You'll Say WoW!

By Joshua Byrnes

Walking into World of Wings Cafe and Wingery, more commonly referred to as WoW, it's easy to fall under the misconception that you're in just another Sports Bar-esque restaurant. However, after only a few minutes at your table, WoW shatters any preconceived notions you have. Let's run through our Sports Bar-esque Restaurant checklist. Large screens displaying various sporting events ranging from football to water polo? Check! Multitudes of beer on tap or bottled? Check! Attentive wait staff to make sure that pint is filled and those wings are delivered as soon as their ready? Check! Spongebob Squarepants? Check! Yes, you read that right. That's one of the many beauties offered by WoW. Each table has its own TV that can be controlled by the patrons of the table. So, if you're no interested in the Internationall Women's Curling League Championship, or the kidsjusts want to watch their favorite cartoon, it only takes a single button press and Squidward is entertaining the kids while you enjoy your meal. And what a meal it is...

We started our meal off by trying two of the appetizers available – the fried shrimp, and the fried pickles. Why two appetizers you ask? Well, the shrimp was our first choice, and the pickles were a recommendation from a fellow patron at a neighboring table upon hearing our debate over which appetizer to order. The guy claimed that we HAD to try the fried pickles and with such a winning endorsement, how could we say no? Both the shrimp and pickles arrived promptly and were the perfect temperature for us to dive right in. The shrimp was everything you would hope them to be – lightly battered seafood delights. A lot of places that offer a seafood appetizer, especially a shrimp based appetizer, usually fall into one of two pitfalls. Either the shrimp is far too small, or the portion you receive is a joke...leaving you feel a bit ripped off. Not so with the fried shrimp appetizer at WoW. The shrimp were a very decent size, and there were enough on the plate that the dish could easily pass for an entree. Now on to the fried pickles that were so highly endorsed. Let me preface this by saying that I'm not a big fan of pickles. I eat them on occasion, but it really has to be a special occasion...like the Earth narrowly avoiding being crushed by a meteor type of occasion. However, I would easily order the fried pickle appetizer at WoW again. The pickles weren't sliced too thick or too thin, and the seasoned batter added a tasty, crunchy layer of texture that complimented the pickle flavor very nicely. So, guy at next table who suggested the pickles, I salute you!

For our entrees our lovely server, Loriann, brought out our Santa Fe Chicken Spiced Fajitas and an order of the wings bathed in one of WoW's signature sauces. The fajitas were delivered sizzling to the table and an amazing aroma wafted around our booth. The fajitas which consisted of tender strips of chicken grilled with onions and peppers came with a hefty helping of cheese melted over the top. I don't recall if we ordered the fajitas with cheese specifically or not, but it was definitely an addiction that set off the whole dish. The chicken, onions, and peppers all just melted in your mouth, and with the plate of extras typically associated with fajitas its easy to make a meal just to your liking. I highly recommend this dish. It's impossible to do a review of a restaurant of this type without trying the wings. I mean any place so bold as to call themselves World of Wings, has to be prepared to put their money where their mouth is, right? Or poultry where their mouth is in this case. The wings we ordered came bathed in one of WoW's new sauces called Paradise City, which is a Thai Chili sauce blend. The wings were tender, and had an amazing flavor. Normally, I enjoy my wings with a helping of ranch dressing; however, the Paradise City sauce is a unique blend of sweet followed by a spicy bite that satiated my pallet and I didn't think twice about ranch dressing. These wings definitely hit the spot. The Paradise City sauce should be tried by any wing lovers out there.

From the atmosphere to the menu, I was thoroughly impressed with everything WoW has to offer. I can easily give WoW a 5 out of 5 sunbursts, and look forward to my next trip.