Hot wings of Wilkes County: Who's flying above the rest? Who's crashing and burning?

Don't let the presentation fool you.  Ruby Tuesday's served up very small and previously frozen wing.
Also notice the lack of sauce.  I was extremely disappointed.  

I've very passionate about this subject.  I, Jason Bowen, love and adore hot wings.  The first step to fixing your problem is admitting that you have one.  Or so they say.  Is it really a problem?  I guess I'll find out when I get around to getting my next physical and blood work done.  Until that day arrives.  And it will not be this day! (channeling Aragorn)... My intent is to eat, enjoy and be as critical as possible about every example of wing that is sold to me.  We, as a dining population,  owe it to our recently deceased feathered friends to make sure their offering is not fried up in vain.

Over the last three years, it's been a pleasure to be able to sample the majority of the wing offerings in Wilkes County.  If you find your eatery is not listed and feel like you have a shot at being the best wing establishment in Wilkesboro and beyond, please contact me via the comments section below.  Please keep in mind that these rankings are based on the quality of the wing alone.  It is not based upon any other variable such as aesthetics of the restaurant, cost or service.  We will also be rating these wings on a 1 to 10 ratings scale.  

The Meager

The meager is a category, in all truth, I just came up with.  It basically defines the wings in this category as being little more than a wing in name only.  It's size, it's texture, it's smell and it's flavor wreak of being a processed wing lacking any culinary love. 

• Papa John's: - 2.5 out of 10 - This wing will often come delivered to you under cooked, under seasoned and extremely small.  When you are able to get a decent bite out of one of these tiny wings, the flavor is heavy centered around butter.  Bad texture.  Avoid at all costs.

• Pizza Hut: - 3.5 out of 10 - Like it's pizza competitor above, you can obviously tell that the wing's they sell are an after thought.  You will find the same tiny wing in just a little better packaging.  The wings are often under cooked and maintain that boiled then baked texture.  The only reason these wings get an extra point is due to their minimally satisfying flavors.  

• Domino's: - 4 out of 10 - Domino's is really the cream of the crop of the pizza delivery wing.  And that's not saying much at all.  While still a small wing, Domino's does have a zesty vinegar based wing sauce that really inspires you to dip your pizza in it.  However, it's over processed fall apart texture just kills the overall wing experience.  Domino's also does tend to cook the wing to completion which is also a perk.  As a matter of fact, save yourself the disappointment of the actual chicken aspect of the wing and just order the sauce to dip your pizza in.   

As you can see from above list, the majority of the crap-tastic wings we find ourselves eating in this county are from the large corporate food dealers.  These wings are, for lack of a better phrase, without soul.  A local company that I did not put on the list but also deserves mention for how bad their wings are is Village Inn Pizza.  The only reason they are not listed here formally is because they only offer their wings on a Wednesday and on a buffet.  Anyone who'll eat buffet wings deserves to be disappointed.  

The Eager

The eager, also a category I just made up on the spot, is what we should consider the mid-grade wing category.  It's a category that many local eateries can fit into.  It's defined mostly by a larger wing, more care given to the sauce as well as the texture.  These wings should be considered adequate but only on occasion should you go slumming.  

• Amalfi's: - 5.5 out of 10 - Amalfi's wings were some what of a pleasant surprise.  You don't typically expect to find a a decent wing in an Italian restaurant.  In this case you find the wing on the appetizer menu.  The wings had a decent amount of carmelization, decent to above average size.  The wings were obviously cooked nearly perfectly without any pretense of a processed wing.  On the negative side, the wings were served slightly dry and with a mild to below mild heat.

• Main Street Tavern: - 6.0 out of 10 - Main Street Tavern is the first wing location on our list that meets and exceeds the size qualification for a quality wing.  They present to you ten fully cooked, well sauced wings.  The sauce has a slightly different tang to it.  It carries a little thickness and richness to the sauce that helped it stick to the wing.  The wing could have added perhaps another full point onto it's score had they not deep fried the wings in oil used to cook other entries or appetizers.  On one occasion, I picked up a slight fish flavor and on another visit I detected a flavor bordering the smell of a hotdog.  If you do order these wings, attempt to do so earlier in the day before they have a chance to spice up the deep fryer.  

• West Coast Wings: - 6.60 out of 10 - For an establishment that just opened two days ago, West Coast Wings has certainly made a splash in the Millers Creek area. The first thing you notice about this entry is that they're very fresh. The meat sticks to the bone while maintaining it's juiciness. For a guy who loves legs, my sampling contained many. West Coast Wings does leave points off the board with an inadequate wing to sauce ratio. Some of the wings were dry while others had marginally adequate saucing. The wing is well cooked and has a slight crisp to the skin. The sauce itself was a standard vinegar based wing sauce but sometimes standard is all you need. (update:  West Coast wings has fallen one spot and The Dispensary climbed one spot.)

The Bob Seger's 

As you can see from the name of this category, this is serious business.  The wings mentioned and listed below have soul, passion and a desire to please.  For Wilkesboro, they personify the idea of a classic wing just like Bob Seger defined rock n roll for a generation.

•  The Dispensary:  - 6.9 out of 10 -  Over the last month or so since I wrote this review, the Dispensary has really upped their game.  The wings are spot on, flavorful, with just enough added heat.  The size of the wing is never in question.  The sauce is pretty basic but I really think what separates them from other locations is the extended cook time the wing is provided.  It really helps to add a smokiness and a sweetness to the wing. 

West Coast Wings:  The first offering

• Big Tom's:  - 7.3 out of 10 - One would think that the name Big Tom's was named after their enormous wings.  Because they're enormous.  Each and every wing is massive.  They're almost too big.  Big Tom's scores massive points in the over all heartiness of their wings.  These aren't wings for wimps and you better have a massive appetite to take down the entire plate.  Again, the saucing is where the wing takes a bit of a hit.  The multiple times I've ordered these wings I have to ask specifically that they make them sloppy.  Even with me having to badger them to sauce my wings correctly, the freshness and the quality of the chicken is really the star of the show.  Big Tom's "hot" category in my opinion is at the upper end, nearing x-hot.  

There can only be one true greatest wing of Wilkes.  It's a wing that brings everything to the table.  No pun intended.  It's fresh, it's jumbo, it's moist with the drippings of it's delicious hot sauce.  What you want to see from a champion wing is a product that's been invested in and cared for.  And in the end, there can be only one.

Best Wing's in Wilkes County
Ted's Kickin Chicken

• Ted's Kickin Chicken  - 7.6 out of 10 - Where other wings fail, Ted's succeeds.  With a similarly large wing of that of Big Tom's, they introduce you to something that you don't typically get with standard hot wings.  You get a near perfect wing standing in it's own wing sauce.  Ted's wing sauce is a little different from other vinegar based cayenne sauces.  It's a little runny and it doesn't really lay heavily on the wing and here lies its' brilliance.  You can go back and dip it again in the sauce to pick up more heat and flavor or keep it dry depending on your preference.  I was a skeptic at first but that little building a few miles up Statesville road in Wilkesboro really does the wing community proud.  If I was a chicken up for slaughter, I'd hope that my wings found their way to Ted's.  Nuff said.