Wing Ding

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Wing Ding Thursday Night (8/11)

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This Thursday night, August 11, come to Queeny Park and eat chicken wings! In vast quantities! (And enjoy a beer or two as well.)

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Tickets are $25 in advance. (Order by Tuesday, August 9 to get the advance ticket deal.) Cost is $30 at the door. Click HERE to order advance tickets and get info on VIP, Youth and Kid tickets.

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The annual UCP Wing Ding starts at 6:00 p.m. and you should come hungry. Wings will be offered by several of the St. Louis area’s best wings purveyors.

This year’s list includes Southern, Sugarfire Smokehouse, St. Louis Wing Company, Hotshots, Highway 61 Roadhouse, Barrister’s, Three Kings Public House, Big Chief Restaurant, EdgeWild Bistro, Frailey’s, The Slider House, Walnut Grill, Wheelhouse and Balentine’s among others.

Wings!

I have served as a judge for the past four Wing Ding’s and can personally attest that this is a fun night for friends and family. Bring a bunch of people with you! You will enjoy traditional wing preparations as well as some rather creative ones. (Unfortunately, I will be unable to judge at this year’s event due to family commitments.)

If you have questions about the event, call 636) 779-2253 or click HERE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Wing Ding is sponsored by Schlafly, CARF International, 105.7 The Point, Coca-Cola, Ices Plain and Fancy and Nothing Bundt Cakes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Wing Ding Fun (And The Winners!)

On Thursday night, August 20, the 5th annual UCP Wing Ding at Queeny Park attracted about 1,500 chicken wing fans.

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The wings, served up by an impressive group of restaurants, ranged from very good to spectacular.

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A group of judges, mostly from the media world, some of whom are pictured below, had the difficult task of choosing the winners. All tastings were blind; we did not know who submitted which wings.

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PointguysHere is the list of the 2015 Wing Ding winners:

Traditional

  1. The Kitchen Sink
  2. Joe Buck’s
  3. Winfield’s Gathering Place

Specialty

  1. Sugarfire Smokehouse (loaded potato skin stuffed wings, wrapped in bacon)
  2. St. Louis Wing Company (bacon wrapped wing with miso glaze, wasabi and sriracha aioli, and spicy soy glaze) (pictured below)
  3. Three Kings Public House (chicken and waffles with bacon jam and maple syrup)

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Dry Rubbed

  1. Sugarfire Smokehouse
  2. Walnut Grill
  3. St. Louis Wing Company

 

Hottest

Ozzie’s at Lumiere Place

 

Judges’ Overall Favorite

Sugarfire Smokehouse Specialty Wing

 

People’s Choice

St. Louis Wing Company

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The event offered St. Louis wing lovers the opportunity to taste a wide variety of wings from a large assortment of dining places. The Wing Ding also offered participating bars and restaurants a chance to share their wares with an enthusiastic group of attendees AND to put their best wings up against all the others in a friendly competition.

Nobody went home hungry and a significant amount of money was raised for the great work United Cerebral Palsy Heartland does in the St. Louis community!

 

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Yes, We’re Gonna Have a WING DING!*

If you love chicken wings, or even if you merely like chicken wings, you must attend the 2015 UCP Wing Ding on Thursday, August 20, 6:00 p.m. at Queeny Park. The event is in the Greensfelder building on the Weidman Road side of the park in west St. Louis county. (And, yes, the Cardinals are off that night.)

Wing Ding sign

Tickets are 25 dollars. That gives you the opportunity to sample wings from all 22 (at last count) participating restaurants plus 2 drink tickets. A VIP ticket is priced at 45 dollars. VIPs get unlimited drinks, reserved seating and early admission (5:30 p.m.)

Tickets at the door are 30 and (VIP) 50 dollars. Order online by Monday, August 17, to get the advance ticket price.

Click HERE to buy your tickets and to check out the full list of participating restaurants.

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Wings!

Along with wing sampling, there’s also a competition! Last year St. Louis Wing Company dominated the awards, so this year everybody else will be upping their game a bit.

