As we prepare for this weekend's national holiday, people need suggestions about where to buy wings for their Super Bowl parties.
First, Melissa needs "good, but reasonably priced" wings for 20 people that she can buy along the Rte 40 corridor in Ellicott City. She'd go east in Catonsville. She can go into Columbia if she must. But she can't drive all over while she prepares for the party. Anyone have thoughts on wings at Vocelli's or Solana's?
But while we're at it, can you recommend other wings? Maybe great ones worth driving across the county? Maybe good ones in other places like Laurel, Savage or Columbia? Personally, I'm a fan of wings at Kloby's Smokehouse on Johns Hopkins Road, but I know the smoked flavor and the drier texture make them unusual.
Watch the HoCo Hangover blog to see if they collect Super Bowl specials/events from the bar scene. Looney's is having a bull & oyster roast. Kloby's Smokehouse is doing a pig roast. I'm sure there are more.
34 comments:
Good wings in the Columbia area are hard to find. I agree on Kloby's, great but not what many think when they want buffalo windows.
I am a fan on the wings from Pastino's Upper Crust in Columbia, cooked well, plenty of sauce and all around good.
I say make your own! Buy the whole wings.
Toss to coat with flour; shake to remove excess and let rest for about 10 minutes.
Bake in the oven on a sheet pan at 400 until nice and golden.
Toss in a bowl with the sauce of your choice.
For a Buffalo style sauce just use some Frank's Red Hot and mix with melted butter until you get the texture you like.
I'll also take a BBQ sauce and cut it with vinegar until thin enough to easily coat the wings.
If it has to be on route 40 I'd go with Bare bones or Jilly's. I'm partial to the Henny Penny wings at Jilly's, but Bare Bones has nice, meaty, no nonsense buffalo wings.
Wings-to-go at 108 and Center Park Drive is worthwhile in a pinch. They are consistent and a wide variety of sauces.
If a drive isn't too much of a problem, then hit up Cluck-U Chicken in Laurel or even the OG shop in College Park.
Hey Guys,
It's me, Melissa. Thanks for any help!
I actually cannot make my own because I am cooking several other appetizers/finger foods, and just plain don't have time. Also, the wings were a last minute decision, as we were going to get pizza. Believe me, I'd rather make them myself, but it won't work out this year.
I second Wings-to-Go off Rt. 108. I haven't been there in a while, but in my experience they've had a very authentic flavor and a good variety of heat options. I'm originally from Buffalo, and I've had very few wings in MD that I would call authentic, whatever their other merits might be.
I used to go to Wings to Go all of the time but my latest experiences have been very little meat and they use too much oil/butter with their sauces. The garlic buffalo is pretty good though.
You know who has decent wings and could help out with that amount? Pizza Bolis. The one on Oakland Mills does a good (if somewhat sloppy) wing.
Otherwise, go with the DIY approach. Deep fryer, lift 'em out about half way through and shake to seperate them and once cooked coat with a mix of butter and Frank's hot sauce. Batches of fresh wings being served throughout the game will go over much better than a big plate that gets cold and starts to congeal.
I may be in the minority, but I find Royal Pizza's wings pretty tasty.
I love that they have about 30 different flavors.
Another vote for Pastino's Upper Crust. Wings-to-Go is a good choice if you want a lot of variety, but for straight up wings, Pastino's is really surprisingly good.
I like the wings at Riverhill Sports Bar, esp. the ones with Old Bay Seasoning. They're served crispy and hot, and they have other varieties as well.
We like the wings at the Trolley Stop on Main Street/Frederick Rd in Ellicott City/Oella. We order them hot and extra crispy. (You can also order them mild.) I have ordered as many as 6 dozen at a time-- picked them up super hot, packaged nicely in a large aluminum tray with locking lid, and plenty of celery and blue cheese. They are always the first thing to go at our gatherings!
Second Anonymous about Royal = very good wings. Not the cheapest though. Wings 2 Go is the best price on decent wings.
Looney's on 216 have the tastiest wings in Howard County. I personally enjoy the honey old bay wings, well done. Order early though
I have to say that wings are the worst thing to take home because they get soggy and I like them crispy. Having said that the best wings in the area are at Michael's Pub. If you make them at home I have a great sauce tip. Add paprika to your favorite hot sauce and add butter to the hot sauce while it's cold. Paprika helps the sauce stick to the wings and adding butter while the sauce is cold makes it thicker.
