Chicago's Wingman: June 2015

2015 Milwaukee Wing Fest was located at the State Fair Park, which took place May 31, 2015.

The Fest:

Wing road trip! And well worth it. I purchased my VIP tickets far in advance for this fest. The VIP ticket allowed you access to the event one hour before general admission, free tee shirt, 3 drink coupons, VIP area, and a free wing tray plate with beer holder. Nice package. The one hour entry prior to general admission was worth it itself. No lines no waiting and wings are hot and plentiful. Beer was cold, good tunes, lots of space to eat, 50/50 raffle, a wing eating contest, and everyone gets a vote for your favorite wing joint. A Wing Thing.com even stopped while I was in line to get a quick interview with me. This was my first year attending and wont be my last. Even got several comments on my Chicago's Wingman tee shirt.

The Wing Joints:
The 2015 Wing Fest featured 17 local wing joints serving up anywhere between 2-7 of their specialty sauces, their classic buffalo & BBQ sauces, and some of their individual fan favorites. I went to one booth at a time, tried 2-3 of their own creative sauces, then on to the next. I posted all the winners of each category below along with my winners in each category, with a close runner up. I don't get to Milwaukee often, so all of the 17 wings joints were new to me. Wing heaven, right? Of the 17 I only made it to 15 of the locations; by the end of the day I was so stuffed I couldn't eat another wing. So I apologize to Tomken's Bar and Who's on Third Pub. And the winners is....

Most Unique Award - Anything goes! Well almost anything.

1st: Double B’s (Smokin It)
2nd: Who’s On Third (Cinnabon)
3rd: Sloppy Joe’s (Jerk)
4^th: Tomken’s Bar & Grill (Dang That’s Butterscotch Werthy)

Camp Fire Wings from Spit Fire's on State

Of course this category contains the two locations I didn't get a chance to try. Sorry guys, next time I'm in Milwaukee area I come by for these award winners. Sloppy's Joes was one of my overall favorites. Classic Buffalo, Garlic, and the Jerk were all delish. I'm not the biggest BBQ wing fan, so Double B's was just average in my opinion.

And my winner is....The Jack and Coke Wings from Red Rock Saloon.
Sweet and sticky wings that were literally sprayed with Jack Daniels Whiskey. An usual but surprisingly delicious combination. A taste explosion. Needless to say I went back for seconds.
A close 2nd place....The Camp Fire Wings from Spit Fire's on State. A light chocolate spread coated the chicken wing with crushed graham crackers crumbs, so good I had to go back for seconds. My guess Nutella?

Judge's Choice Award - Judges in each category will choose their favorite out of the wings they judge. Could be hot, could be unique, could be buffalo or BBQ.

1st: Red Rock (Bacon Nutty Wing)
2nd: Spitfire’s On State (Spicy 4 B)
3rd: Bootz Saloon & Grill (Siracha Burbon)
4^th: Saloon On Calhoun With Bacon (Cross Culture)

Although one of my favorite wing joints at Wing Fest, I thought the Bacon Nutty Wing was terrible. Taste was off and the smell wasn't appetizing. These aren't for me. The siracha bourbon was just ok and I really like siracha sauce too. The bourbon flavor a bit overwhelming, not a good balance.

And my winner is....Red Rock Saloon Wicked Wings.
Not even on their regular menu, these were hands down the hottest wings at the fest, also the tastiest.

A close 2nd place....Sloppy Joe's Buffalo Wings. They had a near perfect combination of heat, a great tasting buffalo sauce, and my fiancés favorite at the fest. Loving their menu slogan, "If you're a Wing-man you gotta try these."

People's Choice Award - Best overall wings as voted on by all attendee's of WingFest Milwaukee 2015.

Jack & Coke and Wicked Wings from Red Rock

1st: Tomken's Bar & Grill
2nd: Saloon On Calhoun With Bacon
3rd: Spitfire’s On State
4^th: Uglys

Ugly's had a decent buffalo wing and a good jerk dry rub. Spitfire's on State I thought would be higher up on the list. They had the most sauces available to try. The garlic parmesan was one of my favorites they offered, that and the camp fire wings.
And my winner is....Red Rock's Saloon. The Jack and Coke Wings and the Wicked are two of my favorites at Wing Fest. Their regular buffalo was very good as well. They received my vote at Wing Fest. I don't know what they were thinking with that Bacon Nutty flavor but otherwise they were all good.
A close second....Lakeside Bar and Grill. They came with the chicken and waffle wings and Sweet Asian wing that had some great heat to the wings.

The Wing King Award (Overall Event Winner based on previous categories)

1st: Spitfires On State & Tomkens Bar & Grill (2 Way Tie)

And my winner is....Spitfire's on State. I agree with the people. This is known around town as a great wing joint. They had the most options at Wing Fest and the 4 of 8 flavors I had were all good. By the way, the only booth with ranch, blue cheese, and wet naps, at least that I noticed. They asked you what flavor you wanted to try and each trip they would sneak in a Camp Fire wing on top of your wing choice. Well done Spitfire's on State well done. Next time I'm up that way, this on my list to stop and do a full on wing review.

What a great trip, beautiful spring day and some excellent wings, all which I have never eaten. Worth the price of admission. I recommend getting a VIP ticket, once the Gen Admin ticket holders were let in, it was mad rush to get wings, lines grew longer and the tables filled up fast. It was nice to retreat to the VIP section with my last plate of wings. Great location too. Hey Milwaukee, what's up with all the road construction? I've never seen so many detours and rerouted twice getting in and out of town. Luckly your city offers some great wings. I ate well and had a great time. Ill be back next year. Enjoy some of my pictures from the fest below.

Website: http://wing-fest.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!