E-Town Bar and Grill

Etna, PA


Order: 10 hot

Better than average size and cooked perfectly – crispy edges and coated very well in the sauce, but not too saucy. Hot is a bit run of the mill F&B. Check out the Hot Ranch, very remisicent of Eric Jr at BBT2. Would order these again with no qualms.

Size 4 prep 5 taste 3 total 12

Fatheads

East Carson Street Pittsburgh, PA


This place is packed and rockin, let's hope the wings are too. Now, I hate crowds, or at least crowded places, so these are the lengths I'll go to for the love of the wing. Speaking of which, the menu says the Fathead original flavor is "their first and their best." Let's put it to the test.

They show up, rather disappointing because they are kinda smallish. Not overly small, but when you read reviews saying "big and meaty", your saliva starts going. These, well, they are ho hum. They smell good, though, some nice spice tones in there. Let's dig in.

Kooky sauce. It's got a hit of sweet, but then it bumps you with the heat. Nice flavor, I really dig it. The wings are coated well but they could use a tad more sauce. This sauce is so familar, though. Seems ketchup based and reminiscent of somewhere, where, though? I got it, House of Lee sauce with more spice.

All in all, average size, average prep, great sauce. Need to come back for the hotter than hot flavor at some point.

Size 3 prep 3 taste 5
Total 11

JD's Pub

Glenshaw, PA


Order 6 Hot

Great size, full wings – cooked well but slightly overcooked. The let down is the hot sauce – pretty weak and generic. The sauce coverage itself is a bit spotty, just kinda dumped on after the fact. The Louisiana Ox has the season salt and is good, but get the wings of hell for the true heat challenge. Also, the sriracha chili wings for a nice change of pace – great sauce. But, I’m disappointed by the stock hot.


Size 5 Prep 4 Taste 3 Total 12

Valentines

Springdale, PA

Order: Chicken Wings

Sauceless wing, but crispy outside is sublime. The inside is moist and juicy, sauces on the side range from mild to hot and a house sauce (hot & ranch mix) and also Saracha. Want to try this wings again sometime!

Size 5 prep 4 taste 4 total 13

Wendell’s Pub

Norton, MA


Order: 1 order extra spicy (side of suicidal)

“Two fryolators, one grill and only one cook – this is our tiny kitchen’s fate, so although we may take some extra time, most will agree – it’s worth the wait” boasts the menu. Upon first glance, it’s kind of a letdown for wings. I’d read so many good things about this place. Small size and only 10 for an order costing $7.50 ($1 extra with their heat sauces – suicidal and double dare). Prepared very well, though – crispy outside. They even give you an extra bowl which you can put together with the bowl your wings came in to toss the wings again – pretty cool idea. But yeah, sauce throws some fire. The extra spice is good with a slight vinegar (bitter) taste, but it’s good. Okay, let’s drop that suicidal down there – WOW! It’s a delayed reaction, but this sauce will light your mouth on fire. Overall a decent wing, prepared well with good sauce – but the size kills it.

Size 2 Prep 5 Taste 4 Total 11

Gators Saloon

Bloomfield, PA
R.I.P. Gators - out of business now, but a great place while it was around.


Order: 10 Insane Buffalo

Wings show up and they have more of a yellowy color than a reddish sauce that you would expect; smells great and I can’t wait to dig in. Size is better than average and the prep is good, wings are slightly soggy, but the additional sauce could be the culprit. However, the sauce is awesome! The delayed heat tells me this stuff is spiced by peppers and not just tobasco; this heat sticks around, too. It’s got some hang time. All in all, great wing. I would get this again in a heartbeat. Visit #2: Gator Death is the real deal. Slow creep on the heat, but WOW! You will pay for it the next day!

Size 4 prep 4 taste 5 total 13

Hula Bar

759 East Railroad Ave Verona, PA


So, it's a wing night, so I'm not expecting perfection, but looking for a good wing. Bring me 12 Hot Garlic Parmesan, a recommended sauce. They show up, good size, but sauce coverage is a bit spotty. Let's eat.

Wow, great flavor. However, the biggesr problem is the wings are slightly overcooked. Crispy, but perhaps too much so. The sauce is really good, but not covering the whole wing. It's a good thing there is a pool of sauce in the basket to douse the wing in and hit the dry parts.


