12 Days of Wing King: Day 12: Cafe Soho

Cafe Soho
468 W Cheltenham Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19126
(215) 224-6800
$12/small order, $20/large order

In the middle of the Olney section of Philly, on a quiet, random street, you will stumble upon a very bubbly, bright and extremely odd Korean-Japanese fusion spot called Café Soho.

Upon your entrance, you are greeted by a giant red monk statue (weird) in a room covered in red leather booths and walls (weird). One of the first things you notice as you enter is the giant HDTV – playing Kpop (modern South Korean pop) and Korean Hip Hop videos. When seated, you can summon your waiter via a calling button (weird). After you get over the sensory overload, focus your full attention on why you are even there – the dang Korean Fried Chicken!

Soho has been the leader of the Korean fried chicken movement in Philly, and we totally understand why. These plump, succulent wings are perfectly double-fried to ensure that each wing is crispy and holding all of the moisture inside. Each wing is then hand brush with one of their signature sauces allowing for each wing to have a balanced and evenly distributed amount of sauce.

You can choose from soy-garlic glazed, or spicy sauce. We went simple and went for the spicy wing. Holy crap. Biting into a perfectly cooked, juicy, beautifully crispy wing is amazing, but when it has an equally amazing sauce, it’s a win. Take note though – this sauce is not for wimps. It has a spicy finish and intensifies over time. It’s spicy enough to make you two-step to that Korean pop song playing in the background. Phew!

Keeping wings crispy and juicy all at once is something many places can’t seem to get right. You know it’s hard out here for a wing, but Soho makes it look so easy. For that, we give them 5 BigBite Bites = “Mind BloWing” in the 12th and final day of 12 DAYS OF WING KING!

12 Days of Wing King: Day 11: The Wishing Well

The Wishing Well
767 S. 9th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 238-6555
$12/ pound

We spent our 11th day of 12 DAYS OF WING KING right around the corner from Wing King 5‘s HQ (Fleisher Art Memorial) at the The Wishing Well.  After we sampled a couple new brews, we decided to sample a new chew – Sriracha-lime wings. Anyone that knows BigBite knows we love Sriracha sauce (or “rooster sauce”) more than Miley loves twerking on older men. If Sriracha – a hot sauce, named after the coastal city of Si Racha in Eastern Thailand – was human, we wouldn’t marry it, but we’d definitely have an affair!  That “cocky” rooster and lime green cap are kitchen mainstays and we put it on everything from chitterlings to pig’s feet. So when we saw the Sriracha-lime wings on the menu, we were already playing out in our heads the awesomeness that was about to enter our mouths. The wings came fast, they were fried, and that’s all we have to say about that (Gump voice). The rest of this story is a straight up snooze fest.  None of the spicy, garlicky, chili – Sriracha – flavors that were expecting, came to play. The lime was present, but the rooster must’ve gone back to the farm because he was nowhere near the chicken we ate.  Hungry and not wanting to waste food, we ate them all, but we were wishing we dropped our money on the other sauces offered: buffalo, BBQ, dry rub, or sweet chili.

Other menu items were spot on and highly recommended (like the pulled pork and burger), but because of the lack in the fiery red rooster sauce we had to give these wings 1 BigBite Bite = “Throw some ZZZ’s on it” on the rating system.

12 Days of Wing King: Day 10: Khyber

Khyber Pass Pub
56 South Second Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 238-5888
$11/order

When we think of the Khyber, we think of a hot, dirty and dark dive bar in the land of Old City. Once known as a legendary venue for shows hosting local and touring bands, and outrageous dance parties – like Destroy Your Liver – Khyber went down in our books as a staple in the Old City community.

Although rough around the edges, it had charm. It, however, did not have not enough charm to persuade us to consume anything other the beer there, let alone, food. When Khyber closed its doors and reopened as Khyber Pass Pub, we were excited to see this legendary bar live on. Today, Khyber, a place that once reeked of stale beer and cigarettes, is now a family-friendly eatery – one pumping out some of our favorite Southern-style foods in the city.

