chicken Wings buffalo honey bbq or cajun, holler if u like ‘em hot - Dozen $7.99

WATCs Scoring:
Sauciness: 2/5
Amt. of Meat: 2.5/5
Heat Index: 1.5/5
Quality: 2.5/5
Overall Experience: 4/10

Would we return?: For sports and some beers, but not for the wings.

And yes, that’s the couple known as ‘Kimeith’ who had the pleasure of reviewing Mudville 9 (link) which was a winner for them.

Duke’s
560 Third Avenue at 37th Street (see site for other locations)
Phone: 212.949.5400
http://www.dukesnyc.com

Pound and Pence

Top of the Morning to ya. Crikey, that ain’t right. How about Smashing Forenoon? Right then.

It was a Tuesday and myself and some blokes were feeling a little peckish after work. Looking to get together for a piss up, and get some nosh, we chose to head over to Pound and Pence, or in my own acronymical world, £ and p.

Pound and Pence is an authentic English Pub that marries “the best of traditional pub decor with contemporary American-influenced cuisine.” 

As the Web site describes, The décor features a traditional English pub atmosphere with several “snugs” for semi private get-togethers. The furniture and the etched glass windows were designed and manufactured in the UK, creating the authenticity of an English pub….Pound & Pence also features a mezzanine living room, as well as a library room, where guests can unwind from a demanding day. There, one may indulge in a brandy and relax in the luxurious leather wing chairs while reading a book, or while challenging a colleague to a game of chess, snooker or billiards. (link)

Hold on…did I hear they have WING CHAIRS??? Jolly Good, I say!

As we sat in the lovely wing chairs on the beautiful mezzanine, I can say you do get the feeling of being in a traditional English Pub. It was well nice.
We ordered a round and took a gander at the menu. The two items that caught our attention were the Nelson’s Wings and the Trafalgar. The Trafalgar are chicken tenders in a buffalo sauce while the Nelson’s Wings were actual wings in the shape of Nelson’s Tower (I kid, I kid). Right then, what was I going on about? Oh yeah wings…

Considering Buffalo Wings are an American dish, and this is an English Pub I honestly didn’t think these were going to be my cup of tea. I was actually expecting a bottle of HP sauce to be delivered to our table. Yet to my surprise these wings were truly buffalo-style, with a kick that left a bit of condensation on my forehead. A bit on the smaller side, and a little buttery, but the extra sauce on the side made up for it.  I can’t say they were smashing, but overall very good. The Trafalgar were excellent as chicken fingers, nice crisp breading, though lacking on the buffalo sauce…perhaps the chef forgot to add it. Nonetheless, both served the need for some good pub grub.

Let’s hear what my mates had to say.

Jack said they were a bit inconsistent, some meaty and slightly soggy, while others were lean and crispy. Good flavor though and could be hotter for his taste. Overall score of a 6 and said he would return.

Anthony said he really enjoyed the texture – not too fried but there definitely could be more meat per wing. Spice Index = Average, definitely should have more kick, and decent blue cheese. He said ordering the side cup of sauce was definitely needed. Overall good time – best way to describe wings as a whole is comparable to typical bar wings. Overall score: 7 and said he also would return.

As I put paid to this review I’d like to point out some of you may recognize the bugger on the right…yup, that’s Matt, our guest reviewer from Nolita House (link).  So if you see him out and about, make sure to say hi.

I just hope I’m not feeling too knackered tomorrow morning!

Nelson’s Wings – with celery & bleu cheese – $7.75 (or £4.74)
Trafalgar – Chicken tenders in a buffalo sauce with blue cheese.  – $8.75 (or £5.35)

WATCs Scoring:
Sauciness: 3/5
Amt. of Meat: 2.5/5
Heat Index: 3/5
Quality: 3.5/5
Overall Experience: 7/10

Would we return?: I recommend this place if you’re looking for a nice afterwork relaxing atmosphere, excellent selection of libations and the wings are enjoyable enough. Cheers!

