February 20, 2008

Okay.  Through a confluence of fluky events, we weren’t sure we’d have a full cadre of reviewers today.  Concerned with making sure we provide you, the reader, with a well rounded perspective, we decided to take our “skeleton” crew to Decisions again.  Decisions was the early leader in Wingsday, so what better place to regroup.  Plus, we can see if the first visit was a fluke.  It wasn’t.  Bring on the reviews:

“Upon hearing my Wingsday Debut would be at Decisions, I couldn’t help but feel apprehensive. I’ve driven past this place more times than I care to count, and never gave it a second thought. However, my preconceived notions were all put aside when I arrived; greeted by friendly wait staff and entering a clean, well-lit “Bar & Grill” whose lunchtime ambience was pleasant and inviting. Aside from the typical bar paraphernalia adorning the walls, once I was seated and eating, Decisions bared more of a resemblance (in daylight hours) to a mom-and-pop diner than a true Bar.

Overall, the wings were very tasty; cooked through, crispy, and with just enough sauce to keep the meat tender and moist, without being a sloppy, dripping, suck-your-chicken-through-a-straw, sopping mess.

The Raspberry Wings had me torn. As much as I was (unsurprisingly) not impressed with my first bite, they were like a bad accident; I just had to keep going back. The sweet berry taste made a pleasant “palate cleanser” in between garlicy or spicy wings. I still stand indifferent on this particular flavor. If offered, I would gladly chow down on a few in between Hot Wings… however, ordering a plate solely comprised of these wings may leave you asking for the peanut butter and white bread – and asking your mommy to cut the crusts off your PB&Wing Sandwich. 2 Stars.

The Cajun Garlic Wings were very good. A dryer wing – but in a good way – enough flavor without having to drench the chicken in gallons of sauce. More “garlic” and less “Cajun” however; lacking the kick that I had expected. Overall, a definite re-order for me. 4 Stars.

The traditional Hot Wing served up by Decisions was excellent. Enough spice for a little kick – but not so much spice that eating them dulls your taste buds. There’s plenty of underlying flavor that does not compete with the spiciness of the sauce, making an overall great choice. I’d return for this wing alone. 5 Stars.

The Teriyaki Wing is the only place that I feel Decisions faltered. Not that they were BAD, but they just really didn’t do anything for me. Again, the wings themselves were cooked well, crispy, and eye-pleasing; but the flavor was just not enough to get me going. If you like sweet or Asian-style, these may suit you just fine. 1.5 Stars.

The final selection was recommended by our pleasant, talkative, attentive waitress. The Hot/Honey/Teriyaki concoction was a bit much at first bite. Rather than melding together, I felt the flavors almost competing in my mouth; as if it were an Immunity Challenge in Survivor: Tongue Island. [Alternate Joke: “as if Officer Krupke was breaking up a rumble between the Jets and the Sharks in the alley behind my lips.”] Both my first and second attempts at enjoying these wings were squelched by the flavor Battle-Royale which ensued. However, while talking with my fellow Wingmen, I realized that I had been instinctively eating these continually without a second thought – so I must have enjoyed them on some level. 2.5 Stars.”
–Scottie

“I originally was told we were going to Champs, which made me very excited. About 20 minutes before I left to meet the guys I was informed that we were going to Decisions Bar instead. I’ll be honest…I was a little disappointed when I heard the news because I haven’t been to
Champs in years and was ready to have a little rendezvous. Alas, I showed up to Decisions and was surprised that the atmosphere was relatively clean and smokeless, contrary to the gossip I had heard. As always, I was late due to a meeting at work, but the guys had already ordered and started in. We split something like 60 or 70 wings between us. Here is the official breakdown -
Hot: good flavor, not tangy (thats a positive statement), not enough sauce
Teriyaki: not going to lie, these sucked
Cajun garlic: I have a good benchmark on these due to Bedrock’s last week. These were much better.
Raspberry: This is a very interesting concept. Fry the wing. Coat it with Smucker’s…or something like that. Not great but also not awful. Maybe a good dessert wing.
Hot honey teriyaki: I actually liked these the more I ate them. Due, however, to the teriyaki not being that great, I think these would have been better if they were hot honey garlic. That way you have a spice, sweet, and savory flavor.

The wings at Decisions were nice and crispy. They were cooked really well. They told us that due to the Daytona 500 they ran out of their usual wings and were using something else until they restocked. I guess they were a little smaller, so they gave us more than we ordered, but I
have nothing to base that against. The server was very good. She wasn’t your typical suck up kind of server you find in a Chili’s or something. She actually had a personality…and could put up with all of are crap. As of yet, Decisions is headlining this Polk County tour
for wings. Why are we only in Polk County? Central Florida here we come!”
–Mike

“The discerning tastes of Wingsday.com reviewers was called into question indirectly by some “pro” food critic at The Ledger in the Timeout’s dining section Thursday, February 7th. We at Wingsday take offence and would like to set the record straight here. Allow me to rebuff one Lenore Devore’s review.

Decisions Bar & Grill remains top-of-the-heap in the Lakeland area for chicken wings. The fresh aroma delights the senses as soon as you walk in the door. The only thing smokin in Decisions are the hot wings and serving staff. They could not be more accommodating and friendly. The wings are made fresh, so each order takes a full 20 minutes to prepare. If you get them any quicker — send them back, you can never be too careful. Decisions offers many tantalizing flavors including raspberry, Cajun garlic, honey bbq, and teriyaki. The standard hot are the best in town, but the raspberry and Cajun garlic deserve honorable mention. Service always comes with a smile at Decisions, and I assure you that you’ll leave with one too. Vince and Sheila, to you we tip our hat. 14 stars.

Lenore, I’m not saying I don’t trust you, and I’m not saying I do. But I don’t.”
–Steve

I can’t help but think how happy I’d be if you showed up at my house with ANY of the wings Decision’s served us. Hot, fresh, flavorful; and different in a creative way (as far as their take on “hot” or “cajun garlic”). I have not had better wings than we had here. The competition will have to be pretty good to top this.

That’s it for this week! See you next Wingsday!