Buffalo Wild Wings

The Culinary Delights Wings Tour (CDWT) headed to another wings stop this week.  Buffalo Wild Wings was on the agenda.  Commonly known as B-Dubs, this is a chain restaurant known for its selection of chicken wings (http://www.buffalowildwings.com).   We ventured into the Dirksen Parkway location at 2808 N. Dirksen Parkway and were greeted warmer and seated quickly.


If you’ve ever been to a B-dubs, they are all pretty much laid out the same way with a main dining area surrounded by massive amounts of televisions and sports paraphernalia.   The televisions are all tuned to the numerous sports channels around the world and make for a very comfortable atmosphere.

Our server Derek (not to be confused with one of the CDWT founding fathers) was only on his second day, but efficiently took our drink orders.  After waiting the obligatory 10 minutes for one of the venerably missing CDWT members, we decided to order. 
 
It didn’t take us long to figure out we wanted the lunch special of 8 wings.  This came with our choice of wing’s style (traditional or boneless), wing’s heat, French fries and a drink for $8.99.  In addition, we were offered celery.  We weren’t clear if this was an extra charge or even why celery is offered with wings.  Nevertheless, we declined this offer.   Two of us ordered under the Hot category, while the other ordered the classic Buffalo sauce.  In addition, we decided to try an appetizer of the Ultimate Nachos on the “Shareables” menu.

Server Derek took our order and proceeded to rapidly and efficiently fill our drinks, while the restaurant filled with lunch patrons
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After a short period of time (how long does it take to put cheese and some meat on chips?), we challenged Derek about having our appetizer brought out first.  He indicated that he had placed the order in that direction.  Well, it didn’t take long for our entire order to be brought to the table.  So much for the appetizer coming out first!

The wings were hot and spicy.  And unlike some of the past wings’ reviews, these were not freezer burnt.  These wings weren’t as large as Hooters or Starship, but they held their own nicely.    Two of the CDWT exchanged wings and tried both Hot and Buffalo style.  The main difference between the two was the additional vinegar added.  The heat factor was still high on both versions.  Both sauces rated high on our subjectivity scale. 

After chowing down on the wings and fries, we tore into the nachos.  They had three different versions of nachos on one plate and all were nicely done.  These were a big hit with the group.
Our waiter kept our drinks filled and although it was only his second day on the job, he did a good job.  He did have a problem splitting the nachos for our bills.  After some time, we were each charged $12.35 for this big lunch meal.

The atmosphere, service and price were good, however the wings weren’t as large as others we tested.  The group decided it was time to return to Hoots, just to make sure we didn’t miss anything.  So, before we end the tour, you’ll see another review about Hooters.  Until then…

D'Arcy's Pint II

 

Today we made the trip to D’Arcy’s Pint for the next stop on our Wing Tour.  You can find D’Arcy’s Pint at 661 S. Stanford St. and online at http://www.darcyspintonline.com/.  You may remember our stop at this restaurant during the Tenderloin Tour of 2012. 

We were seated in the middle of the restaurant after no wait at all which is very odd for this restaurant.  We scanned the menu for the wings and found them in the starter portion of the menu only.  Your only option was to purchase them by the pound.  They were listed in 1 pound or 2 pound increments.  I don’t know if the Culinary Delights Team wasn’t into wings today or if the wings just weren’t looking good from the menu but we all decided to just purchase a pound of wings for the table and each of us get a Horseshoe.   I will explain a Horseshoe later.  Our sauce for the wings was Buffalo.

After a short time, the wings showed up at the table and we were shocked when we saw them delivered on a long, skinny platter.  It was as if we followed Alice down the rabbit hole and we didn’t get smaller as we fell.  Or, as if the Giant went down the beanstalk and stole Jack’s wings.  Or, as if Mini Me gave his wings to Dr. Evil.  Members of the Itty Bitty Titty Committee would call these wings just right.  If we had pterodactyl wings at other restaurants during this tour, we got hummingbird wings served to us today.  In case you haven’t picked up on my references, these wings were tiny.  I believe picking up and biting into these wings was referenced to the scene in Big when Tom Hanks was at the party and picked up the vegetable he thought was an ear of corn and started eating it as you would an ear of corn. 

The sauce had a gentle heat depending on the wing you ate.  Some were a neutral sauce and others had some heat.  There was a hint of the same bad flavor we had from ShowMe’s when we ate some of the drumsticks.  There were a few bad apples in the bunch. 

