The story of the chicken wing: a food often and most commonly synonymous with the booze feast of the Superbowl. My first commercial encounter with buffalo wings occurred some twelve years ago at a grungy foodie joint in the heart of south street seaport in NYC. Fast-forward to my college years and my world is open to such midwest chains as buffalo wild wings and their deep fried poultry selections doused in a variety of ultra flavorful sauces; sweet, savory, tangy, or spicy to your liking. After a hiatus from Buffalo wings from my year abroad in Hong Kong, I have returned to San Francisco with a new appreciation and craving for chicken wings. But, this time, a whole new arena of chicken wings has been open; Asian fusion ones. Sure, I am accustomed to chicken wings marinated in soy sauce, and cooking wine, a flavor that is nostalgic of family summer bbqs back on the east coast but this is something new entirely.
SO, is a small joint tucked between the highway and across from a mini cooper dealership in San Francisco. There is little to no signage but the smells and the aromas of the restaurant lead your nose into the small take-out looking shop. My stomach was grumbling from a long day of work and I was ready to eat my heart out wings style. Leaving my friend to do all the ordering, I had my chopsticks ready to dig in. The wings surprisingly came first, and were glistening in shades of gold and caramel. The small bowl was brightly adorned with tiny red deep fried chili peppers, making for a colorful medley of deliciousness.
The taste was no exception. With the first bite, came a light crisp and crunch, without being overly fried like KFC or some other commercial fried chicken joint. The next taste is something of a sweet honey glaze only to be taken by surprise with the slow build up of the spiciness that hits your taste buds. The chicken itself is moist, tender and just the perfect size. The best part of these chicken wings was that every part of your taste palette is satisfied; sweet, savory, tangy, and spicy. All in all- a fabulous first experience of the asian-style chicken wing!
