Welcome back all my loyal subjects. I know I haven't been updating as often as I should. The production department of the blog has slowed down, but that's only because the research and development department (i.e. me eating chicken wings) has been putting in serious overtime for YOU; the reader. Anyways, on to our recent excursion.
The Queen and I recently took a trip to Sauced Wings & More in Plano. We had been to the Sauced in Allen, and we were so impressed that Sauced in Allen has claimed my #1 ranking. I hate to say it, but Sauced in Plano doesn't even compare. Yeah, they still have the same great wings and combo fried pickles/jalapenos, but the environment wasn't the same. The Allen location has a full bar, TVs everywhere, a banquet room you can reserve, music playing, and what seemed like a lot of energy. The Plano location was smaller, had no bar, maybe one or two TVs, and seemed quiet. The two locations really aren't THAT far apart, so I hate to say it but if you're choosing between the two, the Allen location must be the choice. Anyways, on to the wings.
We split an order of the mixed fried pickles/jalapenos, along with an order of fifteen wings split across three flavors (celery, carrots, ranch and blue cheese are part of the deal as always at Sauced). This time, we went for Creamy Cilantro Lime, Ranch Style, and 3rd degree buffalo (their second hottest flavor). Reviews were mixed, so here are the results.
The Creamy Cilantro Lime was interesting for sure. However, two thirds of that name seemed to be incorrect. There was little to do with both the cilantro and lime in the flavor of the sauce. This was some type of cream sauce, and I can't personally describe it any other way than it felt like I was eating a wing drowned in Alfredo sauce. It tasted alright, but just didn't pack a whole lot of punch with the flavor, and didn't seem like what we were expecting. I think the Queen liked these more than I did, so keep that in mind if you're taking a girl out for a romantic evening at Sauced Wings. She also mentioned that the seasoning, which lacked both cilantro and lime flavor, tasted more like taco seasoning. Definitely worth a try, but these will not be in the regular rotation unfortunately.
Creamy Cilantro Lime:
Flavor: 7
Heat: 0
Overall: 7
Our second flavor was Ranch Style. I have to admit that I wasn't 100% sure what we should expect in ordering these, but maybe I was the only one who thought for even a second that these wings might come out and taste like Ranch Style Beans. They came out tasting like Ranch seasoning, so someone out there needs to invent a Ranch Style Bean flavored wing please. Anyways, these were the best of the bunch for sure. They were crispy, very juicy, and had a nice ranch seasoning dusted on them. These are borderline as far as being in the regular rotation for me at Sauced. They were comparable to the Spicy Ranch wings at Pluckers, which we enjoyed as well. No real heat to these either though, but none was advertised. Oh well.
Ranch Style:
Flavor: 8
Heat: 1
Overall: 8
Our final flavor was 3rd Degree, which is their second hottest flavor and the hottest among the Buffalo style wings (Instant Death is their hottest but it is a ghost pepper mix, not Buffalo). These were some of the better Buffalo style wings I've had in the DFW area. The top Buffalo style wings so far have been surprisingly the Beale Street Tavern in Austin, and these were similar, but not *quite* there. They were reasonably crispy under the sauce, good sized like all of the wings at Sauced, and had a fairly rich flavor that was a good balance between the vinegary and buttery sides. The heat was pretty average for being their second hottest wings. I would compare the heat to Original Hot at Wingstop, so take that to be whatever you want. Maybe just a smidge hotter (we're getting scientific in the measurements there). I will likely get these if we go back but I don't want to risk a 12 hours of digestion issues by pounding Instant Death wings, but hey, sometimes I just feel that need.
3rd Degree:
Flavor: 8.5
Heat: 5.5
Overall: 8.5
Over the weekend the Queen and I decided to get out of the house and run some exciting errands, and in order to fuel ourselves we decided to make a swing through the Wingdom and try something new. I had heard a rumor of a newer place on the North side of town getting great reviews, and what resulted was nothing short of greatness. We ventured into Allen, Tx (because I couldn't read a map to go to Plano) to go to Sauced Wings & More, which is a wing joint that offers BOTH wings AND more. The place itself was nice and clean(there was actually a group that had reserved the party room for a highschool graduation). They offer a full service side where you could be waited on in restaurant fashion in the bar area, as well as a self-service area where you order at a counter and help yourself. We opted for the self-service half. They had TVs around the place with sports on, but could have used a few more. That's about the only negative I could find.
We started off with an appetizer of a regular order of fried pickles and jalapenos (mixed in together). The regular order was more than enough for the two of us, and it was absolutely delicious. The wings themselves were the stuff of legends. They were above average in size and fairly meaty. They are naked wings; fried to perfection so that the skin stays crispy even after sauce is applied. As you can imagine, a place called "Sauced" offers a wide selection of sauces that can please any palette. There are 19 sauces on the menu, with more combinations possible if you want to "get it with garlic", which we did not. They offer many of the standard sauces you would find at most places, along with some unique options. During the week they also have a $.66 wing night (the night escapes me at the moment). Without further adieu, here are the wings. As usual, we got 20 wings split across four flavors.
The first flavor up for review is Hot Honey Mustard. These wing were the second spiciest that we ate during this trip, but also had the sweetness one would expect from a honey mustard sauce. As best we could tell, this sauce was most likely a honey mustard mixed with something like Frank's Red Hot. It was a light opaque sauce with a slightly pink hint to it. It is one of the more unique sauces that I've had in recent memory. The mixture of sweet honey, the tangy mustard, and the hint of spicy buffalo made this one worth trying. If I had to choose, these were the least favorite of the bunch, but I imagine this decision is like choosing the least favorite of your children.
