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.