1 THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2017 NOTHING BUT THE BEST my Sherman and John Gonzalez constantly are on the hunt for SOCIAL MEDIA • Amy Sherman on Twitter @amyonthetrail, Michigan’s Best. Hours of planning go into each search — where to as well as Facebook and Instagram • John Gonzalez on Twitter @michigangonzo, go, how to get there and what to do when they arrive. And of course, as well as Facebook and Instagram EMAIL hundred of miles of driving follow all that research. Then comes the [email protected], [email protected] A ONLINE payoff — the opportunity to enjoy the best Michigan has to off er, whether it’s food, drink, • For more from Amy and John, including podcasts and individual blogs. fun activities or a scenic drive. And there are many more searches to come. Do you have behindthemitten.com • Keep up with all our searches for an idea for an upcoming search? Please let John and Amy know, because they’re always Michigan’s Best. mlive.com/michigansbest looking for the best new thing. Pizza at Silver Beach Pizza in St. Joseph. Chelsea Purgahn, Kalamazoo Gazette E2 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2017 wings go straight from the fryer and into the sauce for maximum ef ect. All of the f avors have a heat index from 1-10 to give you an idea of what to expect. The Suicide Wing comes in at 21. (Check out the PBJ Ginger Thai for fun.) Doug Worth has owned the Pinconning restaurant since 2000. You will f nd his dad, Dick Worth, hanging out with Grillzilla, a homemade smoker in the back, or passing out free samples of his latest creation to customers. WING DOOZY Two locations: 5 • 3916 Plainf eld Ave. NE, Grand Rapids, 616-608-3067 • 2359 Health Drive Suite 120, Wyoming, 616-228-8855 facebook.com Owners Todd Penning and Randy Moeller took over the location on Plainf eld Avenue with the idea to build on what original owners Mike and Danielle Lopez did, and beyond. Since then, the new owners have opened a second loca- tion in Wyoming that has more of a sports bar feel but still caters to families. Wing Doozy of ers about 12 homemade sauces, including our favorite, the spicy garlic Parmesan, which has an unusual tomato-based sauce. We enjoyed meeting the entire crew, which shares the same passion for customer service and making a great product. Also try the portobello fries, green bean fries or the hand-cut fries. ROCKY TOP BEER & BBQ 1900 Lansing Ave., Jackson 6 Phone: 517-784-4227 facebook.com It’s all about the sauce at Rocky Top. This venue is the “Home of 40 Flavors,” owner Nick Green said. “I get so excited because you can put so much f avor on chicken.” No. 1 is Parmesan garlic, followed by maple bacon, Cajun Carolina, Caribbean jerk, smoky bourbon and pineapple Sriracha. The eatery goes through 30-40 cases of wings per week. The jumbo, hickory-smoked wings are served deep fried, breaded and naked. The restaurant also makes its own boneless wings. We loved the smoked f avor and signature mesquite rub. The extensive menu is the brain- child of Green — who has worked at the restaurant for nine years, and owned it for f ve years — and chef Aaron Davisson. MISS MOLLY’S DINER 5500 Oak Hill Road, Clarkston 7 Phone: 248-572-6777 Sweetwater Tavern in downtown Detroit off ers only one sauce on its famous Sweetwater Wings. But that’s all it facebook.com took to be judged Michigan’s Best. Tanya Moutzalias, MLive.com Originally from the “wing heaven” of Buf alo, New York, Molly McCarthy is living her dream of owning a restaurant. She opened Miss Molly’s in November 2015 and has been killing it since. Along with a menu that of ers breakfast all CHICKEN WINGS day, burgers, sandwiches and “Beef on Weck,” everything here is fresh and homemade. It’s the wings that will make you a Miss Molly fan. The fresh jumbo wings take time to make (20 minutes) because each order is made to perfec- tion. We tried the medium classic, which is near perfection, Just wing it and a buttery garlic Parmesan, one of the best we had. She of ers carrots and celery and homemade ranch and blue cheese. John D. Gonzalez and Amy Sherman, @mlive.com UNION WOODSHOP 18 S Main St., Clarkston 8 Phone: 248-625-5660 Chicken wings have become nearly ubiquitous on restaurant menus across the country. Mich- facebook.com igan is no exception. We sampled wings at about 40 restaurants in our search for Michigan’s No stranger to our Michigan’s Best searches, the Union Woodshop is known for its barbecue, which