Sweet Lucy's

Sweet Lucy's
7500 State Rd
Philadelphia, PA 19136
(215) 331-3112
www.sweetlucys.com

Sweet Lucy’s on State Rd in Northeast Philadelphia is arguably the best BBQ joint in the city and anyone who has eaten there would have a hard time saying otherwise.  They have everything that you would expect from a BBQ place; pulled pork, kielbasa, beef brisket, ribs, rotisserie chicken, and more, all hickory-smoked and slow cooked to tender perfection with all sorts of sides and fixin’s to choose from.  And if you can bring yourself to stop drooling over the aforementioned menu items, they also have Hot wings. 

                This being the southern-style BBQ smokehouse, Sweet Lucy’s does wings a little bit differently than most people are used to.  Instead of being deep fried, Sweet Lucy’s wings are slow cooked just like all the other meats.  An order of wings comes with a note attached letting you know that even though the wings are a little pink on the inside due to being smoked, they’re cooked and completely safe to eat.  I would probably have eaten them without the note, but some people are a little more cautious than I when it comes to potential food poisoning, which is to say that it’s a thoughtful gesture on Sweet Lucy’s end.

                The wings are served whole, drumsticks and flats attached to one another just as God had intended.  All you need to do is rip them apart and eat.  The meat is retardedly juicy and tender from the slow cooking and it basically falls right off of the bone.  However, there isn’t much of a sauce to speak of.  My theory is that the wings are coated with a Hot rub and then slow cooked, allowing the juices and the rub to mix and make a sort of natural sauce.  The flavor is there, but it is lacking.  When you order Hot wings, you expect them to be a certain way, you know, like hot or something…  But these wings just kind of have a salt-and-pepper-sometimes-a-twinge-of-Hot-spice flavor that left us wanted more spice.

                As for the price, a dozen wings will run you $14.95 and a half-dozen is $8.50.  Keep in mind the fact that these are “whole” wings and you really get double what you’ve ordered.  So at this price point, the wings are worth checking out if you haven’t already tried the rest of the menu.  Otherwise just keep going to Sweet Lucy’s, working your way down the menu until you hit the Hot wings.  Or if you come in to Sweet Lucy’s on a Monday, they have a buffet of all their awesome menu items for around $20, and trust us, it’s worth every penny.

Wing -  6.75

Sauce – 5

Price – 6

Overall – 5.9




Review by Tom Kaericher

Wings-To-Go Quick Quest

                For lunch today, I decided to go to Wings-to-Go.  This happened for a lot of reasons (there’s one by my work, its quick, and you can order online ahead of time (I also really wanted wings and it seemed like the easiest option)).  Most people have visited a Wings-to-Go and tried the wings.  This was actually my inaugural trip to the franchise and I have to say, to my own surprise (as I was ready to shit all over this place for being all corporate, or whatever…), that I was kind of impressed.  Not super impressed, but impressed nonetheless, and to those that know me, I don’t be impressed easily.

                The selection of sauces alone at any Wings-to-Go is dizzying.  They have all the colors of the hot sauce rainbow, from Mild to Homicide, as well as some of the classic understated sauces like Buffalo Garlic, Garlic Parmesan, Lemon Pepper, etc.  And they also have some rarities like Curry, Caribbean Jerk, and Sweet N Sour.  I’m kind of on a Buffalo Garlic kick myself, so that’s what I opted for.

The wing quality was much better than expected; average size and cooked fairly well.  An order of wings… to go come with a bundle of celery and a neat little foil-sealed tub of bleu cheese, extra of either will cost you $.65.  And speaking of cost… Wings-to-Go trudges the line between being not too expensive or too expensive depending on who you ask, but they break the wing denominations down to satisfy any customer; 5 for $4.50, 10 for $7.49, 15 for $10.75, 20 for $13.99, all the way up to 300(!) for an even $150.  To me the prices seem okay, like ‘meh’ okay.  I’ve paid more for less and vice versa so the price point isn’t an issue for me.   All-in-all I’d give Wings-to-Go one and a half thumbs up (we’re doing thumbs up, right?).  It’s quick, you can order online, there’s a location pretty much near everyone, and there’s a lot of choices (I know how you kids love options), and it’s not that expensive.  Kay, bye.

- Tom Kaericher

Sorry for the delay, we still love you all.

       Hey all, sorry for the delay in between Quests.  I’m sure you can understand that it’s not always easy to get a group of people together every week, and conflicting schedules have been a huge part of why there haven’t been any updates to this blog recently.  But do not fear, we have not given up and still recognize it as our duty to continue eating wings, rating them, and talking shit about them for everyone in Philly and the surrounding areas who care about us eating wings, rating them, and talking shit about them.  I know I still care, and I gotta say, my life has been pretty empty without wings to talk shit on.