The sauce has good heat, sriracha based I'm pretty sure. And plenty of garlic. No vampires are going after me tonight (neither is my girl, though). Great hang time! I feel the tingle 10 minutes after eating. Good stuff.

Overall a solid wing, though slightly overcooked. Worth a try. My "wingman" says the hot bbq are worth a try, so I may be back.

Order 12 hot garlic parmesan
Size 4
Prep 4
Taste 4
Total 12

Chasers In The Run Visit #2

1 dozen hot buffalo and boy are they hot! My "wingman" had to take a break part way through and allow himself time to cry and get feeling back in his face. The bartender said the sauce is unique each order, but that she keeps adding the spice until she hiccups. Now, THAT, my friend is a great wing. Definitely one of the best in the city.

Buffalo Wild Wings

3192 South Linden Rd Flint, MI


Order: 12 Wild

Take a bow, BW3, you have set the bar at the lowest level of my reviews since I began. I think I may need to start a rule that says no wings from any place that is publicly traded on the stock market. I mean, I can see the draw of a place like this (heck, I was there for the Pens playoff game), but the food isn’t the reason. These wings were so small, one bite and the meat was gone. The prep was iffy at best, soggy wings, like they were in a massive batch in the back just waiting to be sauced. And the sauce, the menu describes it as “Big Flavor, Blistering Heat” – and it was neither. And it’s sad to think this sauce is one step below their hottest one. To use a baseball metaphor, it’s not swing and a miss, it’s not being sent to the minors, this is Pirates baseball bad.

Size: 2 Prep: 2 Taste: 3 Total: 7

Rivertowne Pour House

312 Center Rd Monroeville, PA



All you can eat (made to order)

Some of the lower scoring (especially with prep) might stem from the fact that it was all you can eat night – but if you’re gonna do something, do it well. That said, the wings are a good size because they are full wings. So, b/c the cooks seemed to be lazy and instead of tossing the wings it looks like an arbitrary amount of sauce is just dumped over the top of the wings. The hot sauce seems to be simple F&B and some pepper. Standard wing sauce for the most part.

Size: 4 Prep: 2 Taste: 3 Total: 9

Lendy's Cafe

1581 General Booth Blvd Virginia Beach, VA


Order 12 suicide

What a smell when this showed up. A hint of bbq sauce but nice heat. Visible seeds. Yum, let's eat.

Wow. Just wow. Nice plump size, some of these are making me wonder what chicken these came from they are so big. King Kong chicken. The flavor and sauce is light. Not a heavy soupy sauce, more lean but damn good. The heat is there and it hangs with, but not in an efffort to kill you. It's almost as If these wings are saying this is gonna hurt a little bit, but stay with me.

Cooked perfectly with a crisp outside and moist inside. It's wings like this that make me happy to be alive. Yeah, I think these wings could talk a suicide jumper down off a ledge, they are that good.

Size 5 Prep 5 Taste 5 Total 15

The Shack

1051 Keolu Dr Kailua, HI


The wings show up and I can appreciate the full wings. However, they are a bit small and sauce is lightly applied, but I'm hungry, lets eat.

As expected, they are small, but cooked very well. Plenty of crunch with a nice juicy inside. The sauce is more a typical frank and red hot type sauce, average across the board.

While I should be out inspecting beaches here, I'm out eating wings because that is what I love in life. Not that these let me down, but I was hoping for so much more. But at least it was sunny and warm out, I think I'm in the mood to let it slide.

Order: bucket of buffalo
Size 3
Prep 4
Taste 3
Total 10

PT's Pub

(previous review)

1089 East Tropicana Ave Las Vegas, NV




A good size and well made hot wing – nothing extravagant or over the top, but well prepped and good flavor – a solid fighter.

Vowinckel Hotel

Rt 66 and Vowinckel Road Cooksburg, PA


When this order showed up, it’s like “Holy Shit”, it’s a huge order of wings. And how about this, it’s breaded, though just lightly dusted. Fried perfectly, though with a garlic salt seasoning on the outside, but the chicken is juicy inside. You lose a taste point because the wings are dry, no sauce. But they give you a bottle of Saracha which complements the seasoning on the wings really well. Damn tasty for a more non-traditional wing. A must eat!

