PJ Whelihan's Revisited

I suppose I should start by thanking my esteemed friend and colleague who originated this blog for kindly granting me leave to contribute. I am grateful that he has this blog so that I have an outlet to rant. And while there will be wing talk, this is going to feel more like a restaurant review.

During the previous week I had a hankering for wings. More importantly, what I really wanted was to dine out. Due to finances and other circumstances, we've not had the opportunity to go anywhere in quite some time, but I digress. I told my husband and one of our other friends I was in the mood for wings and they were all for the idea. I was heartbroken to learn Red Hills Tavern had closed down, and we weren't up for a pilgrimage to my beloved Moriarty's, so we three went to PJ Whelihan's. We had dined at this location before, and we enjoyed the food, drinks and ambiance. In fact, the right honorable gentleman from New York has already put in his 2 cents about their wings and accompanying sauces.

Unfortunately, this most recent visit left me underwhelmed.

But I will tell you what was good, and I'll start with the wings.

To paraphrase my husband, if cupcakes are a delivery vehicle for the icing, wings are a delivery vehicle for the sauce. That is, if your sauce ain't no good, your wings ain't gonna be much better. With eight sauce choices that span from mild to four alarm-ish, which you are permitted to flight deck sample, Whelihan's does not disappoint. They also have an impressive beer selection. (Now if Whelihan's would only offer a flight deck of both!)

The wings were not dry, overcooked twigs, hoping to be hidden from your palate by their blanket of sauce. These were prepared to the right temperature and were perfectly moist. Ordinarily, I would also mention the skin, but that will have to wait a bit.

Speaking of beer selections, their Copper Lager was divine and it complemented my dinner wonderfully.

Our waitress was accommodating and efficient.

Now for the bad stuff, and since I'm already on the topic of service, the only complaint here is that there was no host present at the front of the house. We had to wait a while for one to show up so we could put our name in. Now, for their part, it was a buzzing Saturday night and she was most likely seating others, prepping a table for the next set of occupants, or any number of other tasks that make up the job of a host(ess). What I found disconcerting was the lack of space for your typical hosts' station. This might be due to the placement of tables in the establishment, or, this may be how the restaurant Chain wants it.

In addition to wings I also ordered a side of their Cheddar Bacon Fries for the table. This is a childhood thing of mine I never grew out of. When we're at one of these striped awnings, I must order I have to fight the urge to order a side of fries. So now when I do so I move the basket or plate to the center of the table and pass it off as a communal dish. It's my polite way of saying, "Oh silly me, my eyes are bigger than my stomach! *girlish giggle*" And I pray no one thinks I'm a pig.

The Cheddar Bacon Fries' description read, "topped with vermont cheddar cheese and crispy bacon". Now I'm pretty sure that Vermont cheddar does not come out of a can! Unless I grossly misunderstood how cheddar is produced in Vermont.

The bacon was not crispy but soggy. I did not have my camera with me or I would have included a photo. Just take it from me when I say, "sad fries".

One last thing before I mention the wings again. This is not a criticism on the way they're prepared; this is an opinion:

Their wings are breaded.

Ugh. I hate breaded wings.

Now somewhere on the menu it might have stated their wings are prepared like that, and being the ditzy wench I am I missed it. Nevertheless, had I known, I wouldn't have ordered them. Or I would have asked for them naked. The thing is, unless the wings come boneless--and let's face it, boneless wings are an oxymoron--Breading. Is. Not. Necessary.

If anything, it's a detriment.

But, others may feel differently. Like my husband explained, the breading makes the wing hold on to the sauce better and it fills you up faster. But then, he doesn't care if his wings come breaded or not.

Me? The only thing that should come between my teeth and the chicken is the sauce. I expect the wings to have a nice crispy exterior, which combined with the tender meat underneath and the yummy sauce on top, should make the entire dish--and my taste buds--sing!

I really wanted to enjoy the wings and fries. I really did! I've ordered other stuff from their menu before and liked everything! I really wish I could type up a more glowing report here, but I can't.