Metro Wings It

[MarketStEl]

The Philadelphia edition of Metro, the global daily for the rider with a short commute, has embarked on a quest to find the best Buffalo wings in Philadelphia.

In their opening salvo in the August 8 Weekend section, they set the bar for the competition very high by anointing Moriarty's as their choice for the best wings in town.

Metro's short-attention-span article length means that you don't get an extended paean to the place, but what more justification do you need than the lead paragraph:

THE SIGN OUTSIDE isn’t all that creative. “Philly’s Best Wings,” it screams. We’ve heard that before. Normally it’s a lie. This time, though, it’s hard to imagine they’re too far off. Especially when two wings still sit on your plate, yet you’re envious of that dude at the end of the bar whose piping hot order just came out of the kitchen.

The editors are open to persuasion, though: they're soliciting readers' personal best nominations. Send yours to wings@metrophilly.com.

Or, if you like, talk about them here as well. I really can't quibble with Metro's own choice, as I believe I've stated here before.

[Furious Flav-or]

Their choice is mine, as well. Size, flavor, atmosphere there, central location in the city, decent beer list — what's not to like?

[KatieLoeb]

I haven't been out for wings in a while, but I seem to recall that McGillan's had some excellent wings, particularly on Tuesday nights when they were .10/wing. The place was always packed and there were always basket after basket of wings coming out of the kitchen. They also usually had a hard cider on draft, my beverage of choice with hot wings.

[mrbigjas]

some of the better wings in town can be found at tangier's, 18th & lombard. my local bar of choice for about 10 years, and still where you can find me now and then. the cook's name is quong and he makes great wings. ask for them well done if you like them crisp.

truth be told i don't really understand the whole wing thing--it's not that hard to fry them so the skin is crisp and then toss them in hot sauce and butter--but tangiers does the jawn with the frank's red hot. and they taste good; even if i've already had dinner my mouth waters when a plate goes by on its way to a table.

[Rich Pawlak]

My 3 cents:

McMenamin's Tavern, 7170 German town Ave., the closest to the original Buffalo Wings in town;

The Grey Lodge, 6235 Frankford Ave.,

nice and crispy with a heat that creeps up on you;

Curran's Irish Inn, Old State Rd, two killer versions here, the standard hot wings, and a dry rubbed Cajun wing that is at once fiery and addictive.

[philadining]

"best" is such a tricky term... best on their own merits, or best example of a traditional Buffalo prep?

The most enjoyable, tasty, satisfying wings I've had in a long time were at The Smoked Joint, but they're not even vaguely traditional Buffalo wings, aside from being made from that part of a chicken, and served with celery and blue cheese dip.

I grew up in Upstate NY, so I've had enough Buffalo wings to last me a lifetime, I rarely order them any more. But I really liked the Smoked Joint versions, I'd eat those again.

[herbacidal]

The most enjoyable, tasty, satisfying wings I've had in a long time were at The Smoked Joint, but they're not even vaguely traditional Buffalo wings, aside from being made from that part of a chicken, and served with celery and blue cheese dip.

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Ditto. Spicy, nice little kick to them. I wouldn't mind them spicier, but that's probably hard to do without the spiciness dominating and overwhelming the flavor.

[Carlson1105]

I am partial to the wings served by P.J. Whelihan's. A friend of mine developed the seasoning flour for them. There are 8 locations in S. Jersey and PA, but the one in Haddonfield, NJ is where I go for them. Good sauce, 4 levels of heat, and always big and crispy. I'm not a chain person, but they do a really good job. Moriarty's would be my second place vote.

[MarketStEl]

I am partial to the wings served by P.J. Whelihan's. A friend of mine developed the seasoning flour for them. There are 8 locations in S. Jersey and PA, but the one in Haddonfield, NJ is where I go for them. Good sauce, 4 levels of heat, and always big and crispy. I'm not a chain person, but they do a really good job. Moriarty's would be my second place vote.

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And where is their Haddonfield location?

I get over there on occasion.

[john b]

I am partial to the wings served by P.J. Whelihan's. A friend of mine developed the seasoning flour for them. There are 8 locations in S. Jersey and PA, but the one in Haddonfield, NJ is where I go for them. Good sauce, 4 levels of heat, and always big and crispy. I'm not a chain person, but they do a really good job. Moriarty's would be my second place vote.

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And where is their Haddonfield location?

I get over there on occasion.

