This week, we took on Salem’s, at the corner of 92 and MLK. I’ll be honest with you, I wasn’t stoked about Salem’s, as it kinda reminded me of a fast food place. Guess what? It was a fast food place, albeit one with pretty good wings . . .

“Today we tackled Salem’s Gyros & Subs. I had 10 hot buffalo chicken wings with a side of onion rings. I’m not sure why they ask “here or to-go?” because everything was served up in styro-foam ready to take away (Trav: this is pretty convenient). Whatever (Don’t whatever me - it is convenient). From ordering at the counter to sitting down eating took maybe four minutes. Seriously, I’ve seen drive-thru burger joints run slower. The quality of the chicken wasn’t great. Some of the drumettes were very small (That’s what she said!). The wing pieces were better sized. The sauce smelled as though it was going to be very hot, but on the scoville scale, just measured at a normal hot to my taste. Overall I’d say the experience was a good one. Especially for a time crunched lunch. You could get in and out of there in no time and enjoy a decent wing. The sign boasted “open 365 days a year.” I guess now I know where to get a good hot wing meal on Thanksgiving or Christmas. They server platters of 100 wings too. Just what the holidays need (The holidays, do, in fact, need wings).”
–Steve

“Having driven past Salem’s Gyro shop many many times, I was confused when I found out that we would be eating there for Wingsday. When I arrived today, upon closer inspection, I noticed it was a fast food style establishment, even equipped with a drive thru. After I parked and walked in, I instantly knew that this would be a better place for take out rather than dine in. The dining area was maybe 20 feet wide by 50 feet long (that’s what she said), with not much room  (It really was kinda tiny, but I didn’t feel cramped.  Maybe that’s just me). Needless to say the tables were a bit crowded when surrounded by four grown men. Anywho, I placed my order. A number 6 platter. 10 wings and fries. I paid my bill and joined the guys while waiting for my food. I didn’t realize that a drink was not included. They should be more specific with that, because I thought “platter” meant everything I need to dine. Frustrated with the situation, I walked out to my car and drove away grabbed a bottle of water and returned to my lunch. The wings were pretty standard. Nothing special, except the ones that were cold (Mike ordered a few minutes after the rest of us - he probably got some of our leftovers). They tasted like every other mediocre wing tastes. They were decent in size. The fries were good. It was better than Ale Gator’s (At first, I disagreed with this - but I think he’s right). I would hardly rate this wing, or establishment, on a top list of places to dine, but I would eat there again (as long as it was take out).”
–Mike

“I’ve passed by Salem’s Gyro & Subs several times over the years. You really can’t miss the building since it’s quite colorful and tends to stand out (Seriously - it’s got flourescent lights and pink and blue accents - it slightly resembles a Miami Subs; are there still Miami Subs?).  It’s not in the greatest part of town, so I’ve never really given any consideration to stopping by, especially after dark. Wingsday occurs mostly during the daylight hours, so we gave it a shot. The restaurant was clean and although there were several people waiting for food, everything seemed well organized. I ordered the 10 wings and fries platter with a drink and paid under $10 which included free beverage refills. This is a fast food restaurant and the food came out in about 5 minutes. Many establishments openly advertise that it takes at least 20 minutes to thoroughly cook wings, so we (I had no concerns.  I’m brave like that) had some concerns about things being prepared so quickly. Regardless, when we picked up the food it seemed well cooked and we dug right in. The wings were cooked to a light crispy texture and had a very distinct flavor unlike any other wing that I’ve had. The sauce had a hint of sweetness and the hot flavor was a little too much on the medium side, but overall they tasted pretty good. The size of the actual wings were a medium large, but the drumsticks were quite small. We also noticed that we got about 12 to 14 pieces of chicken instead of just 10, which was a nice bonus. The fries were good and the shrimp that one of the guys ordered to share was not bad either. Although everything was pretty good about the experience, there was nothing great about it. I would give it an overall rating of 2.8 out of 5 stars.”
–Shawn

I would definitely eat there again, dine-in or take out.  The subs looked good, and the wings were definitely passable.

Stay tuned, as next week, we’ll be releasing the first official rankings from the Wingsday crew.  It’ll be like the BCS, only, you know, without football teams and computers.