They offer a trio of grilled wings: buffalo, chipotle-bourbon barbecue, and a honey-habenero, accompanied by a blue cheese ranch dressing. Thumbs up to the Khyber for grilling their wing – which allows the wings to cook at a slower pace and provide juicier flavors. These wings were fresh, meaty and grilled perfectly. We loved the Chipotle-BBQ; it had just enough chipotle smoke and a nice sweetness and was tossed with a generous amount of sauce. The buffalo wing was legit. The tangy sauce had just enough heat, but didn’t scorch. However, that dang honey-habenero took it to a next level. The floral taste of honey was magical, but the habeneo was just too much. At your first bite, you are seduced by the wonderful sweet honey flavor, but a few seconds later you are punched in the face by the extreme heat of the habenero. The heat was too aggressive and killed the delicious honey in the wing.

Overall, this playful trio of wings are a must-try (even if you can’t feel your upper lip after), and for that we give Khyber’s wings 4 BigBites =  “Simply Wing-tastic” on the 12 DAYS OF WING KING rating system.

Trio of wings

12 Days of Wing King: Day 9: Brock’s Wings & Things

Brock’s Wings & Things
1600 N. Broad St., #5
(215) 765-6555
$5.49/ 5 piece
$8.49/ 10 piece

Our next wing maker, Raheem Brock is a homegrown champion. Owner of  Brock’s Wings & Things, Brock is a Central High and Temple U. alum who was first drafted by our very own Eagles!  Since draft day, the defensive end has helped the Indianapolis Colts win a Super Bowl, played on a few other squads, and then after nine years in the NFL, Brock returned to Broad Street with just a bag of wings – to remind Philly what a championship tastes like.

Boasting over 10 different flavors, including Jamaican jerk and garlic-Parmesan, we could have spent all 12 days of Wing King at Brock’s!  A guaranteed hit amongst college students, Brock’s offers delivery and accept Diamond Dollars  (Temple’s campus currency.) This place also wins because their juicy wings come in quantities of five, so that you can sample, and not commit to one flavor.  Plus, if you don’t like wings, Brock’s has “Things”, like pizza, sliders, and salads.

BigBite had the opportunity to sample two flavors; a simple hot wing and a  lemon pepper wing.  Brock’s jumbo hot wings were fried to perfection, smothered with a hot sauce mixture reminiscent of Texas Pete’s Hot Sauce.  While the corners of our mouths were left feeling the hot sauce afterburn, the lemon pepper wings left a little more to be desired. We were expecting a tangy, citrusy, and spicy sauce, but instead they were fried and lightly sprinkled with lemon pepper seasoning.  Overall, one cannot go wrong with a place that has so many options, but because the lemon pepper fumbled on the one yard line, BigBite must give Brock’s Wings & Things a solid 3 BigBites =  “It just needs a little more something, something” on the 12 DAYS OF WING KING rating system.

Hot

Lemon Pepper

12 Days of Wing King: Day 8: Varga Bar

Varga Bar
941 Spruce St.
(215) 627-5200
$11.50/order

BigBite has been a fan of duck confit since our resident judge Drew Lazor brought his fancy-pants cassoulet to our potluck bean swap a couple years ago. So when we heard of Varga Bar’s Duck Confit Wings, we were there immediately!

The texture of these wings was soft and tender – like the looks of those pinup girls on their walls – with that FOB (falling off the bone) factor that we like. Not much tearing of the meat was necessary as soon as you put a wing in your mouth. The meat removes itself and all that is left is a clean chicken bone. With its juicy, FOB succulence, you could tell that Varga slow cooks these bad boys girls for hours –unless they simply use magic.

The pomegranate molasses-bourbon-chili sauce had a sweet yet subtle vinegary taste, and complemented well with the house-made bleu cheese dip. We, however, wish that the sauce was a tad thicker – like the pinup girls on their walls – to adhere itself to the super tender meat.

