I have to admit, IDID/NAVMAN, you are thisclose to inducing me to walk down to Twisted Spoke, a place near where I live that I haven't been to in ages, just to try their wings. (And I hear they've improved their spirits list.)

I swore the Twisted Spoke closed. The place with the motorcycles in the planters, near Wrigley? Maybe I'm thinking of something else.

Chitown B wrote:I swore the Twisted Spoke closed. The place with the motorcycles in the planters, near Wrigley? Maybe I'm thinking of something else.

It's the place with the motorcycles, but not near Wrigley. The original is still open in West Town or SoGo, or whatever they're calling that neighborhood these days . . .

Twisted Spoke
501 N Ogden Ave
Chicago, IL 60642-6422
(312) 666-1500
http://www.twistedspoke.com/

aschie30 wrote:I have to admit, IDID/NAVMAN, you are thisclose to inducing me to walk down to Twisted Spoke, a place near where I live that I haven't been to in ages, just to try their wings. (And I hear they've improved their spirits list.)

Be warned though, those wings have been proven to be inconsistent. But when they're on, they're on.

nicinchic wrote:those Yak-Zie's wings look terrible...They don't look like anything I've ever eaten there. Something seems to have gone terribly wrong.

To be honest those were some of the better wings I've had from Yak-Zies, however still terrible. I've had nothing but bad experiences with that place.

Dear I Do It Daily,

I for one am finding it quite disorienting to hit "First Unread Post" in this thread and be taken over and over again to the same text:

In a similar vein to NAV MAN's, wildly successful, TOP TACO, I will be undertaking the task of crowning the KING WING ...

Do you think you could stop doing that, and just post the new stuff?

RE: Yak-zies,

They have fallen of BIG TIME since the old man past away.

Just got back from Lincoln Station...

Best wings in Chicago, by a fairly wide margin.
I have Twisted Spoke in 2nd place...

bsmooth7 wrote:Just got back from Lincoln Station...

Best wings in Chicago, by a fairly wide margin.
I have Twisted Spoke in 2nd place...

Haven't been there since I turned 21 but Ill have to try them out. I live fairly close. Maybe I'll find two more great wing joints just like that 'cause Toons has some of the best around as I learned last night.

Yo Nav Man, your going to have to get over there and get them in the contest.


Toon's Buffalo Wings

Da Beef wrote:Yo Nav Man, your going to have to get over there and get them in the contest.

Excuse me, but I believe I Do It Daily is running this dog and pony show, not NAV MAN. I'll try to make to Lincoln Station sometime in the next week, along with Toons.

Perhaps you could use the Kluckr iPhone App to help you find and review wings around Chicago.

-Dan

haha nice. any near us in A-Ville Dan?

dansch wrote:Perhaps you could use the Kluckr iPhone App to help you find and review wings around Chicago.

-Dan

The iPhone isn't really in I Do It Daily's budget, though that "app" does look pretty cool.

Next up this week: Toons and Lincoln Station

I Do It Daily wrote:

Da Beef wrote:Yo Nav Man, your going to have to get over there and get them in the contest.

Excuse me, but I believe I Do It Daily is running this dog and pony show, not NAV MAN. I'll try to make to Lincoln Station sometime in the next week, along with Toons.

potato's, potatoes, tomato's, tomatoes, wings, wangs...they're all the same. J/K looking fwd to seeing where Toon's and Lincoln Station end up in the rankings. Would of gone to Lincoln Station tonight for wing night but I'm too full from a beef with hot from Pop's.

Went to Twisted Spoke. I'm shocked these wings are even on the list. The wings I just had were like barbecue hot sauce, not buffalo sauce. I was so disappointed. Anytime a restaurant mixes sauces its disaster. It's just not buffalo sauce if you mix it with anything else.

Don't get me wrong. I am sure these wings would make some very happy because they had that sweet smoky hot vibe, but I'm a buffalo purist. On to Bird's Nest, Toons and Lincoln Station. I had high hopes for Twisted Spoke since it's in my hood.

Da Beef wrote:

I Do It Daily wrote:

Da Beef wrote:Yo Nav Man, your going to have to get over there and get them in the contest.

