Cheesecake Factory – Everywhere

Well, let me start off by saying that i’m not the biggest fan of the Cheesecake Factory.  I think that there are better places for the money, but I do love their cheesecakes.  However, on a recent trip I finally got a chance to try their "Buffalo Blasts."  Not a chicken wing, but it is a wonton wrapper filled with buffalo style chicken.

They are as good as you want them to do with a cooling herbal ranch dressing.  Pleasantly crunchy on the outside and spicy and juicy on the inside.   I won’t give them a review rating since they aren’t wings or "boneless wings" but did want to bring it to the attention of my fellow buffalo enthusiasts.

Kowloons – Saugus, MA

I am a sucker for sticky sweet, salty and spicy teriyaki wings (or ribs, or chicken, or even a burger), and on my first trip to Kowloon’s mega restaurant, I enjoyed some of the better versions of this style of wings that I’ve tried.  Called “Saugus Wings” named after the location of the restaurant just north of Boston, they are similar to a number of other wing sauces I’ve enjoyed, but this was heavier on ginger than the garlic.  Chan’s in Woonsocket does a very similar sauce, but much garlicy, and I make my own that are loaded with garlic and Chinese five spice, which adds a nice sweet and savory taste to them.

The wings were perfectly cooked and dripping with a sweet, gingery, soy-based sauce that coated the wings (and your fingers, and your napkin, and anything else it came into contact with) heavily.  They were excellent, but I felt like there was another layer of flavor that could have enriched them some.  As I said before, often these sauces tend towards the garlic side of things, and this sauce leaned more towards ginger.  Replacing the ginger with the garlic wouldn’t have been right, but a bit more garlic or five-spice would have made them perfect.

 

RATING: 3.5 out of 5 stars