Pound & Pence

55 Liberty St.

New York, NY 10005

(212) 716-1141

www.poundandpence.com

40/40 Club

When a man like Jay-Z wants a place to watch sports in an “environment that is conducive to his lifestyle”, what does he do? Naturally he, along with partner Juan Perez, open their own 15,000 square foot sports bar (or several of them).

The 40/40 Club is named after one of baseball’s most prestigious achievements…a player who hits 40 home runs and steals 40 bases in one season. (more about the 40/40 club here)

So when a man like Pete wants to eat wings with a harem of beautiful ladies, what does he do? Naturally, he makes reservations at the 40/40 club. After all if you’re gonna be Big Pimpin’, you might as well take it to the master.

Upon entering the copius club you are first drawn to the 6 chairs suspended from the ceiling. Yay, swings!!! Looking around you can’t miss the 15 flatscreen TV’s of all sizes in every direction. Who needs a DirectTV sports package when you can just go here! When you eventually glance skyward, you are awed by four giant, two-sided projection screens. Guitar Hero would ROCK on these bad boys, alas there was no PS3 to be found.

We sat down and jumped right into the menu and ordered up the Breaded Buffalo Wings (mild and hot) and BBQ Chicken Wings.

The platters arrived and were greeted with smiling, giddy enthusiasm from the ladies. I’m gonna keep it simple as there are many reviews to come. The BBQ were great, a sweet tangy sauce and cooked just right. The Buffalo-style wings, weren’t your typical Buffalo wing. When I think Buffalo, I think of wings covered in sauce. These were more of a fried chicken style with very little sauce but the flavor was melded into the breading, which tasted good. The mild wings didn’t have any spice to them, but made for a nice fried chicken wing (then again you all know my feeling on mild wings by now anyway). The spicy were good with a little kick, not too much to overwhelm anybody, and had nice flavor. Again, not saucy, but nice and crispy…they make for good sport-viewing snackable wings.

After devouring the excess amount of food on our tables, the wonderful hostess, Brittany, took us on a tour of the Private VIP rooms. A premium Congnac Room, the Rémy Lounge, and the highly anticipated “Jay’s Room” (which to the disappointment of the ladies, Jay was not in). Each with entertainment systems, some with pool tables, pinball machine, and all with leather couches with a plethora of pillows to ensure the ultimate pillow fight. Sports memorabilia is displayed all over and every jersey is autographed. Each of the rooms are available for private affairs, so give Brittany a call if you’d like to have a kick-ass sport-themed party…and good Cognac.

Enough from me though, let’s hear what the lovely ladies-of-the-evening thought!

• Sinem: (editor’s note: The views and opinions implied herein are those of the author and contributor and do not necessarily reflect the views of WATC)
  Sinem’s Hot, Spicy, Sexy, Wing Review: I had a nice time but I wished I could have been able to see the food, it’s super dark in here. The spicy ones were really succulent and tasty, tangy, and yummy…like me! The wings could have been a little hotter baby! They were nicely done, not saucy. Oh, and one more thing, I couldn’t get to the blue cheese cup, it was too small. But I really liked the spicy wings and the BBQ. The dry mild wings were similar to KFC (which I ♥), but on the dry side, like the Sahara Desert. Jay-Z ♥’s Sinem. She gave an overall score of 7 and said she would return for a sporting event in the Private rooms. ♥
• Cara: The Spicy Buffalo wings were perfect for the faint at heart. They flirted with the threshold of being too spicy for beginners. Not quite saucy enough but nice amount of meat. Jay-Z hooks it up! She said the BBQ were good, but a little too sweet. Overall Score: 7 and possibly would return.
• Arzu: The hot wings had an odd scent, most likely from burnt oil in the deep fryer. I would say the wings are below average, if not disappointing. The BBQ was the best out of the three. Overall score: 4 and said she wouldn’t return just for the wings.
• Sibel: Well Sibel doesn’t eat wings, but we’re glad she made the trek out and added to the funness that we had.
• Asli: I can’t handle too hot, so for me it was perfect. But I feel like it would be too mild for anyone else. Overall score: 6 and possibly would return.
• Pinar: Lacking a little heat for me. The mild had absolutely no spice at all. The hot was mild. Asking for extra hot sauce makes all the difference. Love the crispiness. Overall score: 7, and said she would return.
• Michele: The Mild wings need more flavor in the sauce and more saucy/juiciness. The crispiness is great, but just a bit dry. The Hot sauce itself is hot and nice but on wings it seemed dry – Need to toss wings in more sauce. Overall score: 4, but she would return. Check out some of her singing at (www.michelekarmin.com).