12 Wings
Size: 5 Prep 4 taste 4 Total 13

Quaker Steak and Lube

101 Chestnut St Sharon, PA


Order: Compact Bucket of Supercharged and Buckeye BBQ

You can smell the heat in the supercharged right off the bat. This is going to be good. The wings are of pretty average size and fried crisp to perfection. You lose a point here because it seemed the wings at the bottom are sauced less than those on top. They might apply sauce with a spray bottle. Tastewise, the supercharged is packing some heat – more flavor than just plain heat, but not perfect. But, they should be proud. The BBQ is good too and offers a good 1-2 punch with the supercharged. Best Wing USA, they claim, maybe not. But a nice toasty wing; there are a few Quaker Steak locations, but I really recommend a trip to the original in Sharon, PA.

Size 3 prep 4 taste 4 total 11

Big Shot Bob's Part 2

Big Shot Bob’s (Pittsburgh, PA)


Talk about a turnaround since they first started. Their dinky wing size has been replaced by a better than average wing. Prep is crispy, but you can tell they just dump the sauce on instead of tossing them because not every wing gets sauce. The talk of beaver falls is really good; hottest of the hot not nearly as hot as the first visit, but still some good hot homemade sauce. Not just hot to be hot, well made. Mix hottest of the hot with the talk of beaver falls for a great combo – the PB&J of wing sauces.

Order: 25 Talk of Beaver Falls, 25 Coraoplis Gunslinger, 6 Hottest of the Hot
Size 4 Prep 4 Taste 5 Total 13

Hal's Bar and Grill

3225 Babcock Blvd Pittsburgh, PA


The wings show up and they are average size. But, the smell has a nice spicy allure to it. Sriracha is again a player here (but who doesn't love sriracha?). Let's eat!

The prep is decent, but a bit soggy. It could have been better. I dig the sauce, though, it is creative and better than average. And speaking of sauce, the coating of sauce is a bit conservative and they could have been a bit more generous with it. Overall, these wings are decent. I wouldn't go out of my way for them, but I also wouldn't turn them down at all.

Order: 10 EW9
Size: 3
Prep: 4
Taste: 4
Total: 11

Chasers in the Run

3806 Acorn St Pittsburgh, PA


So it's a Monday night in the run, so that means it's wing night at Chasers. Finding this place is a bit like finding a needle in a haystack. It used to just be a regular house that was converted to a bar. The bartender did tell us that back in the day, there was a speakeasy run out of the basement. But, on this night, there were 11 wing sauces to choose from and some wings to be had.

Here's a good bit of info to know. They sell full wings cut into two pieces. So, essentially, if you order 6 wings, you're gonna get 12 normal wings. Got it? It's a bit deceiving, but in a good way. Wing night gets you 50 cent wings. But, at the 2 pieces per wings logic, that's more like a 25 cent wings night. Score!

The wings show up and they are decent size. Sauced quite well. The Candy Pepper looks like a sweet thai chili glaze of sorts. The Spicy BBQ looks good and has a nice smell about it. But, it's the Buffalo Hot that grabs you by the nose hairs and yanks. Let's chow down.

As expected, the Candy Pepper (which was the sauce sent in to WPXI) was a sweet thai chili sauce. Emphasis on the sweet. It was like a glazed doughnut wing, not much spice.

The Spicy BBQ was fairly average also. More of a lighter BBQ with some heat to it. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it, but it's not topping a list anytime soon.

But, the Buffalo Hot was where it was at. Definitely some sriracha in the mix and plenty of other happy goodness to go with it. I really dug that flavor and I look forward to going back and trying it again.

The wings themselves were better than average size and the prep was top notch. Plenty of crispiness, but the insides tender and juicy. It was tough to find this place, but I'm glad we did.

Order: 12 Candy Pepper, 12 Spicy BBQ, 12 Hot Buffalo
Size: 4
Prep: 5
Taste: 5
Total: 14

3 Rivers Six Pack

Hollywood Blvd Delmont, PA



The wings show up and they are decent size and they smell hot, especially those sexy devils. Sauced well and looking crispy. Let's eat!

The prep on these wings is pretty good. The wings are slightly soggy, but for the most part it's better than average. The meat is nice and juicy, so we are off to a good start.

I start with the sexxxy sauce and it's hard to describe. It's got this nice hot flavor, but it's also got a sweet tang to it. I am really impressed with the flavor. It's like nothing I've had before.


