Courtesy John Carney
HOT SPOT
King o’ Wings
Courtesy St. Louis Wing Co.
The day a customer ordered 20 wings in every flavor at St. Louis Wing Co...that's 400 wings.
The ninth annual Wing Ding, a fundraiser for UCP Heartland, was held this week in Queeny Park, pitting 10 local restaurants against one another for bragging rights in four categories: Best Traditional Wing, Dry Rub, Specialty, and People’s Choice. Chef Bobby Tessler of St. Louis Wing Co. (participants since the event’s inception) continued his reign as Wing Ding king with three trophies. This year’s winners are below, in first through third place.
- Traditional: Salt & Smoke, Joey B’s, St. Louis Wing Co
- Dry Rub: St. Louis Wing Co., Sugarfire, EdgeWild
- Specialty: St. Louis Wing Co, Salt & Smoke, Sugarfire
- People’s Choice: Joey B’s
Every year, the most anticipated category is the no-holds barred Specialty Wing, a division Wing Co. has won eight of nine years. This time, the offering was a show-stopping crabcake-stuffed, bacon-wrapped drummie on a skewer drizzled with two sauces along with a lagniappe of spiced shrimp (watch how it's made here). One judge was so impressed, he scored it with “three 11’s that added up to 30” (the highest score possible). Alas, Tessler says the wacky wing is perfect for a competition but not cost effective as an everyday item or even a special. In other developments, next week marks the official introduction of Tessler’s fried chicken sandwich seasoned with Red Hot Riplets. Devotees proclaimed that it “will end the Popeye’s/Chick-fil-A debate once and for all.” 9816 Manchester, 314-962-9464.
Courtesy St. Louis Wing Co.
Courtesy Hot Charlie's
INSIDER TIP
Hot and Getting Hotter
Courtesy Strange Donuts
Charlie Backer, founder of local hot sauce business Hot Charlie’s, just announced that his Hot Sauce Dust and Hotter Sauce Dust (the latter only launched in July) will be available at 800 HomeGoods stores nationwide, following a partnership agreement with the retailer. Backer’s seasoning line focuses on “the flavor of the peppers rather than their heat,” and the locals have taken notice. Sugarfire Smoke House took first place at in the seafood division at Memphis in May festival last year with a crab-stuffed shrimp containing Hot Charlie’s hot sauce. Over the Labor Day weekend, Strange Donuts is featuring “Cheezus,” a donut with smoked gouda, cheddar jack cheese, bacon, sun-dried tomatoes, and Hot Charlie’s Dust. Backer is working on one more spicy dust (“a hugely popular flavor combination that’s addicting”) and two non-spicy seasonings (the first non-spicy creations of Hot Charlie’s) with “crazy intense flavors.” He hopes to introduce all three this fall.
MICRORANT
Ignoring the lag effect
aimy27Feb/iStock/Getty Images Plus
Every business likes to see immediate results, but often progress doesn’t happen that way. Restaurants are no exception. I call it “the lag effect”: You don’t have to preach incessantly, like GMC does for that Sierra pickup with the fancy tailgate, but it takes time for a new item/new menu to kick in, a brunch announcement to take effect, or a live music program to find an audience. Often owners will write off a newbie (even a new restaurant) as a failure when people simply haven’t discovered it yet. Unfortunately, there’s a reverse lag effect, too, that’s just as detrimental: It takes longer than you’d think for word to spread regarding bad news—a price increase, loss of a chef, a shift in focus/concept…any change for the worse. How many restaurants have been sliding downhill for years, yet continue to survive on their past successes? More than a few.
Follow George on Twitter @stlmag_dining and feel free to send him Tidbits at gmahe@stlmag.com. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
