It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got some wings.
With the Super Bowl around the corner, we have arrived at that time of year when food writers throughout the land enthuse about chicken wings — homemade, store-bought, restaurant-delivered and creatively doctored.
You might hear the story of the creation of spicy Buffalo wings at that northern city’s Anchor Bar in 1964. You might read a news report of the occasional chicken wing shortage. (Oh, no!) You might even learn of the horrifying advent of “boneless chicken wings,” otherwise known as tricked-out nuggets … otherwise known as “this chicken needn’t have died.”
I’m here to take you on a tour of some of Atlanta’s more interesting non-Buffalo wings. That’s right: There’s a whole world of wings beyond hot sauce and blue cheese dressing. I will lead you through an array of exciting international options, stylish four-star destinations and barbecue joints.
But first let’s examine the wing itself. Going from the farthest extremity of the chicken inward, we have the wing tip (a gnarly bit destined for the stock pot or garbage can), the flat (with its two bones connected on either side like a safety pin) and the much-admired drummette. Everyone loves a drummette because a good one tugs back, just a little. It manages to be both crisp-skinned and meaty, and the gristly bits are easy enough to gnaw on or ignore.
But a top-notch wing chef will win you over with the flat. A bad flat is an exercise in slick monotony, with drumhead-taut skin stretched over slimy steamed meat. A good flat bulges and crackles, and you can’t wait to unhinge it to get every flavorful morsel inside.
Here, in order, are the alterna-wings I sampled.
1. Nam Phuong
I’ve loved on these wings plenty of times, so I’ll keep my comments brief. They are the best wings ever. Big and meaty, with the right crisp-chewy tug, these beauties are first marinated in fish sauce, then tossed in a sweet-spicy sauce that never tastes too cloying or sticky. A side of cut raw vegetables and a scoop of perfect white rice make this snack into a meal.
5495 Jimmy Carter Blvd., Norcross. 770-409-8686. And 4051 Buford Highway, Atlanta. 404-633-2400, namphuongatlanta.com.
2. Rumi’s Kitchen
Ah, the wonders of a hot, clay-lined oven. The cooks at this bumping and beautiful Persian restaurant give their chicken wings a long saffron bath before lining them up on a skewer and plunging them into the white heat of the tandoor oven. The wings emerge with all shades of yellow, fiesta orange and black — like the colors of 1970s shag carpeting. They are brilliant in texture, the drummettes burnished to a near crunch and the flats bursting open, caramelized and crackly. A dish of thick house-made hot sauce comes on the side, and it works well with the floral pungency of the saffron.
6112 Roswell Road, Atlanta. 404-477-2100, rumiskitchen.com.
3. King + Duke
On the menu since Day 1, the “crispy, sticky, smoky wings” at this Buckhead hot spot heralded a new age for the flightless bird’s delicious appendage. Super buzzy restaurants like King + Duke are in the wing game now. As is newly trendy, the wings here are served whole, tip to drum. I don’t love eating whole wings. They’re taut and messy, and I always end up feeling like a rubber band had somehow gotten onto the plate. But that’s my only complaint, because these wings live up to their adjectives, and the sauce has a tangy snap that counters its sticky sweetness. The grill smoke lingers like a phantom afterwards and gets your meal off to a soulful start.
3060 Peachtree Road, Atlanta. 404-477-3500, kinganddukeatl.com.
4. Empire State South
New chef Joshua Hopkins takes wing appreciation another step forward and offers all-natural braised wings from locally pastured birds as an entree. Sticky and golden, these wings smack of a refined Asian-style sauce — sweet, tangy, spicy and funky enough to keep them from tasting like Chinese-restaurant carryout. They come splayed out on a base of Sea Island red peas and Carolina Gold rice (i.e., premium Hoppin’ John). Both components are delicious, but switching between sticky fingers and a fork gets messy. I’m sneaking in a box of baby wipes for my next visit.
999 Peachtree St., Atlanta. 404-541-1105, empirestatesouth.com.
5. Sobban
These wings are a full-on crunch fest. Chefs Cody Taylor and Jiyeon Lee double fry them before glazing them in a sweet, soy-based sauce and stuccoing them with sesame seeds, scallion rings and red chile slivers. I like them, but the distance from the flavor-packed crunch fortress to the bland meat hidden within seems far. If you’re a Popeye’s spicy chicken fan, you’ll probably love them.
1788 Clairmont Road, Decatur. 678-705-4233, sobban.com.
6. Smoke Ring
I tried the wings at this new Castleberry Hill barbecue restaurant on a tip, and I’m guessing the batch I had weren’t like those of my tipster. They seem to have been lightly smoked and then fried, which gave them a great gnawable texture. But they were salty enough that even a full-on dunk in Alabama white barbecue sauce couldn’t tame the saline burn. I’ll definitely give these wings another go, but for now will continue to get my smoked wing fix at Fox Bros. BBQ.
309 Nelson St., Atlanta. 404-228-6377, smokeringatlanta.com.
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