bluecheese

Wings aside (let's come back to those in a minute), as U street drinking destinations go The Saloon is kind of a strange bird. There's no television, no standing, and more than one credit card per table costs $2 each. Notes in the margins of the extensive beer menu border on pedantic. "If you do not like beer, other places may be a better place for you". No matter though, customer condescension has proved a successful formula in the past, and if the wings were good all would be forgiven.

Momo's reputation preceded it; I'd been told by several people that they made good wings. Not Buffalo mind you, but fall-off-the-bone BBQ. So when I needed a place to catch up with a friend over wings and beer the U street sports bar seemed like a logical option. I got there a little after 9 on a Friday and things were quiet but just getting started. I ordered the smallest order, 10 wings, with a Stella and sat down to wait. There was no shortage of flat screen TVs tuned to sports of various sorts to keep me occupied until Miranda arrived. She told me she was "ignorant of wing topics" and "didn't know what to expect". All would be revealed.

It's been a few days and I still feel vaguely guilty. A doctor's appointment earlier this week brought me to the Georgetown campus at lunch time. Seems innocent enough, but I came across The Tombs on my way back to the office, one thing led to another, and before I knew it I was at the perennial Georgetown hangout for a little afternoon delight. The reference to Clydes (below) is not incidental; I didn't know it at the time, but both locations are owned by the same folks. How would the wings compare?

Fun Fact: The song Afternoon Delight, a 1976 number 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100, was named after the late afternoon appetizer menu at Clyde's of Georgetown. I didn't know this, or really anything at about Clyde's, when I went for a coworker's sendoff happy hour one Wednesday after work. What I did know was that the delight of that particular afternoon would be chicken wings and beer.

It's good to have a place like Axis in your neighborhood. Quality food in a casual but classy atmosphere and bartenders that at least pretend to be knowledgeable about beer. Their wings were some of the first I'd eaten after starting wingipedia. I liked them but didn't manage (read: "was too drunk") to write a review the first time around. So I went back for round two hoping that they'd be as good as I remembered.