RSS Feed
Print Story
E-mail Story
Dining out: Woo-hoo! Watch for these chicken wings!
| Tuesday, Apr 15 2008 11:33 AM
Last Updated: Tuesday, Apr 15 2008 11:27 AM
Wing restaurants are flocking to Bakersfield right now, and the newest one, Just Wing It on Panama Lane, actually gets closer to the roots of this American snack food.
BAKERSFIELD.COM HOT TOPICS:
Loading Stories
Advertisement
4725 Panama Lane, 837-9464
Hours: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday.
Prices: Appetizers $2.79-$6.95, sides 99 cents-$3.49, wings $6.99-$49.99, boneless $5.99-$34.99, family menu $26.49-$39.99. No child’s plate.
Payment: MasterCard, VISA and American Express accepted. Does not accept Discover, personal checks or The Californian’s Press Pass.
Dress: Casual.
Amenities: Wheelchair accessible; beer served; few vegetarian options.
Food: 21⁄2 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 21⁄2 stars.
Next week: Bistro at Country Rose Tea Room
It originated in Buffalo, N.Y., in a bar, but that’s where agreement on the origins ends. Some stories credit the invention to the Anchor Bar, where they fried some chicken wings that in the past were used for stock and tossed them in Tabasco sauce. Food writer Calvin Trillin said Frank Bellisimo prepared them for his Catholic patrons at midnight Friday nights when their meatless day would end.
Either way, they were consumed with alcohol but, to this point, the Bakersfield wing restaurants have been beer-free. Just Wing It is a small place that looks like a modern corner bar, with nice flat-screen TVs in each corner, a flat black paint decorating scheme and a menu that touts “beer from around the world,” with a special, separate beer menu. When we visited, however, the license had not yet been granted so we were drinking root beer.
We ordered a wolf pack ($39.99), 50 wings (up to four flavors), two baskets of potato chips, potato salad (we subbed French fries), three dips and veggie sticks. In addition, we ordered 10 boneless strips ($11.99). The flavor choices include the conventional (barbecue, teriyaki, lemon pepper and garlic Parmesan) as well as chile ’n’ lime and five versions of hot, from mild to dead man walkin’.
The dead man was fascinating, with a honey base to the sauce that seemed to cover up the heat until some time after you ate it, when it would kick in like a demon seeking revenge. Holy cow. Screamer, which is less hot, was different, with a chopped veggie salsa-like texture to the sauce and a presence of some garlic. There is also sweet habanero, but we didn’t get to try that.
Just Wing It is generous on its saucing techniques, and the wings themselves are crisp, large and meaty. Our only disappointment was the chile ’n’ lime, which had a citrusy tang but didn’t have the stimulating flavor we were expecting. The garlic Parmesan was heavy on the garlic and, believe me, I was not complaining about that.
Everyone seems to be getting into the fresh-made potato chip business, and the version here was respectable, fresh and hot. They were perfect to dip into the leftover sauce in each of the baskets.
For this review I again brought the foremost experts in the area on chicken wings, my son and his friends, who swoop into these places like superheroes, eat, discuss and leave without a trace. Call them Teenage Mutant Ninja Wing Squad. All they need now are uniforms. They were enthusiastic about the dead man walkin’ sauce while ordering, but all stopped at about one. The waitress seemed concerned about them eating any of those. She must be a mom.
Just Wing It also has a blumin’ onion appetizer ($3.95), wraps and salads, waffle fries, onion rings and quesadillas. There will be more than enough food for any beer drinkers looking for nutrition that doesn’t come in a glass.