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It's actually in Haddon Twp/Westmont, on Haddon Ave. From the middle of Haddonfield (intersection of Kings Hwy and Haddon Ave), take Haddon Ave toward Collingswood. PJ's is on the left, about a mile down the road. Their other south Jersey locations: Rt 70 in Cherry Hill, Lenola Rd in Maple Shade (across from the Moorestown Mall), Washington Twp (next to the hospital).

PJ's wings are pretty good (I like the hot & honey), but the Jughandle Inn's wings are still the best.

[Rich Pawlak]

I am partial to the wings served by P.J. Whelihan's. A friend of mine developed the seasoning flour for them. There are 8 locations in S. Jersey and PA, but the one in Haddonfield, NJ is where I go for them. Good sauce, 4 levels of heat, and always big and crispy. I'm not a chain person, but they do a really good job. Moriarty's would be my second place vote.

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And where is their Haddonfield location?

I get over there on occasion.

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It's actually in Haddon Twp/Westmont, on Haddon Ave. From the middle of Haddonfield (intersection of Kings Hwy and Haddon Ave), take Haddon Ave toward Collingswood. PJ's is on the left, about a mile down the road. Their other south Jersey locations: Rt 70 in Cherry Hill, Lenola Rd in Maple Shade (across from the Moorestown Mall), Washington Twp (next to the hospital).

PJ's wings are pretty good (I like the hot & honey), but the Jughandle Inn's wings are still the best.

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IMHO, The Jughandle in Pennsuaken, The Whistler's Inn in Cinnaminson and McMenamin's Tavern in Mt Airy serve the wings against which all others should be judged. They are far and away the top 3 in the area. None even come close. The garlic wings at Whistler's, studded with garlic, and the mild wings at McMenamin's, with an almost smoky flavor, are variations of the standard that should also be explored.

[john b]

IMHO, The Jughandle in Pennsuaken, The Whitsler's Inn in Cinnaminson and McMenamin's Tavern in Mt Airy serve the wings against which all others should be judged.  They are far and away the top 3 in the area.  None even come close.  The garlic wings at Whistler's, studded with garlic,  and the mild wings at McMenamin's, with an almost smoky flavor, are variations of the standard that should also be explored.

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Whistlers has damn good baby back ribs, too. Their smoker is a converted ice house, over 100 yrs old, in the parking lot.

[Tim Dolan]

A few places in my 'hood have great wings, but Flat Rock bar on Main St. might have everyone beat. Flat Rock has a library-esque collection of bottled beer to go along with a nice big $5 plate of wings. Nice heat and tangy flavor. Very good, cheap beer and very good cheap wings. Can't beat it.

[Furious Flav-or]

I am partial to the wings served by P.J. Whelihan's. A friend of mine developed the seasoning flour for them. There are 8 locations in S. Jersey and PA, but the one in Haddonfield, NJ is where I go for them. Good sauce, 4 levels of heat, and always big and crispy. I'm not a chain person, but they do a really good job. Moriarty's would be my second place vote.

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And where is their Haddonfield location?

I get over there on occasion.

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That would be what used to be called Bruno's when I was growing up, just on the west side of the tracks. Haddonfield is traditionally bone-dry, due to its Quaker past, although there are liquor stores perched just outside the town limits on either end of Haddon Avenue for everyone's convenience.

I'm loving this thread to death, BTW, and I just hope I can find room in my "diet" to try half the places listed.

[MarketStEl]

This weekend's Metro reader nomination is North 3rd, in Northern Liberties, nominated by Fishtown resident Dayo Adeyemi.

Looks like a good-but-not-great candidate:

Like the bar and the neighborhood, these wings are far from mainstream. The first bite hints at a strong cumin flavor, but the secret is actually a sauce featuring a Thai spice and mustard, among other ingredients. Not overwhelmingly hot, the wings pack a slight punch thanks to what’s more of a dry spice rub than a soupy sauce. While it’s hard to rate them against more traditional wings, we’ll say that North Third’s best attribute is its wild nights. While the wings alone may not lure us back, Jessica, a former art school student tells us, “That place is great, I’ve been drunk on the floor lots of times.” That’s enough of an endorsement for us, and we’ll grab another 2 pounds (for $9) before heading to the bar.

Readers of "Eats, Shoots and Leaves" ought to be able to spot two punctuation errors in the above, which appears as it ran in the paper.