We didn’t even finish the platter of wings before our Horseshoe’s arrived because we were that disappointed.  So, a Horseshoe was invented in central IL and has been a local favorite dish ever since.  It started as a simple open faced sandwich but has evolved over the years to keep it fresh and enjoyable.  At its root, it’s a piece of bread with some kind of meat on it, topped with a cheese sauce, then French fries, and finally more cheese sauce.  It’s a true artery hardening, calorie stomping, fat producing meal.  In support of the Wing Tour, two of us had a Buffalo Chicken Horseshoe as our meal.  The Shoes were tasty even though the Buffalo Chicken isn’t my favorite specialty Shoe.  There was some discussion about the sauce and whether or not it’s one of the better in town.  The cheese sauce is really what makes the Shoe.

The pound of wings set us back $7.55 and the Horseshoes another $7.25.  The wings were a complete waste and I wouldn’t recommend you make a special stop to purchase them or that you even try them during a regular dinner visit.  The Shoes were good but I didn’t get my usual favorite.  Overall, this trip was below average even with the special delicacies and side option purchase we made to try to lift our spirits.  I think a case of spirits would’ve been the only thing to make this meal acceptable but unfortunately, we all had to go back to work after the meal.

Show-Me's

After the holidays the Hot Wing Tour finally rolled into 2013 with a trip to Show Me’s! (I’m not sure the name is grammatically correct with that apostrophe, but that’s the way it’s spelled on the sign).  They are located at 3101 S. MacArthur Blvd in Springfield, IL.  Their website is http://www.showmes.com/ and they are fashioned after the Hooters model.  You know, it’s supposed to be all about the wings…well, and the dress code the waitresses adhere to. 

Show-Me’s is a regional chain restaurant with sixteen locations around the Midwest.   Okay…back to that dress code.  Here they don dark shirts with bottoms more like bikinis instead of shorts.  Our waitress was appropriately dressed in the Show-Me’s Tee and short-shorts.  They’re motto of “When you have an appetite for fun” is a bit cheeky, along with the girl’s shorts, but it still works. 

Upon entering the establishment we were told to take any seat, so we sat in the middle surrounded by televisions showing tons of sports (what do you expect – talk shows or some other mid-day bullshit show).  Our waitress promptly took our drink order.  When asked about the rules for ordering the lunch special, she basically instructed us that it was 10 wings with one choice of sauce or you could get them naked with multiple sauce choices on the side.  Unfortunately, the only things naked here are the wings.  All we needed to tell her was boneless or traditional, fries or salad and the flavor.  So, three out of four of the group ordered ten traditional hot wings, while the hold out decided it best to order naked wings with both hot sauce and garlic parm on the side.   

After a brief moment discussing whether our waitress was real cute or if it was the blonde hair and deep tan that made her enticing to look at, our wings arrived and they appeared to be hot in temperature with steam rolling off.   The whole group ordered French fries and were somewhat disappointed the fries were a bit too fried.  They were very crunchy and one member hinted a seasoning on the fries.  We believe the flavor actually came from the grease though and not a special seasoning. 

The wings themselves were of good size, although they weren’t as big as Hooters or Starship Billiard’s wings.  They did have the appropriate spiciness and an extra amount of grease, which left your hands and face in much need of paper towels.  After launching ourselves into the wings, one in the group mentioned a strange flavoring, especially when you got down to the bone.  After much discussion, we wondered if the cooking oil was old or the wings were left in the freezer too long.  It couldn’t have been that bad though, as most of the group ate all ten of their wings.

Our waitress was very accommodating and continuously worked to keep our drinks full.   She was pleasant on the eyes even if it was blonde locks, a dark tan, and a nice bounce in her bra running a feint from her true beauty (or lack thereof).  In other words, the service was very good.  The price was decent getting you 10 wings and fries for about $8 if you drank water instead of soda or beer.

The wings were okay, but when compared to Hooters and Starship probably not up to their par.  Throw in a bit of ambiance and Hooters is winning the tour hands down.  This visit left us grading it average and wanting the joint to Show Me more.

Hooters

What hot wing contest could exist without a visit to Hooters?  Today we went to visit the delightfully tacky, yet unrefined ladies of Hooters at 3241 Horizon Drive in Springfield, IL.  You’ll have to go through www.hooters.com to find the store information.  We don’t normally visit chain restaurants as part of our hunt for the best food in Springfield, but we couldn’t pass up an excuse to visit the tank top and orange short wearing ladies of the owl. 

