Reading the Hooters thread prompted this thread. I’ve only recently discovered the joys of buffalo wings. For the very few of you not in the know, buffalo wings are chicken wings that are fried naked and then covered with ferociously hot sauce and served with bleu cheese dressing and celery sticks. As an accompaniment to LOTS of ice-cold beer, they cannot be topped, IMHO.
But lately, I’ve been seeing infinite variations on the original version. What gives? Breading on the wings is a no-no! Barbecue sauce is an abomination! If the sauce is not fiery and tart, then they are not proper buffalo wings. The dressing should be BLEU CHEESE, not RANCH!
Okay, I’m done. What else pairs well with an ice-cold pitcher or two?
When I was living in Seoul, I was introduced to many kinds of anju, the Korean word for food meant to be consumed with alcohol. Of all the different foods I tried over there, my all-time favorite anju is fried kimchi and tofu. It’s wonderfully spicy and the fiery heat is easily quenched by a few pitchers of OB.
An important distintion to point out is they are capital “B” Buffalo wings, as in from Buffalo New York. If you are not in western New York, you are not actually having Buffalo wings.
I don’t say this to slight anybody’s favorite bar snack, but only because I miss them so damn much. I’ve yet to run accross a “Buffalo” wing outside of western New York that matched up in the least.
I must respectfully point out that Buffalonians don’t eat “Buffalo wings” either … they eat “chicken wings,” or, if you are in casual conversation, “wings.”
To call this divine food “Buffalo wings” is to immediately identify yourself as slightly, oh so slightly, below the top tier of wing lovers. “Buffalo wings” conjures up visions of that frightful Domino’s commercial with the flying buffalo.
I’ve found a few places in New York City that have passable wings, but as Jack Batty mentioned, 'tis only in Western NY that you will find the most sublime of wing offerings.
Might I add that if you are not in western New York, you CAN be eating real wings if the person who made them is from the area (my stepfather, whose wings are better than any I’ve had in Buffalo, comes to mind). Other than that, though, I’m bound to agree with you. And even in Buffalo, there are places that have shitty wings. Frankly, the Anchor Bar, where they were supposedly invented, makes some pretty bad wings. Way underdone.
You have a point there, Drainy.
My uncle works at Joey’s Pizzaria in Niagara. Whenever he visits, he makes up a batch. Srum-diddly-icious.
Unfortunately, he has yet to visit the west coast. It’s only when we both happen to be in Maine that I get them. Or, of course when I’m in the Buffalo/Niagara area, you’ll find me on a bar stool at Joey’s.
I like David Rosengarten’s show, “Taste” on the Food TV Network. Even though he can be a bit of a prissy pain, David is invaluable for hunting down authentic recipes, and he demonstrated “the Anchor Bar’s original Buffalo wings recipe.” Who’s to say if he got his hands on the real McCoy? Unfortunately, I’ll probably never get to western New York and do a taste-test comparison, although drool God knows I’d like to. What beer does a western New Yorker drink with his/her wings? Anyway, here was his take and the way I make them:
Buffalo Wings
Disjoint a pound of wings, discarding the “tip” segments. Do not flour or crumb them. Fry them in deep fat until they are well-done and crispy and drain them. In a small saucepan, mix one bottle of Frank’s hot sauce, 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of vinegar, and heat until the butter melts. Toss the fried wings in this sauce. Serve the BW’s with high-quality bleu cheese dressing and celery sticks.
tracer and I used to know a woman who came with buffalo wings. Not a pretty sight, let me tell you.
(I have no frame of reference, however, to determine whether or not the wings with which she came were of appropriately authentic vintage. I dared not ask.)
This is where I must lean in with a plug for the best damn wings I’ve ever had, at:
(wait for it)
.
.
.
The old Tollgate Inn, Benscreek, Johnstown, PA.
I hav little fear of challenge on this issue, confident that the chances of anyone else among the Teeming Millyuns have eaten there are mighty slim.
Nevertheless, if you suddenly have some strange urge to visit the World Famous Inclined Plane (the world’s steepest…not!) you might want to check out the Tollgate.
At Joey’s the beer of choice is a good ol’ Bud. Or if you are really on a budget, in western NY you can have Gennessee Cream Ale (yuck) or for the truly desperate Old Vienna (quadruple yuck).
I’m not the wing chef my uncle is, but that sounds about right. I’m not sure about the vinegar, though. Also, I prefer carrot sticks, not celery.
My mouth is absolutely watering. I am in San Franisco-not-a-decent-wing-to-be-found Hell!
I find that beer with buffalo wings ruins the taste. The aftertaste of the beer counteracts with the beforetaste of the wings. I like to eat the wings first, then have an ice cold beer.
The vinegar is a bit much, yes. Celery or carrots depends on preference–I go for celery, my stepfather serves either just celery or both, but never carrots alone.
Frankly (hee hee), the best recipe for a non-native (and pretty close to great for the locals as well) is the one you’ll find on the label of the bottle of Frank’s Red Hot. No other base but Frank’s will do.
