THE BEST: Buffalo-Style Chicken Wings in NYC

[Stone]

more rant

Like coquus said, its deep fried wings, Frank's Hot Sauce and Butter.

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This just ain't true. Plain Frank's with butter will give you a lousy, one-dimensional, red-glowing, sweet sauce.

(Although I agree that there's no excuse for the dreck that most places pass off as Buffalo wings. Usually, the problem is that they just don't cook the damn things long enough.)

Edited July 29, 2005 by Stone (log)

[Liz B-F]

I don't know about the BEST, because I haven't comparison-shopped (like with fries or pizza or burgers), but I used to love the wings at The Reservoir on University.

[phaelon56]

Call me a curmudgeon and/or a heretic

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Damn you. You're a curmudgeon and a heretic - possibly worse but this is a family show. Too much work? How about Maryland Blue Crab? Two hours of breaking the darn things with wooden mallets to pick out the good parts and finally get full.

I think the wings served in most places are just too scrawny and the work/food ratio is a bit high but when you find good plump wings that are cooked extra crispy and have a good sauce.... I have to think they're less work than crawfish.

Of coruse there's always Buffalo Style Chicken Fingers

[lia]

Blondie's are still the best, and someone asked upthread (years ago ) about Mudville, and YES, they're very very very good.

My beef is Blondie's blue cheese sauce. They're the best wings, with probably the cheapest bottled dressing they could find.

Carmine's makes these great wings, not Buffalo, but a variation of their Scarpariello sauce made spicier. Served with fennel sticks and a fresh homemade gorgonzola sauce that I could drink.

[smgarsh]

This just ain't true.  Plain Frank's with butter will give you a lousy, one-dimensional, red-glowing, sweet sauce.

(Although I agree that there's no excuse for the dreck that most places pass off as Buffalo wings.  Usually, the problem is that they just don't cook the damn things long enough.)

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It is true. When I use to live in Buffalo, that was the standard recipe. The only additional item used was cayenne (sp?) to adjust the spice level. The only real difference was the oil that is used. I guess old oil constantly reused for deep frying adds a another level of flavor? Next time try the recipe on the back of Frank's Hot Sauce. You will get very good results.

And when was Frank's hot sauce ever sweet? To me its hot/spicy and very acidic.

[raji]

Was going through "THE BEST" threads and as a lifelong buffalo wing connoisseur and lurker until recently, I wanted to finally weigh in -

Atomic Wings are consistently VERY good, and can be had at Down the Hatch, but the ones at Blondie's are their own, and are also very good. I haven't been there in a year but I believe that they are of the deep-fried breaded/battered variety that Hooters aspire too. I don't like any breading or battering on my wings, don't know if that makes me a purist but I like to think so...

Atomic's wings will taste a lot better if you eat them there - but as they now have enough stores that they can deliver to much of Manhattan, 9 times out of 10 that's how I get them delivered, the problem being their own heat will steam them in their own sauce until arrival, so they no longer have the desired crisipiness slathered in spicy buffalo sauce.

I'm sure there is some gourmet take on wings such as at Blue Smoke or more pricey places, but I think we are all talking about the kind of wings you want to eat on a game day and with beer -

Probably 50 or so bars in town claim on their chalkboard "Best Wings in NYC". Scruffy Duffy's wings are very good. However, I'm going to have applaud Reservoir for having consistenly good wings for 10 years running. They are medium-sized, deep fried by lightly so and never oily, and their buffalo sauce is both as spicey as you want and very flavorful, while not being excessive in volume - meaning it all sticks to the wing rather than having to wipe it up. They also have a 25cent wing Special on Sundays and Mondays which belies their quality.

However, after all the Wing Wars in Manhattan, I have to say the best Wings without going to Anchor Steam are found at the Candlelight Inn, a biker bar on Central Avenue in Westchester, in Hartsdale, which have rightfully achieved mythical status. They are very meaty wings, perfectly fried and thrown into their own secret buffalo sauce recipe - they arrive piping hot, crispy, saucey with an amazing flavor. Me and my friends in Westchester used to be able to catch eachother getting Candelight wings takeout just from the magical smell that our respective car's interior's would emit...

Can anyone else in Westchester attest to the mighty Candelight wing?

[zimonsays]

RUB makes some killer buffalo wings. first they smoke them, then they fry them and add there buffalo wing sauce. many layers of flavor.. ..they also use really large wings not those little suckers you get for 10 cents. bondies are also pretty good

Edited November 6, 2005 by zimonsays (log)

[NYC Mike]

Piper's Kilt in Inwood for the wings. Atomic is slamming though.

[raji]

Piper's Kilt in Inwood for the wings.  Atomic is slamming though.

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They ARE quite good there, as is their burger. Great place to watch a Yankees game. Not many old neighborhood places like this left... and if you're up at Piper's Kilt, not too much further too Candlelight!!

I'd still give the edge to Reservoir...

[mascarpone]

I'll second Piper's Kilt for Burgers; particularly the blue cheese melt. Next time I am there I will get the wings.

[akc1979]

I would like to add Ship of Fools on Second Ave on the Upper East

[rocketman]

Blondie's are still the best,  and someone asked upthread (years ago  ) about Mudville,  and YES,  they're very very very good.

My beef is Blondie's blue cheese sauce.  They're the best wings,  with probably the cheapest bottled dressing they could find.

Carmine's makes these great wings,  not Buffalo,  but a variation of their Scarpariello sauce made spicier.  Served with fennel sticks and a fresh homemade gorgonzola sauce that I could drink.