Excuse me, but I believe I Do It Daily is running this dog and pony show, not NAV MAN. I'll try to make to Lincoln Station sometime in the next week, along with Toons.

potato's, potatoes, tomato's, tomatoes, wings, wangs...they're all the same. J/K

I realize you're kidding Da Beef, but IDID is getting a little sick of the constant comparisons to NAV MAN. You know what, I suspect G Wiv and Mike G are the same person; they both share the letter G in their handle, are incredibly verbose and talk excessively about food......coincidence? I think not!

In a similar vein to NAV MAN's, wildly successful, TOP TACO, I will be undertaking the task of crowning the KING WING of Chicago (and outlying areas - nothing out of cook county though - I want to pay full sales tax on these wangs). So far the agenda includes: Bird's Nest, House of Wing and Twisted Spoke (maybe a BW3 visit will be necessary too - I'm a BW3 virgin). Please commence with suggestions for other top wing spots. One additional note - this will only include traditional buffalo wings, none of that teriyaki or bbq B.S.


1.

Bird's Nest

While walking into the Bird's Nest I was suddenly alarmed by the cohesively attractive waitresses tending the bar. Was this going to test my faithfulness to my Colombian goddess?!?!? Luckily one thing stood between me and infidelity, decadently delectable buffalo wings (not to mention questionable looks and a lack of a personality). Upon arrival, the wing meat piping hot and ostensibly moist, was soon proven not to be dishonest. While the sauce, remained text-book, it should be regarded as the definitive prototype and was aurally appetizing. Not even those buxom temptresses could distract me 10 wings and $3.50 in. For someone as thrifty as I Do It Daily, the $0.35 price tag per wing on Thursdays and Sundays proves to be oddly pleasant. Here you have it readers, your top wing to this point, and they're going to be hard to top.


2.

House of Wing

My Sunday afternoon voyage to House of Wing started enjoyably with a compliment on my CARCETTI FOR MAYOR shirt from another patron. Things I Do It Daily will never tire of: The Wire and adulation. Well, moving on to the wings....we have a new occupant in the top spot. The reason: that sauce, which, like Twisted Spoke's, barely qualifies as 'Buffalo." It was a wonderful hybrid of traditional buffalo style and the glaze on these amazing Korean wings I had at some inconclusive spot and time, which lead to an incredibly sweet taste (pun intended). The chicken, no complaints there, it was succulent and cooked to utter perfection. House of Wing continues to deliver after repeat visits, and is cheap to boot! Consequently, the only drawback being that 12 wings did not suffice. As NAV MAN has stated I make Shelly Duval look like Paul L. Smith. Needless to say, my appetite is often meager, and with wings this good I can only wish they were bottomless. Maybe that's why it's only $5.99 for a dozen.

Apologies for the less than stellar photo, it does not do these wings justice.


3.

Twisted Spoke

Let me start of by saying Twisted Spoke's sauce had it going on during this trip to the Biker Themed Bar/Restaurant at Ogden and Grand (Full Disclousure - I've already experienced many of the wings that will be included in this competition, but never with a critic's eye). Back in 2008 Timeout had Patrick "Deep Dish" Bertoletti sample wings from 8 Chicago Wingeries, with Twisted Spoke taking the coveted top prize; earning 5 out of 6 wetnaps. "Deep Dish" compared the wings to roasted chicken and declared it the best sauce, sweet and salty with a hint of chipolte. And who am I to disagree, Patrick is a legend. He bested Kobayashi at Spike TVs buffalo wing eating championship taking down 100 wings in 8 minutes. The sauce is all together original barely qualifying as a traditional buffalo wing sauce. The rest of the field has it's work cut out, Mitch and Cliff have started off with a sizeable lead on the competition. Oh yeah, in honor of Silas Jayne (oh where have you gone?) I enjoyed a Laguanitas IPA with these bad boys.

Added bonus - In addition to carrots and celery, jicama is also included as a dipper. Pretty badass!


4.

WOW Cafe & Wingery

What can be said about WOW Wings other than, "wow, what acceptable wings!" The city's only palindromic wing spot (if only Toons had been named Toot, there would be some competition) was a pleasant surprise. A smorgasbord of wings were ordered, but I was only judging the Buffalo I style which according to the menu were award-winning. What award was not specified......dubious. WOW churns out a healthy sized wing which were cooked appropriately. The sauce was fairly standard fair, but was lacking in quantity for this particular order. No frosty brews were to be consumed during this wing excursion as it was shared with some of the upper management during a business lunch, though the Miller Lite tap was staring me down for the entirety of the meal.

One complaint: Ordering goes by the pound. How the hell am I supposed to know how much a pound of wings is?


