MNW Wingsmas 2019

It's two Mondays shy of a full year of the Monday Night Wing Crew and December 20th was Wingsmas this year.  Shawn, Starr, Gerber, Katie, John & Samer (in order).

Each of us (minus Samer who came straight from a hockey game) created our own wing sauce to be rated by the group.  Every one of these is an original creation.

The winner, decided by popular vote, received the Golden Wing!  No, you can't see it, it's just that special (tbh I never got the picture - but I know it'll pop up online somewhere because I think Shawn has it).

The most shocking part of all of this - all five wing sauces were perfect in their own way.  I really thought there'd be one that was inedible but that didn't happen.

Thanks to Gerber for hosting and thanks to My Tomato Pie for the excellent plain wings to help make this easy to get right to the sauces.

Here's the five wings...

GERBER:  Fireball

Yup, that's the entire concept.  Eat too many, you'll get drunk.  But whoa it packed a punch.  I'm not a fan of super hot wings or cinnamon but this was good.  One or two was all I could do - it was sooooo hot.  The best part is we all thought Gerber would phone it in and just use Wingnutz sauce, but nope - he came up with this on his own.  Well, with the help of Fireball.

  

JOHN:  Applesauce Medium

A basic medium sauce but mixed with 2/3 a bottle of applesauce.  It was super sweet (without any extra sugar added) which amplified the butter, but also had an aftertaste heat kick.  Not too intense a kick, but enough to surprise you when done.  It was my first time making a wing sauce.  I definitely want to try making just regular medium now to see what that's like.

KATIE:  Asian Fusion

(no one could nail it down entirely, but that was my take)

Whoa I had trouble figuring this one out - it had so many flavors to it and each one was good.  Right away when it was cold I knew this was going to be amazing - I wanted to eat it just like that by the spoonful.  Heated up, incredible on a wing.  Every bite, I thought it was something else - and liked it brand new every time.

SHAWN:  Classic Medium

A lot of times there's trouble with medium sauces - sometimes they're too mild, sometimes the heat is too much after five or so wings.  This may have been the perfect medium / hot wing sauce.  It definitely wasn't anywhere near mild, but it had more of a heat punch than a usual medium - not so much that you couldn't eat wing after wing though.  Ten of these would be so good.  My only mistake was drowning them in too much sauce (I learned tonight I like wings not too saucy otherwise it's a mess - on me).  I've heard about this wing sauce for a while now.  Shawn had a very limited time to make it (almost reality competition style) and still it not only lived up to the hype, but exceeded it.  Other medium wing sauces pale to this one.

STARR:  Alfredo

Starr took a huge swing with this insanely offbeat wing flavor.  And nailed it.  That huge risk and payoff is what gave her the 2019 Wingsmas Golden Wing.  The wing was so messy and it looked different than all our other sauces, but the taste was just shockingly good.  Who knew alfredo and wings mixed so well?  Starr did.  Long after the wings and even the fries were gone, I kept dipping chips in this sauce (and Shawn's too).  If this was at Wingsfest, I guarantee the crowd would take notice.  Draw attention with the crazy looking sauce then stun them all with a taste - done perfectly - that you'd never expect on a wing.

 

Overall, a successful first year and an amazing collection of new wing flavors.  I already know two future wing flavor ideas for our next get-together (Starr & I have already decided).  As for Katie, Shawn, Gerber & Samer, can't wait to see what they come up with!

Denver!

My first trip to Colorado and with this state, I'm down to 11 more to visit (RI, DE, AL, MS, LA, AR, KS, MT, ID, AK & HI).

My favorite cities are the ones where it's easy to walk around at night - and Denver definitely falls into that category.  Plus there's so much to do walking distance from the heart of downtown.

The trip started with a connection in Philly so had to try a Geno's Cheesesteak (with whiz & onions).  Was so good but maybe not the best choice to have the whole thing sitting in my stomach moments before a 4-hour flight lol.

One of the first things I did in Denver was walk around to some of the retro arcades they have.  Stop one was 1-Up on Colfax but on the way saw this.

Of course I had to see if this claim was true.  It was a good burger, but then realized I have no way of knowing if it's the best in Denver since it was the only burger I had there so far.  But I'd definitely return.

Now I had energy for this!