Breaded Buffalo Wings (mild or hot)…12
BBQ Chicken Wings…13

WATCs Scoring:
Sauciness: 2/5
Amt. of Meat: 4/5
Heat Index: 2.5/5
Quality: 3/5
Overall Experience: 6.5/10

Would we return?: Definitely to watch some games (but not just for the wings). I do recommend this place for people who want to catch a game, and have some wings to snack on.

The 40/40 Club – Locations around the country
6 W 25th St (between 5th Ave & Avenue Of The Americas)
New York, NY 10010
(212) 832-4040
www.the4040club.com

Interesting NY Times Article

Thanks to our many readers for emailing WATC this interesting piece about the Price of Chicken Wings and how it is affecting all of us.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/13/business/economy/13wings.html

Mugs Ale House

Previously on Wings and the City…

Pete, Tonylee, and Ruchi were couped up like chickens at The Habitat (link) in Greenpoint.
After a daring prison escape, though not as exciting as Steve McQueen jumping a fence on a motorcycle, they were soon on the run in the streets of Brooklyn. Needing transportation, they quickly hi-jacked an MTA bus using their Metrocard as the weapon of choice. The fugitives then headed south of the border into the epicenter of ‘hipness’ aka Williamsburg…

And now…The Conclusion.

In a desperate search to indulge on more wings (and beer) we entered Mugs Ale House. Mugs is an old-style looking pub with an extensive beer menu. Hundreds of delectable thirst-quenching beverages from around the world to satisfy the taste buds of anyone with a craving for beer. What else that’s special about Mugs is the excellent Burgers specifically the “Williamsburger”. I’m a big fan.

But I digress…we’re not here to talk about Beer and Burgers (I believe there’s a blog or 9000 about that somewhere else in blogland) so let’s get on to the wings.

After waiting about 20 minutes (not bad, it was Friday night after-all) our delightful waitress (apparently suffering from a multiple-personality disorder) offered up a booth for 2. There’s 3 of us, so a little squeezing in was required, but we made do. The choice for wings here is simple…Medium or Hot. Of course we only go for Hot. We even tried to get our waitress to join in on the wing tasting, but unfortunately other customers also wanted food…the nerve of them!

I absolutely love the wings here. Best pub wings by far, and overall just plain great. They’re always solid, meaty, well-cooked, and contain the perfect amount of sauce with a nice kick (there does seem to be a ting of bbq sauce in there too). Mugs is always a standby for me to grab Wings & Beer. The vibe and the simplicity of it all makes for a great Wing Date! And was a great closer to our Little Wing adventure this evening.

Tonylee and Ruchi of Team Wingdings were troupers for the night. After the exhausting escape from Greenpoint they still had it in them to chow down more wings.

Tonylee wrote: MMMMMM. That’s 6 M’s and that equals YUM. There’s a subtle fire in my mouth that I am really enjoying. This is a place for old school bar food wings. It was/is a pleasure. Me Happy. Definitely Check it! Overall rating: 9.