We were immediately disappointed when we walked in and found the service personnel wearing “sexy” Christmas costumes to celebrate the holiday season.  Most of their costumes were tight but fell short of sexy.  There was the lamp leg light from “A Christmas Story”, an elf, and a server wearing a “Naughty or Nice” shirt.  It was a far cry from the threads and fabrics this restaurant chain places its reputation on.  Regardless, we weren’t here for breasts, but rather wings and mini drumsticks.  

We were seated at a high table with bar stools and our drink order was quickly taken after Buddy the Elf passed through the seven levels of the Candy Cane forest, through the sea of swirly twirly gum drops, and finally walked through the Lincoln Tunnel to our table.  There are 4 ways to order the Hooters wings:  Original Hooters Style, Naked (yes, please) Wings, Daytona Beach Style Wings, or Boneless Wings.  Our test group for wings puts us in the Original Style so we ordered a plate of 20 wings with the Hot sauce.  There was also a side of curly fries and a bowl of chili ordered.  This was the most difficult and restrictive menu to order wings from.  We couldn’t split the wing order to try different flavors and the order sizes didn’t lead us to want to try a different flavor.

It didn’t matter because we weren’t disappointed.  The plate of wings was delivered and piled high.  It didn’t take long to notice these wings were huge and rivaled those of Starship Billiards.  They were served piping hot too.  When we were finally able to bite into them, they were juicy, meaty, and succulent.  More than a mouthful of these definitely was not a waste.  Each wing left you with hot sauce and juice dripping from your chin and smeared across your cheek.  You had to lick your fingers dry before wiping the juice and sauce off your face.  The ranch dipping sauce was creamy and tasty.  The sauce was warm but not hot by our standards.  Because we shared the wings with the group, we had no idea how many we ate but it didn’t matter because we were all full by the time the last three wings were raised in a toast to the Hoots. 

This was a less than traditional visit to Hooters with the bodily décor altered for the holiday season.  The wings were large and in charge dripping with juices and sauce.  The bill was high because Hooters charges you for everything.  The chili cost extra for onions and cheese.  You even get charged for the dipping sauces.  The waitress was attentive but not to the standards you see on the billboards, calendars or commercials.  The restaurant was sunny and open but lacked many customers while we were eating.  This experience, because of the food, ranks high for us and may be a repeat visit as we break down the finalists.  Who knew we’d actually want to come back to Hooters for the food?

None of these ladies were our elf waitress but they have Springfield, IL on their shirts.

Quaker Steak and Lube

Today we set out on the Wing Tour and visited Quaker Steak and Lube located at 1121 West Lincolnshire Blvd, Springfield, IL and at http://www.quakersteakandlube.com/Springfield_IL/.  At first glance you think the name is part of a famous brand of oil and the restaurant emphasized that throughout, though we'll go there in a bit.  We entered the premises and right away had to sidestep the TV built into the floor.  Are people seriously taking naps or standing around long enough to watch a TV in the floor?

Quaker Steak and Lube is not to be confused with Quaker State Lube Station although the name and colors are similar and the restaurant is automobile themed.  They have vehicle pictures and posters on the walls.  Racing gas tanks hanging from the rafters with the 21 sauce names on them, a dirt bike and rider breaking through a glass window high on the wall.  And don't look up because you'll find a stock car hanging upside down right over your head!  Their centerpiece vehicle is a 1929 JD Harley Davidson spinning around while it hangs from the ceiling.

After we got done taking in all the sights, we took our plastic seats at our round table.  They spared no expense on the seating arrangements.  We were quickly greeted by an energetic and happy waitress named Jeni.  She took our drink orders and informed us of the all-you-can-eat buffet.  Our attention was quickly grabbed when she informed us the buffet consisted of all you can eat wings.  The wings are naked with all the sauces available.  We were quickly in heaven as we could sample as many of the wing flavors for one low price.  The buffet also has a theme, which changes daily.  Today it was the Homestyle theme.  While we discussed the various sauces and opportunities they presented for our taste buds, Jeni delivered our drinks with long flexible straws twisted in childish curly Q designs.  So, I tongue whipped my straw to my mouth and took a big sip.

Enough of the Homestyle and straws though, we came to taste wings.  We left our table and quickly gathered around the naked wings, filling our plates high.  As is our test group, we all took a tub of the Hot sauce to compare against the other restaurants' hot sauces.  The Hot sauce had a similar flavor to the Starship restaurant sauce.  It had a hint of Tabasco along with vinegar.  It was spicy with a Scoville Heat Rating of 3,000 causing one of our participants to empty his sinuses and open the pores on his forehead.  The rest were mostly unaffected.

