Frog & Firkin

Photo courtesy of Lara Muncaster

Recently I visited Frog & Firkin, an English pub themed restaurant on University Blvd. A stones throw away from the University of Arizona's main campus, this establishment is often packed to capacity and for good reason. Frog & Firkin offers a great variety with their menu, including pizzas, salads, an array of appetizers and burgers that come with the garnish (tomatoes, lettuce, onions, etc.) on the side, so you can build the burger to your own taste. The menu is second only to the beer list, which is extensive and changes often. If you were to visit this place once per week and order a different beer each time, it would take you nearly a year and a half to try every beer that they offer.
The wings that are offered are very unique indeed. The menu advertises them as "hot and spicy barbecue" wings, which you can get as one or two dozen. When I read the words, "hot and spicy barbecue", I assumed that they were simply describing the sauce that would come with the wings. While this was partially true, the whole truth behind these wings surprised me. Instead of being deep fried and then sauced as I've had from countless other restaurants in the past, these wings were actually barbecued on a grill and sauced. This was completely revolutionary for me. The meat takes on a smokey flavor and stays very tender, although one of the wings I had was over cooked and dried out. The wings were a standard Buffalo size as well. The sauce is a pleasantly sweet barbecue sauce, but after you sit for a minute, a distinct, but enjoyable spicy flavor builds up in your mouth. I would like to see a more even saucing, as some wings were drenched while others were practically bare. The sauce seems to be added while the wings are on the grill instead of when they're done, because on some of the wings there were caramelized globs of barbecue sauce that are a real turn off. On the side was a small cup of ranch, which is pretty much useless when eating barbecue wings, and a couple of slices of cucumber instead of celery, which I have no explanation for.
In the search for authentic Buffalo style wings, Frog & Firkin is a dead end, but I have to praise the originality of these wings. I ordered two dozen and ate twenty of them, and the only thing that kept me from eating the last four was the women in my party who wanted to go get dessert. Far be it from me to try and get between a woman and dessert; I am not that brave. I have to give these wings a 4 out of 5 based on their originality. The small details are the only thing between these wings and great wings.

Check out their website here.
http://www.frogandfirkin.com/index.htm
520-623-7507

Also, here's a link for half off the price of an appetizer (which includes wings).
http://www.frogandfirkin.com/coupons.htm

Until next time, just wing it.