Ruchi said the wings had a great spicy aroma and a nice burn – but I feel like they weren’t as flavorful as they could have been. A burn without complexity. There was also this strange sweet flavor that didn’t quite agree. I think wings should be tangy and hot. I also think that while they had a nice crispness, they had a ‘baked’ feeling (I think it was the sauce). Overall nice burn, good meatiness, flavor could have been better. The bleu cheese was just ok – could have had more texture and flavor. Overall rating: 7.

Buffalo Style Wings served with bleu cheese, celery and carrots sticks, mild, medium or hot $6

WATCs Scoring:
Sauciness: 4/5
Amt. of Meat: 4/5
Heat Index: 4/5
Quality: 4/5
Overall Experience: 9/10

Would we return?: Definitely…It’s the place I would take friends that want a wing and beer night, and not disappoint.

In closing I just want to give special thanks to Team Wingdings for a wonderful evening out on the town in our glorious search for wings…you guys rock!

Mugs Ale House

125 Bedford Avenue (between 10th St & 11th St)

Brooklyn, NY 11211

(718) 486-8232

www.mugsalehouse.com

The Habitat

Pt. 1 of our Two-venue / One-night wing adventure

hab⋅i⋅tat /ˈhæbɪˌtæt/ –noun
1.  the natural environment of an organism; place that is natural for the life and growth of an organism
2. the place where a person or thing is usually found.

Since the Natural Habitat of my guests and myself is the greatest borough of NYC, Brooklyn (aka the new Manhattan) we decided to hit up two spots near our current residences.

Many years ago a great migration across the East River from the Island of Manhattan sent artists, musicians, and people in search of larger spaces for lesser rent, to the borough of Brooklyn. Or perhaps they were just in search of better pizza…I mean where else can you grab arguably the best pizza in the world then walk a few steps to enjoy the best ice-cream while watching the boats go by (you know what I’m talking about!).

We started the night at Habitat in Greenpoint, the northern-most neighborhood in Brooklyn, also known as “Little Poland” due to the large amounts of Polish immigrants (Pierogi anyone?).  For me, getting up to Habitat means I have the wonderful opportunity to take my favorite subway line, the G-train. Yes, I <3 the G-train in all it’s inferior-complexity, it never fails me!

After 9 minutes on the G, I found myself two blocks from Habitat with my wonderful guests arriving simultaneously (and at the same time). Habitat has been on the WATC list for a while…we’ve heard rave reviews about the food there, and since wings are on the menu, this of course had to be checked out.

Habitat is a nice, warm, yet small spot with great woodwork throughout. The layout sort of gives you that ‘couped up’ feeling. We were lucky to find 3 stools at the bar and ordered up some drinks, waffle fries (yum) and wings from the cool dude behind the bar.

The wings were delivered in a nice looking sauce, with a pleasant scent along with blue cheese, celery, and carrots (yay!). As I bit into the first wing, I was pleasantly happy, it had a slight touch of heat, a nice flavorful sauce, and good texture (perhaps not ‘as’ crispy as I like, but still cooked well). They’re a touch on the smaller size as wings go but were plenty enough for a good snack. My only issue with the wings is the sauce seems to be too buttery. As much as I love butter, they left a ‘slight’ lingering taste similar as having too much movie-theater buttered popcorn. Not horrible, just noticeable. Overall they stood the test. On a side note, the blue cheese was very good…finally ‘real’ blue cheese!

My special guests were the Wingman and Wingwoman (aka Team Wingdings) of Tonylee and Ruchi. As always, it’s a pleasure to be in their company and was looking forward to spending the night running around town sampling wings with them.

Tonylee jotted, I Enjoyed the experience overall. The wings definitely gave me the heat aftertaste that I love. My mouth is still feeling the development of complex flavors a few minutes after finishing my last bite. Great margaritas and fries as well. Staff is awesome!!! He said he would return and gave an Overall Rating of 8.

