poltr1 | Yes, we're gonna have a wing-ding......

A few months ago, Donato's (a regional pizza chain based in Columbus) started serving up "Buffalo Wings". Being from Buffalo (where they call them "chicken wings" as they should be called), I couldn't pass them up. So I tried them. They're OK. But I've had better.

And so I went off in search of the best wings in Dayton. I spent the last several weeks and several different establishments looking for the best chicken wings in town.

My criteria as to what makes a good wing:
1) Meaty (yes, size matters here ;-) ).
2) Moist (dry wings are harder to eat and don't have as much fllavor; besides I like them swimming in the sauce).
3) Saucy (benchmark is the original Anchor Bar recipe: a blend of butter and Frank's RedHot sauce) .
4) Cooked through. (I've eaten wings that were undercooked. Not a pleasant experience.)

A wing that meets all 4 criteia will have me longing for my favorite wing hangouts in Buffalo: Duff's (no relation to Duff's Smorgasboard), the late lamented Rootie's Pump Room, the Tralfamadore Cafe, and the place where it all started 40 years ago: the Anchor Bar.

And here are the results.

Second runner-up is Buffalo Wild Wings (formerly BW-3's until they dropped "beef on Weck" from their menu :-( ). Good sauce, but the wings are small and they're not swimming in sauce. Plus the blue cheese and celery isn't automatically included; it's extra. Their Hot sauce is decent; their Wild sauce is only recommended for blizzards and really cold days. Props for displaying lots of Buffalo-related stuff on the walls.

First runner-up is Beef O'Brady's. Their wings are moist and meaty, but their hot sauce isn't quite hot enough for me. I've gotta ask for "Extra Hot". The sauce is the only drawback; they're moist and meaty!

And the winner is.....Quaker Steak and Lube. Their Hot sauce is Just Right (3000 Scoville heat units) and tastes just like Frank's right out of the bottle. Even Janice Okun, the Buffalo News food critic, liked them. I no longer need to rely on friends bringing or sending me "care packages" of wings! (I might still pass on the Genesee Beer, though. Heavy on the hops.)

Some of the also-rans:
Elsa's (a local Mexican restaurant chain): I used to think their hot wings were the best in town, but the last time I had them, they were very dry.
Donato's: Mediocre. A little on the dry side.
Fricker's (local bar chain): Disqualified. They bread their wings, and leave the little wingtips on. Sacrilege!
Buffalo Wings and Rings (local-to-Cincinnati chain): Good wings, but a little far for me to drive, unless I'm working in the Cincinnati area.

Other places that serve wings that were not visited or sampled this time around: Pizza Hut, Domino's, Hooters (I heard they bread them too), and Applebee's.