There's three 1-Ups in Denver.  As it turns out, I went to the best one first.  It had room after room after room of classic arcade games and pinball - and most games were just 25-cents each (pinball was 50 cents).

The two games most of my money went to - Super Pac-Man and Super Mario Bros. pinball.  A game of Super Pac-Man can last 15-20 minutes for me.  Pinball I'm not as good at but this one I liked a lot.  I'm more a fan of pinball when the flippers aren't too far apart so the balls don't just shoot down right away - this one gives lots of chances for the ball to return to play so made it more fun.

Went to 1-Up Lodo next.  Also a fun arcade but nowhere near as extensive as the Colfax one.  That didn't stop me from spending an hour or so there.  Same deal as the other one - no admission charge, most video games were 25-cents and pinball mostly 50-cents.

Just an overall cool place again - complete with this lol.

Next up - Denver's Christmas Market.  It was huge with a beer tent, so many booths with food & crafts and whatever that is walking around.

There was even a booth with German steins.  Aw that Oktoberfest one looks amazing (and was extremely well made).  I'll be going to Munich for that in September, but didn't want to be carrying this around the rest of the night so had to pass.

I had originally hoped to go to Denver in the fall, but maybe the winter holidays was the better time as the whole city was decorated.  I mean look how cool everything is.  Every street you went down and everywhere you looked was decorated equally as nice.

Headed back to the hotel for the main reason for the trip.  Most nights in Buffalo, instead of watching TV, I'll play GTA on PS4.  It's usually a group of us including me & Shawn (in Buffalo) & George (in Denver, who I've only met on the game).  It was time for the three of us to hang in real life.

Once Shawn arrived in Denver, we all met up at a random nearby bar (and then a couple others).  This set the tone for what was going to be an epic weekend.  George and his wife Susan were so much fun to hang with - equally as nice and cool as I expected (their kids - who we'd meet up with the next day - also a blast to hang with).

 

Friday (day 2) started with a walk around the downtown area.  Me & Shawn had a list of things we most wanted to do & Biker Jim's was first up after some pic stops.

Biker Jim's is a little like Griffon Gastropub - but with hot dogs.  The reason I wanted to stop here - the rattlesnake & pheasant hot dog!  Yes, both in one hot dog.  Surprisingly, it was good.  I still prefer regular hot dogs, but this was a nice change.  They also had ostrich, elk & wild boar but those I'll try on a future visit since one was more than enough - didn't want to fill up at just one place.

After that, it was a lot of walking around (and driving since some places were a little further away).  Apparently Denver is home to the original Chipotle location so we did that, some other random stuff, and walked by this bear like 4 times as we made our way to the next food stop - Buckhorn Exchange.  And this is where my #1 favorite food in Denver happened.

I was kinda nervous to try Rocky Mountain Oysters.  They're bull testicles.  Yeah.  I thought they'd be round and disgustingly soggy, but nope.  They were deep fried, sliced and served with a marinara sauce.  If we had time, I would have ordered more they were so good.  Tasted like deep fried slices of any meat.

After that, we went to get a good spot at the Denver Parade of Lights.  When we booked the trip, we had no idea this was going on.  Lucky coincidence as this was cool.  Me, Shawn, George & his family all watched from the main grandstand.

It was $25 to sit there, but we were at the start of the parade and had great seats.  Other areas of the parade route were darker so had a better view of the lighted floats but this spot had a backdrop like no other!

The parade lasted an hour then the night ended with a stop at one of Denver's many diners - Sam's 3.  After an omelette and biscuits & gravy, it was time for a little sleep before our Rocky Mountain hike the next morning.

So this was a last minute addition to the trip.  Rocky Mountain National Park is about 2 hours from downtown Denver and Emerald Lake Trail is one of the most popular hikes in the park.  AllTrails says it's best used from April - November.  It was just a few days into December, so why not!  It's 1.8 miles there and another 1.8 back.

Was surprised to see so many people already there at 9:30a.  At the trail head, everyone was getting ready putting on their snowshoes or skis.  Me and Shawn came prepared with......just hiking boots lol. The trail itself goes by 3 lakes - Nymph, Dream and then Emerald Lake.

Every time we stopped for a picture was more amazing than the last one.  Here's Nymph Lake and some other views as we headed up.

