SD TapRoom beat out eight other contestants in the third annual Lord of the Wings contest Saturday, Aug. 17 in Maverick’s Beach Club’s special event parking lot.
The contest raises funds for Discover Pacific Beach, the community’s business improvement district.
“We had about 300 people at the event,” said Sara Berns, Discover Pacific Beach’s executive director. “I know [SD TapRoom] is planning to do a promotion around the winning Truffalo Wings.”
The TapRoom’s chicken wings are lightly fried and served with carrots and celery, after being tossed in spicy buffalo, hickory bbq, Buffalo bbq, or sesame teriyaki sauces with choice of blue cheese or ranch.
Participating restaurants also included Pacific Beach Shore Club, Bub’s at the Beach, Tavern at the Beach, Maverick’s Beach Club, Moonshine Beach, SandBox Pizza & Pints, The Local Pacific Beach and Duck Dive.
The origin of deep-fried chicken wings goes back to 1964 at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, N.Y. Anchor Bar co-owner Teressa Bellissimo cooked leftover wings in hot sauce as a late-night snack for her son and his friends. They liked them so much, that the Bellissimos put them on the menu the next day. Served with celery slices and bleu cheese sauce, “Buffalo Wings” were an instant hit.
Dick Winger, who sold hot sauce to Anchor Bar, went on the road with Dominic Bellissimo, the owners’ son, to promote the item and sell hot sauce. The item gradually caught on with restaurant operators around the country.