5.

Lincoln Station

I'm somewhat apprehensive to do what I'm about to do and that's give Lincoln Station a less than stellar review. bsmooth7 has been one of the more vocal/enthusiastic contributors to this thread, but I have regret to inform the LTH community that I was less than impressed with their wings. Upon arrival they looked quite promising, in fact I noticed my dining companion eying my plate (he ordered chicken noodle soup -> loser), but as we all know, looks can be deceiving. Sinking my teeth into that first bite I was surprised to find a sauce that was.......what's the opposite of dynamic? Additionally, the sauce quickly dried out and I was left with that crusty wing that all buffalo connoisseurs dread. The chicken quality was above average, juicy and plentiful, and the celery was top notch. I feel like I'm being a little hard on the place, but after the build up I was left quite disappointed. I hope we're still cool bsmooth7.......


6.

Vini's Pizza

On a whim I decided to indulge in some wing action at my old haunt, Vini's Pizza, in Palatine (still within the Cook County border - although maybe not for long). Locations also exist in Elk Grove and Chicago. Well, they don't call it Vini's Pizza for nothing, the wings were nothing to write home (or to LTH) about. The sauce was standard fare while the wings were sizable, but the meat inconsistent. That's not to say myself and my party didn't devour those bad boys.....we just had to incorporate a little ranch action into some of those bites. I'd recommend sticking to the pizza and "Bubba" beefs here, which are both excellent.

One complaint: The wings were, well.......full on wings. Eating buffalo wings is already enough exercise for a sedentary man such as myself; I don't need any additional tasks to get the food in my mouth.


7.

Yak-Zies

Terrible.


8.
9.
10.

All the wing talk got this Buffalo native interested to see what the situation is in Chicago these days. I don't eat a lot of wings but earlier this year I recalibrated my taste buds in Buffalo at La Nova and Gabriel's Gate.

When I stopped at Bird's Nest a month ago the bartender (who didn't know what she was talking about) explained they didn't serve Buffalo-style wings but that "hot barbecue" were the closest thing as well as their best seller.



As soon as she set the basket in front of me I smelled trouble: liquid smoke. Aside from the miserable (non-Buffalo) sauce that pooled in the bottom of the basket, they didn't seem like bad wings. I don't know why they serve ranch as well as a decent blue cheese dressing. Give it to 'em if they ask but using ranch dressing should not be encouraged.

I decided to walk up Southport to see if Toons would do any better.



They did. These are textbook Buffalo wings—meaty, dressed with a perfect amount of hot, sour, unctuous sauce. The nonstandard blue cheese dressing, with some added herbs, was a pleasant surprise. I generally don't like tampering with the classic formula but this falls well within my range of acceptability. Value is my only complaint. The order pictured above cost $6.50, a bit steep if you ask me. Thursday is Wing Day at Toons when a basket is only $2.50, a far better deal. I have a feeling Toons' wings would show well in Western New York. They're the real thing.

A couple weeks ago I returned to Bird's Nest to try my luck once more. This time I was able to order Buffalo style without any problem. One thing was consistent though: they grossly oversauced the wings again. The idea is to lightly and evenly coat them, not to make soup. Once I scraped off as much sauce as possible I found the wings completely acceptable. On Wing Days (Thursday and Sunday) they're only $0.35 each, a very good value. I might give Bird's Nest another try and request "light sauce." Maybe on the third attempt they'll come closer to my ideal. Thing is, Toons nailed it on the first visit, plus I find their atmosphere much more to my liking. No doubt about it, Toons is this Buffalonian's current choice for wings.

Bird's Nest Bar
2500 N Southport Av
Chicago
773-472-1502
http://www.birdsnestbar.com/

Toons Bar & Grill
3857 N Southport Av
Chicago
773-935-1919
http://www.chicagotoons.com/

Rene, your findings were in line with mine. While Birds Nest's wings were actually some of the best I'd had up to that point, I had a large basket of wings at Toons on Friday night ($9.50 for a dozen...bit of a price shock!) and immediately knew I'd found a new fave.

The wings may have been a tad pricey, but they more than made up for it with $4 microbrew pints...I may not have drank all of their Bells Best Brown Ale, but I definitely gave it the ol' college try.

If I happen to already be in Lincoln Park when a wings craving strikes, Birds Nest will fit the bill. But if it's my call and location isn't as much of an issue, I'll pick Toons without hesitation.

