My first question was this: Why? My second was: What? I asked the first on my way to Nick’s Pub (6001 Manchester Avenue) to pick up an order of its special Wing Week wings; the second at a stop light on my way home from Nick’s when I lifted the lid on my styrofoam clamshell.
Someone had tipped me off: This week only, the beloved south city 3 a.m. bar is serving wings with — get this! — cream cheese and Everything but the Bagel Seasoning, four for $7, Yes, chicken wings can be bagels for a week. We can have it all.
The word “balked,” however, seems right here. I balked. I couldn’t get a picture, or a handle, on any part of this rare delicacy. Were these wings somehow stuffed with cheese and fried? Or dipped in cheese, or spread with cheese, and then coated so thickly with seasoning that it became a crust sturdy enough for the fry basket? And Buffalo sauce in the mix as well? But my mistake; these weren’t Buffalo wings at all. No. And judging by consistency, they weren’t fried either.
But that’s OK. We all love wings, we all love bagels, we adore cheese; and I happen to know that when Trader Joe’s gets low on Everything But the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend, all hell breaks loose.
I’m being mean; it’s a cute idea. It’s also a messy one. Confronted with a copious slop of warmed cheese on Nick's wings, I had to ditch my fingers and go hunting for a knife and fork.
In the end, though, the wings tasted OK — more a chickeny, cheesy Sunday supper than bar food. And did I mention that they came with blue cheese? What with everything else, I couldn’t summon the muscle for that.
But don’t worry, I’ll be putting it on my bagel in the morning.
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