[SD Pacific Beach] Awesome wings at Dirty Birds

Jul 212012
 

My very first blog post on Jinxi Eats was about Carolina Ale House, in Durham NC – the best chicken wings I’ve ever had.  In fact, to this day, S and I have judged every wings place against Carolina Ale House, and we have sadly concluded that none could compare.

But I am relentless in my quest to find delicious wings wherever I live.  Lately, a friend recommended Dirty Birds in Pacific Beach – loaded tater tots and wings in over 20 different flavors?  I’ve got to check it out.

The place was pretty crowded for a Tuesday evening – then again, Tuesday is all-day Happy Hour (1/2-price wings and domestic pitchers).

 

Since the “domestic pitchers” only referred to Bud light and Coors light, my friends ordered a couple of the microbrewery beers on tap.  I’m not a beer connoisseur, but I really liked the Magic Hat #9 :P

The loaded tots were highly recommended, so we had to order some…

Loaded Tots: tater tots topped with melted cheese, pulled pork, and BBQ sauce, $8

For the meat topping, you could choose between diced steak, bacon, or pulled pork.  I went for the pulled pork – even though I was a bit scared of what this restaurant would do with “pulled pork” – but it turned out to be delicious!

Three orders of 10-piece wings: Honey Mustard, Roasted Red Pepper (“RPG”), Dirty Ranch, Maple Chipotle BBQ, Buffalo, Spicy Garlic, $6 each (HH price; $12 regular price)

The wings themselves were nice and crispy and tender inside.  My favorite sauces were probably the Spicy Garlic and Maple Chipotle BBQ.  As for the rest, I guess they were not so special – still tasty, though, and there are still plenty of other flavors that I would love to try.

Side note #1:  The heat level of the sauces were ranked from 1 to 5, with 1 being totally not spicy (such as Honey Mustard) and only one flavor ranking a 5, the Habanero.  The hottest that we ordered was the Maple Chipotle BBQ, at 3.5… but honestly, it wasn’t that spicy.  This isn’t just my opinion, either!  My dining companions, who are much less spicy-tolerant than me, were the first to point out the misleading heat labels.

Side note #2: My friend actually said that the Spicy Garlic reminded him of bean paste fish (豆瓣魚), a Taiwanese dish.  None of us believed this hilarious comment, but once we bit into the Spicy Garlic… well, let’s just say that you couldn’t untaste the 豆瓣魚 flavor.  Haha.

The bottom line?  I had a great meal here at Dirty Birds, and at $6 for 10 wings during Happy Hour, it really doesn’t get much better.  Next time I have a wing craving, I will be back!

Last side note:  All photos courtesy of ekimc’s iPhone :P

Dirty Birds
4656 Mission Blvd, San Diego, CA
(858) 274-2473

http://dirtybirdspb.com/

Carolina Ale House’s Jumbo Chicken Wings

Jul 092009
 

I’d had a craving for wings for a few days, so last night at 11:30, we went to Carolina Ale House, whose wings were voted the winner according to Indy Week’s Best of the Triangle (also, every Wednesday, Carolina Ale House has a special of $2.50 for all drafts, which is what caught Sidney’s attention).

We arrived at what I imagined to be a pretty typical bar scene, with (drunk) karaoke on the patio and people shooting pool and generally walking around indoors. The restaurant is quite spacey, so it didn’t feel crowded. We seated ourselves at a corner table to avoid the loud music, but the waiters still found us pretty quickly. We ordered the wings, which they offered in several flavors: teriyaki, honey BBQ, buffalo, honey buffalo, and spicy habanero. The honey buffalo sounded tempting, but I decided to go with the original buffalo.

The big surprise was how large each wing was! On the menu, they were called “Jumbo Chicken Wings,” but I had thought that was just a name. Now I know why they’re “jumbo”!


Upon first bite, I knew why they were voted #1 wings in the Triangle. It was a wonderful blend of crispiness from the fried batter and the tenderness of the meat, and there was just the right amount of buffalo sauce – not too little so that you’re not satisfied, but not too much so as to overwhelm the taste and soak up the “crunch.” (For the same reason, I also don’t dip wings in any dressing. It’ll also save you calories – although I suppose if you’re eating wings, you’re probably not thinking about calories in the first place.)

The wings were completely satisfying – I happily finished my whole tray quickly and licked my fingers at the end. It was an awesome experience, and I’ll definitely be back for more – perhaps to try the honey buffalo next time.

Restaurant: Carolina Ale House (Durham location)
Jumbo Chicken Wings
$7.79 for 10 pieces / $15.29 for 20 pieces / $34.99 for 50 pieces
- Definitely a worthwile appetizer for your meal or a great late-night snack!

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