Denver (and def the Rockies) are high altitude.  I've always heard you'll feel it and get winded easier when walking around the city.  I never experienced that - until this hike.  Within the first half-mile, I was breathing heavy.  And then a little later my legs started getting super tired.  Hit us both but wasn't enough to stop much aside from getting pics.  The snow was kinda deep off the trail and the trail itself was sometimes tough to figure out.  While it wasn't too busy, we were relieved people were there so we could figure out where to go.

Dream Lake was mostly iced over and even had some nice snow trails over the top to walk on.  At first we thought this was the end, but then found the trail continued way off on the other side.

After another strenuous stretch up some big inclines, we made it to Emerald Lake - and only took a little under an hour to get there!

The views - just awesome!  I've experienced some pretty cool things & places with my buddy Shawn - this one is definitely near the top.  (Side note - it's so nice to have a friend who also loves to do random things and travel.  And we both do trips the same way - get as much done as you can.  When on a vaca like this, there's no time for sitting around at the hotel or sleeping 8 hours - you gotta make the most of every second.)

The hike back (and down) was obviously easier lol.  And of course lots of picture stops because everything was pic worthy.  I would totally be down to try this hike in the fall or summer too but I think winter would be the time with the best views.  I mean when I think Rocky Mountains, I think snow and iced covered lakes - and that's exactly what we got.  Oh yeah, and cold - there was lots of that as the wind whipped around during our lake crossings.  But whoa this was such a great start to the day.

Boulder was on the ride back to Denver, so stopped at the Pearl Street Mall and met up again with George and his wife (who I gotta say again to her, thank you for taking pics).

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They had a Volcom store, so that was a must.  And another arcade - Press Play.  This is where the Mortal Kombat battle was fought.  I was crushed almost instantly but Shawn & George's battle was more even (Shawn killed us both though).  It was a nice smaller arcade and I'd absolutely return someday.

As we left Boulder, we had to stop by this iconic house used on Mork & Mindy!  It still looks almost exactly like it did on the show.

Then back to Denver and supper at the Green Russell Smoke House.  I had gone too long without wings, so had to try them here.  They were ok, but nothing can ever compare to the best wings on the planet - and those can only be found in Buffalo of course.  The sliders there however were amazing.

Next stop was the Ramble Hotel & Bar.  Ok here's a story for you.  We walk up to the place and there's a line of really well dressed people trying to get in.  Right to the front of the line we go and give the phrase we were told to say.  We were then instantly escorted inside (yeah people in line were glaring at us a bit lol) and then told to go up some random staircase to the top floor bar where we then hung out on a rooftop balcony area with a small group.  The power of Shawn - even in another city!

After a while there, it was back to 1-Up Colfax for some arcade fun.  Susan headed onto a back patio I didn't even know existed (there's so many random rooms off of other rooms here with more games) and found a huge Jenga game.  Some amazing competition happened the rest of the night lol.

The next morning was definitely bittersweet.  That was one of the fastest weekends of my life and I was so sad it was coming to an end.  The combination of places, food, fun & most important to me the greatest of friends made for an incredible weekend.  The final stop was Lodo's Bar & Grill - a Bills backer bar Shawn wanted to watch the game at.

It was so strange watching the game in a bar filled with Bills fans & Bills menu specials but in the heart of Denver.  Of course we had to get wings.  They were ok, but again not Buffalo great.

Another Lodo's highlight was a mini-reunion with our friend Shannon who we both worked with in Buffalo years ago.  Happy she's there because I plan a return visit and now got a bunch of fun people to hang with.

So definitely long weekend success!  While I'd like to see Denver during warmer months, I really enjoyed being there for the holiday season.

If you do plan a trip around that time, try to be there when the Parade of Lights happens.  And absolutely make time for a Rocky Mountain hike.

While Los Angeles is still my favorite city to visit, Denver has launched up to #2 (Savannah, Seattle & Budapest round out the top 5 - but a return to Munich could change some of that next year). 

Harold & Kumar's Failed TV Comedies

I'm not a fan of movies. Never have been.  Most movies can't remain good the entire hour and 30 minutes.  22 or 44 minute chunks of entertainment work better.  That's why sitcoms and TV shows are more my thing.

