Taste of the Point – June 2022

This month we set our sites on Buffalo Wings, but first a little about their origin. There are several claims about the invention of Buffalo wings, but the most accepted version is that Buffalo wings were first prepared in 1964 at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York. One of the owners needed a fast and easy snack for her son and several friends visiting from college, so she threw wings in the fryer and tossed them in cayenne hot sauce, and Bam! A new appetizer was born. Up to this point chicken wings were inexpensive and undesirable, usually they were thrown away or used for soup.

So we sampled wings at three places, Harbor Town just down the street from the office, Dirty Birds in Liberty Station, and Buffalo Wild Wings on Midway. To judge them we relied on three criteria – crispy, meaty, and sauced well. All three places had good wings, they were fresh and not frozen, but we felt that Dirty Birds was the best.

Dirty Birds is a pub with an extensive wing menu – there are 40 different wing sauces to choose from, and each offering has a heat rating from “no heat” to “really hot” plus you can order the wings with or without the bone. We went the traditional Buffalo Wings which had a medium heat rating and were not disappointed. The wings were meaty and plump, had a light crispy texture, and were well sauced. They were spicy but not too overpowering. Also, the place has a great vibe like a neighborhood bar and there is a nice outside patio to boot. They also have half-price wing specials during the week.

Next up was Buffalo Wild Wings on Midway. The place is massive and is a major sports bar destination for game day. Plus, we counted at least 27 different size tv screens lining the walls! They have 19 different wing sauces and 5 dry rub coatings available, plus boneless wings as well. We went for the traditional Buffalo Wings. Not as meaty as Dirty Birds but still crunchy on the outside and tender inside – and a Buffalo Sauce that had a kick to it that we found to be a little overpowering, but overall very good.

And finally, we checked out Harbor Town, which is a local pub on Rosecrans. The only wing they offer is a grilled ginger-soy wing. The wings are marinated for 48 hours and then grilled – no sauce. They had a nice char from the grill and were meaty and flavorful. They were very good, and if you were looking for an alternative to fried, sauced wings this is your place.

So until next time remember, it is what you eat that matters!