So, then I set my sights on the sexy devils. They smell like I'm in for a hurtin'. So, I take a deep breath and dig in. This is where is gets really surprising. They aren't that hot. It's like being front row at a rock concert with the volume turned down. I have to take my hat off to the owner. He had found a way to prepare this sauce with habenero and ghost peppers, but do it in s way that you really taste the peppers and not the heat. Don't get me wrong, they have some heat, but nothing really dangerous. The flavor of the peppers really shines through.

All told, I'm really glad we made the trek out to Delmont. While they probably don't live up to the #1 ranking on WPXI's wing tasting, they hang tough. Prep is better than average and the wings size is a little better than average. But, it's the sauce that takes the cake here.

Order: 12 sexxxy, 6 sexy devils
Size: 3.5
Prep: 4
Taste: 5
Total: 12.5

Wings Suds n Spuds

8806 University Blvd Coraopolis, PA 15108




Wings show up and i'm truly underwhelmed. Smaller wings but plenty of hot smell. I inhale the vapors and have to pull back as the nose burns. No visible seeds or anything, so it could be franks xtra hot, but let's find out.

The word that comes to mind is overcooked. Extremely crispy but not juicy at all. I've heard good things about this place, but this was anything but.




The wings were under sauced, unless you want to pay 75 more cents for extra wet wings. C'mon, I've already paid nearly 9 bucks for 10 wings, give me some sauce. Not that the sauce is great, it's pretty much franks xhot and butter. Blah.

Order 10 xtra hot
Size: 3 prep: 2 taste: 3
Total: 8

Excuses Bar and Grill

2526 East Carson Street Pittsburgh, PA



In an effort to visit all the places that were listed on WPXI's search for the best wing, we decided to try out the place that came in second place. The name of this place couldn't be any more accurate.

My group and I showed up at about 9:30pm on a Saturday night. The placard was out front advertising their second place victory. Needless to say, I was excited, ready to dig in. There's the sign, they have the wings, let's get some!

Here's where it starts to go all wrong. We get inside to find out the kitchen is closed. But, instead of just saying, "no wings for you", they say they have precooked wings that they are being kept in a warmer and they are more than happy to serve. This is a bullshit move. Don't claim you have great wings and instead serve up some kept-warm and aged wings. But, it's before 10pm on a weekend night and I've got my review pen in hand, NO EXCUSES!

I get my basket of a dozen wings and my first surprise, they are chargrilled wings. I was not expecting that. Also, they are weakly sauced. Turns out the sauce is just applied by spraying them with sauce from a squeeze bottle, like you would apply ketchup to some french fries. I actually went back to ask for another application of sauce since the first attempt was no good.


So let's dig in... And I'm even more disappointed. The wings are slightly soggy from sitting in the warmer. The chargrilling of the wings could have been a nice touch, but with the light sauce, you mostly just taste burnt wing. It's almost like eating a stick that was plucked in the morning mist, placed on a fire to dry out briefly, and then dipped in some Franks inspired hot sauce. The sad thing is, the slight hint of sauce on the wings actually had some flashes of a unique and tasty sauce. Too bad there wasn't more of it.

Overall, this has to go down as one of the worst wings reviewed here. Perhaps they have great wings, based on the WPXI judging, but I didn't see it. Maybe some day I'll head back here again, but there are so many other places worthy of trying.

Order: 12 mild
Size: 3
Prep: 2
Taste: 2
Total: 7

Wing Dome

7818 Greenwood Ave Seattle, WA


Order 10 Thai Spicy Chili, 1 7 Alarm

Well, the wings show up and at first they look pretty small – they work out to about average size. Some are tiny, some are oversize, so it evens out. The sweet thai chili really has no spice to it, it’s almost like eating a glazed donut wing – quite sweet. The 7 Alarm showed up looking like a chicken wing drowning in chili – that sauce is thick… and hot! Not quite the hottest thing I’ve tried, but it’ll keep your mouth throbbing for the next 10 minutes. I ended up using the leftover sauce from the 7 Alarm on the thai spicy just to give it some kick. Again, another decent wing, I think I’d like to go back and try to 5 or 6 Alarm wings next, just to try a proper hot sauce.

