Review: Wow Cafe & Wingery

I often quote Ambrose Bierce, the 19^th century satirist, from his famous Devil’s Dictionary. This is one of my favorites: “Sauce, noun, the one infallible sign of civilization and enlightenment. A people with no sauce has one thousand vices; a people with one sauce has only nine hundred and ninety nine. For every sauce invented and accepted a vice is renounced and forgiven.”

I was inspired to remember Bierce after visiting Wow Cafe & Wingery. I was curious about a restaurant with 20 different signature sauces they’d developed for their wings and ribs. A restaurant menu designed around sauces has to pique anyone’s curiosity and one that was founded by a Louisianan and inspired by New Orleans cuisine deserves more than a cursory glance in my eyes.

First, the sauces. There are three kinds of Buffalo sauces, each increasing in degrees of hotness, then there’s the Bombay-a unique spicy curry and creamy coconut sauce, the Kansas City-a sweet and spicy honey BBQ sauce, the Parisian-made with lemon and pepper, the Polynesian-a sweet and sour concoction, the Santa Fe-chipotle inspired tomato sauce, the Asian-a sweet and savory soy sauce/dark brown sugar and garlic beauty, the Italian-a garlic and herb sauce, the Australian-a blend of sweet raspberries, the Mexican-chipotle and cheese sauce, the Jamaican-made with typical jerk seasonings, the Acadian-a spicy Cajun sauce, the Thai-peanut and soy sauce, the Key West-a citrus and honey sauce, and finally, the Texas-a mesquite BBQ sauce. I was impressed. This horizontal segmentation of choice is straight out of the wisdom of Malcolm Gladwell, from his lecture on the nature of choice and happiness.

I was intrigued so I placed an order of ribs ($9.99) with a sampler of sauces ($8.99). My ribs were tender—fall off the bone tender and with my array of sauces (Kansas City, Buffalo III, Asian, Australian and the Key West), I was profoundly happy. Having choices made the difference in the experience. That, and an ice-cold glass of Yuengling ($3.50).

The rest of the menu is an aggressive one with 13 different appetizers from fried pickles to Southwest Egg rolls, seven kinds of salads—the Chicago Blues salad (tomato, bacon, croutons, and blue cheese with an Italian dressing and a drizzle of honey citrus vinaigrette); I am told is the favorite of the patrons. There are three soups, one of which is a New Orleans gumbo and an interesting sounding one: Baja Enchilada Soup and of course, New Orleans Red Beans and Rice—a traditional dish from the “Big Easy.”

The “wingery” part of the concept includes everything from a four-piece order ($2.99) to a thousand-piece wing wow bash ($549.99)! Party on wing lovers.

If you would like something different, Wow has seafood, chow bowls, quesadillas, sandwiches, and wraps, including a vegetarian one, burgers and burritos. But as desserts go, the one that stands ahead of the pack of the ordinaries are the Beignets ($3.99), the classic French donuts most famously served at the New Orleans French Quarter restaurant, Cafe Du Monde. Beignets are best served piping hot and with a cup of strong coffee fortified with chicory. I love them, but find them too tedious to make at home unless I have guests for brunch. Often, I crave one on a lazy Sunday morning. If Wow can oblige, I’ll be back for those alone.

Overall, the service was prompt, friendly, and my server, James, answered a staccato of questions in the most helpful way. He warned me that if I liked the current menu, a better one is on its way. If that is true, I highly recommend a visit to Wow Cafe & Wingery the next time you are in the area.

If a sauce is a sign of civilization, according to Bierce, then Wow Cafe & Wingery may just be a beacon in a sea of strip-mall, fast-food mediocrity. Go there and check out the sauces for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.