CURRAN'S IRISH INN - PALMYRA NJ

CURRAN'S IRISH INN
By : STAFF WRITER Jason Sabol

My Wednesday night wing cravings led me to Curran's Irish Inn, Palmyra, NJ. It was their special wing night, where you get $0.35 wings between 6pm and 11pm (must order 10) plus tax...$3.75, still a GREAT price for 10 wings.

When I walked in, I was rather surprised to not see as many people there for wing night as usual. I'd say there was about 12 tables with 2 - 4 people at each. So I figured, at least service will be quick... boy, was I wrong. Both waitresses walked by us and said nothing. There were no bus boys so the two tables that we were eyeing up for our view of the Phillies game, of course had customer residue on them both. Finally, a waitress stopped to clear off the empty glasses and old placemats...Oh, and she forgot to ask us our drink order or tell us she'd be back. So the wait continued...and the other girl came by to tell us, the other waitress (who just cleared our table) would be right with us. After about 10 minutes of waiting, finally the second girl (not the one who cleared our table and didn't acknowledge us) came back and took our order for drinks and told us it was wings night (35 cent wings, 4 domestic bottles for 10$ and pitchers of soda for 4$). As she went to get our drinks, the other waitress came back to take our drink order...too late, hah! I think if I wasn't writing this review, I may have walked out prior to this.

Once we had our drinks, we knew what we wanted to order, after all we had 15 minutes to decide already...and it wasn't my first trip around the block. We ordered 20 cajun, 15 hot, and 15 BBQ.

The bar has nice flat screen tvs (8) positioned around the room so you can get a spot pretty much anywhere and see a TV...only problem they all had the same thing on, which was fine at the time since it was the Phils game.

Our food came out relatively quick, which could have been a concern, since it took 15 minutes to ask us what we wanted to drink. But once I bit into the first wing, my concerns were gone.

I started with the Cajun wings. Now, I'm not sure I'd call these cajun, as they do not have your typical hot/spicy cajun spice to them (so they are suitable for all you wusses out there). They are seasoned generously, yet not too greasy and drippy. The wing itself was nice and crisp outside, with a juicy/tender inside. Paired with their cracked peppercorn blue cheese they are simply wonderful.

Next I went to the Hot wings. These were equally as delicious as the Cajun wings...also a great change of pace if you are a 20 wing kind of person (10 hot and 10 cajun would be a perfect order.. I tend to get sick of eating the same thing until I get sick...like a house cat or goldfish would do). The sauce on the hot wings is very flavorful with a nice light kick to it, probably more comparable to a medium at the "Macho Wing Sauce" places we often times see, but I'm not here for a competition. I like my hot, not too hot, with great flavor and nice spice, they were actually hotter than the last time I was here. Again, they were nice and crisp outside, perfectly done inside.

On to the BBQ. Very sweet/tangy sauce...not bad. The sweet sauce was another good changeup during the meal...paired with the blue cheese, I was lovin it! Although, I know a lot of people would say I'm crazy putting a BBQ wing into blue cheese...Hey, it made sense, give it a whirl!

Wingology 101: Curran's Irish Inn, 5 W. Broad St., Palmyra, NJ 08065, 856-314-8214

Curriculum:
CAJUN
Sauce - almost a dry rub of great flavors (not a typical Cajun, yet delicious)
Skin - crispy
Chicken - juicy/tender

HOT
Sauce - a typical Medium or slightly above (good taste)
Skin - crispy
Chicken - juicy/tender

BBQ
Sauce - sweet, great pace change, probably get sick of them after 10 though
Skin - little less crispy due to sauce
Chicken - juicy/tender

Blue Cheese: AMAZING! it is cracked peppercorn infused and adds great flavor to the wings.

All orders served with a generous Blue Cheese portion and plenty of celery...if you're into that kind of thing.


Regular Prices : 10 for $8.50
20 for $14.75
50 for $30.75

Wednesday Special: 10 wings for $3.50 plus tax


Flavors: Hot, Medium, Mild, Plain, Cajun, BBQ, Garlic


Final Thought: Overall I think their wings are wonderful, they are a smaller wing, but pack a great punch! Wings normal price are 85 cents a piece (10 for $8.50), so by joining the Curran's crew on a Wednesday, you save more than 50% on your meal! The Blue Cheese is Delicious if you are a fan, TVs are very nice, Nice open spaced bar, Very clean restaurant and bathrooms. Daily Specials on food and drinks. The service I would say is their biggest downfall, but if you can get past that and can spare a few extra minutes the wait will be worth it.


http://www.curransirishinn.com/

BLACK WIDOW CRUSHES WINGS!!!

Virginia woman devours 181 chicken wings in 12 minutes to set new record September 6, 2010, 5:14pm NEW YORK (AP) – The Black Widow of eating contests gobbled up nearly 181 chicken wings in 12 minutes, devouring the national championship record in Buffalo on Sunday.

“I’m so happy!” said Sonya Thomas, who ate 4.86 pounds of chicken wings to win the contest, besting world eating marvel Joey Chestnut at the ninth annual National Buffalo Wing Festival.

Buffalo, about 480 kilometers northwest of New York, is said to be the birthplace of the wings, typically fried and covered in tangy vinegar and hot sauce.

Chestnut, America’s No. 1 professional eater, was favored to win Sunday’s competition. He came in second after eating 169 chicken wings, or 4.55 pounds.

This was the first time Thomas, of Alexandria, Virginia, and Chestnut, of San Jose, California, faced off in a chicken wing eating contest. They went at it “neck and neck,” said Drew Cerza, the founder of the festival, which was inspired by the 2001 Bill Murray comedy “Osmosis Jones,” about a compulsive eater.

“They pushed each other really hard,” Cerza said. “Joey is so strong. He’s got great jaw strength. But Sonya’s so fast with the hand.”

Thomas, who is 5 feet tall and weighs 105 pounds, calls herself the Black Widow because she often defeats bigger male competitors — Chestnut is 6-foot-2 and weighs 230 pounds — in eating contests. She set the previous wings record in 2005, when she ate 174 in 12 minutes.

She also previously set eating records for oysters, hard-boiled eggs, cheesecake and jalapeno peppers. She won her first competitive eating event in 2003.

The sprightly 43-year-old said she owed Sunday’s triumph to her fancy finger work.

“Sometimes if I try to chew too much I slow down,” she said. “I used my hands more than the mouth.”

During the public contest, in front of thousands of people, she twirled the wings in her small fingers while quickly tearing off the meat with her teeth and lips.

Her cheeks were covered in a sheen of orange Buffalo sauce by the end.

But she said she was still hungry afterward, calling the wings “an appetizer.” About an hour later, she made a guest appearance in the Ridiculously Hot Buffalo Wing Eating Contest and ate 20 more. “The hottest wings!” she said. “I had to drink a lot of water.”