Size: 3 Prep 4 Taste 4 total 11

Wiggy's

2350 Noblestown Rd Pittsburgh, PA



Good size when they show up. I'm interested. All four of the sauced wings have great aroma. Can't wait to dig in. Let's eat.




No, that's not blood. It's just testament to how liberal the are with the sauce (which I wish more of it would end up on the wings themselves - more on that later), it's dripping off my fingers.



Great size on the wings, with some so big you can beat folks with them. I could give a 4.5 If we go half points, but we don't. Cooked perfectly, crispy outside, juicy inside. The only gripe is the wings aren't fully sauced. It's like the sauce is poured over top and not tossed. Take a look at this pic, looks like 3 dry wings in a row, right? Nope, the middle is a sauced wing showing its backside.


Let's run down the sauces:

Buffalo Cajun: Good taste, but perhaps a tad salty. Decent heat, but not too hot. Slightly reminiscent of Erik Jr's at the Birmingham Bridge Tavern.

Wildfire: A nice bbq sauce. A little on the cooler side, but still holds its own.

Hey Mon: This is the crown jewel. You can immediately taste the habenero in the sauce, with its tangy spice. Then it hits you with a right cross of bbq and we're talking knockout.

Lemon pepper: Standard dry rub. Nothing special, but a nice alternative to the burners on the table.

Supersonic: The hottest here. Nice spice but less flavor than the Hey Mon's.

All told, Hey Mon takes it. Nice wing and fully recommended.

Size 4
Prep 4
Taste 5
Total 13

Buffalo Blues

216 South Highland Avenue Pittsburgh, PA

Order: 6 Hotter n Hell

I was pretty disappointed here because as I walked in, this place is noted as being voted Pittsburgh's best wing in 2009.  Maybe I caught them on a bad day?  The wings came out and I was surprised for the price that they were a little on the smallish side.  Not quite a 2, but close.  Prep was not the best as the wings themselves were a bit soggy and the meat kind of dry.  It's almost like these were cooked in advance and left in a tray to await their sauce assignments.  You just don't feel the love in those situations.  As for the sauce, it was a nice hot flavor that definitely hung with you.  Reminiscent of the Gator Death at the bar formerly known as Gator's (RIP).  If the wings were prepped a bit better, this could be a recommended wing.  But, for this trip, it misses the mark.

Size: 3 Prep: 2 Taste: 4 Total: 9

Coopers Ale House

8065 Lake City Way Seattle, WA




They arrive piping hot and smelling great. Good hot flavor you can smell even without laying a finger on them. Wow, it’s days like these that make me happy to like wings. While not overly saucy, each wing is cooked to a nice crisp outside and coated to perfection. The taste is hot, more than your typical franks/butter combo, you can see the pepper flakes in the sauce. Loses 1 point because as you eat, you realize the wings are more “hot just to be hot to burn your mouth” and less “flavor hot” – what I can say, it’s a fine line, but overall a fine wing – they should be proud. Afterthought, is there Sriracha in the sauce?

1 order Hot
Size 4 Prep 5 taste 4 total 13

Sidelines Bar and Grill

621 Evergreen Ave Millvale, PA




Order: 10 Hot
Size: 4 Prep: 5 Taste: 5 Total: 14

Comments: Good sized wings cooked to perfection, nicely crisped and coated in a wonderful sauce. Sauce must contain BBQ sauce because it is thick and you might mistake it for a soup. The seeds in the sauce let you know you’re in for heat, but it’s a flavorful heat. This may very well be the wing to judge all wings.

The Holding Company

Embarcadero 2 San Francisco, CA




Sit back and I'll tell you a story. About 10 years ago, I used to live in this awesome city, San Francisco. And it was during that time that a group of coworkers and myself used to go to this place for happy hours. I always recalled the wings being good, but so hot I could never finish the plate. So, I figured a decade later, it was worth a revisit. Side note, this was the temperature readout on my rental car today. Let's see if the wings are as hot.



So the wings show up and I'm greeted with a nice pleasant spice smell. Been a while. Not overly saucy, but they look great. Larger than average. Let's eat.




Awesomely crispy wing and so well cooked. The insides are so moist, I can't get enough. I also can't get enough because it's 8 wings for 10 bones. So, it's a bit pricey.