A couple years ago, I finally saw Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle.  Being obsessed with fast food places, I'm not sure how I never managed to see this until then.  It was a rare thing - a really good movie start to finish.  But something even rarer has now happened.

When I saw the movie I was surprised to recognize John Cho from a TV comedy I loved.  Selfie aired on ABC for 7 episodes in 2014 (6 additional episodes eventually ended up on Hulu).  John Cho played Henry Higgs who helped Eliza Dooley (Karen Gillan) stop being completely obsessed with social media and start living her life.

The show recently disappeared from Hulu - I'm hoping it shows up again somewhere else soon.  All the episodes are absolutely worth a rewatch if you can find them.  Aside from a bad title, the show was near perfect.  And even though it was cut short, the 13th episode was a good way for it to end.

Now today, I read about another show that's had an extremely early demise.  NBC debuted Sunnyside 4 weeks ago. And it's become the first TV show of the 2019 season to be cancelled.

I had no interest in watching it until I read about it's cancellation.  That's when I learned Michael Schur was the executive producer.  That's the same guy who created The Good Place, which I now consider to be the best TV show of all time.  (Although, and I hate to admit this, this season of The Good Place isn't the best.  The first 3 episodes of the final season have been so boring.  I'm hoping that's just because they saved all the truly great stuff for the remaining episodes.)

But with Michael Schur behind Sunnyside, I now had to at least see what it was about.  I ended up watching the 3 episodes back to back.  What a weird show and the characters are all pretty much nuts.  I loved it!  It's about a disgraced politician who helps a wacky group of immigrants become Americans.  Yes, I said wacky - there's no other word that better describes most of the characters.

 
Some good news about Sunnyside's cancellation is NBC ordered an additional episode (there'll be 11 altogether), they're still filming, and NBC plans to make all the episodes available online.  So hopefully with the advance cancellation notice and an extra episode, the show will have a solid ending - a perfect little limited series.

And the star of this show now doomed to failure - Kal Penn.  Which means both Harold & Kumar have now each had a brilliant yet failed TV comedy.  The chances of that so slim as most failed TV shows deserve to go away - it's the rare few that slip away by accident of scheduling, timing, or wrong network.

I'm going to give the edge to Selfie as the better show for now.  But who knows - maybe the next 8 episodes of Sunnyside will change that.  The 4th and final NBC episode airs tonight (October 17) - the rest will end up online eventually.

For the record, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle also had a few other stars that were involved with other failed TV comedies.  The first two shows I recently rewatched - both still favorites that were cancelled way too soon...

David Krumholtz:   The Trouble With Normal (ABC, 2000, 13 episodes)
Fred Willard:  A Minute With Stan Hooper (FOX, 2003, 13 episodes)
Anthony Anderson:  Guys With Kids (NBC, 2012, 17 episodes)
Shaun Majumder:  Unhitched (FOX, 2008, 6 episodes)
Neil Patrick Harris:  Stark Raving Mad (NBC, 1999, 22 episodes)

Buffalo's Top 40 Wings (2019)

Every Monday, six of us get together for MNW (Monday Night Wings).  We try to hit random dive bars and places that don't normally make people's best-of lists.  The hope is always to find new-to-us spots that have the best wings in Buffalo.  Although with six of us, we inevitably end up at some well known places as someone in the group hasn't been.

We've found quite a few places with wings that shocked us they were so good.  The reverse also true.

And one thing we've learned - six is really a max for a wing group otherwise some of the smaller places get overwhelmed when we all order wings at once lol.

Here's my current top 40 list of some of the wing places I've been in order best to good (I left the bad off entirely - maybe a future post someday).  Got some surrounding places included on the list too as Rochester & Niagara Falls, ON are easy drives from Buffalo.

I base the ranking on medium crispy wings.  But of course that doesn't stop me from trying the other sauces too.

1:  Dwyer's (North Tonawanda) - My #1 wings.  I love this place and they always get the wings right every time.  Chili Lime my current favorite, but there's so many great varieties to choose from.  And the way they do their fries is perfect!  The pic is of the food carnage after we ate.  Our group's top wing lists vary dramatically, but this is the one place in the top 5 for each of us.  (Shoutout to Murray, our honorary Australian 7th MNW member, who had wings with us here.)

