I came across an article a few months ago, published in 1980 by one of my favorite authors, Calvin Trillin of The New Yorker. While not exclusively a food writer, Trillin has a passion for food and it reads loud and clear in many of his pieces. The article, entitled "An Attempt to Compile a Short History of the Buffalo Chicken Wing" documented Trillin’s trip to Buffalo and his subsequent rounds around our fair city to find which chicken wing reigns supreme.
It's an entertaining article but it’s pretty dated, so I thought I'd make it my winter's work to update it. This will include sampling wings at all the old classics, as well as the newcomers. But I cannot just rush into this blindly. I must methodically document and reason, thoroughly research and create a standardized assessment through which I can objectively choose the superior chicken wing. To that end, I created categories for score-worthy components of a delicious chicken wing.
First up is Pearl Street Brewery. I thought that their wings were mighty fine. So I will rate the Pearl Street wing by the categories I have devised.
1. Size: Some people complain about small wings. I personally find the huge, hulking ones pretty creepy. I feel like they came from some genetically-modified, hormone-high chicken. Plus, I like a high skin-meat ratio. Not enough surface area on those big ones. So these wings were right in the middle, just fine by me.
2. Crisp: Under-fry a wing and they are a soggy mess and the veins are much too flaccid. Over-fry a wing and you have something that resembles a pork rind more than a chicken wing. They must be perfectly fried to avoid either one of those outcomes and be able to soak up the sauce and still retain a bit of that crispy exterior. Pearl Street did this marvelously.
3. Wing Sauce: It has to be Frank's Red Hot and butter! There cannot be any skimping on the butter. And oh my, they did not.
4. Blue Cheese: First of all, does it come with blue cheese? If not, they are not wings! Second, is the blue cheese laden with blue cheese chunks? Is the mayonnaise base redolent with garlic? This is a downfall of most places; I often have to resort to bringing an emergency container of Marie's Extra-Chunky Blue Cheese. Anyway, Pearl Street did not receive high marks in this category. The blue cheese was middle of the road.
5. Carrot/Celery: I don't think this category carries as much weight as the others but it's part of the experience. Many wing joints skimp here too, throwing a few anemic-looking celery sticks and dried out carrots on the plate. Kudos to Pearl Street; the vegetables were fresh and ample.
6. Double vs. Single: I don't know how else to describe them. You know, there are the wings with one bone and then the double-jointed guys. I used to favor the drumstick-like wings, now I think I prefer the doubles. I'll eat both but some people are fanatics about only eating one type or another. Cast your vote please.
I'd like to see some comments about your personal preferences and secret haunts. And I promise to keep you posted about my next chicken wing experience.
76 Pearl Street, Buffalo 14202
716.856.2337