If you are going to drive all the way to Wings to Go then I would go the extra 1/4 mile to Pastino's Upper Crust - classic wings prepared fresh and packed well for carryout!
Whoever mentioned CluckU - both the college park and laurel location went out of business (for good reason if you ask me.... breaded buffalo wings should be illegal!)
I vote for Frisco Tap Room/Grill. Their grilled Cantina Wings are AMAZING. Sweet, hot, smoky and soooo good! Order these alot instead of making them at home!
It's Melissa again....Wow you guys, thanks so much. It looks like Pastinos is getting multiple votes, as well as Wings to Go. I got scared away by the various poor reviews of WTG on google though.
Lucky Little Bird--your suggestion of The Trolley Stop also sounds appealing, as it is close by.
I will remember your recipes and tips for when I make my own wings one day--thanks again everyone....keep the suggestions coming. I'll make a decision tomorrow night.
Frisco Tap Room/Grill's wings are great - not reall a classig "buffalo" wing but still real good. At 9.99 for 6 of them however it can get pretty expensive to get any quantity.
Second Chance. Best wings in Howard County...very crispy on the outside and very meaty. The Wings-To-Go on 108 that has been mentioned a few times makes some good ones...but their wings are TINY.
I second Royal Pizza! They're my go-to place for party wings (when I'm too lazy to make my own). Their Maryland Style with Old Bay flavor is fantastic.
Although I'll sometimes pick up Wings 2 Go out of sheer convenience, I sadly would NOT recommend them if you are looking for "GOOD" wings. They are just mediocre, and I would think any sports bar or pizza joint could do better.
Royal pizza in Columbia is always hot and crispy and with 30+ options you cannot go wrong. We order 20 of each kind we like and they come in an aluminum tray with packets of ranch, blue cheese and plenty of carrots and celery! They are our go to wing spot and were on my top ten missed food places while I was abroad in Turkey.
Though mostly known for their fried chicken, Chick n' Friends in the Long Reach Village Center also makes wings to order, and they are exceptional..
All of this wing talk made me hungry - went to Treuth's this morning and got a massive amount of wings for $12. I'm going to do the oven method and toss them with some Old Bay. Thanks for the ideas!
Okay you guys, I think I am going to go with Royal Wings because it got the most votes on here. I AM still curious about Pastinos.
To be honest, I am interested in trying Second Chance Saloon's wings, as I read other good reviews about their wings, but I am worried that their price might be higher because it is from a pub/restaurant.
We shall see today...
Thanks so much for all your help guys!!!
Eggspectations on 108 at Snowden. Good sauce (you gotta order hot, not mild) and very meaty.
Another Buffalonian here. We make our own b/c the ones I've tried in the area are pretty bad. The usual is deep fried with Anchor Bar sauce from Wegmans in Hunt Valley or Franks Red Hot from any grocery store. Never baked and for the love of all things holy, never, ever floured or breaded! ;-)
I have flown to Buffalo for the sole purpose of visiting the Anchor Bar. I have also attended the Buffalo Wing Festival there as well. The Anchor Bar wing is quite good and can be replicated with Frank's Hot Sauce and Margarine (don't use butter - it changes the flavor profile slightly)
Probably too late to help the original post, but as suggested the Trolley Stop has excellent, authentic Buffalo wings.
Skip WTG. Neither authentic nor good.
I find that Michael's Pub, while very meaty, are never sauced enough. While we're on Bars, Shannon's and Kelsey's both make a decent offering in the wing department.
And, I do have soft spot in my heart for the Cluck-U Nuclear wing, even though as mentioned it is entirely inauthentic. I don't consider this a Buffalo wing at all - it's something entirely different. You can still get them in Ft. Meade on route 175. I guess all those wings consumed at very late hours in College Park have left some nostalgia!
Ditto Jeff Six on the Second Chance Saloon rec. Meaty and tasty. Plus a selection of sauces.
Based on comments, I picked up some wings at Royal Pizza. I got the mild buffalo and mild buffalo with garlic. The flavor was good, but I was surprised how meaty they were. Also, most places around here undercook wings, but these were nice and crispy. Definitely will go back.
We've also been to the Anchor Bar in Buffalo. When we were running out of the bottles of sauce we bought there, I tried a bunch of alternatives. IME, Ashanti Wing sauce (available at the Safeway on Harper's Farm Road, near Maiwand) is a dead ringer for the real thing. The consistency is a closer match than Frank's.
Hey everyone,
Well, I chose PASTINOS/UPPER CRUST.
It was a success!
Thank you all for your help :)
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