IDID --

We are still cool, you may have gotten a bad batch...
Though I do tend to like my wings a bit on the undersauced side.

What I can tell you about Bird's Nest is that the sauce is not authentic Buffalo...
but then again I am spoiled from having lived in Buffalo for 4 years.

It does seem from appearances and reviews that Toons may be superior to Lincoln Station -- I am going to have to do a side by side comparison soon...

Let's see what others think of Lincoln Station...

This is getting IDID very excited for his trip to Toons, might Bird's Nest be de-throned???

Has anyone ever had Salt Lake City-style buffalo wings?

I Do It Daily wrote:This is getting IDID very excited for his trip to Toons, might Bird's Nest be de-throned???

Has anyone ever had Salt Lake City-style buffalo wings?

It was on my list...no tell me more. Not that Ill ever be getting back to Utah in my lifetime.

Trying to find a gem in the rough, I ordered some wings from Thai Aroma last Sunday. Football was on so I figured I'd get something to compliment my standard Crazy Cousin Spicy #3 (which is awesome). I was really hoping to gain some street cred and find the champion in an unsuspecting place. Didn't work. These wings would have made Yak-Zies look like The Birds Nest.

IDID - Stear clear

pasta i'm with you on finding them in off beat places. I have found a good substitute at Paisano's on Division when ordering tacos. These are great if you like fries and you like the small crispy wing, instead of the ginormous meaty juicy wing.
I usually carry out or delivery from this place.
http://www.elpaisanotacos.com

Da Beef wrote:It was on my list...no tell me more. Not that Ill ever be getting back to Utah in my lifetime.

Vocab is a little limited when comes to describing the complexity of buffalo wings, but trust me when I say there are subtle differences. I believe they're fairly heavy handed with the garlic, which isn't going to garner any complaints from yours truly. This place delivers some top notch wings (along with the dearly departed - Wings n' Things) if you ever find yourself on the Wasatch Front again.

http://www.wingcoop.com/index.php

I am he as you are he as you are me
And we are all together

Nav Man, I Do It Daily (Thursday wing night at Toon's )

If I wasnt there to see it with my own two eyes I would have never believed it.

In a similar vein to NAV MAN's, wildly successful, TOP TACO, I will be undertaking the task of crowning the KING WING of Chicago (and outlying areas - nothing out of cook county though - I want to pay full sales tax on these wangs). So far the agenda includes: Bird's Nest, House of Wing and Twisted Spoke (maybe a BW3 visit will be necessary too - I'm a BW3 virgin). Please commence with suggestions for other top wing spots. One additional note - this will only include traditional buffalo wings, none of that teriyaki or bbq B.S.

1.

Toons

Thursday's trip to Toons proved to be an especially significant one, for multiple reasons.  About 4 or 5 wings in IDID saw none other than G Wiv wander by his table.  After recovering from my serendipitous shock I immediately got NAV MAN on the horn.  Without hesitation, NAV MAN jumped into the THUNDERCAR and was on his way.  In the meantime, I introduced myself and was lucky enough to meet a host of other LTH members, Jimswside, Rene G, REB and a few others who I'm failing to remember at the moment - apologies.  Upon NAV MAN's arrival all was settled and it was most definitely determined that NAV MAN and I Do It Daily were two separate beings.  I feel as though Jimswside was truly astonished (Stay tuned as I believe G Wiv is in possession of the irrefutable evidence - see above) ...... Well moving onto the wings, hot damn were they delicious.  Succulent meat on the inside and crispy on the outside with a perfect balance in regards to the sauce.  If there was a complaint to be made and I'm struggling to come up with one, it's that the wings were a little light on the sauce, but that was of no consequence due to the quality of the aforementioned.  When it came down to the final ranking it looked to be a tough one, but the general consensus among my dining companion who had also been to Bird's Nest was Toons is better.  Good wings, new friends and $3 Carlsbergs; sounds like a recipe for the new King Wing.

2.

Bird's Nest

While walking into the Bird's Nest I was suddenly alarmed by the cohesively attractive waitresses tending the bar. Was this going to test my faithfulness to my Colombian goddess?!?!? Luckily one thing stood between me and infidelity, decadently delectable buffalo wings (not to mention questionable looks and a lack of a personality). Upon arrival, the wing meat piping hot and ostensibly moist, was soon proven not to be dishonest. While the sauce, remained text-book, it should be regarded as the definitive prototype and was aurally appetizing. Not even those buxom temptresses could distract me 10 wings and $3.50 in. For someone as thrifty as I Do It Daily, the $0.35 price tag per wing on Thursdays and Sundays proves to be oddly pleasant. Here you have it readers, your top wing to this point, and they're going to be hard to top.


