Terrapin, Rhinebeck, NY

Hot cuisine, haute cuisine.

Rhinebeck, NY is a great little town in the Mid Hudson Valley. They have a great assortment of restaurants, and they are a stone's thrown from the Culinary Institute of America in nearby Hyde Park. On this particular visit, we were inspired to try out Terrapin, a celebrated bar and bistro situated in the former First Baptist Church, a very impressive building. They have received very high marks from Zagat.

After being seated on the patio, we ordered a few items, including an appetizer of wings.

To quote their menu, they list them as, "one pound of free-range chicken wings". We opted for the Asian barbecue sauce, although they also offer mild and spicy sauces. Additionally, we ordered the "endive, candied walnut, and french d'auvergne blue cheese salad" and the "peking duck wraps".

The wings were served piping hot, dripping with an aromatic, red glaze. I found the wings a little small, if not a bit underdone. They could have stood another thirty seconds in the fryer, in my opinion for the sake of the interior. the outside was a little crispy, yet I would have liked it a little more so. The sauce itself was a little spicy, a bit sweet, and not too vinegary. Overall, a good balance of flavors. A pound of wings sounds like a lot but they go pretty quickly. There were about ten or twelve of them. Why not just list them as a dozen? Let's keep in mind this is far from a wing shack, and these were just appetizers.

The wings were fine for flavor, but I would not travel here just for them. However, if you are in the area, I'd suggest adding them to your order.

So, what about the rest of our meal? The endive salad, with candied walnuts, French blue cheese, apples, and balsamic vinaigrette, was an absolute winner. The sweet apples and walnuts contrasted perfectly with the blue cheese and vinaigrette. It was not overly filling, yet I didn't feel it was too small. It's large enough to share as an appetizer.

The Peking duck wraps were excellent. Inside the wraps were lots of crisp duck meat. I didn't find them particularly fatty at all. The meat was bathed in a sweet hoisin sauce-based dressing, and eating these wraps was an exercise in messy, gooey, deliciousness. The dish came with an asian slaw, which they could easily sell on its own, it was that good.

Terrapin Restaurant
6426 Montgomery St
Rhinebeck, NY 12572
(845) 876-3330
www.terrapinrestaurant.com

Tebaya (New York, NY)

おいしいです！ (Yummy!)

What do you get when you cross Japanese fast food, a small, unassuming shop in the Flatiron District, and a chicken wing? Tebaya has the answer, and yes, it's in English.

I've come here a couple of times in time for the lunch special, which includes eight wings, rice, and a small salad. They make each order fresh, and you can easily see them preparing your order. The shop is quite small, with a couple of tables and a counter for seating, so don't expect a table if it's prime lunch hour.

The wings are covered in a teriyaki-type sauce, but not too heavily, with a sprinkle of sesame seeds. It's about as much sauce as the Korean-style wings have, which one might end up comparing them to. The wing pieces are the forearms only, and they are fairly small. The salad, too is a bit small, but is still very tasty. When you bite into the wings, they are distinctly crunchy. The meat is just a little overcooked, but this does not take anything away from the flavor. Speaking of flavor, I would describe the sauce as peppery, salty, and with a hint of teriyaki sweetness. I would definitely classify these more as savory, and not as sweet. The rice serves to mop up the excess sauce that might have otherwise been left on the plate, and to add a little extra bulk to an otherwise light meal.

The verdict? These wings are delicious, though I wish they were bigger, and that they included the drum portions. These make a great snack, but those with heartier appetites might want to order extra if this is for a main meal. Definitely recommended.

Tebaya
144 W 19th St
New York, NY 10011
(212) 924-3335

Red Hills Tavern (Gilbertsville, PA)

Ahhh Hot n' Honey happiness!

Not far from Pennsburg, PA (where Pizza Como is located) is the town of Gilbertsville. This is where you will find the answer to the question, "Where can you buy both livestock and lingerie?" The answer is Zern's Farmers Market. Right next to Zern's is a small, easily overlooked restaurant, Red Hills Tavern. I was told that Red Hills Tavern has the best wings in the area. They have only six sauces: Mild, Hot, Suicide, Hot & Honey, BBQ, Hot Garlic & Parmesan.



The picture is from my second visit to Red Hills Tavern. On my first visit, I accompanied a good friend and local expert. On that visit we split 40 wings between us. My friend had been there before and recommended that we get 20 Hot and 20 Garlic & Parmesan. I was skeptical about the garlic & parmesan. I have had garlic & parmesan wings on a couple of occasions and they were always disappointing. What I overlooked was that these are not actually garlic & parmesan wings, but are "hot garlic & parmesan" wings. That is, they add garlic and freshly grated parmesan cheese to their hot sauce. On my second visit I got 20 hot & honey wings.


The wings are larger and meatier than what most restaurants serve. They came out hot on both occasions with plenty of sauce. The Hot sauce is a good standard Buffalo style sauce with good heat. The Hot Garlic & Parmesan sauce is an outstanding flavor combination. The parmesan adds a good contrasting flavor to the Buffalo sauce, while the garlic is, well, garlic (I like garlic). Finally, the Hot & Honey sauce is one of the best sweet wing sauces I have tasted.

Highly recommended.

Red Hills Tavern
1080 East Philadelphia Ave
Gilbertsville, PA 19525
(610) 367-6660