Oh, and cook the wings about a minute longer than it says you should. They’ll be less greasy and will soak up the sauce like a sponge.
Well, I’m fairly comfortable saying that Chicago has some very tasty wings. I enjoyed the ones I had in Buffalo, but I prefer my home variety. Of course I’ve already stated that Hooters usually are my favorite wings (although they have managed to disappoint in a few locations). I suppose everyone will jump in saying that no real wing eater would support a chain, but screw you, they fucking rock. The difference is that Hooters wings are very very meaty, both bars I had wings at in Buffalo were naked and comaratively scrawny. Tasted good, but I prefer some meat with my sauce and skin.
It isn’t exactly a matter of rule, but the bulk of wings in Chicago come breaded, in contrast to out east. I prefer this to naked wings. Second I like mine with both celery and carrots. Finally, I like mine with ranch damn it! The ranch just cuts through that heat more effciently with more flavor. I love the mixture of hot and cool. Maybe I’m not a buffalo wing purest, but I’ll park on a stoll next to the lot of you anytime.
As for what to drink, it must be Budweiser ICE cold, on draft. Wings are no time to screw with imports or microbrews.
Re: the OP
Its a dead heat between pizza and wings here. I don’t think I can call a winner, and I won’t even get into what a real pizza is like.
Guess what I had for dinner last night…hot wings, beer AND pizza. I love Mondays for so many reasons.
Personally I think the vinegar is what makes the wings so good. I would up the vinegar in the recipe that was posted earlier, to maybe 2 tablespoons. But that’s just me. The amount of vinegar is a matter of personal taste. The brand of hot sauce, Frank’s, is an absolute.
As Drain Bead said, cook them longer for sure. This is one thing I bring up when people ask me how wings in Buffalo are different from the wing pretenders found around the country.
The beer of choice for this Buffalonian is Labatt Blue. I’m having hallucinations of eating wings and drinking Blue at Gabriel’s Gate right now as I type this … as long as I’m living in a fantasy at the moment, I think I’ll order a beef on weck as well, while I watch Doug Flutie our first string quarterback lead the Bills to the playoffs … ah, fantasies …
You’re right, Jack, I’m in the bay area, too, and nowhere do they make wings as well as you can at home from that simple recipe. And I do think the bit of vinegar adds just the right kick – it cuts the richness of the fried wings and butter.
More great beer munchies:
Stuffed potato skins. Bake some small potatoes, halve them, and slightly hollow them out. Fill 'em with cheddar and run 'em under the broiler. Then add bacon bits and chopped green onions. Serve with gobs of sour cream or ranch dressing.
You just HAD to go and bring up beef on weck, didn’t you?
I can’t get a decent beef on weck at ALL in this town. I know of one place that serves them, and I can’t get there without a car. I don’t even think I could make them myself–it’s almost impossible to perfect that thin-sliced rare roast beef at home. If anyone has a good recipe or cooking techniques for the beef in a beef on weck, I’d love them forever. Best sandwich on earth, especially when you put enough horseradish on it to make your sinuses scream for mercy.
: What beer does a western New Yorker drink with his/her
: wings?
Blue collar Joes in Tonawanda, Lackawanna or dat der Cheektowaga town der will usually quaff their wings with Genesee Cream Ale, preferably in the “pounder” (16 ounce) bottle. Otherwise, Labatt’s Blue is the preferred option. (In Buffalo, Canadian lagers are far more popular than Budweiser or Coors.)
I’ve found no substitute for the real deal – getting 'em fresh in Buffalo. My rule of thumb for Buffalo cuisine – wings are better in the city, beef-on-weck and fish fry better in the blue collar eastern 'burbs, hot dogs are better in the Northtowns, and Buffalo-style pizza good just about anywhere you go in Erie County. The best wings, IMHO, are at Gabriel’s Gate in Buffalo’s Historic Allentown neighborhood – very meaty, with a gooey sauce that provides a lingering taste. Wings in the 'burbs tend to not be as meaty, and the sauce seems drier than what’s found in the city limits.
Barbecue wings were “invented” at La Nova, a pizzeria on Buffalo’s West Side. La Nova wings are damn fine (hey, gotta’ pay the place proper respect, if you know what I mean [Godfather music plays in background]), but I prefer traditional wing sauce myself.
Anyone want to talk about pizza in Buffalo? People seem to romanticize New York and Chicago style pizza, but nothing seems to compare to Buffalo-style pizza. Buffalo-style pizza usually has a heavy, medium-thick crust, no crust “handles,” very spicy sauce, an overabundance of Margherita pepperoni, and more often than not, it’s cut into squares. Unlike New York style pizza, Buffalo-style pizza doesn’t congeal right after it comes out of the oven. I haven’t been able to find any Buffalo-style pizza outside of Buffalo, although the expats miss it desperately – I’m surprised that La Nova, Leonardi’s and Bocce Club haven’t expanded all over Florida and North Carolina.
By the way, if you’re part of “Generation X-Buffalonian” and you have a desire to feel extremely homesick, visit https://www.buffalofoods.com/home.html .