NYC Best Wings, Harlem Edition: Just Wingin It’s “Super Nova” Sauce Burns Brightest

January 28, 2009

The quest for NYC’s best wings continues! For this post I joined Eating In Translation’s Dave Cook in Harlem where we followed his route from 110th street to 145th street trying wings at three take out spots.  This meant passing on soul food stalwarts Amy Ruth’s and Sylvia’s, but fear not, we’ll tackle those two on another adventure.  Of the 5 varieties of wings sampled, only one truly soared. Read on to learn which wings wowed and where you can find a place with 17 homemade sauce flavors.

Are those wisps of smoke coming from the sauce or the wings?

Miss Mamie’s Spoonbread Too (Website)

366 West 110th Street b/t Columbus Ave & Manhattan Ave

New York, NY 10025 (Google Map) 212-865-6744

Open until 10PM Sunday to Thursday and until 11PM Friday & Saturday

The scent of straight BBQ sauce was the first thing to infiltrate my nose, but I was pleased to find that this $7.95, 7-wing serving offered a meaty wing with home cooked chicken, all covered in a sweet and smoky sauce with a tiny bit of bite.  The tender, juicy meat separates easily from the bone, carrying tiny pieces of fatty, delicious skin.

I wouldn’t return to Miss Mamie’s for the wings alone, but the chicken itself was tasty enough to warrant a return trip to try it fried and the BBQ sauce would be great on ribs.  If that’s not enough, the coconut layer cake and the red velvet cake on the counter looked fresh and delicious.

Harlem Wing & Waffle (Website)

2394 Adam Clayton Powell Blvd. (7th Ave) at 140th Street

New York, NY 10030 (Google Map) 212-281-1446

Open until 10PM Sunday through Thursday and until 12AM Friday & Saturday

The olfactory sense took over once again, this time the sweet scent of waffles greeted Dave and I as we entered the orange hued storefront.  Unfortunately, the next scent we absorbed was an overabundance of vinegar in the buffalo sauce covering our 6 piece, $5.15 order of  hot wings.  The lone accompaniment, a single container of bleu cheese, wasn’t enough to subdue the offensive miscue.

I’m glad I was motivated to wipe the sauce off with a napkin because beneath it was a meaty and peppery wing that if sauced properly would have impressed.  If I was to return here, I’d make sure to follow the sign and go for wings and waffles; a “snack pack” of 2 wings with waffles is $4.75, the $7.75 “meal” features 4 wings with waffles.

Just Wingin It – Best Wings of the Harlem Tour

2190 Fredrick Douglas Blvd. (8th Ave) at West 118th Street

New York, NY 10026 (Google Map) 718-690-3639

Open until 9:30PM Monday through Saturday and until 7PM Sunday

17 varieties of homemade sauce would be enough to bring me back to Just Wingin It, but its the “Super Nova” sauce, featuring fresh garlic, habanero pepper, jalapeno pepper, cayenne pepper and crushed red pepper flakes that will really ignite my return.

Upon opening each of our $3.49 5-piece orders, the scent of the super novas roared from their container.  As you can see in the close up below, the surface of the wing is volcanic, each bite a treacherous step toward a fiery death for your tongue.  An initially tart flavor is immediately burned away by the flames of the 4-pepper/garlic concoction which unforgivably lingers after you’ve stripped the crispy but small wing.  The lingering heat is the strength of the super nova.  I recommend neutralizing the it with an accompanying celery or carrot stick dipped in the thimble-sized container of bleu cheese.

Five pieces may be the perfect order for wings this fiery, offering you a chance to try some of the other sauces.  You can pass on the manageable and mild “traditional hot” wings below on which the flavors of vinegar and butter outshine the peppery undertones.

Whichever route you choose to navigate Just Wingin It’s 17 sauces, it’s fitting to end with a dessert wing. such as the “sun kissed” wings below, which feature a tangy, sugary sauce with subtle hints of orange.

Just Wingin It’s sauces shine more than the actual wings which leaned toward the dry, over-fried side, particularly among the wingettes as opposed to the meatier drumsticks.  Below is a list of the 17 flavor options but upon returning I plan on trying the sweet and spicy “Cajun” and the “Honey Garlic”, both are recommendations from Jose and Ivan, the helpful guys behind the counter.

Just Wingin It’s 17 Sauce Flavors

1. BBQ
2. Cajun
3. Caribbean Spice
4. Lemon Garlic
5. Honey Garlic
6. Honey Mustard
7. Jerk Mild
8. Jerk Very Hot
9. Mandarin Orange
10. Margarita
11. Smoked Spicy BBQ
12. Sun Kissed
13. Teriyaki
14. Traditional Mild
15. Traditional Hot
16. Traditional Super Nova
17. Zen

Posted in HARLEM, Harlem Wing & Waffle, Just Wingin It, MANHATTAN, Miss Mamie's Spoonbread Too