Other flavors we tasted were Parmesan Pepper, Premium Garlic, Haute Parm, Buckeye BBQ, and Arizona Ranch.  On the buffet, the only wet wings they had available were the Arizona Ranch and they were fantastic!  It was the gentle flavor of ranch with a sweet, spicy tang.  The other favorite of the group was the Buckeye BBQ.  This is considered the fourth hottest sauce they offer and it definitely had some zip, but the sweet BBQ flavor was what made it to die for.

As you can imagine, we made many trips to the buffet to get more wings and try new sauces.  We noticed the quality of the wings improved as we made our trips.  The first round, the skins were very crispy and not as juicy.  We figure it was because we got there just before the lunch crowd hit so the wings had probably been sitting under the heat lamps for a while.  The second round produced some large wings full of juices and softer skins.  The last round consisted of the best wings yet -- they were piping hot and spilling with juices.

With our appetites and taste palates finally sated, we asked for our bill.  The buffet was $7.99 for the all-you- can-eat buffet, which even includes the drink.  This is the best price so far, especially when you had salad, sandwiches, pasta, homestyle food, wings, and dessert available on the buffet.  We didn’t get charged for each flavor of wing we wanted like some restaurant in the distant past.  The waitress was attentive and engaging.  The environment was unique and dangerous with full size vehicles hanging over our heads as we ate.  If that wasn’t enough, our receipts were delivered with a “wing wag” for desaucification and a Twizzler as a parting gift.  Our experience was memorable and we would visit again if the wind blew us in their direction.

Starship Billiards Parlor

Vulcan Hot

Today we embarked upon an intergalactic journey to Starship Billiards Parlor crossing time and space to 2301 Adlai Stevenson Drive, Suite C in Springfield, IL.  They must be from a land far, far away because they don’t have a webpage.  Upon entering deep space, you must travel through the asteroid field of pool tables and make your way to the black hole of a bar area aptly named, The Enterprise.  The bar has a few low tables with 2 chairs positioned at each.  If you haven’t picked up on it yet, the theme of this joint is Star Trek.

We were rewarded today as we quickly learned the special of the day was $ 0.50 wings.  We immediately learned we could order as many flavors of wings we wanted as long as they were in half dozen increments and the wings were naked and therefore, not breaded.  None of us are Trekkies who speak Klingon so we had to ask the wait staff to translate the wing menu into normal terms.  He did a poor job of doing so as his explanation of one particular flavor was exactly as a different one was named.  Regardless, we chose the Vulcan Hot which was our base test flavor, Bones Honey Hot, and Neelix Lemon Pepper.  We ordered each by the dozen and a side of fries for two and tater tots for the other.

  

Neelix Lemon Pepper

We sat the next 20 minutes waiting for food and our drinks to be refilled.  There was only one wait person working and he was located behind the bar.  There was no crowd to speak of so it’s astonishing we weren’t given more attention.  I’m uncertain if he was also the cook.

 

Our wings finally arrived with a fistful of napkins and wet wipes.  We immediately realized the massive size of these wings.  They didn’t come from a chicken but more like a pterodactyl.  They were massive and meaty.  The waiter did his best to identify the wing flavor as he set them down in front of us.  Our sides quickly followed and we started to dig in.  We started with the hot wings as this is the test flavor to be compared from restaurant to restaurant.  The flavor was good and had a little heat to it.  There was certainly more heat to this wing than the Westwood’s wing.  When you picked up the Honey Hot wing, you immediately smelled the Tabasco sauce and the flavor didn’t surprise your palate.  We didn’t sense the slightest hint of honey in this flavor.  It was spicier than the Vulcan Hot and our nasal passages opening up was a clear indication.  The Lemon Pepper was a nice dry rub compliment to the wet sauces of the hot flavors.  It was a very salty lemon pepper.

Bones Honey Hot

 

The cost was $9.00 for a dozen wings and side of fries so it was a little pricey.  The restaurant was fun with the pool tables and Star Trek theme.  The lack of wait staff and time it took to have our food served was very disappointing.  The wings were massive and cooked perfectly.  Two of the three sauces were flavorful and relatively unique.  The hot sauce was good and flavorful but not too spicy.

 

The environments were equally interesting and the wait staff were equally disappointing though for different reasons.  The mass and girth of these wings along with the ability to order multiple wing flavors without penalty give Starship Billiards Parlor the lead over Westwood’s.  To infinity and beyond.