2:  Grill At The Dome (Tonawanda) - It's practically a tie for 1st thanks to the perfectly cooked wings.  If you're a fan of crispy or extra crispy wings, this is the place.  Medium my usual sauce here.

3:  MT Pockets (Buffalo) - This is a recent add to the list.  I usually get the Italian Sausage sandwich but finally tried the wings.  Wow!  Super tasty & crispy.

4:  Kelly's Korner (Buffalo) - This was my #1 for quite a while and they're still some of the best wings you'll get in Buffalo.  The place itself awesome.  It dropped just a bit down the list because the wings have been sporadic lately - sometimes great, sometimes just really good.  But overall, a can't miss for wing fans.

5:  Gene's Junkyard (Tonawanda) - The Tonawanda area might just be the epicenter of awesome wings.  I love Wednesday night 50-cent wings here (as I write this it continues on - can't guarantee that'll last forever).  Their Honey Garlic wing (pictured) is my current obsession.

6:  Bada Bing (Buffalo):  I always knew their pizza was good but never expected the wings to actually be better than the pizza.  This was a shock surprise to all in our group.  Perfect pizza & wing combo place.

7:  Jeremiah's (Rochester):  Their Bee Sting wings are a thing of culinary beauty.  And the regular ones equally as good.  Yeah it's not Buffalo, but they 100% deserve to be on a Buffalo best wings list because of how good they are.  It's not really that bad of a drive.

8:  Wingnutz (Buffalo):  Another new addition to the list.  There's been tons of rave reviews for the wings online, so I went in expecting the worst (I rarely believe too much online praise).  But the wings lived up to the praise.  The place itself kinda strange - like eating in a 3rd grade classroom.  But there's a bar right upstairs and they're all good with you bringing the wings in.  I actually prefer the mild wings here (this is the only place where that's the case).  Don't go late though because they sometimes sell out of wings.

9:  Dalmatia Hotel (Buffalo):  Good luck making up your mind what wing to order here - there's like 60 choices.  Taco is my favorite.  But it's closely followed by a bunch of the other sauces - so many great choices here!  They hyped up the Lavender wing but gotta admit I was not a fan of that one (tasted like fancy bathroom soap).  Just a really cool hangout place too.

10:  Stadium Dome (Tonawanda):  I tell people about how good the wings are here and they always get confused because no one ever mentions this place.  But man do they know how to cook wings right.  And they also have an all-you-can-eat spaghetti deal on Mondays (as I write this) - yes, it's good too.  But the wings are the star.

11:  Gabriel's Gate (Buffalo) - The only reason this isn't in the top 10 is because the wings have been hit or miss with crispiness the last 3 or so visits.  But when they're good, they're near perfect so it's worth the chance.

12:  Nine Eleven Tavern (Buffalo) - Amazing wings and they probably come in #1 for presentation (not gonna spoil it with the pic - you have to see for yourself).  Every time I go, they move up the list a little further.

13:  Manor Lanes (Tonawanda) - This is the Grand Island Blvd location.  Chef Dave is a culinary genius.  The regular wings are great, but my latest fave is the "fried chicken" wings (pictured) - it's like mini fried chicken but with less chicken and so much crispy awesomeness.  I can't get enough of them.  Also a huge fan of the Monster Burger with a tiny substitution - instead of buns, I surround mine with grilled cheese sandwiches (of course can't do that too often).

14:  Say Cheese Pizza Co. / Comic Book Cafe (Grand Island) - The pizza here is incredible, the place itself so cool & the wings are awesome too.  I don't think they know how to make food that's anything less than top notch.

15:  Klimek's Tavern (North Tonawanda) - A small bar with great wings.  This is what Buffalo is all about.

16:  Brownie's (North Tonawanda) - This place recently opened.  I've only been once but the medium crispy wings were done just the way I like them so they made it high on the list - but I'll have to go again to see if they can continue to stay there.

17:  Elmo's (Getzville) - It's been awhile since I've been here but the wings are done really well - I need to go back soon.

18:  Adolf's (Buffalo) - Another recent surprise for me - I bit into the wing and was like ahhh another Buffalo classic wing done right.