We gave these wings 4 BigBite Bites = “Simply Wing-tastic” on the 12 DAYS OF WING KING rating system.

before

after all the meat fell off the bone

12 Days of Wing King: Day 7: The Industry

The Industry
1401 Moyamessing Ave.
(215) 271-9500
$12/pound

Tso on the 7th day of Wing King, we ended up at The Industry – a fairly new South Philly bar that caters to the servers, cooks, and libation makers that keep us all happy.  I was first introduced to the sweet, slightly spicy, deep-fried  General Tso’s chicken in college by my roommate who used to pronounce the “T” in his favorite take-out dish (I’m a beef and broccoli dude.)  Named after Zuo Zongtang, or Tso Tsung-t’ang – China’s silkworm farmer turned military strategist – General Tso’s chicken has been a staple in American street corners, strip malls and college campuses. It however, is not as common to find at a bar. Hats off to the Industry for not only serving this sticky sweet sauce as part of their menu, but serving it over nice plump, and crispy chicken wings!

They created their own version of this complex sauce but it was more cap gun than cannon. The wings were fried to a nice “crispicity” and the meat almost had a FOTB (falling off the bone) factor.  The chicken was cooked well and was on point, however, I was looking for that bullet-proof glass, corner Chinese store POW!! This dish needed more ammo and ended up shooting blanks.  For this we give the Industry’s  General’s Wing 3 BigBites =  “It just needs a little more something, something” on the 12 DAYS OF WING KING rating system.

*Bonus: Skip the wings and try the crispy pig ear wraps, tartar and the buffalo sweetbreads!

12 Days of Wing King: Day 6: East Girard Gastropub

East Girard Gastropub (aka E.G.G.)

200 E. Girard Ave.

(267) 761-9343

$9.00/order

In the historic town of fish – fabled to be where the largest shad fish had been caught in the world – and now known as Fishtown, on a small corner street of the newly rejuvenated East Girard Avenue, lays a small and very quaint pub that holds a neighborhood secret – good wings.

The East Girard Gastropub or simply known as the “E.G.G.”, has consistently crafted a tasty Hot & Honey wing since its doors opened in 2011. Beyond the plump, nicely crisped and sauced wings, a highlight for us is that they come double-jointed, and not cut. If you are a true chicken wing eater, you know the value of keeping the full three-piece wing in-tack. The more bone, the more flavor, and the more skeleton to suck on. E.G.G. allows you to appreciate that value. It’s a beautiful thing.

These juicy wings are well balanced with the right amount of spice and a touch of sweetness in its sauce; it’s tender in the inside, but crispy on the outside; and pair nicely when dipped into their cheesy bleu cheese sauce. For this we give the E.G.G.’s Hot & Honey wing 4 BigBites =  “Simply Wing-tastic” on the 12 DAYS OF WING KING rating system.

12 Days of Wing King: Day 5: McMenamin’s Tavern

McMenamin’s Tavern

7170 Germantown Avenue

(215) 247-9920

$7.95/pound

Everyone knows a lot of great things come from Mount Airy, but who would have thought hot wings would be one of them. Hailed as the “Cheers” of Mount Airy, McMenamin’s Tavern precisely double fries their wings keeping the wings crispy (but not tough), on the outside even after being tossed in their house-made hot (or extra spicy) sauce. These are the wings that get you high fives at the super bowl parties. These are the wings that make people who don’t like football get excited about super bowl parties. There is no chunky, separated, and excessively salty sauce on these wings like many of the competition – these wings are simple and delicious. The texture of these medium-sized hot wings (which also come in a BBQ sauce), the consistency of each batch and the perfectly balanced house-made sauce are spot on. We gave them 4 BigBite Bites = “Simply Wing-tastic” on the 12 DAYS OF WING KING rating system.

12 Days of Wing King: Day 4: King of Wings

King of Wings( nice name bro…)

2233 South Woodstock Street

(215) 551-2400

$7.40/10 (not jumbo)

I won’t even beat around the bush, these are just hot wings. Don’t be deceived by the name (although Wing King had to see about the King of Wings). These are not some “let’s go get some wings!” wings. These are wings that you eat about a hundred of, while watching a game, all the while not really remarking about the wings – but wanting (needing) a little more of that buttery spicy flavor in your mouth. There are no bells and whistles; the service was not even good. At best, they are a very clear testament to the value of fried salty food with sauce on it. They might hit the spot (on the late-night food/drink binge) but there are many other places with comparable wing options (mostly at around-the-way pizza shops).

Though we were content after throwing them into our bellies, we had to give these wings 2 BigBite Bites = “Only when I’m drunk” on the 12 DAYS OF WING KING rating system.