Ain't no thing but a mouthwatering chicken wing: Find Southbound's unagi-sauce-glazed wings this weekend, along with some other solid picks to pep up your Super Bowl. (Photo by Craig Perkinson)
If someone told me a week ago that chicken wings are a polarizing dish, I would’ve laughed. But after some recent research and the looming BIG GAME, I’ve found the opinions on how this fowl feature gets prepared are real — and really wildly different.
In the spirit of tailgating, football and general SPORTS! things, here are eight game-changing places that serve a mean wing (or a boneless wing, if that’s your preference). No matter how you like your bird, there’s a prevailing theme to navigate chicken for at-home consumption during the Super Bowl: Order early and in large quantities.
When crowd-sourced on my own social media channels, an overwhelming majority leaned toward Saison in Jackson Ward for wings. “Our process is to confit them in lard gently, cooking them to 160 degrees Fahrenheit," says Adam Hall, co-owner and chef de cuisine. "Then for service, we fry them and season with charred pineapple and smoked jalapeño, with a few more spices that we dehydrate in-house for our wing sprinkles blend. We haven't discussed doing them for the Super Bowl, but could be inclined to do so if there's a demand. Also, they're totally gluten-free.” Demand, people.
Asado hickory-smokes its chicken, uses its own special dry-rub blends and then flash fries the wing for a different take on the traditional method. Seven different sauces are available, ranging from naked (all smoke) or spicy buffalo (with a bit more oomph than the normal northern accoutrements), to the creative — and most popular — ginger sriracha, which is described on the menu as a “slightly spicy sauce straight from the Far East.” Asado Manager Ian Anderson is currently taking Super Bowl wing orders for Sunday and cautions you to get your orders in early.
Sportspage Bar & Grille, with locations in Midlothian, Mechanicsville and the West End, purports its Jumbo Wings as some of the best in town. These are fresh wings, lightly fried, no breading, slicked with one of 15 different sauces, the most popular being the traditional hot. This joint is definitely prepared for your Super Bowl snacking needs; call ahead to schedule your pickup for a bulk pack of 36, 50 or 100. Sportspage can fry 350 wings every half hour and plan to do so all day Sunday, says Scott Mitchell, manager of the Midlothian location.
Perhaps a Korean-style fried wing is more your speed? With three locations in the Richmond region, Bonchon, a national chain, developed a cult following for its crispy “secret” recipe wings. Their wings are substantially sized (can a wing be too big?), breaded with magic, fried to a shattering crisp and then coated with one of two sauces, soy garlic or spicy. They are ready to provide some Super Bowl assistance with last-minute orders taken as they come in (so get on the horn now!) and up till the Saturday before the big game.
Weezie's Kitchen in Carytown may have just revamped its menu, but the wings — a local favorite — remain the same. “[Wings are] fresh, not frozen, jumbo party wings, 10 per order, all sauces made in house." says owner Todd Gelsomino. "We sell a ton of wings and probably have the best in the city. I'll put them up against anyone’s.” The sauces include a traditional Buffalo, barbecue, an Asian-inspired sauce and one with jerk seasoning. Weezie's will take a bulk order anytime, but the sooner placed, the better, especially this weekend.
Southbound in Bon Air brines its wings overnight and then smokes them “low and slow” for at least four hours on pecan wood and applewood, according to Chef de Cuisine Craig Perkinson. “We change sauces from time to time," he shares. This weekend, find two varieties: jumbo smoked wings in an unagi-sauce-and-lime glaze with peanuts and cilantro, and in a classic Buffalo sauce with ranch and celery. "And, of course," Perkinson adds, "we fry them to order, naked, no breading!” Southbound is selling in bulk for pickup on Sunday between 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.; orders must be in by 5 p.m. on Friday.
Laura Lee’s — on Forest Hill Avenue — double fries its fresh wings and then adds Gojuchang, a hot Korean spice paste. The wings are completely gluten-free, states Scott Lewis, chef de cuisine. “If people want to come here for wings, they can get takeout all night long. I'll double order so we have a ton.”
Fat Dragon is brining wings and drummettes in chicken stock — morsels that are then deep-fried in soy oil. Once golden, they get tossed in a wok with garlic, cilantro, salt, white pepper, dried chili and imported Chinese spices. “We do sell them for Super Bowl in bulk, but get them on Saturday as we won't be open Sunday,” says General Manager Lars Zachariasse.
Q Barbeque is serving up its traditional smoked wings available at the Hull Street location, at 13800 Fribble Way. The restaurant is taking orders for Saturday and Sunday morning pickup but has already mentioned via social media that supply is tight, so call now if you want your big-matchup chicken to come from the award-winning pitmaster Tuffy Stone. Might as well pick up a rack of ribs, too.
