Saturday, March 21, 2009

Seek and Ye Shall Find: Excellent Wings in Lake Mary

I like Buffalo Wings. Yes I do. And I know what kind of wings I like. They should be of medium to large size and come with a lot of meat on the bone. The meat should pull of easily. The sauce should thoroughly cover the mound of wings and the sauce should be spicy, but not too spicy to burn the mouth. The wings should be served with crunchy, curly fries on the side and come with plenty of them. Tony’s Original Wings and Grill serves my kind of wings in Lake Mary.

Tony’s is located in the Lake Mary Center, a shopping plaza at the corner of Lake Emma Road and Lake Mary Blvd. It’s tucked away in the corner between K-Mart and Albertsons. Nothing fancy inside but the dining room was spacious and clean. There are a few TVs about and an interesting mural of children playing sports covers the walls. You sit on padded, stackable chairs. A claw machine and a newer Galaga/Ms. Pac-Man game lined the back wall.

I’ve been at lunch and the place was filled with workers on their lunch breaks. On Saturday night we were the only customers in the restaurant until a family with four kids arrived. A few people came in for takeout orders.


I ordered 10 “hot” Chicken Wings ($7.25) and my guest ordered 10 “Lemon Pepper” Wings ($7.25). We split a large basket of Curly Fries ($3.75). The Fries arrived first and they were delicious. We devoured them immediately. Made from fresh potatoes cut in the store daily, they were fried perfectly and only needed a dash of salt. We both thought they had a wonderful potato flavor. Reminded me somewhat of the fries at 5 Guys.

My Hot Wings were served steaming hot with a small side of Bleu Cheese Dressing and two celery sticks on wax paper in a plastic basket. They were bright orange in color the way a wing should be. The sauce didn’t seem to have a lot of butter in it. The way I like it. My guest's Lemon Pepper Wings, on the other hand, were covered in butter. Butter seemed to be the main ingredient in the sauce, and the main flavor. I would pass on these again, but my guest liked them. Other wing flavors were mild, mild/medium, medium, “xtra” hot, garlic, BBQ, honey mustard, and teriyaki.

Other items on the menu included a selection of sandwiches, hamburgers, salads, and baby back ribs. I’d like to try their ribs next time. Wine, bottled and draft beer is served. Pricing was right in line for the quality of the food. The daily lunch specials look like a bargain. Monday, after 5 p.m. they have an all-you-can-eat wings and fries special for $12.50. The dining room seemed very clean but a persistent gnat buzzed us the entire meal.

Service wasn’t top notch but okay for this kind of place. The waitress was friendly and able to answer all my questions. She did do one thing I’ve never seen before: She took a take out order over the phone while she was at the table serving food to the family. Got to give her a hand for multi-tasking.

I recommend Tony’s Original Wings and Grill if you are looking for a low-key, family-friendly, locally-owned establishment that serves above-average wings and delicious curly fries.

Overall: 3 1/2 greasy fingers out of 5

Tony’s Original Wings & Grill
3689 Lake Emma Road
Lake Mary, FL 32746
407-333-4656

Digg!

Tony's Original Wings & Grill on Urbanspoon

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Do they have a website?

Anonymous said...

I have heard from others the wings here are good. Will have to try.

Bobby said...

I've heard nothing but good things about the wings here as well.

Minor-Gross said...

The wings were good, as close to the old Papa Bs that had THE BEST WINGS, too bad they closed. Tonys also has killer fries, fresh cut curly fries that go perfect with wings. Next time I will know to tell them to bring the fries with my wings not before. My fries were almost gone by the time my wings came out!

Anonymous said...

Love it! We are regulars there every week. They do have a new website www.tonys-wings.com. I've been told their medium sauce is like everyone else's hot...especially if ordered extra wet.

Anonymous said...

I'd think twice before choosing to eat at this "restaurant". Having worked there for a brief period of time in 2008 I was subject to the disgusting behavior/habits of the kitchen staff and the staff in general.

The fact that the line cooks smoke cigarettes in the kitchen, using a bucket as an ashtray and the over-head exaust to get rid of the smoke. Needless to say the exaust is just above the fryers where your precious chicken wings and curly fries come from, you can see what I am getting at.

Disgusting restaurant, pays it's workers illegaly (under the table). This place needs to be shut down.