3.

House of Wing

My Sunday afternoon voyage to House of Wing started enjoyably with a compliment on my CARCETTI FOR MAYOR shirt from another patron. Things I Do It Daily will never tire of: The Wire and adulation. Well, moving on to the wings....we have a new occupant in the top spot. The reason: that sauce, which, like Twisted Spoke's, barely qualifies as 'Buffalo." It was a wonderful hybrid of traditional buffalo style and the glaze on these amazing Korean wings I had at some inconclusive spot and time, which lead to an incredibly sweet taste (pun intended). The chicken, no complaints there, it was succulent and cooked to utter perfection. House of Wing continues to deliver after repeat visits, and is cheap to boot! Consequently, the only drawback being that 12 wings did not suffice. As NAV MAN has stated I make Shelly Duval look like Paul L. Smith. Needless to say, my appetite is often meager, and with wings this good I can only wish they were bottomless. Maybe that's why it's only $5.99 for a dozen.

Apologies for the less than stellar photo, it does not do these wings justice.


4.

Twisted Spoke

Let me start of by saying Twisted Spoke's sauce had it going on during this trip to the Biker Themed Bar/Restaurant at Ogden and Grand (Full Disclousure - I've already experienced many of the wings that will be included in this competition, but never with a critic's eye). Back in 2008 Timeout had Patrick "Deep Dish" Bertoletti sample wings from 8 Chicago Wingeries, with Twisted Spoke taking the coveted top prize; earning 5 out of 6 wetnaps. "Deep Dish" compared the wings to roasted chicken and declared it the best sauce, sweet and salty with a hint of chipolte. And who am I to disagree, Patrick is a legend. He bested Kobayashi at Spike TVs buffalo wing eating championship taking down 100 wings in 8 minutes. The sauce is all together original barely qualifying as a traditional buffalo wing sauce. The rest of the field has it's work cut out, Mitch and Cliff have started off with a sizeable lead on the competition. Oh yeah, in honor of Silas Jayne (oh where have you gone?) I enjoyed a Laguanitas IPA with these bad boys.

Added bonus - In addition to carrots and celery, jicama is also included as a dipper. Pretty badass!


5.

WOW Cafe & Wingery

What can be said about WOW Wings other than, "wow, what acceptable wings!" The city's only palindromic wing spot (if only Toons had been named Toot, there would be some competition) was a pleasant surprise. A smorgasbord of wings were ordered, but I was only judging the Buffalo I style which according to the menu were award-winning. What award was not specified......dubious. WOW churns out a healthy sized wing which were cooked appropriately. The sauce was fairly standard fair, but was lacking in quantity for this particular order. No frosty brews were to be consumed during this wing excursion as it was shared with some of the upper management during a business lunch, though the Miller Lite tap was staring me down for the entirety of the meal.

One complaint: Ordering goes by the pound. How the hell am I supposed to know how much a pound of wings is?


6.

Lincoln Station

I'm somewhat apprehensive to do what I'm about to do and that's give Lincoln Station a less than stellar review. bsmooth7 has been one of the more vocal/enthusiastic contributors to this thread, but I have regret to inform the LTH community that I was less than impressed with their wings. Upon arrival they looked quite promising, in fact I noticed my dining companion eying my plate (he ordered chicken noodle soup -> loser), but as we all know, looks can be deceiving. Sinking my teeth into that first bite I was surprised to find a sauce that was.......what's the opposite of dynamic? Additionally, the sauce quickly dried out and I was left with that crusty wing that all buffalo connoisseurs dread. The chicken quality was above average, juicy and plentiful, and the celery was top notch. I feel like I'm being a little hard on the place, but after the build up I was left quite disappointed. I hope we're still cool bsmooth7.......


7.

Vini's Pizza

On a whim I decided to indulge in some wing action at my old haunt, Vini's Pizza, in Palatine (still within the Cook County border - although maybe not for long). Locations also exist in Elk Grove and Chicago. Well, they don't call it Vini's Pizza for nothing, the wings were nothing to write home (or to LTH) about. The sauce was standard fare while the wings were sizable, but the meat inconsistent. That's not to say myself and my party didn't devour those bad boys.....we just had to incorporate a little ranch action into some of those bites. I'd recommend sticking to the pizza and "Bubba" beefs here, which are both excellent.

