August 12, 2010
Ithaca probably had plenty of chicken wings already, but this week the 14850 Dining Report checks out Buffalo Wild Wings, the latest chain restaurant to open in town. On Route 13 in Ithaca's southwest, Buffalo Wild Wings serves not just wings and so-called "boneless wings," but wraps, burgers, and even ribs.
It's the latest franchise in a chain started by a pair of Buffalo natives who'd moved to Ohio and found before long that they missed decent chicken wings. The chain is known for decent food, and we have to agree.
Buffalo Wild WingsWe were pleasantly surprised that the wing sauces had lots of flavor. The hot actually was, and the spicy garlic and garlic parmesan both weren't shy about the garlic. The wings themselves weren't that big and meaty -- go to Napoli or Rogue's Harbor for meatier ones -- but they're also not the smallest in town. Call them medium-sized wings, but at $8.99 for a dozen, or about 75 cents a wing for a typical size order, meatier would be nice. You can pick bleu cheese dressing or ranch dressing or celery with your smaller wing orders; getting bleu cheese and celery costs extra, until you get into the larger sizes. But by all means combine a few people's wing desires into a big batch; you can split up the larger wing orders with multiple heat levels or sauces.
The wings are a better deal on Tuesdays, at 45 cents each, and there's a similar discount for boneless "wings" on Thursdays at 60 cents each, but you don't get celery or dressing for free on those days -- and we're betting you get quite a crowd.
Yes, those "boneless wings" aren't wings, scream the purists, but it's too late… the popularity of small chicken tenders served as if they were wings has already caught on among those who'd just as soon skip the bones. We're amused that there are both boneless wings and "chicken tenders" on the menu here.
Buffalito and salad lunch specialLunch specials start at six bucks, and a friend and I went with the Buffalito, basically a chicken taco with your choice of sauces, and a decent side salad served with BBQ ranch dressing. I opted for the Asian Zing, a nice gingery sauce for the chicken. The lunch menu also includes burger and fries, or a pulled pork sandwich, and yes, there's a veggieburger.
Everything came out fast, and the waitress asked if we'd like free drink refills even before we were done with each glass. Between the quick, friendly service and the affordable lunch specials, we think Buffalo Wild Wings has a place in Ithaca's dining scene.
They do seem to be going for a sports bar motif, with a dozen or more big-screen TVs arrayed around the walls, and a prominent schedule by the door of the day's major sporting events you can expect to see. The kids menu means you can also expect to see families here with little kids. Will the rabid sports fans putting away wings and beer clash with the coloring-book set? Time will tell.
Visit Buffalo Wild Wings at 410 Elmira Road next to Kohl's and Home Depot, visit buffalowildwings.com, or call them at 607-273-0340 and tell them you heard about them here.
