Hungry? Just Wing It

By the time most of you read this, Sertoma's annual Wingapalooza bash will be over. (If you're among the first to pick up this issue, it's not too late! See the UGO at the end of the story.) But fret not, wing lovers, we at GO have dug deep to find the most unique, best-priced and tastiest wings in town. We looked beyond traditional specialty wing joints like Hooters and Buffalo Wild Wings (though you know we love 'em) to find some local restaurants that sell wings made for and perfected by Springfieldians.

Big Whiskey's
Our first stop was at downtown newcomer Big Whiskey's (311 Park Central East, 417-862-2449). General Manager Matty Caetano opened the laid-back bar and grill six months ago, but says the Original Honey Whiskey BBQ sauce was created before the restaurant ever opened. "You could say we built the restaurant around the wing sauce," he says only half-jokingly. This sauce is sweet, with a kick of spice at the end. Sunday nights wings are 35 cents; regular prices are six for $4.79, 12 for $8.79, 18 for $12.59 or 100 for $55. That's a lot of wings.

Coyote's Adobe Cafe
At Coyote's (1742 S. Glenstone Ave., 417-889-7120) we found something for everybody. And by "everybody," we mean "an entire baseball team." Coyote's offers 23 different flavors; their most popular, says Kitchen Manager Garen Floyd, is the original buffalo twice-fried wings. The secret is in the frying technique. Coyote's fries the wings, then brings them up, coats them in sauce, lets them sit for five minutes, and then puts them back in the fryer. The wings have a blackened look to them, but the second round in the fryer sets the flavor. Two other flavors not to miss here: cashew chicken and the sweet-but-spicy Nixie sauce, which was created for the opening of the Nixa location. Wings here will cost you anywhere from $6.75 for a 12 to $26.25 for 50.

Ebbets Field
Ebbets (1027 E. Walnut St., 417-865-5050) is known for its grand-slam burgers, but the classic restaurant on Walnut Street also boasts some of the tastiest wings in town. They have a homemade wing sauce, or you can order them plain.  The "Casey-style" wings are doused in Parmesan cheese and served with a side of wing sauce, ranch or bleu cheese dressing. Head server Sara Reeves told us Ebbets also par-bakes their wings, so they're a tad healthier than plain-old deep-fried ones. Prices are fabulously cheap at $6.95 for an order of 12, or at half-price from 3-6 p.m. ever Wednesday.

Rasta Grill
As a two-time Wingapalooza champion, Rasta Grill (319 W. Walnut St., 417-831-7221) has a lot riding on the tastiness of its wings, which are par-baked and then deep fried. Rasta offers customers a choice of one to five stars of "heat" (one being mild, five being straight-roasted habanera salsa), as well as a Buffalo Soldier sauce, a mixture of General Micahs sauce-a sesame oil and house sweet soy mixture-and traditional wing sauce. A dozen will cost you $7.99; a half-dozen is $4.49.

Patton Alley Pub
Our wing exploration ended on Patton Alley, where the namesake Patton Alley Pub (313 S. Patton Ave., 417-865-1188) offers three varieties of wings that melt in your mouth. They serve a homemade wing sauce, a chipotle BBQ-sweet, with a kick from the chipotle peppers-and a wasabi flavor. True to its name, the wasabi sauce has an Asian flair with wasabi powder mixed with sweet Thai chili sauce. Wings are $5.50 for 10 or half price from 3-6 p.m. every day.