Since 2011, BestWingsLI.com has been finding the best wing and beer joints on Long Island. They put on quite a show at Cannon’s Blackthorn restaurant in Rockville Centre July 12 at the annual Summer Wings and Beerfest. At least 250 people packed the bar and spent the afternoon tasting some of the best local wings and craft beer on Long Island. For the extremely reasonable price of $35 per ticket, everyone got more than his and her money’s worth. The wings were delicious, the beer to wash them down couldn’t have been more refreshing, and the atmosphere was a straight-up party!
The Wings
Every “wing joint” was carefully selected by the staff at bestwingsli.com and handpicked for this competition. Each bar and restaurant displayed their own brand of wing. German-American beer house Prost in Garden City shared their Medium Buffalo and spicy garlic wings (also known as the Asian Persuasion). Both styles were offered medium to hot and tasted absolutely delicious.
Wing Zone in Bellmore showed off four different styles, all very impressive:
Buffalo Bliss (medium buffalo style), Mango Fire (sweet and very spicy), Garlic Parm (buffalo mixed with garlic and parmesan cheese), and a Cinnamon Maple (like chicken and waffles in a wing). The Mango Fire variety was the hottest of them all; in my opinion, the Garlic Parm the best of the bunch.
Rudi’s of Patchogue had a very impressive pair of wings being featured. Their Chicken Francése wing was tossed in a creamy butter cream and lemon sauce, finished off with parsley, butter, lemon, fresh lemon zest. The Classic Buffalo style was cooked and reduced to get all the flavor captured in one delicious bite, topped off with crushed red pepper. The bar and grill was an ultimate hit: Rudi’s came in second place for Best Wings overall and the Chicken Francése wing tied for 2nd in best unique flavor. They also took first place for Best Buffalo Wing.
Former wings judge Chef Johnny from Heartbreaking Dawns hot sauce company became a top contender this year. John’s buffalo wing had a dynamic, classic flavor, while his Spicy Butterscotch wing with bleu cheese ice cream was an incredibly original mouthful. He won first place in the Best Wing category, first place in the Best Unique Flavor category for the Spicy Butterscotch wings, and finished third for Best Buffalo Wings on Long Island.
Wander Inn of Baldwin featured their Classic Buffalo wing, Chicken Parmesan wings (their most popular) Honey BBQ wings, and an original Maple Bacon Bourbon wings. They won Best Buffalo Wings last year, and tied for second place for Best Unique Flavor for the Chicken Parmesan.
Located in the heart of Rockville Centre, Press 195 was equally impressive, featuring Wings al Pastor in addition to Classic Buffalo. This is a buffalo wing that’s been marinating for 48 hours in a brine of citrus, vinegar and hot peppers, smoked for 2 1/2 hours on cherry wood, then lightly fried with a homemade pineapple habanero hot sauce that has a touch of honey and toasted hemp seeds, served with a cilantro lime dressing. Press 195 came in third place in the Best Wings on Long Island and second for Best Buffalo Wings.
Now for the Beer
It was great to see a strong showing of craft beer from local Long Island breweries. Events like this rarely boast a predominantly Long Island selection.
First up was Riverhead-based Long Ireland who brought their Raspberry Wheat beer and IPA. The Raspberry Wheat poured with a powerful fruity aroma, wheat malt and possibly some clove. It’s a very sweet beer and holds its own against some of the better fruit beers out there. The IPA poured with a nice frothy head, with good retention and lacing. The smell was of piney and earthy caramel, while the taste was of grapefruit and pine, with the malt rounding out the lively hop.
Next up was Port Jeff Brewing Company who brought both their Party Boat IPA and their Schooner Pale Ale. The Party was easily one of my favorites as a full bodied and fairly balanced IPA. The maple malts helped balance out the grainy hops while allowing for a smooth drinking experience. It’s very easy to have a few of these. The Schooner drank even easier than the Boat with some slightly sweet malts, which struck a solid balance between not being overwhelming while also not underwhelming my taste buds.
Spiderbite Beer Company came through with perhaps one of my favorite overall beers with Boris the Spider, a Russian Imperial Stout which keeps true to the style with a bold abv coming in at 10%. Frward tastes of coffee, chocolate and loads of roasted malts leave a memorable impression with each sip. The White Bite Wheat was great as a summer ale; light enough to kick back and have a few of as the summer heat creeps up and bites you. Spiderbite won the online poll award for Best Beer.
Outer Lands Brewing Company is the newer guy to the block of some well-established Long Island staples. The brewery is not yet permitted to sell their beer on a retail level, they certainly are allowed to grace us with their presence for free at sampling events. Outer Lands brought two solid beers with them, but rumor has it the up-and-comer’s best beer, the Stout, was not in attendance.
Homebrews and Handgrenades, a brewing supply store, was in attendance as well and won Best Independent Beer. Barrage Brewing Company of Farmingdale was given the Crowd Favorite Award for Best Beer.
All in all, everyone who showed up to the Summer Wings and Beerfest walked (Stumbled? Waddled?) away from the event happy. One low ticket price offered every guest tons of fresh delicious wings and Long Island craft beer, which made the event was an admirable success. Next Summer’s festival might even be better!
