Jando S.
Yelp
I had heard of Dream Wings as the place for wings from others, so I waited till I had the craving to head up to Oak Forest / Garden Oaks to make it happen. When I attempted to call ahead of time, a young lady told me that I wasn't able to place my orders over the phone (#1) and that I would have to order them in person instead.
So by the time I arrived, I noticed there was a line via the drive-thru as well as a small crowd inside. I decided to order through the drive-thru and was instructed to find a parking spot after placing my order. I waited about 15 minutes and decided to walk inside.
It was a little chaotic with all the folks approaching the small counter, but the army of young staff members both confused and amazed me. On one hand, I'm thrilled they have so much help but behind that small counter? It feels claustrophobic just sitting inside while people sit around waiting for their orders. I decided to take a seat outside in their outdoor area.
There are heat lamps and dedicated TVs and I ended up watching an NBA game while I waited outside in the breeze. The quarter was nearly over and I realized I had still been sitting outside for close to 30 minutes. I went inside to check on my order, but there was a long line of folks who looked like they've been waiting longer than I have.
Another 20 minutes fly by and my name is finally called over a loud speaker. The staff apologizes and said they had to make fresh wings, which caused the delay. No matter, I like my food fresh, especially if I have to wait for it. The girl who was handling my bill was a bit aggressive with the tips by tapping on the screen for 20%, which was slightly off putting since there was such a long wait.
Before heading back to my car, I decided to have a bite of my lemon pepper wings right then and there and found them to be a little bland. No matter, I spent close to $100 with various wing combinations and other appetizers that I was eager to head back and try everything.
Some immediate takeaways:
* The packaging was a little messy. I understand they were scrambling to get things together for everyone, but there was sauce leaking through containers.
* Honey sriracha wings had decent flavor, but the chicken was a little tough.
* Buffalo garlic parmesan were probably the biggest hit amongst the lineup, but the wings were a tad on the dry side.
* I'm a big fan of the potato wedge fries. They were near perfect.
* The dream pasta was saucy and the noodles were falling apart since they've been soaked in the sauce / overcooked.
* The overall winner is the fish and tenders. Surf and turf is the way to go, even if the place is a wings joint.
* I'm fully aware that wings are a premium now with inflation and meat surplus issues, but the price point is a downer given how subpar they were.
I'm certain they have had better days and while I normally account for that for all of my reviews, I felt they set an impression off to where I needed to write this. I'll likely give them a try again, but not for a long time.
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(#1) Why pick up the phone?