Regional Foods: Buffalo Wings!
One hearty recommendation I can give you is to stay away from the bigger chains. Outfits like Buffalo Wild Wings or Hooters are aiming their goods toward the masses. They spend their money on marketing and advertising... definitely NOT on the wings.
PrintSpring is in full swing now, and people are enjoying their travels again. We tend to come out of our hotel rooms a bit more often to explore the cities we’re visiting when it’s bright and warm, and the flowers are blooming. I’ve always encouraged people to take at least one afternoon away from their business ventures to do a local “Walkabout” to meet a few local people, and to sample the local fare, food, and fauna. Awhile ago, I decided that it would be fun to start a weekly series about regional foods! As you move around the country, step out of your comfort zone once in awhile and try a local dish! Some may not be so good, but as you’ll see over the coming weeks, some of them can be so fantastic that you’ll find yourself ordering your own private stock off of the internet.
For years, I’ve been on the hunt for the “perfect buffalo wing.” Created in Buffalo, New York (where the locals just call them “wings” and not “Buffalo wings), the classic Buffalo wing is a section of chicken wing (drumette or flapper) that is fried without breading. After coming out of the fryer, they are liberally coated with a simple sauce made of vinegar, butter, and cayenne pepper hot sauce. Celery and blue cheese dressing are typically served alongside to help cut the heat of the sauce.
From the day I started traveling, I’ve made it my mission to find the perfect buffalo wing. I don’t have any rules or requirements but I know what I like and this is one of those things where I’ll know the “perfect wing” when I finally taste it! I’ve eaten drumettes in Delaware, flappers in Florida, and all manner of hot wings in hotels, bars, restaurants, drive-thrus and diners. I’m still on the hunt… so far, the running winner is still that plate of simple original hot wings that I ordered from a dive bar in Buffalo New York. Perhaps some things just shouldn’t be messed with!
The problem with Buffalo wings is that people took a fantastic idea and thought they could improve on it. I’ve ordered the “Buffalo wings” from menus that describe them as BBQ’ed, baked, fried, twice fried, battered and fried, broasted, roasted, braised, and even pressure cooked. I’ve sampled sauce as benign as Ranch, and as scorching as “3-mile island suicide sauce.” I’ve seen them lightly peppered and over-salted. I’ve had them served in Styrofoam cups, on paper plates, on fine china, with paper napkins, or with fine linen. They’ve been accompanied by celery sticks, carrot sticks, bell pepper sticks, turnip sticks, radishes, and once even with jicama sticks and hearts of palm! They’ve been over cooked, under cooked, dry, juicy, blackened, and broiled.
You get the point. One hearty recommendation I can give you is to stay away from the bigger chains. Outfits like Buffalo Wild Wings or Hooters are aiming their goods toward the masses. They spend their money on marketing and advertising… definitely NOT on the wings.
Have you found a hidden hole in the wall that makes good buffalo wings? At home, I buy the biggest chicken wings I can find and I brush them with olive oil before grilling them over charcoal. Then I coat them with a mix of melted butter, vinegar, and cayenne pepper sauce. My wife sure loves them. Maybe that’s the answer! The perfect wing might be the one you make yourself!
EXTRA: If you have questions for Ken regarding business travel, hotels, airplanes, etc, please send him a “Tweet” on his twitter account. You can also follow Ken on Twitter @foodbreeze!
