Since 98 I have lived everywhere on the Earth BUT back in western NY. Everywhere I go I try the local version of "Buffalo" wings and outside of perhaps three or four places, they have all been shit. Sometimes you get terrible sauce, sometimes they're breaded, the blue cheese looks like jizz, all you get is ranch, the wings are soggy, greasy, or sometimes they are so bad that your inner WNY'er get so pissed that you tell them how shitty they are and come close to punching the asshole "chef" from Tampa that thinks he knows more about the "real" wings than you do. I once ate a wing at a BBQ joint in Denver and when I went to the counter to send them back this guy standing next to me, on my side of the counter grabbed them and wanted to know why. Turned out he was an outside consultant and was hired to bring the restaraunt back into the profit zone. I wrote down everything from oil choice, temp, sauce ingredients, cooking time, good blue cheeses etc and they put them on their menu. Now I'm not saying I saved that joint but they are always packed now and their wings are one of their best sellers.
Personally, I'm a huge fan of the traditional Franks and butter sauce but I have had some great wings that broke from that tradition too. I like to add a bit of salt, pepper and a squirt of lemon juice the party. I also make a great wing sauce with the Frank's base and homemade honey mustard, dijon and BBQ sauce thrown in which slams each time. I have made wings for 50+ people at parties tons of times and am now known as the Wing Man in some circles.
So I guess I started this to first off bitch about how people fuck up such a simple dish, to hear your experiences with shitty wings and your best of awards. Also, how do you make them?
Not even Boston Pizza or Pipers Pub can get it right. At Pipers, they have a "Wing Night" every week and the wings are about the size of that of a robin or pigeon and the texture of rubber & cardboard. When I want a wing, I want a good size wing with flavor. Which is why, we always buy frozen and do them at home ourselves.