Eating Around: Find D.C.'s Best Buffalo Wings

| Print Post This | Like (0) | Comments (1)

WHEN BUFFALO WINGS were first served at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, N.Y., in 1964, chicken wings were considered a waste meat. But that's before the bar's tangy, tempting recipe transformed wings from castoff to nearly a cuisine all their own.

Although the Anchor Bar keeps the particulars of its wingmaking process a secret, this much is clear: the wings are meant to be deep fried, not dredged in flour as some pretenders to the throne would have us believe. And most folks speculate that they should be tossed with a combination of margarine and Louisiana-brand hot sauce.

Nowadays, wings are still cheap and plentiful — in fact, they're now one of the most popular cuts of chicken. According to the National Chicken Council, more than 11 billion wings were sold in 2007, not including those on whole chickens. And, as you might expect, most of them are sold around the Super Bowl, when the council estimates that more than one billion wing portions will be consumed.

But where should you do your wing wrangling? Express contributor Jamie R. Liu scoured the city with napkins in hand and found some tasty treats, great deals and at least one spot to avoid.

BEST WINGS OVERALL: If you don't like garlic, you probably won't like the wings at the Looking Glass Lounge on Georgia Avenue (see map, No. 1). But if you do, the snacks at the watering hole formerly known as Temperance Hall will tempt your taste buds. They're traditional Buffalo wings studded with bits of garlic and served with a side of homemade blue cheese. The wings have a crisp skin and moist meat — and they aren't overwhelmingly spicy. Pair them with the pub's phenomenal garlic fries and your breath will be sure to repel wayward vampires — or anyone within 10 feet of you.

BEST DEALS: Buffalo wings are a happy-hour staple. Their strong flavors add a kick to even the wateriest beers, and their often rock-bottom prices help to lure in patrons even when drinking's not in the cards. The best happy hour wings our survey turned up were at Capitol Lounge (see map, No. 3) and 51st State Tavern (see map, No. 4).

51st State, a Foggy Bottom hangout popular with students, runs a happy hour on Tuesdays from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. that features Buffalo wings for just a dime apiece. Some of the wings we sampled there, which buzzed out of the kitchen at a rapid clip, were a little dry and slightly cold in the center — which might mean they were once frozen, then dropped in a deep fryer. But the skins were crisp, with all the fat rendered out, and they were covered in a tasty blend of hot sauce and butter that was neither too vinegary nor stomach-blisteringly hot.

At Capitol Lounge, which sits just blocks from the houses of Congress, 10-cent wings are also a Tuesday night staple during a happy hour that runs from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. A favorite spot among policy wonks, the Lounge is worth checking out for its collection of Marion Barry political memorabilia alone. But its wings aren't to be overlooked. They're a triumph in frying: plump, juicy and slightly crisp. The sauce verges on being a little too vinegary, but it pairs well with the house beer, Capitol Amber, which helps tone down its taste.

BEST CHAIN: The local Hard Times Cafe restaurant group is one of the names that always comes up when discussing wings. With outposts in Clarendon, Bethesda, College Park, Alexandria and further afield, Hard Times serves up varieties of wings like chili lime, honey BBQ and honey mustard. The Original Texas wings are similar to the Buffalo style, and the meat is moist with a balanced vinegary sauce. Ask for them to be finished on the grill, which makes them a little more tidy to eat.

BEST EXCUSE TO OGLE WOMEN: The first thing you might want to order after walking into the Hooters on 7th Street NW (see map, No. 2) is a shower. Grease seemed to be floating through the air, coating every surface with a patina of grime. The servers' famous short shorts don't really add an air of classiness, either. (Said one of our companions about our waitress: "I've seen too much of her butt for the amount of time I've known her.") Surprisingly, the majority of the customers were women.

Atmosphere aside, we sought to test the age-old assertion that Hooters' wings are among the best you'll find. They're not. We ordered the unbreaded wings (they come breaded, too), which ended up tasting both dry and greasy with an unappetizingly vinegary sauce. And some of them still had the small mini-hairs that sometimes crop up on chicken wings, which made us feel uncomfortable.

BEST CHANCE TO TASTE THE REAL THING: The New York State Society throws its Annual Buffalo Nite on Capitol Hill in September. A variety of popular foods associated with the city of Buffalo, like Buffalo wings and beef on weck, are all in plentiful supply. Be forewarned, though: this opportunity to sample authentic wings is more commonly viewed as a networking event. Which means jousting for space with 500 politicos crammed into a tiny room. It's not for the faint of heart, but it will fill your stomach.

» Looking Glass Lounge, formerly Temperance Hall, 3634 Georgia Ave. NW; 202-722-7669 (Georgia Ave.-Petworth)
» Hooters, 825 7th St. NW; 202-962-0965 (Gallery Place-Chinatown)
» Capitol Lounge, 231 Pennsylvania Ave. SE; 202-547-2098 (Capitol South)
» 51st State, 2512 L St. NW; 202-625-2444 (Foggy Bottom-GWU)
» Hard Times Cafe, multiple locations

Photos by Juana Arias/The Washington Post and Jamie R. Liu for Express; Map by Michael Grass/Express