Ruchi said the wings had a great Buffalo-y aroma coming out – always a god sign. The sauce was not too hot, could have been hotter, but they did have a nice peppery kick. Great texture – moist meat (tasted fresh), nice amount of sauce. They could have been a little more meaty, but the taste was great – still tasting them after. Crispy celery and carrots too. She also said she would return and gave an Overall Score of 8.

6 wings for $5 or 12 for $9…Rumor has it they have 25 cent wings on Tuesday nights.

WATCs Scoring:
Sauciness: 3/5
Amt. of Meat: 2.5/5
Heat Index: 2.5/5
Quality: 3.5/5
Overall Experience: 7/10

Would we return?: I wouldn’t travel out of the way just for the wings, yet if I was there I’d definitely order up a dozen.

Habitat

988 Manhattan Ave

Brooklyn, NY 11226

(718) 383-5615

www.thehabitatbrooklyn.com

Tune in next week for Pt. 2 of our adventure as we head south into Williamsburg.

Mudville 9

The Outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Mudville nine that day…or was it?

The text read, “we’re all going for wings tonight, and you’re coming with.”
A sharp pain ran up my left arm…fortunately, it wasn’t an oncoming heart attack…it was that twisting-of-the-arm feeling which really wasn’t necessary…you had me at wings.

With a rush to finish up whatever it is I actually do for a living (and you thought I just ate wings, right?), I hastily ran to the nearest subway headed downtown to Mudville 9.

Family owned and operated since 1977, this establishment fancies itself to the likings of a neighborhood bar & grill. With 15 flat-screen TV’s and the largest ‘pusher’ of beer in Tribeca (24 draft & over 76 bottled varieties), they even have a “Beer Club”, which is always in some sort of turf war with the “Liver Club” and the “Walk of Shame Club”

Oh, and did I mention they have something like 11 flavors of wings?!?!!!

That’s right, and this was an extra special night for all because Leks and Elisa happened to be joining in for this wing excursion (read their guest review of Bar89), so just like wings…the more the merrier.

With so many different flavors to try I could go go on forever describing each wing…instead, I’ll just gloss over them:

• Smokey BBQ – ohsogoodyesillhavemorethanks
• Teriyaki – ohsogoodyesillhavemorethanks
• Jamaican Jerk – ohsogoodillhavemorethanks(thoughnotreallyaspicyjerksaucetheyaremoresweet)
• Buffalo WOW – ohsogoodillhavemorethanksperfectamountofspice
• Buffalo SUPER WOW – ohsogoodyesillhavemorethankstheyareawesomeforthosewholikethemhotwithflavorlikemyself

Granted, the preceding words do not consist of many adjectives, and perhaps one of the flavors was a bit dry, and with everyone having their own unique preferences, what I say here should only come across as one thing…If you are looking to find some of the best wings in NYC, Mudville 9 is the place for you!!! There’s a reason they’ve won the “Best Chicken Wings in NYC” award.

Do our Special Guests agree? Let’s go to the Video Tape!
To add even more to the awesomeness (heh, I said ‘ness’) of the evening, I was joined by the uber-cool couple, Kim & Keith…or as nobody calls them, Kimeith, which should also be noted, is in no way associated with that other couple, Kimchee.

Keith’s take: Ok so I spent many a dollar on wings. Going to college in Boston we had several wing places, this gave me the basis for my view on wings…First off you get the heat from the wow. The vinegary, salty burn hits you after the first wing. Tabasco is certainly not held back. The Super Wow, I am not sure was that much hotter than the previous ‘wow’.
Cut to the chase, It’s a good solid wing and the jukebox has some great tunes. If you are downtown and need a wing fix…try it. Overall Rating: 8.5

Kim said the wings were meaty, crispy, and saucy, but actual meat was a bit dry (all other factors made up for that). The burn lasted for several minutes – indicating adequate spices. I also liked the Smokey BBQ.  The Teriyaki were good if you like Sesame or General Tso’s chicken. The Jamaican Jerk were tasty, but more fruity and saucy than I’d expected – should have been called Caribbean. Overall Rating: 8

One of the best Specials I’ve seen… HAVE A WING DING!!!! – All you can eat wings, fries, unlimited pitchers of beer for 2 hours!!!! $24.95/person, 6 person minimum, $29.95/ for premium beer

Based on the Buffalo Wow

Sauciness: 4/5
Amt. of Meat: 4/5
Heat Index: 4/5
Quality: 4/5
Overall Experience: 10/10 – WATC’s First Perfect Score!!!