One complaint: The wings were, well.......full on wings. Eating buffalo wings is already enough exercise for a sedentary man such as myself; I don't need any additional tasks to get the food in my mouth.


8.

Yak-Zies

Terrible.


9.
10.

G Wiv wrote:I am he as you are he as you are me
And we are all together

I am the NAV MAN, I am the NAV MAN, I am the Walrus, Coo coo kah chew.

In a similar vein to NAV MAN's, wildly successful, TOP TACO, I will be undertaking the task of crowning the KING WING of Chicago (and outlying areas - nothing out of cook county though - I want to pay full sales tax on these wangs). So far the agenda includes: Bird's Nest, House of Wing and Twisted Spoke (maybe a BW3 visit will be necessary too - I'm a BW3 virgin). Please commence with suggestions for other top wing spots. One additional note - this will only include traditional buffalo wings, none of that teriyaki or bbq B.S.

1.

Toons

Thursday's trip to Toons proved to be an especially significant one, for multiple reasons. About 4 or 5 wings in IDID saw none other than G Wiv wander by his table. After recovering from my serendipitous shock I immediately got NAV MAN on the horn. Without hesitation, NAV MAN jumped into the THUNDERCAR and was on his way. In the meantime, I introduced myself and was lucky enough to meet a host of other LTH members, Jimswside, Rene G, REB and a few others who I'm failing to remember at the moment - apologies. Upon NAV MAN's arrival all was settled and it was most definitely determined that NAV MAN and I Do It Daily were two separate beings. I feel as though Jimswside was truly astonished (Stay tuned as I believe G Wiv is in possession of the irrefutable evidence - see above) ...... Well moving onto the wings, hot damn were they delicious. Succulent meat on the inside and crispy on the outside with a perfect balance in regards to the sauce. If there was a complaint to be made and I'm struggling to come up with one, it's that the wings were a little light on the sauce, but that was of no consequence due to the quality of the aforementioned. When it came down to the final ranking it looked to be a tough one, but the general consensus among my dining companion who had also been to Bird's Nest was Toons is better. Good wings, new friends and $3 Carlsbergs; sounds like a recipe for the new King Wing.

2.

Bird's Nest

While walking into the Bird's Nest I was suddenly alarmed by the cohesively attractive waitresses tending the bar. Was this going to test my faithfulness to my Colombian goddess?!?!? Luckily one thing stood between me and infidelity, decadently delectable buffalo wings (not to mention questionable looks and a lack of a personality). Upon arrival, the wing meat piping hot and ostensibly moist, was soon proven not to be dishonest. While the sauce, remained text-book, it should be regarded as the definitive prototype and was aurally appetizing. Not even those buxom temptresses could distract me 10 wings and $3.50 in. For someone as thrifty as I Do It Daily, the $0.35 price tag per wing on Thursdays and Sundays proves to be oddly pleasant. Here you have it readers, your top wing to this point, and they're going to be hard to top.


3.

House of Wing

My Sunday afternoon voyage to House of Wing started enjoyably with a compliment on my CARCETTI FOR MAYOR shirt from another patron. Things I Do It Daily will never tire of: The Wire and adulation. Well, moving on to the wings....we have a new occupant in the top spot. The reason: that sauce, which, like Twisted Spoke's, barely qualifies as 'Buffalo." It was a wonderful hybrid of traditional buffalo style and the glaze on these amazing Korean wings I had at some inconclusive spot and time, which lead to an incredibly sweet taste (pun intended). The chicken, no complaints there, it was succulent and cooked to utter perfection. House of Wing continues to deliver after repeat visits, and is cheap to boot! Consequently, the only drawback being that 12 wings did not suffice. As NAV MAN has stated I make Shelly Duval look like Paul L. Smith. Needless to say, my appetite is often meager, and with wings this good I can only wish they were bottomless. Maybe that's why it's only $5.99 for a dozen.

Apologies for the less than stellar photo, it does not do these wings justice.


4.

