The sports fan’s dilemma: The physical pain of an unrelieved pressure-filled bladder or the psychological pain of missing an amazing play.
- Food Reviews
- Though Wild Wings serves alcohol, it attracts more than just a bar crowd. (trevor campbell/Daily)
No problem at Buffalo Wild Wings. With more than 50 televisions (five plasma and six high-definition)—including three in the men’s restroom and one in the women’s — the new wing-joint on the corner of State and East Washington is serious about satisfying sports fans’ needs (not to mention their subscriptions to NBA League Pass, NFL Sunday Ticket and ESPN College Basketball Full Court).
Ordering wings at the restaurant involves deciding on 12 sauces ranging from the classic medium to spicy garlic to Caribbean jerk. The menu also includes salads, appetizers, burgers, wraps and desserts. The bar features 20 beers on tap and about a dozen varieties of bottled beer.
Buffalo Wild Wings separates its sauces into three categories based on spiciness: easy on the palate, spicy and smokin’. For the truly adventurous and brave wing connoisseurs, the “blazin” sauce is available under the smokin’ category. The company website says this sauce will “give your innards a torching.” Hardly an appetizing slogan, but it is possibly written out of necessity. General Manager Rob Trueman said servers and bartenders are instructed to give customers a fair warning before indulging in the blazin’ sauce.
On the softer side, the teriyaki flavor offers a sweet glazed flavor while the Smoky Southwestern provides an interesting, slightly spicy twist on the classic chicken wing.
“I like all the variations. You can get wings in so many ways. It never gets boring,” LSA sophomore Jessica Maldonado said.
The restaurant is perhaps most famous nationally for its 35 cent chicken-wing deal available all day on Tuesdays. “Expect a huge crowd and a line out the door,” Trueman said, adding that those wishing to avoid the rush should arrive before 5 p.m.
For those who come late on Tuesdays and want to avoid a wait in a long line, a large wood-floored section of the restaurant is self-seated. If a seat is found, a server will come to the table and take your order.
Maldonado had never been to Buffalo Wild Wings before Nov. 23. She arrived at 6 p.m. and saw the line around the corner of Washington Street by 7:30.
“We got lucky,” said Maldonado, who was back at Buffalo Wild Wings again yesterday. “We (would have) waited in a long line but we found a seat on the wood floor.”
By staying open until 2 a.m., Trueman said his restaurant’s bar will compete with local bars for student patronage.
Bartender Matt Henniger agrees. “It’s cool because we are starting to develop a real bar crowd. People were coming in here and having a great time,” he said, adding that he thought Buffalo Wild Wings was becoming less of a pre-bar and more of a main-stream competitor in the Ann Arbor bar scene.
“Last weekend people were here until 2, rocking out,” Henniger said.
Trueman said he is considering adding “whatever else the town needs” to Buffalo Wild Wings, including acoustic entertainment and a DJ.
Buffalo Wild Wings also features pool tables, dart boards, videogames and the national trivia network. Hours are 11 to 2 a.m. everyday.