Carpool

A friend and I were walking around Ballston after seeing the Comedy Spot's Blue Show, when Carpool's bustling atmosphere and outdoor seating called to me. It's big place that reminded us both of a higher end Dr. Dremos but we went inside only to order wings, opting instead for one of their two patios to take in the Spring weather. It took me a second, but I got it. "Car" because the decor is automobile themed, and "pool" because there's pool tables. Clever.

The interior is aggressively decorated with car paraphernalia, described on the website as "...a pop art testament to the American obsession of automobile culture that would make Lee Iacocca jealous." I thought it was creatively lit. We got there after midnight and the crowd seemed to be predominantly 30somethings and predominantly drunk, but I liked the atmosphere. Wings come in orders of 10, 20, or 30 starting at $6.99, with boneless buffalo wings also on offer.

Respectable! The wings rate well for temperature and freshness and have an uncomplicated, authentic buffalo flavor. They're served with celery but no carrots and a warm, oddly homogeneous dipping sauce that I couldn't pin down as either blue cheese or ranch. As a bonus our order of 10 came with 11 (plus a broken half wing). Wetnaps were a nice touch. These are solid wings at a good price and tasty enough for me to recommend. Just make the drive to VA with friends so you can save a little on gas.