Wings and Rings #3

Our time in the southwest/Colorado produced some surprisingly good buffalo wings.

 Moab Brewery, Moab, UT

Atmosphere: This is a brewpub restaurant with a bar area. It's got a full bar on top of their own brewery beers. Due to Utah's liquor laws, you do need to make sure you choose the bar if you only want drinks, and it closes early (8:30 PM). The bar area had TVs and a pool table. We stopped in after a day of hiking in Arches and had a great conversation with another bar patron about our respective road trips. The custom beer was fine, but nothing noteworthy.

Wings: These wings were very good, with the only complaint being a lack of crisp on the skin. The sauce was well balanced and amply applied. The wings were large and the meat was well cooked. 

4/5

Rings: The rings were spectacular. They are beer battered and served with a gritty mustard. The batter was crispy while the onion was soft, and the breading had excellent flavor.

5/5

Total: 9/10

Santasi Brothers, Glendale, AZ

Atmosphere: This is a sports bar/Italian restaurant, with so many TVs it's wild. There's also a section with pool tables. We went here after a round of night golf and sat in the bar area, with possibly the most TVs of any bar I've ever seen.

Wings: The wings were quite good: tender meat with a very well balanced sauce. However, the skin was a bit soft. They were served with ranch, and in  a bed of extra sauce allowing for additional dipping.

4/5

Rings: These are beer battered and were well cooked. The outside was crispy, while the inside remained soft. They could use a touch of salt, but overall were great.

4.5/5

Total:  8.5/10

Pourhouse, Loveland, CO

Atmosphere: This is a cozy, wooden pub. It has a ton of beer taps and a cool vibe. We sat in the bar area but they have a pretty large dining area too.

Rings:  The rings are beer battered. Similar to the wings, these were a bit overdone and small for the price. The batter was pretty good but could have used some salt.

3.5/5

Wings: The buffalo sauce itself was very good, well balanced and flavorful. They did adequately crisp the skin of the wings, but the meat itself was a little overcooked. The serving size was very small for the price. 

3/5

Total: 6.5/10

Fire on the Mountain, Denver, CO

Atmosphere: This is a chicken restaurant with a nice wooden bar area, exposed brick, and a to-go counter. The beer list was moderately sized but great quality. There's actually two locations of this restaurant.

Wings: The hot buffalo sauce was quite mild and sparsely applied. (Visiting the second location later, the extra hot was very aggressively sauced and quite spicy. We also tried sweet barbeque, garlic parmesan, and the monthly special, a spicy Asian-inspired sauce. All were great) The cooking on the wings was perfect: tender meat and crispy skin. The wings are served with choice of ranch or blue cheese, and their house-made blue cheese was exceptional. The wings were a bit on the small side, though the number in the order is fine.

4/5

Rings: These are huge, bread-crumb breaded rings with some herbs mixed into the breading. The frying was perfectly done for both the breading and the internal onion. The custom breading flavor was incredible, as was the spicy garlic aioli that came with them.

5/5

Total: 9/10 (we went back within just a few days, and if these reviews focused on other flavors this would be even higher)

The Mav, Fort Morgan, CO

Atmosphere: The Mav is a hotel bar with a full dining room, and is trying for an industrial vibe (though it still feels pretty hotel bar). They've got a very good food menu and solid draft list. We ate here 3 other times during our month long stay in Fort Morgan as well.

Wings: The sauce on these was excellent, with great flavor and well-coated wings. The wings themselves were a good size and well cooked meat, but the skin could have used a little more crisp. They are served with Bleu cheese (and an ample amount of it).

4.5/5

Rings: The onion rings are beer-battered and quite large. They were well cooked and the flavor in the batter was solid, though could have used a touch more salt.

4.5/5

Total: 9/10