Chicken Wings and School Girls

In the past I wasn't a very big fan of wings. They were always too messy and difficult to eat. Wings were quite popular in Erie being so close to Buffalo. There were several small, local bars and restaurants that made their own wings that were actually quite good. While we were living in Erie the whole concept of wings grew on me as I was surrounded by a wide variety of different types of flavors and people who frequently ate them when we went out. Sarah and I even made it to Anchor Bar in Buffalo, the birthplace of the modern chicken wing. Since restaurants started offering boneless wings regularly I have been getting them routinely. I probably order them once a month now. What I thought I would do is review two of my favorite wings places here in Indy. I don't really notice there being a ton of local places that specialize in wings here like there were in Erie so these places are national and are easily found in all major cities.

Pizza Hut Wing Street
Location: Multiple, even in smaller towns
Price Range: $-$$
Rating: 5 Cheeseburgers

We had a Pizza Hut in the student union at DePauw that I ate at quite frequently and it was pretty gross, honestly. They made personal pizzas that would sit under heating lamps for hours and typically would be terrible. The only reason I ate there so much was because I was frequently in a hurry and it was something quick and easy to grab for lunch. Subsequently I went four years, from DePauw graduation to the present, without visiting a Pizza Hut. I was burned out. When we moved to our new apartment, we moved 6 minutes from a Buffalo Wild Wings and 3 minutes from a Pizza Hut. One Friday evening I was really craving their bread sticks so I went online and ordered some. I decided to try their wings too and let me tell you - they are fantastic. I was very surprised at how good they are. I have ordered the 10 boneless BBQ Honey wings on multiple occasions and I consistently get 10 very large wings soaking in sauce. The only thing I can say negative about the place is it doesn't have the ambiance in the restaurant that a Hooters or BWW has. You would never go there to watch a game or hang out. I always order takeout from this place. But if you are looking for amazing wings for takeout at a reasonable price, you will not be disappointed going to Pizza Hut's Wing Street.

Hooters
Location: Castleton, multiple
Price: $$ (depending on how much beer you have)
Rating: 5 Cheeseburgers

I am not afraid or embarrassed to admit it: I am a pretty big fan of Hooters. I think the whole concept is great. A place where you can get bar food, have a few beers, and be served by pretty girls, what is wrong with that? I am even looking into opening my own store sometime in the future when I have enough capital to afford a franchise. The location will remain top secret as I don't want someone to read this blog and steal my idea. I have been to numerous Hooters restaurants in multiple states and have found the food to be consistent in all locations. I therefore rate the restaurant on the attractiveness of the wait staff. That is one of the big reasons for going in the first place anyway, right? There are four Hooters locations in the Indianapolis area. I haven't been to Hooters of Greenwood in many years so that location is out of this discussion. Out of the remaining three locations - Downtown, Speedway, and Castleton, the Castleton on 82nd street has by far the prettiest wait staff. Downtown might be a close second, but I live so much closer to Castleton I rarely go downtown at all, let alone to go to Hooters. Truthfully, I only make it to the Castleton Hooters every once in a while. Despite the fact that I live relatively close, it is a pain in the butt to drive there during dinner time as it is rush hour and you will sit in stop and go traffic on the expressway. However, they have theme night once per month and I usually make it there about every other month. I usually drag poor Sarah along too and she is a good sport about it. Last night we went and it was back to school night. Half of the girls were dressed in school girl outfits, the other half were dressed in toga party outfits. It was probably a 'B' level theme night. Better than some, but not as good as nurses night or Valentine's Day lingerie night. I think the wings are pretty good, although not as good as Wing Street or BWW. However, they are closely behind the other places, and the Buffalo Chicken sandwich and cheeseburger are really good too. And it's tough to beat the overall atmosphere of Hooters if you are looking for a cool place to watch the game or hang out with some friends for a couple of hours. And trust me - after spending an entire day in a nursing home, you will need a nice environment to let some steam off.

Below is one of my favorite Hooters girls of all time, Miss July 2006 and the 2007 Playmate of the Year Sara Underwood. She can occasionally be seen on G4's Attack of the Show, one of my favorite shows on TV and where I got the concept for the format of this blog. On the surface she seems to bubbly and dingy for me but she is super cool on AOTS and I've been a fan since seeing her there. Enjoy!