means the Best Chicken Wings. Along the way, we sampled more than 200 wings. These wings were wings come smoked — and delicious. Co-owner Erich Lines said it best when he called chicken wings the perfect “all- broasted, deep-fried, smoked, breaded, naked (no sauce), dry-rubbed and sauced. • The day type of food.” The jumbo wings arrive fresh and are smoked and coated with brown sugar and a special rub, variety of sauces was impressive. From Asian ginger to garlic Parmesan, from peanut butter to then caramelized in the deep fryer for that perfect, crispy bite. They are served naked, several homemade sauces plum, creative sauces are being invented by chefs statewide. • We judged the wings on fl avor, from which to choose: Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, etc. Be daring and try the hottest sauce, which is hotter than its meatiness, crispiness and overall taste. • At each place, we sampled a medium buff alo wing, Hell Sauce. We loved them just naked, too. and then we left it up to the owners/managers/chefs to bring out their favorites. In some cases, FAIRWAY BAR & GRILL 19400 E. 10 Mile Road, Eastpointe we tried two or three wings per visit. In other places, we had as many as 15 wings. 9 Phone: 586-771-4995 facebook.com Located of I-75 east of Detroit, the Fairway is another hidden gem. Fresh chicken, homemade sauces and a SWEETWATER TAVERN neighborhood bar atmosphere make it a “must visit” if 400 E. Congress St., Detroit you’re in the area. Owned since last fall by Eddie Sadorski 1 Phone: 313-962-2210 and his sister, Rachel Dixon, the Fairway Bar is a third- Express Locations: List at sweetwater.com. Three loca- generation bar opened in 1961 by their grandfather, Ed Sr. tions, plus Food Truck Now, it’s a destination for classic wings, enhanced by Chef Eric Shellum’s amazing housemade sauces. It started with We were stunned to learn that Sweetwater Tavern in his “dilly sauce,” a Buf alo-style wing. They of er everything Detroit sells 75,000 pounds of wings per month. These from classic Buf alo, to a dry rub, to a top-notch garlic wings were hands down the best. The fresh chicken from Parmesan. We loved the Thai sauce (only available Mon- Eastern Market is marinated for 24 hours, dredged in days), as well as the creamy spicy garlic Parmesan and spices and then fried. General Manager Darryl Powell, who bourbon barbecue. They sell 150 pounds of wings per has been with the award-winning restaurant for 25 years, week, and they kill it Mondays when it’s 50-cent wings from wouldn’t divulge much about the spices. We didn’t care. 1-10 p.m. The crispiness was just what we were looking for, and the mild Buf alo-style sauce was lip-smacking good. It’s a rec- (TIE) CELLAR BREWING COMPANY ipe owner Jef Cain had to pay extra for when he took over 133 E. Division St, Sparta the restaurant in the early ’90s. The “Sweetwater Wing” is 10 Phone: 616-883-0777 the only style you will f nd on the menu, no other sauces, facebook.com which is rare. Stop by this Detroit institution on your next visit to the D. It will be worth it. John Gonzalez and Sweetwater Tavern general manager Cellar Brewing owners Chuck and Deanna Brown moved Darryl Powell enjoy the Detroit restaurant’s winning wings. into a beautiful new space in downtown Sparta in March, THE BAR AT 327 BRAUN COURT Tanya Moutzalias, MLive.com and since then, beer enthusiasts have discovered the 327 Braun Court, Ann Arbor brewery also specializes in wings. Chuck of ers his signa- 2 Phone: 734-585-5440 ture “Chuckalo” sauce, a milder version of a classic Buf alo facebook.com creative sauces in-house. His tiny kitchen is at the end that still is tangy and sweet with a touch of honey. Chuck of the bar, and he cranks out order after order. He sells puts the wings in a dredge to coat. The jumbo wings are When searching for Michigan’s Best Wings, we wanted about 1,000 wings a week during the busy season. The big, meaty, crispy and delicious. We loved the Chuckalo, of to f nd that hidden gem making incredible wings in the jumbo wings are breaded, crispy and drenched in tradi- course, but also the mango habanero and garlic Parmesan. most unassuming kitchen. We found it at The Bar at tional and unique f avors. The No. 1 sauce: garlic Parme- The wings also are served naked. 327 Braun Court, where Chef Jordan Balduf is using soup san, which was hands-down the top f avor of choice in pots to deep fry his wings and his creativity to blend tradi- the Upper Peninsula.