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

Pluck U (New York, NY)

Alright so it's about 100°F today, and I'm craving something spicy. Wings will do the job nicely. Quickly checking what's in the area, I pick Pluck U, a Greenwich Village staple that I've not been to in at least fifteen years. Since it's so damn hot out, I'm not thinking clearly, so I order ten wings tossed in their Death sauce. Actually, i did inquire as to just how hot the Death sauce was, and i was given a spoonful of the sauce to try. It had a kick, but wasn't ridiculously hot, so I went ahead with it. In my stupor, I also forget to take pictures of musings, so forgive the lack of pictures with this post.

I take a seat near the door, and the guy behind the cashier offers to redirect the fan toward me, in anticipation of my potential immolation. The wings come out steaming hot, slathered in a thick, dark red sauce. Now, I usually complain when there's not enough sauce on my wings, but today, the opposite was the case. It was pretty messy, and a good cleanup was in order afterwards.

So how were the wings? Better than I remembered them from long ago. The Buffalo-style sauce was strongly flavored, with a lot of hot pepper flavoring, not excessively vinegary, nor bitter like many other super-hot sauces. The outside was crispy, every piece delightfully crunchy. The meat, while juicy, was just a touch overdone, but still very edible. There weren't any noticeable spices used other than the sauce. As I proceeded to plow through the wings, the heat built up, leaving my lips tingling and my brow sweating. I think I wiped away a few tears as well. Not a fan of blue cheese, I was relieved there were a few sticks of celery, taking the edge off as needed.

The decor of this place is, um, yellow, and there's only a few tables. Most of their business, I assume, is take-out or delivery, so don't go expecting much by the way of ambiance. Still, these are pretty serviceable wings, and pretty much following the standard recipe. So, if you are craving no-nonsense Buffalo-style wings, and you're in the area, these might be a good choice for you.

Pluck U
230 Thompson Street
New York, NY 10012
(212) 505-2468

Boka, featuring Bon Chon Chicken (New York, NY)

Your average Korean-style fried wing.

St. Marks Place has restaurants galore, many of them Asian, over it's one block stretch. Boka's attraction, apparently, is that they serve Bon Chon chicken. There are a quite a number of establishments serving Korean-style fried chicken, including a few under Bon Chon's own banner. How does Boka stand out from the rest?

Boka's menu is varied. In addition to their chicken section (we ordered a combination of wings and drumsticks), they also feature bi bim bop. kim bop, and numerous items to share. In addition to our chicken (ordered spicy), we ordered octopus and udon in a spicy sauce.

The first thing we noticed was the food came out FAST. It seemed as if they brought it before we finished ordering, but the reality was that it could not have taken more than three or four minutes at worst. I am not sure if these times are typical at all hours (we came at a very busy dinnertime), but I'm pretty sure that these items were already prepared en masse in anticipation of the crowds. In all the haste to serve us, our server never brought the customary pickled radishes, which would have been very useful later in the meal.

The octopus, was indeed, very spicy. The dish included scallions, some peppers, and a disappointing few udon noodles. Aside from the few udon that graced the plate, the dish was delicious and opened up our sinuses nicely. The octopus might have been a little overcooked, but we let that go.

While we ordered a combination of wings and drums, I kept firmly to the wings. Already tingling from the previous dish's spiciness, the wings took it further. I ended up not feeling my lips for a short while, and I think I might have broken a sweat for a bit. I'm pretty sure this was the result of the sustained barrage of heat maintained through both dishes, as the wings alone wouldn't have taken me quite that far. The sauce was also fairly sticky. There was a bit of bitterness, and they weren't as sweet as I expected. The wings were a respectable medium-size. If you've had other Korean fried wings, you may find these to be "average", compared to some of the competition. Mind you, these aren't bad wings. They're satisfying, just not particularly special.


Boka
9 St. Marks Pl
New York, NY 10003
(212) 228-2887
bokanyc.com

The Meat Hook @ Brooklyn Flea Smorgasbord

For those unfamiliar, the Williamsburg waterfront plays host to the Brooklyn Flea's Smorgasbord. Each Saturday in the warmer months, many local food vendors and eateries gather, rain or shine, to offer an eclectic assortment of culinary delights. Upon this particular visit, I came across The Meat Hook, a Brooklyn-based butcher, who, at the Smorgasbord, had hot wings on their menu.

An unexpected, but great find!

My order was freshly tossed in their hot sauce, which was delicious and pleasantly spicy. I detected no bitterness, which is often the result of added oils. The chicken itself was grilled, cooked properly throughout, yet maintained a bit of crunch on the outside along with a very flavorful, juicy meat inside. My only complaint was that they only served the forearm sections; I would have liked it evenly split with the upper arm/drums. The sauce has more vinegar notes than usual, but fans of Buffalo sauces won't mind at all. While those who are heat-averse might find this a bit much, the heat level is fine for those used to hot; just spicy enough to wake up your mouth, but not enough to cause discomfort.

Overall, this was a surprisingly refreshing find in my travels, and it's great to find a local business that, in turn, supports local suppliers. Their main shop is located nearby in North Williamsburg and demands a follow-up visit. Hopefully, I can get more of their wings there!


The Meat Hook
100 Frost St
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 349-5033
www.the-meathook.com/

Smorgasbord - The Brooklyn Flea
East River Waterfront (btw. North 6 + 7 St.)
www.brooklynflea.com/

Tropix Bar & Lounge (Rego Park, NY)

Looking for good, cheap wings in Queens? Let me introduce you to Tropix. If you're willing to venture out on a Monday night, fight for parking (it's not far from the subway, though), and put up with a noisy, crowded bar environment, you'll be treated to some very tasty wings at an excellent price.

Ginger Scallion: Sweet and savory
at the same time.

Tropix Bar & Lounge runs Monday Buffalo Wing Night, where you can get all the wings you need to fill your belly and soul at 25¢ each. The rules are that there's a two-drink minimum and each order must be at least ten wings. The menu currently boasts twenty-four different flavors, including the spectrum of Buffalo sauces. A friend recommended I try the other flavors (she found the Buffalo sauce too sweet), so we placed an order for Ginger Scallion and for Chipotle Rub.

The wings come out piping hot and very, very fresh. Unlike some bars that prepare inordinate numbers of wings in advance to meet the demands of their wing nights, Tropix's wings are cooked to-order. We were pleased with the size of the wings, a respectable medium-size, cooked properly, with a crunchy outside and a juicy inside.

The Ginger Scallion wings were coated in a sweet, sticky glaze that you'll be licking your fingers from. In addition to being sweet, they also had strong savory notes of soy sauce, however the ginger undertone was subtle, and the scallion was very subtle. This wasn't really a detraction from the flavor, as they were still quite delicious, and I would easily choose them again. The flavor is a little reminiscent to some of the Korean fried wings I've had.

Chipotle Rub: This is where
a dry wing is a good thing.

In stark contrast to sweet and sticky, the Chipotle Rub wings were covered with, as the name implies, a dry rub. Normally I would complain when Buffalo wings are served too dry, but a dry rub is an exception. Not too spicy, chipotle imparts a strong smokey flavor that lingers. The juicy meat inside mixes with the dry rub nicely. It's a bit of a salty rub, so make sure your drink is relatively full. I found that going back and forth between the two sauces was an excellent balance of the sweet to the salty.

I look forward to coming back and trying more of their sauces. For your Monday night wing crave, I highly recommend this place, especially if you like to try a variety of sauces.


Tropix Bar & Lounge
9532 Queens Blvd
Rego Park, NY 11374
(718) 275-0024
tropixny.com