Celebrity judges include radio folks Guy Phillips, Trish Gazall, Patrico, Rizzuto, Staci Static, Joe Roderick and Howard Balzer. Also: food journalists George Mahe, Joe Bonwich and Michael Renner. Gabe Hartwig, Joe Holleman and Dan Neman represent the Post-Dispatch. Social media maven Chris Reimer, STL Winegirl Angie Ortmann, Grillin’ Fool Greg Thomas, BBQ “Godfather” Terry Black, FOX-2/KPLR newsguy Patrick Clark and myself are also among the judging contingent.

I have participated the last 3 years and can assure you that this is fun event. You will get to taste a wide variety of delicious chicken wing serving styles and can enjoy the company of several hundred fun folks. Plus—there will be beer!

Click HERE to visit the Wing Ding’s Facebook page.

*(Opening lyric to Donald Fagen’s song New Frontier from his 1982 album The Nightfly.)

 

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Beer, Glorious Beer!

The Centennial Beer Festival happens this weekend at Moulin Events and the Malt House Cellar at 2017 Chouteau in St. Louis. Sadly, I’ll be out of town and will miss the fun.

If you’re going, my advice is to take lots of pics with your phone of the beers you taste. Later, after you’ve sampled dozens of beers, you’ll better be able to recall more than just a handful of standouts.

During the last 12 months, I have drunk less beer than in other recent times, but I have enjoyed the beer I did drink quite a bit more. Here are a few fave beers from my Instagram account. (If I hadn’t taken these pics, I might’ve forgotten a few.)

First, Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan…

Lazy Mag

Lazy Magnolia is brewed in Kiln, Mississippi. I enjoyed this tasty brew at Jim ‘n’ Nick’s BBQ in Birmingham last fall. This beer is not, to the best of my knowledge, available in St. Louis city or county, but is available throughout Jefferson County, Missouri.

Next up, Left Hand Good Juju…

GoodJuju

This beer was served at The Shack in Valley Park. It has a bit of ginger flavor. Left Hand comes from Denver.

Oktoberfest #1—Schlafly…

Schlafly OKT

Loved this beer! Drank it at the Wing Ding at Queeny Park in August, then enjoyed it at the Bottleworks in Maplewood in September.

Oktoberfest #2—Goose Island…

Goose OKt Biergarten

 

Another delicious fall brew. This one from Goose was poured at the Biergarten at the A-B brewery. I also enjoyed this brew at VB’s Chocolate Bar in Cottleville this fall.

From my hometown of Birmingham comes Good People Coffee Oatmeal Stout…

Good People Coffee Oatmeal

Had this at Saw’s Juke Joint in Birmingham. It brings a ton of flavor but doesn’t overdo it (like some stouts do).

From Nashville comes Yuengling lager…

Yuengling

Had this one with my pulled pork at Saw’s BBQ in Homewood, AL. Not my favorite, although I know many who love this brew.

Another favorite from Left Hand, their Milk Stout…

Left Hand MS

I still recall my first LHMS, poured at the recently closed Plush at a Pecha Kucha night in 2012. I’ve enjoyed it at home and at bars and restaurants every since. I like the foamy head! I turned my cousin Randy on to this one at last year’s Centennial Beer Festival but he did not love it.

My favorite Urban Chestnut brew…

Schnickelfritz

This is Schnickelfritz. I had it at the newer Urban Chestnut location in The Grove last summer and just last week at the 21st Street Brewer’s Bar. Hard for me to describe, except to say that it tastes really good!

Here’s one you may have never heard of…

Phin and Matt's

As you can tell from the frosty glass, Phin and Matt’s Extraordinary Ale was enjoyed at PW Pizza (in the same building where the Beer Fest is held). Brewed by Southern Tier in Lakewood, NY.

The old standby…

Pale ale

For many of us in St. Louis, Schafly Pale Ale was our gateway craft beer. I had Sam Adams earlier, but Schlafly Pale Ale had more going on than did the early Boston brew. This cup was enjoyed on a warm spring day at Paddy O’s, just south of Busch Stadium.

