Buffalo Nite: wingipedia takes The Hill

Every September thousands of wing eaters descend on the city of Buffalo, NY for the National Bufalo Wing Festival. The event is held in a stadium, and over the course of two days over 700,000 wings -- that's 40 tons of chicken parts -- are sold and consumed. There's a contest, demonstrations, recipes, and even sexy t-shirts. It's a can't-miss event for anyone serious about Buffalo wings. And wingipedia missed it. I was distraught, but then I heard about Buffalo Nite.

The initial bite, thoughtful contemplation, and ultimate satisfaction.

Buffalo Nite is an annual event on Capitol Hill hosted by the New York State Society to celebrate the "people and food of Buffalo, NY". My course of action was clear: I would go, sample truly authentic Buffalo wings, and write about them for my loyal readers. The organizers generously agreed to let me attend this sold out event on behalf of wingipedia. A-List baby, A-List.

So mere hours ago I met Jazmin, my wing-woman for the evening, at the Dirksen Senate office building, camera and notepad in hand. There were easily over 100 people in the room mingling and eating wings. Talking to these folks I learned a few things:

• Chicken wings are graded. If you go to a bar on 10 cent wing night you're probably getting the low grade, small wings.
• Anchor Bar has established themselves as the home of the Buffalo wing, but they're not universally acknowledged as the best. Duff's Famous Wings came enthusiastically recommended by several authentic-looking Buffalonians.
• It's pretty hard to think up interesting questions to ask people about Buffalo wings.
• That doesn't stop some of them from getting very enthusiastic.

There were two types of wings on offer: Buffalo and BBQ. I'll say again that BBQ are not my ball of wings, but the sauce was tasty if you're into that. Then we tried the Buffalo, and I thought the flavor was impressive - spot on hot sauce and butter. The problem was that wings were being served by the hundreds, buffet style, and when you do that there's no way to keep them crispy and piping hot. They were only mildly spicy - Jazmin said "they don't make me need a beer". I think their sauce over freshly fried, crispy wings would have been a game changer, but until I develop the fortitude for a 7 hour drive and full weekend commitment, buffet wings are just going to have to do.

Want to check out Buffalo Nite next year? Tickets are available about a month or two in advance on the New York State Society's website, http://nyss-washdc.org.