Best Wings 2003 | Wingman | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
Navigation
Support Us
Search

Best Wings

Wingman

Mark Wolfe, owner of Wingman (formerly Woody's Wings), is a brave guy. Not only did he open a hopping little spot dedicated (almost) entirely to the art -- nay, the majesty -- of cooking the humble chicken wing, but he then took his wings and carefully crafted sauce to Buffalo, the temple of the chicken wing. And was he laughed out of town during the first annual Chicken Wing Festival? Was he sent packing simply because he came from the wrong side of the Mississippi? Nope -- he did Colorado proud. And we couldn't have picked a better ambassador, because Wingman's wings are the best in town.

Best Wings

Wingman

Mark Wolfe, owner of Wingman (formerly Woody's Wings), is a brave guy. Not only did he open a hopping little spot dedicated (almost) entirely to the art -- nay, the majesty -- of cooking the humble chicken wing, but he then took his wings and carefully crafted sauce to Buffalo, the temple of the chicken wing. And was he laughed out of town during the first annual Chicken Wing Festival? Was he sent packing simply because he came from the wrong side of the Mississippi? Nope -- he did Colorado proud. And we couldn't have picked a better ambassador, because Wingman's wings are the best in town.

Best Fries

Bistro 250

So many indignities have been heaped on the humble potato. So many wrongs have been done in its name. So many cooks have been content to just dunk fistfuls of frozen potato pieces in hot oil and shovel the resulting pasty, greasy fries out to diners who don't expect much more. But not Joe Sinopoli. First at Adde Brewster and now at Bistro 250 (in Adde's old location), Sinopoli has elevated the maligned tuber, putting out plate after plate of perfect pommes frites -- the Apollonian ideal of a potato's existence. Blanched first in hot oil, left to sit, then dunked again until golden brown, this process results in crisp, nutty, even slightly sweet fries -- thin as shoestrings and lightly touched with salt -- that will forever ruin you for the limp, oily and pallid fare of the local drive-thru.

Best Fries

Bistro 250

So many indignities have been heaped on the humble potato. So many wrongs have been done in its name. So many cooks have been content to just dunk fistfuls of frozen potato pieces in hot oil and shovel the resulting pasty, greasy fries out to diners who don't expect much more. But not Joe Sinopoli. First at Adde Brewster and now at Bistro 250 (in Adde's old location), Sinopoli has elevated the maligned tuber, putting out plate after plate of perfect pommes frites -- the Apollonian ideal of a potato's existence. Blanched first in hot oil, left to sit, then dunked again until golden brown, this process results in crisp, nutty, even slightly sweet fries -- thin as shoestrings and lightly touched with salt -- that will forever ruin you for the limp, oily and pallid fare of the local drive-thru.

Best Alternative Fries

Sweet Bob's Barbecue

Egg whites, dried kiwi, a little brown sugar, a little cinnamon, a little vanilla, a few other little things -- that's all that Bruce Harrison, owner of Sweet Bob's, will say when you ask what's in the sauce that comes with his sweet-potato fries. But those words don't even begin to describe these frites, which become as sugary as candy and as addictive as heroin once they're set to soaking in Harrison's secret sauce. Imagine a kiwi cake frosting melted over soft, fried sweet potatoes. Or your grandmother's best sweet-potato pie topped with warm syrup. Hell, imagine anything you like -- but get down there and give these spuds a try.

Best Alternative Fries

Sweet Bob's Barbecue

Egg whites, dried kiwi, a little brown sugar, a little cinnamon, a little vanilla, a few other little things -- that's all that Bruce Harrison, owner of Sweet Bob's, will say when you ask what's in the sauce that comes with his sweet-potato fries. But those words don't even begin to describe these frites, which become as sugary as candy and as addictive as heroin once they're set to soaking in Harrison's secret sauce. Imagine a kiwi cake frosting melted over soft, fried sweet potatoes. Or your grandmother's best sweet-potato pie topped with warm syrup. Hell, imagine anything you like -- but get down there and give these spuds a try.

Best Fried Cheese

Main Street Tavern

At the Main Street Tavern, the mozzarella stick has finally grown up and gotten some class. The mozzarella-and-prosciutto spring rolls here put real mozzarella, thick-sliced prosciutto and whole basil leaves inside a crisp spring roll skin for an updated, mature take on the late-night bar-food classic. The rolls come out piping hot, gooey and deliciously salty thanks to the prosciutto, and because no one should ever fuss too much with a proven favorite, each order comes with a little dish of plain, slightly spicy red sauce for dipping. Sit back, call for another round, and enjoy.

Best Fried Cheese

Main Street Tavern

At the Main Street Tavern, the mozzarella stick has finally grown up and gotten some class. The mozzarella-and-prosciutto spring rolls here put real mozzarella, thick-sliced prosciutto and whole basil leaves inside a crisp spring roll skin for an updated, mature take on the late-night bar-food classic. The rolls come out piping hot, gooey and deliciously salty thanks to the prosciutto, and because no one should ever fuss too much with a proven favorite, each order comes with a little dish of plain, slightly spicy red sauce for dipping. Sit back, call for another round, and enjoy.

Best Fried Chicken

Rocky Mountain Diner/Castle Cafe

The fabulous pan-fried chicken at the Rocky Mountain Diner and its southern sibling, the Castle Cafe, is enough to fry you to the moon. Pieces of tender bird are coated in a spicy, super-secret-recipe batter, then fried in heart-healthy canola oil until they're tender and juicy inside, golden-brown and crisp outside. With other places dropping fried chicken off their menus, the fact that these restaurants continue to offer fried chicken -- and such good fried chicken -- is something to crow about.

Best Fried Chicken

Rocky Mountain Diner/Castle Cafe

The fabulous pan-fried chicken at the Rocky Mountain Diner and its southern sibling, the Castle Cafe, is enough to fry you to the moon. Pieces of tender bird are coated in a spicy, super-secret-recipe batter, then fried in heart-healthy canola oil until they're tender and juicy inside, golden-brown and crisp outside. With other places dropping fried chicken off their menus, the fact that these restaurants continue to offer fried chicken -- and such good fried chicken -- is something to crow about.

Best Of Denver®

Best Of