Hot Honey Mustard:
Heat: 6
Flavor: 8
Overall: 8
Our second flavor was Lemon Pepper. I like to get Lemon Pepper most everywhere we go because it is a common enough flavor to compare from one place to another. These did not disappoint. My favorite lemon pepper wings up to this point have been Wing Stop, but I would say these narrowly beat out Wing Stop for the top Lemon Pepper wing. These were extra crispy, and seemed to have a light lemon butter sauce on them, then a nice heavy dusting with lemon pepper. These were heavier on the pepper element than Wing Stop which I enjoyed. If you like Lemon Pepper wings, this is a must have.
Lemon Pepper:
Heat: 2
Flavor: 9.5
Overall: 9.5
Our third flavor of the day was Sweet Thai Chili. I expected this sauce to be hotter than it actually was, knowing that Thai chilis can have quite a kick to them. What it actually turned out to be was that reddish-orange style of chili sauce served with spring rolls found at various Asian eateries. It was very sweet, and I think this was the Queen's favorite of the bunch. She described it as almost a sweet and sour sauce. These were the most heavily sauced wings of the bunch, and I almost lost one trying to pick it apart when it slipped and when flying. Don't worry, we saved it. Overall, very tasty and satisfying, and we will likely be getting these again down the line.
Sweet Thai Chili:
Heat: 4
Flavor: 8.5
Overall: 8
The final flavor we tried was the sauce known as INSTANT DEATH!!!! This is the top of the scale at Sauced when it comes to heat. The sauce itself was VERY thick, and may have had a dusting of a pepper mixture to finish it off because the skin was almost more dry than slathered in sauce. As the Queen put it, "a thick, thick, not very saucy sauce". I guess this might have been a buffalo style sauce originally, but the overpowering flavor was that of the mysterious Ghost Chili. The Queen was able to quickly identify the Ghost Chili in it because she actually prepared some Ghost Chili enchiladas for me a couple of weeks ago with fresh dried Ghost Chili. The smoky flavor and the way the heat builds is unmistakable. You start off with one wing, and the heat seems manageable. As you keep eating them, it slowly builds from a nice warm sensation, and keeps on building. This is very different from something like the Blazin' sauce at BWW. The Blazin' sauce is pretty much the same from start to finish. You eat the first wing, the heat maxes out pretty quickly (sometimes it is more heat than other times), and when you're done you're done. If you ate just one wing in the Instant Death sauce, you'd probably say its not as hot as Blazin', but again, its that ability for the Ghost Chili to build up that gets you. I think if you ate a full order of twelve and compared the heat level of the two sauces, the Instant Death would be hotter hands down. However, another difference between this sauce and Blazin', is that this is a sauce I would like to get again for the flavor of the sauce. That slight buffalo flavor with the smoky Ghost chili is also very unique and I very much enjoyed it. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Instant Death:
Heat: 8
Flavor: Flavor: 8
Overall: 9
Sauced Wings & More has become the #1 wing joint in my book. There were almost no negatives about this place, and everything was great. We will be returning there soon, and I will be doing my part to spread the word about Sauced. Anyone who loves Wings must try it out. It is officially SAUCESOME!!!
The Creamy Cilantro Lime was interesting for sure. However, two thirds of that name seemed to be incorrect. There was little to do with both the cilantro and lime in the flavor of the sauce. This was some type of cream sauce, and I can't personally describe it any other way than it felt like I was eating a wing drowned in Alfredo sauce. It tasted alright, but just didn't pack a whole lot of punch with the flavor, and didn't seem like what we were expecting. I think the Queen liked these more than I did, so keep that in mind if you're taking a girl out for a romantic evening at Sauced Wings. She also mentioned that the seasoning, which lacked both cilantro and lime flavor, tasted more like taco seasoning. Definitely worth a try, but these will not be in the regular rotation unfortunately.
Our second flavor was Ranch Style. I have to admit that I wasn't 100% sure what we should expect in ordering these, but maybe I was the only one who thought for even a second that these wings might come out and taste like Ranch Style Beans. They came out tasting like Ranch seasoning, so someone out there needs to invent a Ranch Style Bean flavored wing please. Anyways, these were the best of the bunch for sure. They were crispy, very juicy, and had a nice ranch seasoning dusted on them. These are borderline as far as being in the regular rotation for me at Sauced. They were comparable to the Spicy Ranch wings at Pluckers, which we enjoyed as well. No real heat to these either though, but none was advertised. Oh well.
Our final flavor was 3rd Degree, which is their second hottest flavor and the hottest among the Buffalo style wings (Instant Death is their hottest but it is a ghost pepper mix, not Buffalo). These were some of the better Buffalo style wings I've had in the DFW area. The top Buffalo style wings so far have been surprisingly the Beale Street Tavern in Austin, and these were similar, but not *quite* there. They were reasonably crispy under the sauce, good sized like all of the wings at Sauced, and had a fairly rich flavor that was a good balance between the vinegary and buttery sides. The heat was pretty average for being their second hottest wings. I would compare the heat to Original Hot at Wingstop, so take that to be whatever you want. Maybe just a smidge hotter (we're getting scientific in the measurements there). I will likely get these if we go back but I don't want to risk a 12 hours of digestion issues by pounding Instant Death wings, but hey, sometimes I just feel that need.
