Steamboat’s Best Wings Sampler
Who cares that RedBull gives you wings? Anyone who’s had a RedBull and vodka hangover knows that’s for millennials. But here’s the rundown on where Steamboat gives you wings — deep-fried ones, to be exact, with all the fixins’, sauces, spices and more. Just wash your hands before you put your sunglasses back on or grip your SUP paddle or bike brakes; the grease tends to both lubricate and smudge.
Rex’s Grill
Rex’s Grill isn’t flighty about its wings at all. It serves
them them up hot and huge, perfect for watching the
game at the bar or enjoying on the lawn outside. They
come with all the rub and sauce options to satisfy almost
any post-ride or hike craving, and a casual atmosphere to
match. Choose from their popular Dry Rub, Cry-Baby,
Chili Jam, Ranch or creamy Blue Cheese and prepare to
see your tastebuds soar.
Carl’s Tavern
Credit the wing accolades at Carl’s Tavern downtown to
Carl’s dippin’ sauce. You get a whole pound of them, with
dry rub BBQ, Ninja, Buffalo, or Steal Your Face
seasonings, with your choice of homemade ranch or bleu
cheese. “They’re cooked to order and arguably one of
our best sellers,” says owner Scott Engelman, touting
hand-crafted sauces and seasonings, including its
own Carl’s Tavern Dry Rub. “Come in and enjoy a
pound on game day.”
Moe’s Original Bar B Que
Moe’s knows BBQ and Moe’s knows wings.
Applewood-smoked chicken wings, to be precise.
Founded by three downhome Alabamans — “Life
needs more beer and BBQ,” says co-founder Ben
Gilbert — Moe’s is run by longtime locals Chris Gander
and Hillary Heid-Gander and hangs its hat on southern
flavor, which wafts up in its jumbo smoked wings.
The key: They’re smoked, then fried, then lightly
coated in housemade wing sauce. They’re served
with celery and Moe’s creamy Alabama-style white
BBQ sauce for dipping. Bonus: Happy Hour from 2-
6p.m. daily with, yes, $1.50 wash-down-your-wings
Hamms.
Slopeside Grill
Sure, there might be some construction going on at
the resort this summer, but that will only disguise the
noise your stomach is making thinking about
Slopeside’s Boneless Wings, which get served up in half-pound or full-pound batches and come dry-
rubbed, buffalo, BBQ or sticky. For sauces, choose
from bleu cheese, ranch, BBQ, honey mustard,
buffalo, or the Swillin’ fave slope sauce. Just save
room for a handmade delectable pizza or sandwich
afterward, and order plenty of beer to wash them
down as you watch the new gondola go up.
Aurum Food & Wine
Billing itself as “A new element in dining,” Aurum also offers a
new element in wings: “It’s actually not even chicken,” says
owner Phil Armstrong. “It’s an Asian-style duck wing, with a
sweet soy-style sauce. People love them.” The secret is the
sauce, a viscous concoction with a special ingredient: stout beer,
mixed in perfectly with an array of spices. Garnish it with
sesame seeds and green onion, and a half price happy hour from
4 to 6 p.m., and you have a wing that, well, flies off the shelf.
Hypnotic Chicken
Okay, so it’s a drive-thru. Still, we gotta’ give chicken wing
accolades to locally owned Hypnotic Chicken, between town
and the mountain, which are so good you can’t resist eating at
least one and getting the remnants on your steering wheel
(“Honest, honey, there were only five in the carton.”). Credit
eight savory flavors, including garlic parm, Rachel’s Smokin’
BBQ (whoever Rachel is), lemon pepper, peri-peri (Huh?),
Cajun, Buffalo and Hot Buffalo, King Candy (Huh, again?) and
Tropical Reaper. Hormone- and antibiotic-free, these babies
were never frozen and are marinated for 24 hours in house brine.
They come in six-, 12- and 18-piece cartons, minus the one you
eat before getting home.
Old Town Pub
Served by the pound, Old Town Pub’s wings are bold in very
different ways, reaching all ends of the spice and flavor scale.
“We pre-bake them for a few hours in a flavorful wing juice,
which makes them super tender and hands-down what we feel
are the best in town,” says owner Sean Regan. Sauces range
from mild flavors like bleu cheese, ranch and barbeque to step-
it-up-a-notch dry rub and even Swillin’ fave red lime curry. But
those are just warmups for the “at your own risk” Fuego
flavor—wings so hot they warrant a warning (but there’s plenty
of beer on tap to cool the flames).
How Ya Doin’
Keeping it short and sweet, How Ya Doin’ simply refers to their
chicken wing meal as “Wings.” And while the title gets right to
the point, their wing sauces and flavor arrays are far from
simple, with such tried-and-true classics as Buffalo and BBQ
bookending such options as Thai Peanut and Sweet Chili sauces.
Just save enough room for their pizza.
Besame
Duck, duck, goose! A fun game around a circle for kids takes on
new meaning at Besame, whose Ancho Chili Duck wings make
up their resident wing entree option, with more succulent, moist
meat than your standard chicken. With a unique and flavorful
taste combo, these babies come augmented with bitter orange
puree, jalapeños, radishes and puffed rice, upping their duck
game even more.
