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| Hot wings with "Crimson Fire" on the side |
Well fellow wingers, we ain't quite done just yet with our wing quest. We thought we were down to just one: Henry T's. But then last week I stopped in here to blow off some steam with a fellow co-worker and discovered that within the past month they started serving food. And yep, wouldn't you know it, wings! So I rallied the Wing Nutz and we descended on this place, took it over, and had our way with their wings.
6 Mile Tavern is located in the plaza area at 6th & Wakarusa in a part of the building that use to be Hereford House. Famous Dave's BBQ moved in and walled off a narrow section that the tavern now occupies. And it was just that, a tavern only and no food until now. They've expanded their space and now it not only has a kitchen but also two sides: the "Chop House" dining room is on the left and tavern on the right where you can also eat. The décor is dark wood and leather, low lighting, and there are pictures hanging of Buffalo Bill and the like to give it that old tavern like feel. Good selection of wines, martini's, and imported beers all catering to an older crowd in a college town.
But before I tell you how their wings fared, I would be remiss if I did not write about our experience there and mention things that do not factor into scoring. For one, the service we received was outstanding. Being a new experience for all of us, we had a lot of questions about their sauces, drinks, and so on. Our waitress was extremely patient with us. Nancee was not sure what drink she wanted to order so the waitress brought out free samples for her to try. When it came to sauces and wanting to learn more about heat and flavor profiles, she brought out samples of each along with a fresh baked loaf of bread for dipping. And the bread! My goodness was it good and just melted in your mouth. And then there are the wet naps. It surprises us that more places that serve wings do not have wet naps. 6 Mile Tavern takes the wet nap to whole new level. Instead of the little towelette in a foil pouch they have full size heavy duty paper napkins that are served lightly wet. At first we thought it was a little weird and over the top but I can tell you they were very much needed and appreciated after eating wings coated in crimson fire!
Speaking of their crimson fire sauce: um, yeah it is hot. Our waitress warned us. Still, it is an edible sauce and not just a food additive like "The Atomic Bomb" that is over a million Scoville units. Crimson fire is reddish brown in color with a smokiness to it and a little thick. You first taste the heat on the tip of your tongue like a jalapeno pepper will do. Then you taste it again in the back of the throat with a slow, intense build up of heat. Habanero peppers have that quality about them and may also give this sauce some of that smoky flavor I was picking up. It will make you sweat for sure. In terms of being the hottest we have sampled tourwing around town, it is between this and Jefferson's turbo sauce. Both will clean your sinuses and have you clambering for milk to quench the flames. And obviously, there are other flavors to go with if you do not want to be as daring (or crazy stupid).
And now for the judging...
Appearance was very good. Good size wings, proportionate number of wingettes and drumettes, good color, and amply sauced.
Texture and tenderness a little inconsistent. Some skins were very soft and wings should have some crunch to them.
Flavor was very good. All of the sauces we tried matched the flavor profile described to us. Good balance of vinegar and pepper.
A: 7-7-8-8-8
TnT: 7-6-7-6-6
F: 8-7-7-8-8
Overall, we gave 6 Mile Tavern a final score of 8.36 and with that, that propels them into first place just edging out Conroy's Pub at 8.325! Holy wings! And we almost missed them. Things are heating up as we close this out.
And now, we only have one left. Nope! The Phoggy Dogg and a couple others have been added thanks to followers that have made suggestions. Henry T's still must wait.
So definitely give 6 Mile Tavern a shot. We definitely will be going back and not just for wings. Lobster mac-n-cheese is just one of the menu items that caught out eye (and taste buds).
Tailgate Ted
