The Hungry Road
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(Last visited April 7, 2023.) Hanging out in the area on business and it's dinner time! It's #WingWednesday so I checked out that Mashed YouTube video where they highlight the best wings in each state. They said Moosehead Grill had the best wings in North Carolina... so here's how things went!
Atmosphere/Appearance: This place is pretty damn big! There's 2 floors and PLENTY of outdoor seating! I almost feel like there's more seating outside than inside. Lol. Being here in Charlotte it probably is warm enough to dine outdoors most of the year. Inside is lively, energetic and decorated with so many little nick-nacks that give this place so much personality. This place was SO freaking busy so we sat outside
Service: Claudia took excellent care of us. She was sweet, funny and kept it all the way real!
Food: Alright, so I tried out 5 of their legendary flavors! You can only get 1 flavor per 5 wings so keep that in mind. Some of them are fried and some are grilled, but you have to ask since the menu won't tell you.
Killer Bee: So this is a layered flavor of their "Bee Sting", which is honey and habanero, but then kicked up with more heat and a touch of mango. Basically another way to say "mango habanero". These were deliciously sweet and spicy as soon as it touched my tongue. The flavors were SUPER powerful and I really loved that. I didn't taste as much honey in the wing as I was expecting, but perhaps it was used as a thickener/supporting character.
Uncle Donnie's Famous Blackened Wings: I love fried wings, but when restaurants cook them in other ways such as baking, smoking or grilling, I become an even bigger fan! Now these were grilled and the evidence was there. Char all over the wing, perhaps a little too much, but these were incredible. The meat fell off the bone and they were ridiculously tender. The flavors were incredible and so bold, hearty with plenty of umami!
Meeso Honey: These are a mixture of miso ginger and honey. Seems innocent and these did have a grilled finish to them. The flavors were rich, the ginger showed up and so did the honey. There were some other lighter flavors that shined through as well.
Hemo-Goblin: The menu says this is a flavor consisting of blood orange and ghost pepper. Seems a bit intimidating. I've never had anything like this before, but these were full of flavor. The ghost pepper spice did take a minute to ramp up, as usual. However, these let me down in the spice department. I thought they were going to be spicer, but coming up... I get what I deserved...
Hoison-Poison: These are the spiciest wings on the menu. This is a mixture of Hemo-Goblin then made ridiculous with Carolina Reaper. Kinda awesome to have a Carolina Reaper in the state where they were first conceived. Lol. This sauce was quite intimidating. It was so dark, brown and gritty. I just knew it was going to be bad and you can smell the fumes coming from the sauce. Immediately, I started feeling the sensation of heat, but not the actual heat just yet. It did start to ramp up though, but before it did I got to experience notes of sweetness, like those from the rind of peppers. After about 25 seconds my eyes started watering. Then with each breath I took, it got hotter, like feeding a fire more oxygen. Lol. These didn't quite take me out the game, but boy, I would not want to eat an entire order of these. Good thing I only ordered a side of the sauce to pour onto another wing.
Value: Each order of wings was $8.25 for 5. That sounds about right. The wings were of a decent size and the quality was top-notch.
In conclusion, I can't wait to come back here and check out some more of their flavors! Make your way here if you're in the area!