Twisted Spoke

Let me start of by saying Twisted Spoke's sauce had it going on during this trip to the Biker Themed Bar/Restaurant at Ogden and Grand (Full Disclousure - I've already experienced many of the wings that will be included in this competition, but never with a critic's eye). Back in 2008 Timeout had Patrick "Deep Dish" Bertoletti sample wings from 8 Chicago Wingeries, with Twisted Spoke taking the coveted top prize; earning 5 out of 6 wetnaps. "Deep Dish" compared the wings to roasted chicken and declared it the best sauce, sweet and salty with a hint of chipolte. And who am I to disagree, Patrick is a legend. He bested Kobayashi at Spike TVs buffalo wing eating championship taking down 100 wings in 8 minutes. The sauce is all together original barely qualifying as a traditional buffalo wing sauce. The rest of the field has it's work cut out, Mitch and Cliff have started off with a sizeable lead on the competition. Oh yeah, in honor of Silas Jayne (oh where have you gone?) I enjoyed a Laguanitas IPA with these bad boys.

Added bonus - In addition to carrots and celery, jicama is also included as a dipper. Pretty badass!


5.

WOW Cafe & Wingery

What can be said about WOW Wings other than, "wow, what acceptable wings!" The city's only palindromic wing spot (if only Toons had been named Toot, there would be some competition) was a pleasant surprise. A smorgasbord of wings were ordered, but I was only judging the Buffalo I style which according to the menu were award-winning. What award was not specified......dubious. WOW churns out a healthy sized wing which were cooked appropriately. The sauce was fairly standard fair, but was lacking in quantity for this particular order. No frosty brews were to be consumed during this wing excursion as it was shared with some of the upper management during a business lunch, though the Miller Lite tap was staring me down for the entirety of the meal.

One complaint: Ordering goes by the pound. How the hell am I supposed to know how much a pound of wings is?


6.

Wings O' Flavor

Well.. well.. well.. KING WING is back! Hard times befell I Do It Daily, but the hiatus is over and the quest will resume. An explanation of my absence: As we all do from time to time, I ran into some financial hardships which resulted in the internet being temporarily disconnected. And then after getting my ducks in order from a fiscal perspective, I was suddenly sidelined with a gastrointestinal setback which in hindsight was inevitable. Pizza is one thing Ronnie Suburban, but buffalo wings are a whole other beast. In the end I got the go-ahead from Doc to start consuming wings again, whew! that was a scary couple weeks, and here we are today. Crowning the KING WING is hard work! Moving onto the Wings O' Flavor comeback meal......my dining partner and I split an order of traditional Buffalo and Chipolte BBQ and to be honest there wasn't much to remember regarding those Buffalo wings. As the Spanish would say, "they were asi asi." On the other hand those Chipolte BBQ wings were quite taste-ta. A little bit of kick, a little bit of tang and all on a monstrous wang. But since this a Buffalo Wing competition I'm afraid Wings O' Flavor is going to come up a little short. Unfortunately, they just don't have what it takes......to be KING WING.


7.

Lincoln Station

I'm somewhat apprehensive to do what I'm about to do and that's give Lincoln Station a less than stellar review. bsmooth7 has been one of the more vocal/enthusiastic contributors to this thread, but I have regret to inform the LTH community that I was less than impressed with their wings. Upon arrival they looked quite promising, in fact I noticed my dining companion eying my plate (he ordered chicken noodle soup -> loser), but as we all know, looks can be deceiving. Sinking my teeth into that first bite I was surprised to find a sauce that was.......what's the opposite of dynamic? Additionally, the sauce quickly dried out and I was left with that crusty wing that all buffalo connoisseurs dread. The chicken quality was above average, juicy and plentiful, and the celery was top notch. I feel like I'm being a little hard on the place, but after the build up I was left quite disappointed. I hope we're still cool bsmooth7.......


8.

Vini's Pizza

On a whim I decided to indulge in some wing action at my old haunt, Vini's Pizza, in Palatine (still within the Cook County border - although maybe not for long). Locations also exist in Elk Grove and Chicago. Well, they don't call it Vini's Pizza for nothing, the wings were nothing to write home (or to LTH) about. The sauce was standard fare while the wings were sizable, but the meat inconsistent. That's not to say myself and my party didn't devour those bad boys.....we just had to incorporate a little ranch action into some of those bites. I'd recommend sticking to the pizza and "Bubba" beefs here, which are both excellent.

One complaint: The wings were, well.......full on wings. Eating buffalo wings is already enough exercise for a sedentary man such as myself; I don't need any additional tasks to get the food in my mouth.


9.

Yak-Zies

Terrible.


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10.