(SpoCOOL) A Spokane Blog

In honor of Nuclear #Spiceawar, we continue our search for Spokane's best wings at Huckleberry's. 

We were optimistic here. The wings were advertised as being coated in Blair's, one of our top picks of hot sauces. The color looked right; a good char covered the wings. Everything was set for the experience we were looking for.

But, as you probably have gathered by now, this promise of awesomeness made the letdown that much greater.

That's not to say the wings were bad for what they were, it's just that what they were was very, very mild. I mean, even the weakest of Blair's sauces has some kick to it, so what happened here? One can only assume they didn't use a lot of it.

Really, this is a point of annoyance for me. I don't expect grocery wings to be crazy hot, but at least make sure they have a bit of a kick to them. Let's at least give those who wants hot, medium.

Regardless.

The chicken wasn't too bad in and of itself, and the crispiness was there like it should be. It would probably have been an acceptable meal of wings had the «hot» prefix not promised them to be something they were not.

Disappointing then, though probably not surprisingly so. 

First, if you're looking for an official invite to Nuclear #Spiceawar, look no further! We all know it doesn't get any more official than a Facebook invite -- who doesn't love the AOL of our era? -- so there it is. Feel free to join.

Of course, when invited to something, you obviously ask yourself, what is in this for me?! And a good question it is.

It goes without saying you'll get to watch ten contestants in agony for five rounds, which is free entertainment in itself. Yet, there's more! Here are some of the vendors you will be able to check out, just for yourself during the event. (And remember, this list can certainly grow.)

Monterey Café: They will again provide a spicy pizza for the contest, and word has it slices will be available for public sampling.

Big Sky Brewing: Available at Saranac will be a special Big Sky brew, one of the spicy variety.

Fremont Brewing: And the same goes for Fremont! I mean, you can drink weird and wonderful beer while witnessing a dumb contest! What's better?

BEET It Up Mobile Juice Bar: Not that you need alcohol, of course. Enjoy a refreshingly spicy juice from BEET It Up, and feel all healthy at the same time. (As opposed to those of us competing.)

Saranac: Other than hosting the event and all, there will be special menu items for #Spiceawar, both the day of the contest, and the week leading up to it. More about that soon!

Erick Doxey Photography: Granted, he won't actually take your picture, but you can always jump into his shots if need be.

And: Prizes!

That's right: prizes!

We won't reveal how you can win them, but there will be prizes, and there will be some good ones.

Among our friends and donors, we have Dave's, known for their insanely hot sauces, and with a marketing man from Gonzaga. (A bit of trivia for you there.)

We have heard rumors that Volstead Act is contributing something, as is DOMA.

And so are other vendors! Who, you may ask? Well, we'll save that -- and more -- for another day, but let it be known that there are plenty of stuff you will be able to partake in, even if you're not competing.

Mark that calendar: Saranac; Saturday, February 8th; 2:30pm. RSVP if you so like!

It just seemed sort of fitting trying Buffalo Wild Wings, what with Nuclear #Spiceawar breathing down our necks. Some of you might say «why did you bother?», and to you I can only say... Well, you were 100% in the right on that one.

Buffalo Wild Wings is located right in the heart of the Valley -- the mall -- which really seems sort of fitting. Here you have what might be the largest food-related locale I've ever set my foot in, every square foot filled to the brim with patrons I only can assume used to frequent the now gone (and probably forgotten) Hooters. 

And it's all here, everything you would come to expect from this type of spot. The blaring TV screens showing every sports game known to man; bros; oodles of fun (they'll sing birthday songs for you over the loudspeaker if you so wish) headed by a fun police. I kid you not. Buffalo Wild Wings has a certified fun police.

Anyway...

I could have forgiven all of this, had the place actually had wings that didn't downright suck. Sadly, that was just what we got, and forgiveness can not rain upon Buffalo Wild Wings.

We tried a couple of their sauces: the classic Hot and the Mango Habanero. The latter, we were told, was, despite what the menu suggested, the hottest sauce they had.

Which... I mean, it was fairly spicy-ish, but only a notch or two above Frank's. That should give you some indication how mild the Hot was.

Yet, I could possibly have forgiven even the lack of spiciness, had the sauces actually had a decent flavor to them. And that's the thing; I could barely taste any difference between them. They both had one overpowering quality, which is particularly bad when that is the flavor of salt. Pure sodium.

Bring a bottle of orange juice or something if you try Buffalo Wild Wings. You'll need that hit of potassium to balance out the sodium.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that Buffalo Wild Wings is a completely average chain restaurant, and that's all well and good. It's a professionally run place, and the service is a notch or two above most Spokane spots, which is (sadly) the case with most chain restaurants.

The wings, though, are horrid, and Buffalo Wild Wings is sadly not a good training ground for Nuclear #Spiceawar.

As you may or may not (but probably may) know, Indaba has started roasting its own beans, which is, of course, always a good thing. The more the merrier and all that.

If you're interested in trying their goods before most anyone else, you can sign up for their Beta Beans. For $20 -- $30 if you want them shipped to you -- you can do a side-by-side comparison of the beans, and give them feedback on your experience. It's like you're a decider.

Anyway, head over to Square Market if your dream always has been to beta test coffee beans.

If you're more interested in beans that are market-ready, we're big fans of DOMA's Lust for Life, aka their Valentine's blend.

The coffee has a nice, chocolate-y flavor to it -- apt for the season -- with just a hint of fruit for the sake of refreshment. We enjoy it French pressed-style.

Get it from any store that doesn't suck (Revel77 has it too), or order it from DOMA's site.

Neither here nor there, but Latah Bistro's new menu with a vegetable gnocchi sounds interesting.

And finally: Ramblin' Road's tap room is opening tomorrow. Check 'em out.