[philadining]

I've never had their wings, but I really like the food at North Third.

So far, I haven't ended up drunk on the floor, but give me time...

Edited August 15, 2005 by philadining (log)

[KatieLoeb]

I've never had their wings, but I really like the food at North Third.

So far, I haven't ended up drunk on the floor, but give me time...

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You're just not bringing the right drinking buddies with you to North 3rd.

[MarketStEl]

The Aug. 19 edition turns up what may be an overlooked find--La Creole, 775 South Front Street in Queen Village, suggested by readers Joe B. and Lisa K.

Ron Varrial's writeup describes the place as "not...where you take a date to pop the big one. Unless that question is, 'Do you want one order or two?' Depending on the answer ('three!'), you may want to have a ring ready."

The wings are crispy, seasoned Creole-style, and drenched in "a flavorful hot sauce that's not going to knock you off your chair, but might draw a 'mmmmm' or two." Final verdict: "among the best we've tried."

And if they continue their policy from last football season, they will be free when the Eagles play.

Metro also promoted the feature back to the top of the "Going Out" page and gave it a title: "Wingin' It" (natch).

[mrbigjas]

wow, i was just wondering the other day if la creole still existed. i haven't been there in a couple years, but i always enjoyed it when i went. very decent new orleans kinda dishes--gumbo, jambalaya, etc--served in a stinky dive bar atmosphere. thanks for the info, sandy.

[CoolPapaBell]

PJ Whelihans is among the best I've had, though the Cherry Hill location was much better than Maple Shade. They also have good Buffalo shrimp.

[maui420]

for sauce, my favorite out of all the places in south jersey is the coop hot sauce!

that sauce plus some breaded/flour spiced wings fried crispy (14mins @ 375) served 1 min stright from the fryer has got to be the best wing.

Edited August 26, 2005 by maui420 (log)

[john b]

for sauce, my favorite out of all the places in south jersey is the coop hot sauce!

that sauce plus some breaded/flour spiced wings fried crispy (14mins @ 375) served 1 min stright from the fryer has got to be the best wing.

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The one in Voorhees? If that's the one, I'm amazed that it's still open. The food was always good, but the location sucks.

[maui420]

i liked the sauce. i usually just buy the suace and fry wings at home.

the coop is located right next to the lindenwald train station. if your surprised that they are still open, you'll be doublely surprised that 'supposedly' through the grapevine, the owner is making nice $.

for sauce, my favorite out of all the places in south jersey is the coop hot sauce!

that sauce plus some breaded/flour spiced wings fried crispy (14mins @ 375) served 1 min stright from the fryer has got to be the best wing.

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The one in Voorhees? If that's the one, I'm amazed that it's still open. The food was always good, but the location sucks.

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[MarketStEl]

This week's recommendation comes from "Wingin' It" columnist Ron Varrial himself, who bestows upon Fox & Hound (15th and Spruce) his "Serendipity Award"--as in, There wasn't a review in hand or a recommendation in the pipeline, but he stumbled across very good wings completely by chance.

At a chain eatery, no less.

In his assessment of this fact, he sounds a lot like some of us on eG:

As we’ve learned from other chain eateries, it’s hard to expect much more than average fare, since they’ve obviously poured a fortune into that bank of TVs. So when the waitress brought the basket of wings to the table, we perked up. Ordered “Hot” these puppies packed a bite; the hottest we’ve had yet. Chalk it up to what appeared to be black pepper in addition to the standard hot sauce.

Think I'll have to try some of these. They're 10 for $6.99 regularly, 35¢ each on Mondays.

[deprofundis]

As we’ve learned from other chain eateries, it’s hard to expect much more than average fare, since they’ve obviously poured a fortune into that bank of TVs. So when the waitress brought the basket of wings to the table, we perked up. Ordered “Hot” these puppies packed a bite; the hottest we’ve had yet. Chalk it up to what appeared to be black pepper in addition to the standard hot sauce.

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The hottest wings I've ever had were at Sharky's bar. Two locations: Lindenwold and Williamstown NJ. You can order them in a few levels of hotness I think. I love spicy food so I had to have the hottest. The waitress that brought them out said that her eyes were watering just from holding the basket. They were way hotter than any wings I've had anywhere else. I wouldn't recommend them for amateurs. Can anyone back me up on Sharky's extra hot wings? I haven't tried the Jughandle yet. That place always seems to top the list of every local wing joint.