Wing Week: Part I
Monday, January 28, 2013 at 1:01PM 
The National Chicken Council (real thing) predicts Americans will eat more than 1.25 billion chicken wings this weekend. So, each day in the week leading up to the Super Bowl, we'll show you one of our favorite spots that does Buffalo Chicken Wings right. They aren't broiled or roasted. They're not grilled or smoked, and they're definitely never, ever breaded. Buffalo Wings are deep fried and tossed in a simple, vinegar-based hot sauce/butter combo. Some places go the extra mile and brine their wings and/or give them a a double fry, but at their root, Buffalo Wings are a simple food. We love the barbecue renditions found about town at the likes of Dinosaur BBQ (Wango Tango) and The Smoke Joint, but this week, we're sticking to the classics. There aren't any Duff's in New York City, but that doesn't mean there are no good wings. First up? The Wing Bar.
The Wing Bar came to Brooklyn by way of Tallahassee, Florida. It's a father-son affair and we like their wings for the simplicity and adherence to tradition.
There's a conscious effort to avoid neanderthal-sized wings here, so an order of 10 ($9) proves to be an easily managed portion. We order our wings "hot," and while these arent the spiciest we've had in this category, they still pack a ton of flavor. They're lightly sauced, so the skin retains its excellent crunch right up to the last wing, putting these among the crispiest we've had.
Celery, carrots, and blue cheese come in a separate basket. We're not fans of carrots with wings, but the veggies are a good way to tell how much a wing spot cares about their wings. Soft, soggy vegetables are just as bad as bad as bad wings. This isn't the case at the Wing Bar, and for us, as huge fans of all-things-condimentary, blue cheese alone can make or break a batch of wings. At The Wing Bar, they doctor up store-bought blue cheese (A-OK with us when it comes to wings) with fresh gorganzola. It adds texture and an extra kick of salt that balances the spice.
The Wing Bar | 275 Smith Street | 718-237-2728
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