Would I return?: YES! Even if each type of wing is not to your particular liking, the overall experience is perfect, a little something for everyone.

As I move onto the next adventure, I leave you with this…a slightly revised version of Ernest Lawrence Thayer’s writings

The sweat is gone from Peter’s lip, his teeth are clenched in hate;
He pounds with cruel violence his wing upon the plate.
And now the pitcher holds the beer, and now it lets it go,
And now the wing is shattered by the force of Peter’s blow.

Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;
But there IS joy in Mudville – (those) mighty wings HAVE NOT struck out.

Mudville 9
126 Chambers St
New York, NY
212.964-9464
www.mudville9.com

Sixth Ward

What started as an early Fall daytime drinking outing turned in to a early evening mini-wing fling for these three lucky friends. Kara, Daniel and Josh chose Sixth Ward this fine Sunday afternoon, and sat in the lovely beer garden to imbibe in their favorites: Magners hard cider (Kara), Guinness (Josh) and Boddingtons (Daniel). After the first few drinks were had, their attention turned to the food menu written on the outdoor wall. The WINGS in particular caught their attention, and an official Mini Wing Fling was born.

The Sixth Ward, nicknamed “The Bloody Ould Sixth Ward” back in the 1800’s, was a social gathering place for the impoverished of the infamous ‘Five Points’ neighborhood. Originally an Irish whisky bar, at the turn of the century a new wave of immigrants moved in and the neighborhood, along with the bar, could truly be called a melting pot. Maybe that’s why we felt so comfortable?

it's almost criminal our love for wings

Your wing choices at Sixth Ward include buffalo or boneless, and we went with the buffalo as Daniel wouldn’t hear of ordering boneless because “unless you have the skin and cartilage to munch on and bones to tear meat from they’re not chicken wings.”  Go carnivores!

The wings came served up with a nice presentation, and everything appeared to be in good wing working order: wings, extra Sauce on the plate, celery (Josh’s fav), carrots, napkins…ok we’re ready to go.

we're wing-eyed

Daniel’s take: Them’s some moderately decent wings that would easily satiate any lazy wings craving, but I wouldn’t walk far for them. I would go back only if I had a craving attack whilst walking by the restaurant.

made in 1974

Josh’s take: I might wash these down with a beer, but thinking about them wouldn’t keep me up at night. I would have loved a more succulent wing and some sauce with a little more bite. But as they are, they were fine with my Guinness stout.

sophisticated dipping

Kara’s take: You all know I eat a lot of wings, and these pretty much hit my average mark on all points, including spice level. Pleasantly surprised that I didn’t need to order extra sauce as I usually do, as the plate was already pretty coated.

Based on the Buffalo Wing – $7.95
Sauciness: 4/5
Amt. of Meat: 2.5/5
Heat Index: 3/5
Quality: 3/5
Overall rating: 6/10

Would we return? Yes for the beer garden, eh maybe for the wings.

The Sixth Ward
191 Orchard Street
New York, NY 10002
p: 212-228-9888

www.sixthwardnyc.com

Social

Depending on if I took my prescribed Seroquel, sometimes I feel like being a Social Butterfly (I hear it has an effect) or other times I like being an Antisocial Reject. In this bipolar, schizophrenic, borderline personality disorder world of wings we live in, there are some places that have it together, some that work out their issues, while others should seek professional therapy.