Westwood's Lodge and Pub

The Wing Tour launched from our local airport and our first stop was at Westwood’s Lodge and Pub.  You’ll probably remember Westwood’s from the Tenderloin Tour of 2012.  This restaurant takes a rather unique backwoods look at culinary decadence.  The restaurant is still located at 2406 West Jefferson Street, Springfield, IL and http://www.westwoodslodge.com/.   We chose this as our first stop because a member of the Culinary Delights team believes these to be the best wings in town and wanted to set the Wing standard.

L to R: Spicy Garlic and Buffalo

We entered the establishment and as soon as we were seated, we were met by none other than our waitress from last time, Toots.  She took our drink order and delivered our beverages.  We were deep in conversation as we were still setting the rules for the Wing Tour so we had to send her away on a couple of different occasions.  She was a blood hound on a scent though so she visited often and finally lulled us into our order. 

The rules for taste are simple, you must order and/or try the Buffalo flavored wings at each of the restaurants.  This will be the primary flavor to compare all others against.  If the restaurant offers some specialty flavors, you’re welcome to order and comment on those as well.  It was disappointing to only find a single Buffalo flavor on this menu.  There were no other levels of hotness to escalate the burning of our mouths and causing our salivary glands to work overtime.  So, we all ordered a half dozen of the Buffalo wings.  We each ordered a half dozen of the specialty wings in the way of a spicy garlic dry rub, bacon ranch, and garlic parmesan.  

Bacon Ranch

It wasn’t long before our order was delivered by a less than friendly staff member who had probably been locked up in the kitchen all day.  Our order was delivered in half dozen increments.  They obviously didn’t want the flavors to cross-contaminate each other.  The CD member who holds Westwoods in high esteem was quick to point out the presentation of the wings has changed since his last visit.  In the past, they used to bring out the wings on a circular contraption that held a dozen wings in their own little carry area and after sucking the meat off the bone, you dropped the bones into a dish set in the middle of the circular contraption.  This wasn’t a good sign to start off the review of the wings he once put on a pedestal.

We spared no time as we dug into the Buffalo wings.  We started with these so our pallets weren’t tainted by the other flavored wings we ordered.  We all quickly discovered the Buffalo sauce was flavorful, but had no spiciness that registered.  My wings had a very tough skin that hurt my teeth to bite into.  The others seemed fine with theirs.  My flavored wings were ok, so I may’ve just had an overcooked batch.  The meat inside was well cooked and quite juicy.  The ranch sauce we had for dipping was thick and creamy.  It was a perfect blend that clung to the wing after it was dunked. 

The flavored wings were well received around the table.  The spicy garlic (heat warning on the menu) was not spicy and fortunately, not overly garlic.  The flavor was a good one other than the missing temperature.  The garlic parmesan was dominated by the parmesan.  It was a nice blend of parmesan with a hint of garlic.  The bacon ranch was the most raved about flavor that hit our table.  There was no need to dip these bad boys as they were covered with ranch sauce and drizzled in bacon pieces. 

Garlic Parmesan

Although there was talk we wouldn’t be able to finish the dozen wings we ordered, there was nothing but empty bones left at the end of the session.  It’s possible one of the members was so callous as to suck the marrow out of the bones.  He left no flavor behind!

When we received our tickets, it was like we stepped on a land mine similar to a Bouncing Betty that capped us at the knees.  It was at that time we learned we were being charged for two 6-wing orders, instead of the 12 wing price.  It appears the proprietor of this establishment charges by the flavor and not the order.  Our meal went from around $9 for the dozen to over $14.  We questioned Toots about this who proceeded to educate us, as it was all disclosed in the menu.  She even went so far as to obtain a menu and point it out in black and white.  Although we didn’t doubt her, we felt she could’ve warned us when we ordered or she could’ve, at the very least, put our Buffalo flavor wings together to reduce our cost.

The environment of this restaurant is unique, fun and inviting.  Our waitress was great until she tossed us the bill taped to the “This side toward the enemy” side of a Claymore mine and she failed to service us with knowledge and warnings.  The price was beyond what it should’ve been as previously discussed.  A Wing consumer should be able to split their full dozen order into at least 2 flavors, if not more.  The Buffalo flavor was tasty, but disappointing that we couldn’t adjust the heat level.  The Wings were of average size, possibly an overcooked skin, but a nice and juicy center.  I can only say I hope this isn’t the Wings to beat or this will be a long Tour.