Regardless, this is like returning to the scene of a crime, but it didn't do me like the first time. The bartender tells me they've told the kitchen staff to not kill the gringos, so the heat is down. However, I think my pallette for heat has evolved. Don't knock it, though, my mouth is pleasantly warmed. It's a weird situation, the wings aren't sauced much, but they have plenty of flavor. Good taste and it's deceivingly hot. At first I was like, is this it? Then it starts to catch up with me. And I admit, I have a soft spot for wings with visible pepper seeds.

1 order extra spicy
Size 4 Prep 5 Taste 4 Total 13

Archie Moore's

188 Willow Street New Haven, CT 06511

The wings show up and I am underwhelmed. Maybe I've been spoiled lately with good luck, but these are kinda dinky. You can only order wings in batches of 7. So it's either 7 or 14. Not sure how much of a gluttonous fat ass you think I am, but I opted for the 7 (and a side salad you bastards).

Very boring wing overall, which is sad from a place boasting best in Connecticut honors. They even sell their sauce, which I am dumbfounded as to why. It's straight up wing sauce. That's the thing. There are no options here. Not even mild, medium or hot. Just wings. It's like this wing sauce tries to please all the people all the time. We all know the famous saying about that stance. The prep was decent, nice crisp outside, juicy (what there was of it) inside. But, overall the offering was boring, small and no individuality. Strike three, and as Kenny powers says, you're fuckin' out.

Order 7 wings.
Size 2 prep 4 taste 3 total 9

Interesting side note, I overheard from the bartender that Archies claims the Anchor Bar in Buffalo stole the recipe from them. Which makes sense, those wings were pretty middle of the road also.

Anchor Bar

(previous review)

1047 Main Street Buffalo, NY

This place gets a nod for being the place where it all began. Their wings are straight average across the board: size, prep and flavor. They may have started it, but there are others out there doing it better and tastier.

Wild Wing Cafe

1437 Sam's Drive Chesapeake, VA 23320

Order 8 - 4 Chernobyl 4 Flaming Parmesan
Size: 3 Prep: 3 Taste: 4 Total: 10

As the wings arrive the wings look of average size with maybe a couple that are rather smallish. You can smell the spicy on the Chernobyl. Parmesan has what is expected, a thick coating of Parmesan cheese. Let's eat.

Remember the where's the beef lady? Well, call me the where's the heat man. The Chernobyl had more of a regular franks and butter hot sauce, but with some cheyenne powder sprinkled on. It makes your lips tingle a little, but it's not the warming sauce feeling you get from a nice hot sauce. And the Flaming Parmesan was really lacking in heat. It's like this place has their heat volume turned down for the masses. Too bad. The Flaming Parmesan was a nice pepper parmrsian flavor, but the wings were kinda smallish. Overall, prep is a bit soggy. Since I don't just judge on heat factor, I'm throwing them a bone for the flavor. They are slightly original and they boast over 20 flavors. I might have to try some different flavors if I find myself near one again. But I'm not going out of my way to find one.

Sharp Edge Beer Emporium

(previous review)

302 North Saint Clair Street Pittsburgh, PA

Their buffalo bites, while not technically a hot wing, are really good. Boneless chicken pieces friend and flavored very well – interesting flavor choices like buffalo ranch, but even the traditional hot is good to go.

Big Shot Bob's House of Wings

(previous review)

344 Union Ave Avalon, PA

This place can be hit or miss (I've gone there when they've run out of wings), but they boast a nice selection of sauces. The wings themselves can be on the small side, but the sauce variety makes up for it. Try to Coraoplis Gunslinger or Talk of Beaver Falls for a good flavor wing. There is Hottest of the Hot if you dare (beware, we considered renaming this flavor to "Forced Sodomy" after trying.)

Dogfish Head Brewings and Eats

(previous review)

320 Rehoboth Avenue Rehoboth Beach, DE

Order: Teriyaki Wings

Not a hot wing as far as spice goes, but a really good taste – sweet and tangy.

