blue cheese all the way! Archives - The Wing Authority.com

Zaxby’s – Southern Buffalo!

There’s a lot to say about Zaxby’s. This is a short order restaurant chain that stretches from Florida to Virginia to Texas to Missouri. It’s entire aesthetic speaks to old Americana and country cooking. The menu is substantial but not overwhelming, the food is fast and always tasty, and the number of locations spread throughout the land makes it a reliable stop for Buffalo wings.

Check those out. Great red color, peppery sauce, served with celery and…Ranch Sauce. The Wing Authority refuses to acknowledge ranch as part of a truly Buffalo wings experience. Nevertheless, after two or three bites of Zaxby’s delicious “Insane” sauce, I’ll eat just about anything to cool the palette. Zaxby’s also serves milkshakes, by the way.

Southern Buffalo wings may sound like an oxymoron. I am pleasantly surprised by just how fantastic Zaxby’s chicken really is. The hot sauces are as zesty as can be, sharp and peppery, not at all dull or too greasy. The Wing Authority has been a Zaxby’s-lover for years, and anytime you’re on the highway needing Buffalo wings to keep it interesting, this is a place you can count on.

My friends in Georgia are all big fans and, despite the single-use plates and cups, this restaurant is completely acceptable as a place for lunch or casual dinner. That is, of course, unless you’re like me and a fan of “Insane” sauce. Zaxby’s does not bluff. Unlike many places that offer “extra hot” or “suicide” wings, Zaxby’s brings serious heat and you can expect a lift. I love it.

The Wing Authority stands by Zaxby’s and is proud to clock it in as very Buffalo (even without the blue cheese).

King Street Grill in Charleston, SC

While visiting a friend in Charleston, South Carolina, we found ourselves checking out the action downtown on a rainy Sunday afternoon, and got the hunger. Knowing me as well as he does, my friend mentioned that King Street Grille is known to have good wings. That’s really all it takes to get The Wing Authority interested.

We walk into the downtown location of this local restaurant chain, and it’s a big sports bar, tastefully dotted with TV’s, a full bar, and high-top tables. We scoped out one for ourselves and got a couple of beers while reviewing the nice-looking menu.

Didn’t take much to find the list of wing flavors. The wings were featured center stage. Naturally, I ordered up the XXX Hot. Alongside the Buffalo flavors were a number of novelty flavors that just didn’t really draw my attention.

But do these wings look XXX Hot to you? They were not. They’re pretty-looking chicken, no doubt, but that syrupy brown sauce – with no detectable hint of crushed habanero peppers or the sting of high-octane cayenne pepper sauce – just doesn’t scream XXX Hot. Tell you what though – this was some of the best blue cheese I’ve ever had. Cheers to that!

A-HA! The posters advertising wing night at King Street Grille show that this is a place that prides itself in its wings! The Wing Authority should swing by on a wing night, because on this rainy Sunday afternoon the XXX Hot wings were not the least painful and not even Buffalo. Great service, clean downtown location, and a fun, open atmosphere. Just don’t come here for the Buffalo wings.

Blue Cheese vs. Ranch? Choose the original!

“Ranch is for salads!” “Blue cheese all the way!”

There is a very serious debate taking place in the Buffalo wing-eating community:

WHEN IT COMES TO BUFFALO WINGS, WHICH DRESSING MAKES A BETTER CREAMY COMPANION?

Blue cheese is the original. Ranch has a salty, herbal tang that makes it an interesting choice.

But let’s be real – what’s next? Thousand Island? Mayonnaise? I just gagged a little.
The Wing Authority officially declares here that… BLUE CHEESE is the only way to do Buffalo wings. First and foremost, blue cheese was the original dipping sauce to accompany those first hot wings on that fateful night at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York. We can’t change the history of Buffalo wings any more than we can change that the Romans spoke Latin. But in addition to the history & tradition, the stark color contrast of white dressing on red sauce, the way it cools the palette, the tasty bits of cheese – there is no better compliment to this food than chilled, creamy blue cheese dressing.

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