Foodie Field Trippin' : Wings that give me Wings!

Anyone who knows me well, knows I love a good plate of wings. After experimenting with my own recipe I came up with the Gourmet Soirée signature “Roasted Balsamic Buffalo Wings.” Classy wings for the fancy deep down inside us all. Unfortunately, this post is not about how to make my wings. Instead this is a review of other wings that have been comparable to my own wonderful creation. There are few and I mean a distinct handful of wings that can even compete with my own recipe. (Yes I am a little proud…but hey…shouldn’t we all be proud of our greatest creations. I’m conceited and I have a reason!)

On the review menu tonight:

The Hot Buffalo Wings at Blondie’s in New York, NY

VS.

The Messy Wings at Bone Daddy’s in Arlington, Texas

*I went to both establishments and purchased my own food with my own money. I was not solicited to do these reviews nor was I asked to visit the restaurant prior to my arrival. This is my honest opinion and I took all of the pictures myself. This was my first time at both establishments*

Let’s start with Blondie’s since I went to this eatery first along with my fellow foodies Cassandra and Michelle. Blondie’s is your typical sports bar. Flat screens everywhere. It was a packed March Madness Friday night, so I’m sure you know it was going full swing. Everywhere you look there’s a game on and you can see multiple screens from any seat. We won’t talk about the service since this is strictly about the wings (side note: it was horrible lol. The waitress was horrible. She practically kicked and screamed because she was tipped appropriately. I'm a firm believer that you get tipped for your performance. She wins the award for the most dramatic tantrum of all time. Don't worry we set her straight before we departed, *sips tea*) The wings were so damn good though. These aren’t skimpy wings either. They were HUGE, with just the right amount of hot, spicy, tangy, delicious buffalo sauce. The wings were perfectly cooked all the way through. And, the skin was crispy but still a little soft since it soaked up all of that delicious essence the sauce is made of. It was the epitome of a great buffalo wing.

They bring it out on a nice clean white plate with the usual celery, carrots, and blue cheese sauce. I did have enough for a doggie bag and they were still incredible the next day! I don’t usually eat anything along with my wings; however I was feeling a little greedy so I had the cheese fries as well. I’m drooling just thinking about it right now. Needless to say the cheesy waffle fries were amazing. And they definitely give a large portion. We washed it all down with a pitcher of my favorite beer, Stella Artois! A single order comes with 10 wings and a bucket for the bones! Blondie’s has a pretty simple layout. Tables up and down isle style and I believe they had round tables in the back as well. If you’ve ever been to Blondie’s and you know what I’m talking about, comment below about your experience. Out of a possible 5, I give Blondie’s Sports Bar a 3

(only because the service was subpar *kanye shrugg*)

And now onto Bone Daddy’s. Bone Daddy’s is similar to Hooters in the most obvious way. The waitresses and servers wear a very skimpy uniform. I went with my amazing other half Clarence :) The Messy Wings are grilled and you definitely get that smoky flavor you expect with grilled foods. The wings are smothered in Bone Daddy’s house BBQ sauce and grilled to perfection. It was sticky, savory, sweet, briny, and just beautiful. The aroma was phenomenal. These wings also came with blue cheese but you have another option which is Ranch. (I’m not really a fan of ranch sauce on anything). My only issue with the wings is that the skin was not a crisp as I wanted it to be. They leave the

whole wing intact so that middle piece of skin doesn’t really hit the grill too much.

Chicken Anatomy Lesson #1: The part of the wing that comes directly off the bird is commonly referred to as the 'drumette' and has one bigger bone like a drumstick or chicken leg (called the humerus) and the part attached to it that has two bones (radius and ulna) in it, is commonly called the 'wing' , and the little funky part on the end is commonly called, 'the wing tip'.

The rest of the wing was perfect in every way. And the sauce is to die for. We had this as an appetizer and you get 5 per order. These wings are humongous and they definitely don’t skimp on the sauce either. I also had “The Bird” which is a grilled chicken sandwich topped with provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, crispy fried onions, fresh red onions, and Daddy’s BBQ sauce! There are a variety of sides to choose from. I went with the baked beans and season fries. Clarence had the “Daddy Melt”. Reminiscent of Thanksgiving on a sandwich complete with the roasted ham and turkey. His sides were Mac n Cheese and the seasoned fries as well. I had an amazing experience at Bone Daddy’s. Very rarely do I go to a restaurant and eat the food exactly the way they present it. I usually have to tweak and twerk something if not everything on the plate. The meal was superb as it was. The atmosphere was cool. Flat screens playing sports are scattered around the entire restaurant. The walls are painted with funky art and the seating layout has a great flow.