19:  Station House (CLOSED) (Buffalo) - This one makes me sad.  They recently closed, but keeping them on the list for now in honor of what a cool place it was.  And the many varieties of wings were all done right.  I mourn the loss of these wings (and their fries too).

20:  Lenox Grill (Buffalo) - This is where our wing group started and it got off to a great start with excellent wings.

21:  Odie's (Tonawanda) - Another small bar with amazing wings.  Don't know what else to say other than def worth a visit.

22:  GFY (Tonawanda) - So the chicken fingers are my favorite here.  It's near where I work so I go a lot for them.  But the wings have also been so good lately - GFY keeps moving up my list.  The place, the people, and the food - all awesome.

23:  Crazy Jakes (North Tonawanda) - The wings here are as good as their incredible banana pepper soup (which is sooo yummy - and this is from someone who usually doesn't like soup).

24:  Brunner's Tavern (Buffalo) - The wings were so good and I absolutely gotta go back soon - it's a nice spot and has a cool feel to it.  Just look at those wings - I want them now.  Yeah, the more I go, the more they'll move up.

25:  Ryan's (North Tonawanda) - The rest of the group won't agree with me - they're already ripping on me for this choice - but I really liked the wings here (the garlic parm was the only one I wasn't a fan of).  But I felt they cooked my wings just right.

26:  DBGB's (Buffalo) - Great wings!  That's all that needs to be said to get me somewhere.  I'm normally not a fan of Smoked BBQ wings, but theirs was excellent.

27:  Bar Bill (East Aurora) - It's always making top wing lists.  And they deserve that - I liked them.

28:  Swannie House (Buffalo) - People rave about the fries but I like the wings better.  Although, it's been hit or miss with the wings lately.  But even miss, they're still good wings.  Just not always as crispy as I like.

29:  Vinny's (West Seneca / Cheektowaga) - They're #1 for chicken fingers and fries in Buffalo.  And the place itself is awesome (they even have a huge barrel of free peanuts).  The wings are good too but I can't stop myself from ordering the chicken fingers every time I go.  And for a while, I was going there a lot (I become obsessed with somewhere when the food is so good).

30:  North End (Buffalo) - The wings were really good.  Also saw some great Italian food go by me while I was eating so gotta go there to try that next time.

31:  Route 78 Street Bar (Depew) - I love this place.  The wings are good and the plain pizza is amazing (and like only $8).  I love being able to eat good wings while playing Tap TV Trivia there (free trivia on the TV but you compete individually from your phone).

32:  Buffalo Roadhouse (Tonawanda) - They upset me bad by getting rid of the free peanuts, so I don't go here much anymore.  But the wings are worth it.

33:  Mallwitz's Island Lanes (Grand Island) - Another bowling alley with good wings.

34:  Flying Saucer (Niagara Falls, ON) - This place has my #1 burger on the planet - The Saucer Burger (or the Great Canadian Burger if I'm super hungry).  Best tasting burger ever.  One time I managed to pull myself away from ordering the burger and tried the wings - they were also good (not surprised).  Might be one of the coolest looking restaurants ever - it's a flying saucer!

35:  Hot Mama's Canteen (Buffalo) - Next time I stick with just the wings.  The Mama Bomb was interesting but too much rice and way too filling - I want more stomach room for wings.

36:  Duff's (Amherst) - Amazingly I've only been here for wings once and I was told I ordered wrong (I think I ended up with Medium Light).  I'll go again soon & pretty confident they'll be moving up.  Had to steal Shawn's snap for this.

37:  Grover's (East Amherst) - Burger, burger, burger all I ever hear about this place.  But the wings deserve to be talked about too!  Although, that burger is tough to beat (on this side of the border at least).

38:  Audubon North (Amherst) - I think this place is gonna move up the list after my next visit - possibly a lot.  I'm hearing very good things about their wings lately - already liked them, but I sense they've gotten even better.

39:  Judi's Lounge (Niagara Falls, NY) - One of my friends posted a message asking for the best wings in Buffalo and this place was named A LOT.  The wings are good - it's a solid spot if you're in the Niagara Falls area.

40:  Amherst Pizza & Ale House (Getzville) - Another one that might move up the list after my next visit.  I liked the wings but one of our group has it in their top 5 so that makes me want to try again.