Sauce Quality: 3.75/5
The Wildcat is a pretty cool bar to hang out at with friends. They have a pretty expansive bar, high ceilings, tons of seating, and probably 20 TV's to watch games on. They are also known to get live entertainment on their own stage on the weekends, and I must say, I've had a few good nights at this place in the past! I've heard about their wings over the years and how good they were, so I thought it was finally time to try them out. I ordered 10 hot wings, and after about 20 minutes or so, the wings finally came. The thing that first caught my eye was that the sauce was simply poured over the top of the wings rather than saucing them in a bowl and tossing them until they are coated evenly. This was an immediate problem for me because wings should not be doused in one area and dry in another. I must say that the size of the wings were huge, and they were cooked nearly to perfection, so these were positives. I didn't really care for the sauce because it wasn't hot at all, had too much tomato product in it and was overall too sweet. There were mixed reviews from my fellow diners as some of them appreciated the sweet, tomato sauce, but I was not among them. If you like them hot, I'd recommend bumping up to extra hot. If you are looking for a cool place to go for a beer and a game, the Wildcat is definitely a good place to check out!
Since this blog is about wings, and not atmosphere, down to business! I ordered 10 hot wings. When they came out, I noticed they were jumbo meaty wings, which was great, and as an added bonus they were cooked to absolute perfection. By absolute perfection I mean cooked crispy but not so far as to dry out or shrink then wing, where there is still meaty, juicy goodness. If you have experience cooking wings, you know that there's about a 45 second window to achieve the perfect amount of crispiness! Anyway, the Chicken Coop clearly found this window. I thought the sauce was very tasty as well. It was your basic Franks Red Hot, Butter, and whatever other ingredient, but it was well done, had good consistency, and stuck to the wing, which is what I look for in a good sauce. For a hot sauce, I found the wing to be a bit mild, so if you like them really hot, you might want to bump up the heat a bit and consult one of the seemingly endless flavors that are offered!
Nina's is a place that I originally went to based on a pizza review recommendation, but I figured while I was there I might as well try out the wings that they offered. I have heard a lot of good things about their wing bites, but nothing about the wings and since this is a wing-only blog, I ordered 10 hot wings. When they were delivered to me, they were steaming hot, fried to perfection, and gigantic and meaty. The presentation was perfect, but how about the sauce? I found the sauce to be a little sweet for a hot sauce, perhaps with a hint of barbcue or molasses. I prefer a more traditional buffalo sauce, but this isn't too far removed from that family, just adds some sweetness and flavor rather than bringing the heat. I really appreciated the wings and these will probably be liked by many people who aren't heat freaks. Coincidentally, I think this sauce would be amazing on the boneless wings, which must be the reason I've heard so much about them. Next time I plan on ordering boneless wings as well as one of their giant hoagies! Also, check out my review of Nina's Pizza.
Bell's is a newcomer to the NEPA food scene, but I've visited nearly a dozen times to order their famous wings and enjoyed them immensely every time. On this Sunday, my friends picked up a few dozen for the big Eagles vs Steelers game and the wings delivered the goods as usual. The sauce is my favorite type, with a blend of Franks Red Hot, Butter, and possibly a little tomato to add body. I wouldn't speculate what the real recipe is, but I will tell you it's among the best in the area. I might add that the sauce is incredibly flavorful without killing you with heat. I personally enjoy spicy foods, but I am amazed at how flavorful, vibrant, and full-bodied the mild sauce is. Where many mild sauces just add more butter or tomato to tame the heat, this sauce is meticulously reformulated to stand on it's own. If you are familiar with Kelly's wings in South Scranton, it's probably the closest comparison I can make. I would HIGHLY recommend you get to Factoryville and grab a dozen of these chicken wings as I guarantee you will not disappointed!!!
I visited Salerno's Cafe based on a poll on my NEPApizzareview website and thought I would piggy back the review and order some wings to go with my pizza. I found the wings to be very lacking in flavor as the sauce was overly simplistic and thin. They were at least crispy, but not very meaty at all. Most of the flavor came from the fryer oil, which wasn't very pleasant. If the sauce was considerably thicker and applied more generously, it would be a start to getting these wings moving in the right direction, but they need a lot of help to get into even the average category.
Proper Amount of Sauce:
1/5