Birmingham Bridge Tavern

(previous review)
2901 Sarah St Pittsburgh, PA

Order: 12 Eric the Red
Size: 4 Prep: 3 Taste: 4 Total: 11

Decent size with good heat – sauce is tasty, but maybe a tad salty; prep is standard, not really crispy and maybe a bit overdone, but nothing too noticeable. However, the sauce pulls the whole ensemble together

Center Ave Slice

(previous review)
332 Center Ave Pittsburgh, PA

Order: Dozen Hot
Size: 3 Prep: 2 Taste: 3 Score: 8

Comments: Wings kind of soggy, not crispy and sauce is typical Frank and butter; typical pizza shop wing. Side note, the pizza is the bomb!

Trolley Stop Inn

6247 Library Rd
Bethel Park, PA

Order: 10 hot and 10 hot lava
Size: 3 Prep: 4 Taste: 4 Total: 11

These wings are pretty deceiving. When they first arrived, I kind of turned up my nose. However, the more I looked, the more I found to like. At first glance the wings are kind of dinky, but they have a bunch of good sized ones mixed in, so we get average size wings there. They are also sauced very well, too. And the smell, they give you that nice buffalo scent, but I know the heat is also riding shotgun. Let's eat. The prep is pretty good, but the only let down is that the wings are slightly overdone. It's almost as if they had larger wings, the amount of cook time would be perfect. But the outside is crispy and very tasty. Let's move to taste. The hot lava isn't exactly lava-esque. It's almost what hot is at any other wing place. But, it's very good. The hot has a nice, almost sweeter flavor than the hot lava. They are both good sauces, but not great. It's the lack of originality that keeps them from getting a 5 for taste. All round a very good wing. I wouldn't go out of my way to get these wings, but if I were in the neighborhood, I'd definitely hook those up.

All Sports Café

(Past Review)

2326 Grandin Road Roanoke, VA

Order: 10 Traditional Hot
Size: 3 Prep: 2 Taste: 3 Score: 8

Comments: Breaded wings (roll eyes); not a good wing to start out, but this place came recommended from reviews. Wing size is typical and look bigger, but the breading is deceiving. The sauce has some kick but not much different from your typical hot wing.

How it all began...

So it started as a joke – "Let's write a book about the search for the best hot wing in the world."  So, I figured that's a pretty tall order, let's start on a more manageable level – how about in the United States?  So, here we go.

So, then the next question is, what constitutes the best wing?  Well, my friend, there are a few ways to judge a wing and much goes into a great wing.  So here goes:  size of the wing, preparation, sauce and taste.  Let's look at the details of each.

Size of the wing:  some places will serve you the typical hot wing, normal old wing dings.  For the purpose of this blog, they will get a 3 out of 5 because it is your typical wing.  Some places will give you a larger wing, but larger wings aren't necessarily better when it comes to preparation.

Preparation:  this is key – and there are some differences of opinion.  So, I'll tell you mine.  Wings shouldn't be breaded – and while I'll try to be as openminded about this as possible, I just think breading kills a hot wing – save it for chicken tenders.  Two, wings should be nicely cooked, not really crispy like fried chicken, but not soggy for sure.  And the meat should not be overcooked and hard to chew.  And raw, forget it.

Sauce/taste:  This makes or breaks a great wing.  I've had wings that looked great and the prep was good but either the sauce was your plain old franks and butter or just bland.  So, here's my general thoughts on sauce.  Franks and butter, while the standard for hot wings, it shouldn't be the end all be all.  That said, I like my hot wings hot, with a bit of kick.  Believe it or not, you can make a great wing with an original sauce that has some kick.  Now for the most part, I will stick to hot wings, but you may see reviews for other sauces as well.  And speaking of sauce, it has to have some.  I had wings once where they quickly and hastily coated the wings... they were plain fried chicken and I ended up resaucing them myself at home to get some flavor on them.

So, the rating system is:

Wing Size: 1-5 (5 best)
Preparation: 1-5 (5 best)
Taste/Sauce: 1-5 (5 best)

And I'll throw in my comments.

So, I've had wings in the past and while I do have my favorites, they are pre-blog ratings (PB for short).  So, I may throw some places that I cannot do a proper rating, but I do have general comments on, so I'll notate as such.  Also, I've been keeping reviews on places for almost 3 years now, so I'm going to start by getting my old reviews up here mixed in with new reviews.  Again, I'll notate as such.  It's ironic that the first wing I will review is in the town where I was born, Roanoke, Virginia.  Let the games begin!

Test post

Yes, that's my dog. Yes, he's a Steeler fan. Yes, he has pooped in my car... sigh.