44 franchise locations in 12 states. With 3 in Illinois, I went to the Naperville location recently.
The Wing Joint:
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| Naperville, IL |
A corporate America wing joint is how I would describe this place. This is your typical store front in your typical strip mall. Walk in, you're met by a host/hostess to seat you in the restaurant area or to the bar on the left side. The lights are bright in here. Sure there are big screen TV's and the sound for the Blackhawks game is loud, but the vibe I'm getting is a slightly upscale wing joint. Put it this way, it's not a place I would hang out regularly. There are a lot of National wing chains out there, but I'm not seeing anything personal about this place, just cheesy wall art issued by corporate, right down to the posters and clever quips (see picture below). A couple of large tables with 2 draft beer taps that seats 8 people are smack in the middle of the bar area. That's pretty cool, but Bud Light and Coors Light are the beer choices. I'm a craft beer guy first and Miller Lite is my domestic go to brew. I was impressed with knowledge the server had on the decent craft beer selection. There is a few arcade games in the corner of the restaurant area which is currently hosting a kids birthday party, second time in as many visits. Geared more towards families maybe? Not that there is anything wrong with that. Is this why on a Saturday night with a Cubs, a Blackhawks, and a Bulls games on this place is dead? I came here an hour before the Hawks game thinking this place would pack 'em in but there is more noise coming from the birthday parties than Hawks fans cheering. This might be the "bizaro world" of wing joints. And yes that is my second Seinfeld reference. Maybe not the best spot in the Naperville area for watching games but lets order up some award winning wings.
The Wing Review:
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| Xtra Hot Buffalo order |
You heard that right, Buffalo Wings and Rings have claimed some local awards recently. The Chicago location took home the Best of Festival and Best BBQ at the 2015 Chicago Wing Fest. In the Hot category they placed 2nd in 2012 and 3rd in 2011, respectively. Although the Chicago location was the winner, the server said all locations have the same menu and sauces. Talk about options...they offer 13 sauces, which you can order 5 different levels of heat. Mild, Medium, Hot, Xtra hot, and Atomic. Like most joints they have traditional, boneless, and tenders, but most places don't offer grilled wings. I love grilled wings, but I skipped this time around. Like sauce? You can order your wings extra wet. The wings already come pretty well sauced, however.So here is my wing order, as always its all traditional wings for me. 5 Xtra Hot Buffalo, 5 Hot Peach Habanero, 5 Mild Garlic Parmesan. Mistake number one, I should have ordered the of Peach Habanero Xtra Hot, to match the level of heat with the buffalo order. The waiter even told me I should. Anyway, here we go.
Temperature Served (3 Stars):
So my friend and I ordered a total of 25 wings in 5 different sauces and they came out within minutes. Is this a fast food place? They either have the wings ready to go or they are constantly just making wings just waiting for sauce selection to come in. In any case, I like to know my wings are being cooked to order, not just waiting for what sauce I pick to be tossed on. They are served hot sure, but I fear the heat lamp might have helped keep them hot.
Size & Texture (4 Stars):
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| Garlic Parmesan |
The wings are jumbo to medium. I didn't go for any grilled wings this time. The meat was plentiful and juicy. Juicier than most I have to say. Cooked just right, but that crispy crunch is missing. Careful, all that sauce makes these guys slippery, they almost slip right out of your hands.
Sauce Coverage (4 Stars):
Even though you can order an extra side of sauce, which is a pretty nice option, they already come nicely sauced. The garlic parm is nicely covered in melted parmesan cheese. A nice balance of garlic and parmesan.
Flavor & Heat (4.5 Stars):
You can pick between 5 levels of heat and 13 flavors. Enough said. The wings I ordered were tasty, spicy, and packed with good flavors. Here is what I think of each of the wings I ordered:
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| Hot Peach Habanero |
Xtra Hot Buffalo (4.5 stars) - the heat is more of an after burn, great taste. 3 wings in and a nice sweat is building. The flavor is a bit above the average buffalo sauce and damn tasty. I would order this combo every time.
Hot Peach Habanero (4 stars) - I should have listened to the server, who recommended I stick with the same heat level as the buffalo flavor order. Heat was decent. I thought the habanero would kick it up a notch but didn't deliver, so went with the mid level flavor. Sticky sweet peach flavored glaze is delish. Now if only I got the heat right.
Mild Garlic Parmesan (4 stars) - Garlic parm is one of my favorite wing choices out there. These were crisp covered with melted parmesan cheese and hints of garlic. Lately, I've tasted all different kinds of garlic parm wings and these are close to the top of my list. Even with just the mild flavor, these are a must try, especially if you like garlic parm as much as I do.
Wing Night: None
Side Notes:
+A ton wing flavors and heat levels, caters to all wing lovers.
-A bit pricey, 10 wings for almost $12.00
+/- Great family friendly atmosphere. Video games and kids birthday parties going on while trying watch the Hawks and Bulls game. Take that as positive or negative but should be noted.
*I also tried one wing each of the Mild Buffalo and Sweet Thai Chili, but not enough to provide a fair review. I will say that I'm not big of the Sweet Thai Chili sauce.
Moment of Truth and Why:
Overall: 4 Star Wings
Buffalo Wings and Rings had a great showing at 2015 Chicago Wing Fest, taking home 2 of the 6 awards. I know because I was there and ate the award winning wings. That was also the Chicago location. The sever claimed it was all one in the same. I like the fact you select from 5 heat levels, because some days I'm not feeling the heat...not often but a nice option. Wings aren't perfect but close with you basically customizing your wing option. This is a great option to check out on wing night if you haven't been. Kids will love it. One complaint, they need to bring out an extra bowl or basket for the chicken wing bones. I was putting my discarded wing bones back into the bowl with fresh wings. It was that or the table. I shouldn't have to ask for this.
Website:
www.buffalowingsandrings.com
Follow me on twitter @chicagowingman
Always looking for a new wing joint, got a favorite wing joint? Tell me about and I'll check it out. Hope this helps and enjoy. Eat more wings!
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| Mild Buffalo |
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| Wing Menu - Naperville location |
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| Sweet Thai Chili |
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| Example of the wall art I mentioned |
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