by Washington Washington
Wings have been an important part of my life for as long as I can remember. I’ve been all over this fine state in search of the best. I once traveled to Buffalo just to taste the legendary Anchor Bar wings, and also sampled their toughest competitors’ wings at Duff’s. These two titans, co-existing within mere miles of each other, are perhaps the best at what they do… in the entire world. Today we seek to declare one champion of Phoenixville’s two best wing makers: The Bistro on Bridge and The Pickering Creek Inn.
To be completely fair and objective, it is imperative to employ a tried and true system of judgment. When I was a younger man, I met a wise sage who told me about the 5-point inspection. This has since been my measuring stick for evaluating wings and anything remotely resembling a wing. The five points are simple… Listed here in no particular order:
1) Meat – should be tender, yet thoroughly cooked
2) Sauce – varies by person, but should be savory with a zing (I personally like one with a unique element / unidentifiable ingredient)
3) Size – not too big, not too small (that’s what she said)
4) Exterior – crispy but not burnt… a soggy skinned wing has no place on your place.
5) Temp – served piping hot (cold wings can rot in hell)
The Bistro on Bridge is coming in to this thing as the favorite. Their wings are well-know and respected by all in the know, and people come from far and wide to sample the hottest wings on the planet, otherwise known as 10,000 Ghosts. As a recent guest of the 610 WIP mid-day show, the Bistro did not disappoint Macnow and Gargano. Serving a multitude of flavors and varieties, The Bistro takes their wings seriously – like any respectable bar should.
The Pickering Creek Inn is a bit of a dark horse in this contest. They do host a .35 wing night, yet they only serve one flavor. However, that particular flavor has become many a wingster’s go-to wing and is fiercely growing in popularity in underground wing eating circles.
And now for the judging / verdicts…
I decided to bring along an out-of-towner as an unbiased participant with no prior knowledge of either establishment. This man has worked his way up through the wing annals, putting in hard time a legendary Reading-area wing eateries such as The Peanut Bar, Wild Wing Cafe (Reading Airport), Ozgood’s Wing Buffet, and the Basin Street Hotel. We’ll just call him Reading Phil for now.
Here’s the scorecard:
As you can see, Reading Phil and I disagreed slightly on the Pickering’s wings, but were in complete accord on the Bistro on Bridge. The only conclusion that can be drawn from these results are that a larger sampling will need to take place some time in the near future. I’m thinking we’ll need somewhat of a random sampling posse of about 10 wingers…
If anyone is interested, please comment below (NOTE: OneNineFourSixZero will not be responsible for paying for your wings).