And a new favorite…

Honkers

Goose Island Honker’s Ale is now, following Goose’s takeover by A-B/InBev in 2011, available in more places than before. Less bitter than Schlafly Pale Ale and great with a burger.

From Italy…

Menabrea

At Acero in Maplewood, more people order wine from the Piedmont region of Italy. (As do I much of the time.) But I really like this Menabrea brew from the city of Biella.

Like Belgian beer?

Mikkeller

This Mikkeller was among a mixed six-pack I got at the new Craft Beer Cellar store on Maryland Avenue in Clayton. I liked it but doubt that it’ll enter my regular rotation.

From back in the day…

Stag

Yep, had a Stag at a gathering at Spoke Marketing on Locust back in the summer. Hey, after a round of salty snacks, it hit the spot.

Another local brew…

Marzen Kirkwood

From Dave and the crew at Kirkwood Station, their delicious Marzen beer.

And from a year ago at the Beer Fest…

Jah-Va

Another from Southern Tier in Lakewood, NY. Their Jah-Va Coffee Stout.

If these beer pics made you thirsty and/or curious, you’ll want to hit the Centennial Beer Festival this weekend. Sessions are set for Friday night, Saturday afternoon and Saturday night. Click HERE for a link to all the info.

As the Dos Equis guy says, “Stay thirsty, my friends!”

—–David Craig

By the way, I invite you to follow me on Instagram at @davidcraigstl. Not just beer, but also food, animals (including humans) and outdoor scenery.

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WING DING 2014—Thursday Night!

Eat wings, drink beer, support a worthy cause—all for just 20 bucks!

The 2014 UCP Heartland Wing Ding is set for Thursday, August 21, 6:00 p.m., in the Greensfelder Building at Queeny Park. (The event is inside and air-conditioned.)

Joe Buck Wings

Your $20 advance ticket allows you to sample chicken wings from over 20 area restaurants. It also includes 2 drink tickets. Purchase advance tickets HERE, before 2:00 p.m. on 8/20 and pick them up at the event.

You may also purchase advance VIP tickets for $45. (Tickets will also be available at the door for $25 and $50.)

An important thing to know is these restaurants are bringing their best. This is a competition!

WD crowd

Participating restaurants include Sugarfire Smokehouse, The Salted Pig, Bogart’s, Twin Oak Pizza and BBQ, Fallon’s, J. Greene’s, Joe Buck’s, Gator’s South, Highway 61 Roadhouse, Hotshot’s, Milagro, Gobble Stop and many more.

I am flattered to have been asked to judge again this year, along with a stunning list of local media personalities. Categories are Best Traditional Wing (sauced), Best Specialty Wing (sauced), Best Dry Rubbed Wing (unsauced), Judges’ Overall Favorite and Hottest Wing. (I excused myself from the Hottest Wing category.)

 

WD judge

The United Cerebral Palsy Heartland team puts on a great event with lots of food and drink for a modest admission fee. Bring a bunch of friends and family and enjoy these great wings!

BTW, this is a family-friendly event. Bring everybody.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Wings! (+ Beer and Vodka)!

The UCP Heartland Wing Ding is set for this Thursday night (August 22) at Queeny Park in the Greensfelder building (that’s on the Weidman Road side of the park). Doors open at 6:00 p.m. (Scroll down for full details on the event poster.)

Your ticket to the event allows you to sample wings from 14 different restaurants, along with beer from Ferguson Brewing, Schlafly and A-B/InBev. (With a VIP ticket, you can enjoy early admission plus specialty vodka drinks from Pinnacle/Major Brands!)

I am honored to be one of the judges for the competition. Last year, I enjoyed the best wings I’ve ever tasted! Below is a photo of one of the judges’ tables from the 2012 Wing Ding.

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Below is a photo of Scott Thomas, aka the Grillin’ Fool, responding to one of the extremely hot hot wings at last year’s Wing Ding. (Pardon my wimping out, but I’ll pass again on the hot wing judging.)

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Gather a group of wing lovers and join us this Thursday evening!

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