Social, in Hells Kitchen, is a modern-looking, extravagant, 3-floor (apparently there’s a roof deck) Irish Pub you can’t miss. The Firehouse-red building beckons you to venture in, and what ventures in is a potpourri of suits, locals, tourists, 20-40 -somethings, to a whole entourage of something-elses. This hodgepodge of inhabitants accompanied by the top 40 mix of music is a bit dizzying (perhaps a side effect of Seroquel), yet energetic…I felt like a wing-nut in the psych-wing at Bellevue.

Pulling up to the bar table, a waitress quickly descended upon us for our drink order…it is happy hour after-all and she wanted to make sure we were happy. So far we were…I guess my meds are working.

Social offers up Hell’s Kitchen Hot Wings (Free-Range Chicken Wings)…this sounds promising cause when I think of Hell I envision 9 circles of suffering. We asked for the two hottest levels, coincidentally, the only two levels…Mild and Spicy. What we received was a lukewarm response.

The wings looked good and had that lovely familiar wing scent…yet biting into them instantly brought me out of my happy place. Flavor was ok, but no spice to them whatsoever…oh wait these are just the mild (which should be stricken from the Oxford Dictionary)…Bipolar Pete is Bipolar, but still has hopes for the Spicy wings.

Unfortunately those hopes were soon dashed as I sunk my teeth into the soggy, generic wing…sans the ‘spicy’ part. Mediocre at best is how I can describe them. Upon further investigation into the wings I noticed the only difference between the two is the so-called ‘spicy’ wings had an addition of crushed red pepper flakes. Apparently Hell has frozen over and I need another does of my meds.

My lovely guests this evening were Debbie and Melanie who ventured in via LIRR and Metro North for this wing adventure.

Debbie likes her wings CRISPY and the sauce more baked on. They were meaty and saucy but said the heat needs more of a kick to it, yet she did say she had great company (awe Deb, you rock!). She may return and gave an overall rating of 6.

Melanie, who traveled in from the Constitution state (for reasons unknown to me is also called the Nutmeg State) said she doesn’t think she would travel in for these wings again. “I was disappointed in the texture and hotness. More crispiness please, and step it up on the heat.” Overall rating: 5

Hell’s Kitchen Hot Wings … $9

Based on the Spicy wings
Sauciness: 3.5/5
Amt. of Meat: 3/5
Heat Index: 1.5/5
Quality: 3/5
Overall Experience: 4/10

Would I return?: Nah

Social
795 8th Avenue (b/w 48th & 49th street)

New York, NY 10019

212.459.0643
www.socialbarnyc.com

Mad for Chicken – Formerly BonChon

The revolution will be blogged!

There’s a wing war going on. And while what I know about wars is very limited, I do believe a little Revolution now and again is a good thing.
The war going on here is BonChon v Mad for Chicken.
Those who know BonChon, know. Those who don’t…should (but that’s for a future review).

BACKSTORY
Lady Kara and myself had planned on bringing our guests to review BonChon on 5^th ave. Upon yelping the address it said CLOSED….WHAT?!?!? NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! </end Darth Vader impression>. I read through the ‘yelpers’ posts to deduce what had happened. I quickly learned it’s under a new name, Mad for Chicken (ok that name still works) and are ‘supposedly’ still serving BonChon wings. I pressed a series of numbers on my modern-day communication thingamajig and heard “Mad for Chicken” I inquired as to if they do indeed still serve Bon Chon Chicken, the young lady had assured me they do serve “Bon Chon Wings”.

Confused Peter is confused, Google is your friend, and German’s love David Hasslehoff. So what is going on here? After some diligent google-ing I found that BonChon and Mad for Chicken has severed ties as noted on BonChon’s site

“We’d like to announce to our dearly customers that both Manhattan (314 5th ave 2fl) and Flushing (157-18 Northern Blvd.) branches are no longer serving Bon Chon Chicken. Since their menus are no more close to our unique sauces, please use other close Bon Chon Chicken branches. Thank You. (link)

Which only means one thing, we now have to compare to Bon Chon…more wings?…yes please!

