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.