The Best Wings in Dayton
Judging by the large crowd at the Fraze Pavilion last Saturday, Dayton peeps love their chicken wings! Personally, I was excited to discover I liked wings from some restaurants I had never even visited before.
The Best Wings in Dayton
Judging by the large crowd at Fraze Pavilion last Saturday, Dayton peeps love their chicken wings!
On July 13, Fraze held their third annual Kickin' Chicken Wing Fest. Local restaurants who take pride in their wings set up booths while live music kept the party going all day. I was honored to be asked to judge the various wings, which came from 9 different Dayton area venues.
Categories for judging included: Best Wing, Best Sauce, Best Boneless, Best Side, Hottest Wing and Best Decorated Booth.
Five judges including myself were given wings, unidentified, and allowed to make notes before choosing the favorite for each category. Personally, I was excited to discover I liked wings from some restaurants I had never even visited before.
Best Wings: Romer's
I was surprised to find that I really enjoyed wings from The Dock, a restaurant out in Enon. It intrigued me enough to put The Dock on my "to do" list of where to visit soon.
Brixx had finger licking good wings, with the sauce cooked on top. They were juicy with a great flavored sauce. They had an unfair advantage, as they were the only wings cooked with the sauce.
That being said, Romer's Bar & Grill out in Bellbrook (left) won our vote hands down. In my notes I said these wings were great even without a sauce to dip in. Crunchy and flavorful, I'd eat these bad boys all by themselves.
Best sauce: McGillicutty's.
We got to try a lot of sauces - from barbecue to hot sauce. But McGillicutty's did it best - a classic hot sauce that lingered in your mouth, punching your taste buds and left you wanting more.
Best Boneless: Cadillac Jack's
You can find Cadillac Jack's in Beavercreek and Huber Heights. Their boneless wings had just enough kick in its breading and weren't the least bit dry.
Best Side: Shish Wrap
I was surprised to find such varying sides competing. We tried a few coleslaws, breadsticks, fried mushrooms, fried jalepenos and fries. The fries, which had feta cheese and parsley sprinkled on top were immediately familiar to my taste buds. Sure enough, they were from Shish Wrap, located in Dayton on Brown Street. They ended up winning thanks to their unique twist. However, after eating so many wings, I'd say the coleslaw from Charleston BBQ gets honorable mention. I loved it.
Hottest Wing: Archer's Tavern
Hottest wing went unanimously to Archer's Tavern. Feet were stamping, eyes were watering, noses were dripping and ears were ready to pop off with this sauce. Not one judge could sit still after a single bite and there wasn't enough water in the world to help us in that moment. To be fair, our taste buds were so gone after these wings, we were kind of numb to the rest of the wings after that.
Best Decorated Booth: Nick's Restaurant
Located out in Xenia, Nick's Restaurant (right) has a lot of spunk. Caution tape was draped across the back of their booth, preparing you for their fire hot wings. It clearly caught the eye of visitors as the line never seemed to waver.
People's Choice for Best Damn Wing: Nick's
Thousands of Festival goers were also able to vote for their choice during the day, and Nick's Restaurant won the People's Choice for Best Damn Wing!
All that to say, it was great to see so many people out enjoying this festival. Throughout the afternoon as we judged, The Hathaways, Blue Moon Swamp and Bad Medicine (a Bon Jovi Tribute band) rocked the stage. The line to get in the festival was always growing and it was encouraging to see such excitement.
I couldn't tell you how many times I heard people asking me how I was so lucky to get an opportunity to judge and eat so many wings. And I'd have to say it was a pretty sweet deal. I can't wait for next year!