THE PRESENT STORY
Mad for Chicken is an easy-to-miss venue. The entrance is to an apartment complex, which then using the back staircase, require you to walk up 2 flights to enter the minimalistic, industrial-esque, post-modern space. With energetic music pumping throughout, the vibe is set, and the lights are funky. After a 20-minute wait we were granted a metallic table, and our glowing “disco keg” (thanks Jia for coining that) was brought to our table.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your taste) the only beer served in these hi-tech coolers is Killians Red, but hey, it’s beer, and it looks cool. Next, we ordered up a platter of wings…they offer small and large orders, you can specify wings or drumsticks, or you can get a combo platter (large only) of ‘actual’ wings that are served Sweet and Spicy.

From the Mad for Chicken web site.
Our sauce is based primarily on soy sauce, garlic, and various fruits: our sauce brings health benefits in addition to exceptional taste. It has passed 3 thorough examinations from FDA and USDA. Deep-fried twice to burn off the chicken fat, you can taste the crispy, yet less greasy fried chicken ever! Our sauce does not stick to your hands unlike other sauced friend chicken. Brushed with either the delicate Soy Garlic Sauce or the unforgettable Hot & Spicy Sauce, our chicken is never like the ordinary fried chicken dishes, and its taste is worth a wait!

Health benefits from eating fried wings? That’s like saying eat tons of chocolate because it contains anti-oxidants. On the plus side, if we can eat more of these without going into cardiac arrest, that works for us.

We have to say we do agree with their statement, not very saucy, more glazed-like texture, and not as greasy. They do however, have a slight artificial taste to them. The sweet Soy-Garlic wings are very flavorful and the soy gives it a lovely Asian flavor. The Spicy wings are decently spiced, not too hot, but do carry a kick, with a slight touch of sweetness. Lord Peter was sweating just a bit.

Overall the texture is a bit different than the norm, the flavors are excellent, and you don’t leave with the feeling of gluttony. On the flip side, they were a bit on the dry side. Be prepared to wait a bit as they do take a while to make.

Our special guests this week were Jia and partner Federico. They run a room-renting web site www.roomorama.com so if you’re looking to rent a room or rent yours, check it out.

Jia said she likes that these wings feel ‘healthy’. I can eat the skin and not feel I’m going to collapse from a heart attack. She said she’s more a sweet wings person so she would definitely come back for those. She also liked that the sauce is more of a glaze, just the right amount to give a good taste, but not to smother the chicken. Overall rating: 9.

Federico stated he was not impressed by the crispiness and meatiness of the chicken wings. He said the flavor is relatively rich and although the wings haven’t been fried with extra-virgin olive oil, they don’t feel too fat. On the other hand he said the wings should have been fried at higher temperature, and gave one thumb down for crispiness. He said he may return and gave an overall rating of 7.

Peter’s take: For a different type of wing, I would definitely recommend these. The venue is hip, which makes for an enjoyable wing adventure. Though I do feel they are a touch dry and have a slight artificial taste to them, yet still pretty good.

Kara’s take: I would return for the experience but not really for the wings. I found them to be overly crispy and processed tasting, and the quality of the meat was questionable. Although I’m an avid buffalo gal so the sweetest doesn’t catch me. So don’t really give my opinion too much weight.

Based on the Spicy wings
Sauciness: 2.5/5
Amt. of Meat: 4/5
Heat Index: 3/5
Quality: 3/5
Overall Experience: 7/10

Would we return?: For the experience, but not just for the wings

Mad For Chicken
314 5th Ave
2nd Fl (between 31st St & 32nd St)
New York, NY 10001
(212) 221-2222
Another location in Flushing Queens, check web site for address
www.madforchicken.com