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my problem with blondies is that they used to be Atomic Wings and then when i was up there recently on a monday night i asked and they said they got rid of Atomic. Funny thing is they taste exactly the same. This is the Atomic guys fault for not having something in the contract i guess but I even if blondies is technically making its own wings they owe every compliment to Atomic thus giving Atomic the #1 ranking in the city.

[raji]

Blondie's are still the best,  and someone asked upthread (years ago  ) about Mudville,  and YES,  they're very very very good.

My beef is Blondie's blue cheese sauce.  They're the best wings,  with probably the cheapest bottled dressing they could find.

Carmine's makes these great wings,  not Buffalo,  but a variation of their Scarpariello sauce made spicier.  Served with fennel sticks and a fresh homemade gorgonzola sauce that I could drink.

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my problem with blondies is that they used to be Atomic Wings and then when i was up there recently on a monday night i asked and they said they got rid of Atomic. Funny thing is they taste exactly the same. This is the Atomic guys fault for not having something in the contract i guess but I even if blondies is technically making its own wings they owe every compliment to Atomic thus giving Atomic the #1 ranking in the city.

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The fact that you can't get a draft beer at one of their shops, nor watch a game, and Down the Hatch is such a shithole, elevates Reservoir. I didn't find Blondie's mind-blowingly good...

Edited November 8, 2005 by raji (log)

[lia]

I should edit my Blondie's post but that was sooo long ago. I wasn't writing about Blondie's at all, I was talking about Atomic Wings at Down the Hatch. Haven't had Blondie's in a couple of years and I have no memory of their blue cheese sauce. Atomic Wings has the nasty cheap boring dressing.

[paulraphael]

There's a dive bar on East 4th Street called appropriately enough, East 4th. But the sign just says "BAR." It's right across from the KGB bar ... off 2nd ave, i think. They serve mostly greasy bar food, but the bourbon wings are the tastiest, melt-off-the-bone wings I've ever had. I'm no wing expert, but these are amazine. I found out about the place from a wing-loving coworker who grew up in Buffalo and makes special trips downtown for these ... so that should be worth something.

[raji]

Ahhh finally another subject besides Japanese food I can chime in on. This thread is pretty old, and since, I've steadily rotated between Reservoir, re there any new places I should know about? I rotate between Reservoir, Scruffy Duffy's, Atomic, and if I can ever make it up there, Candlelight Inn on Central Ave in Hartsdale/Scarsdale beats them all out. Since I came upon a deep fryer, I also make my own, it's really not rocket science, plus I shared an office with a bunch of good 'ol boys from Buffalo who confirmed that it is simply a matter of nailing the right ratio of butter and Frank's.

Aren't Blondie's breaded wings? I despise those. I put up with it when my friend wants to go to Hooters.

[James Kessler]

Ok, so I've never been to Buffalo. I've never even had wings in NYC. However, I have had wings in as many freakin' wing joints as I possibly could in my local area. (30 mile radius, give or take.)

I've hated all of them. Texture is usually off. Never the right crispiness, or sometimes they've been grilled after being fried. In this case the taste is usually affected by an overly-grilled flavor.

Best I've tasted so far?

Candlelight Inn in Hartsdale, NY

How I long for their juicy, tangy, crispy delights.

Open 'till 3:00 AM!

I can't wait to return.

That's my buffalo two cents.

[raji]

Yeah it's funny, Candlelight is still the best. It's really the only thing I can name that's BETTER in westhchester than in the city, although you can still find Italian delis up there and pizza on the average is better

Scruffy Duffy wings are pretty good. So are Atomic wings.

I used to see them make the candlelight wings - they use pretty plump wings, I'm not sure if ever frozen, and shake it in prodigious amounts of hot sauce and either margarine or butter.

[flinflon28]

So are Atomic wings.

I'm a really big fan of the Atomic Wings on 9th and 41st!

[raji]

So are Atomic wings.

I'm a really big fan of the Atomic Wings on 9th and 41st!

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All the locations are pretty much on par with eachother, and they have a bunch by now, all stemming from their original notoriety serving wings out of the back of Down the Hatch. The flavor really varies on the level of heat you go with.

[flinflon28]

The 41st st branch also has a all you can drink/eat wings and beer deal in the summer. At least they did last year. That place is almost always empty.

[raji]

The 41st st branch also has a all you can drink/eat wings and beer deal in the summer.  At least they did last year.  That place is almost always empty.

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$$$? that's dangerous

And I think it's closer to 40th or 39th

Edited March 31, 2008 by raji (log)

[flinflon28]

$$$? that's dangerous

Something along the lines of $32 if I recall correctly.

[JWangSDC]

Yeah it's funny, Candlelight is still the best. It's really the only thing I can name that's BETTER in westhchester than in the city, although you can still find Italian delis up there and pizza on the average is better

Scruffy Duffy wings are pretty good. So are Atomic wings.

I used to see them make the candlelight wings - they use pretty plump wings, I'm not sure if ever frozen, and shake it in prodigious amounts of hot sauce and either margarine or butter.

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Candlelight is better than all the places in the city? that's sad to hear since I grew up eating candlelight and was hoping to have better wings in the city...

[JWangSDC]

Also like to note that a group of my best friends went to buffalo for school and they all claim any regular joint there has better wings than Candlelight...

Also Chuck's spring st cafe in princeton makes some great wings