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The Anchor Bar Visit
Last November I had an opportunity to visit the site of the creation of one of the most revered bar foods of all time. I’m not talking pizza. Also not nachos. I went to the home of the Buffalo Wing!
I was on a weekend away to the Fingerlakes region of New York (western New York south of Rochester) and on the way we decided to stop at the Anchor Bar. Buffalo wings were born at there in 1964 when late one night a group of the bartender’s friends came in to grab a bite. The bartender’s mother was working in the kitchen and decided to use up some of the leftover chicken wings she had. Normally this cut of the bird would have only gone in the pot to help make stock, but the cook had another idea. After cooking the wings and covering them with a secret sauce (butter and hot sauce) they were served to the friends who scarfed them down. The Buffalo wing was born.
The day we went was very cold and very, very windy. In fact as we walked from the parking lot I kept an eye on a tall construction crane a block over in case it decided to take a tumble. When you open the door to this mecca, the smell of wings hits you. I loved it. Like many older establishments, the restaurant is rather small and crowded and the walls are covered with wing related articles.
We were seated and the only question of what to order was the flavor of the sauce. Since I was eating with three others and we decided to get the platter of 50 wings, I succumbed to ordering the medium sauce. The platter arrived and a woman from the table next to ours asked if she could take a picture of it. I guess we weren’t the only tourists there that day. In fact, if you talk with those from the area, they will admit that the Anchor wings are the first, but will argue about if they are the best or not. Therefore there are a high percentage of culinary travelers like us that visit.
Our wings were decent and I was able to restrain myself from ordering a Wing-Head (think of the Cheese-head hats but shaped like a Buffalo wing).
Garlic Buffalo Turkey
While not wings, or even chicken, this dish does use the the Buffalo flavor to give it a kick.
These cutlets were big so I used only 4.
Spicy, tangy and full of flavor.
Garlic Buffalo Turkey
Ingredients:
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 Tbs butter
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp Tabasco or other hot sauce
8 turkey breast cutlets, cut in half (i used 3 chicken breast, its cheaper)
2 Tbs Blue cheese dressing
Directions:
Heat butter of med heat. Add garlic, seasoning and turkey, Stir-fry until cooked. Distribute on plates and drizzle with blue cheese.
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