Ain't No Thing But a Chicken Wing

March 12, 2006

I can’t believe I am about to quote a country song, but here goes… “Every time I hear that song, I go back, I go back. We all have a song that somehow stamped our lives, takes us to another place and time.”

That Kenny Chesney really knows what he is talking about. Last Friday night, Joe and I hit the new Wild Wing Café in Bluffton and the first song that I heard … brought me back. And the song after that, and the song after that. It was like I was sitting at Leggett’s, my favorite restaurant/bar in New Jersey.

I could fill a year’s worth of columns with Leggett’s stories but I will spare you and just touch on the highlights. Leggett’s was our local beach bar and restaurant. We would always arrive early enough to get a spot at the bar and order their special thin crust pizza and lots of appetizers. We would play Budweiser Bingo on Thursday nights, listen to our local bands on the weekends, and always play a rousing round of the “tion game” – a very high-tech wordsmithing competition where participants would rattle off words that ended with “tion” … anticipation, arbitration, abomination, you get the picture.

Anyway, my Leggett’s memories are near and dear to my heart. So when, within, the first few minutes at Wild Wing, I was flashing back to another place and time, I was hooked.

But, it wasn’t only the music on the stereo, which by the way included old school alternative picks like Souixie and the Banshees and Elvis Costello paired with some recent classics from Dave Matthews, Fuel and the Goo Goo Dolls, that made my night.

Let me give you some specifics. Having never been to the Wild Wing on the Island, I wasn’t sure what to expect, which made my first impressions even sweeter. It is a great space - big bar, a great inventory of TVs in varying dimensions (two with Law & Order re-runs, it’s always fun to guess who’s the culprit with no sound), lots of booths (the best seat for a relaxing evening out) and interesting artifacts and artwork on the walls – fodder for conversation.

If you are a wing person – who isn’t? – I think you will be happy. With fifty variations to choose from there must be something for everyone. My favorite – “THE GENERAL Tsao, Tso, Sow...Whatever!” – being a wordsmith myself (see the “tion game”) I loved the name and had to go for it.

Now, ever since I embarked on my thirties a couple of years ago, I continue to be reminded of how young I am not! As we were leaving, full and happy, the twenties crowd from my office was just arriving. No doubt, they actually got to hear the live band that was slated to go on later that night (they have live music four nights a week). No worries though, this week I will take a nap in the afternoon, ensuring that I can enjoy all that they have to offer!