Just a few short weeks after LocalBozo.com crowned the winner of the Brooklyn’s finest Buffalo wings in our Wing Bowl, the Greenpoint sports and beer emporium (and winner of said contest) Red Star hosted their official tasty yet competitive third annual, ‘Best Wings in Brooklyn Competition’ this past Saturday. The sprawling layout of the two story bar packed it in with all of the borough’s heavy hitters. The popularity of the yearly wing event hit it’s paramount this past weekend as the line stretched further outside down the street than ever before. But once inside, guests of the free event knew the wait was worth it, as they chowed down on a cornucopia of that spicy chicken treat we all love.

Many of the usual suspects returned to engage in battle for the 2012 title but instead of resting on their laurels, they elevated their wings to exciting new levels. Back for a redux, The Bean Post Pub of Bay Ridge made the trek to Greenpoint with their ‘Bayou’ inspired wing. The wing itself was expertly cooked with its meat falling off the bone as if it were slow cooked. Although the wing itself was terrific, it was the blue cheese that impressed us most of all. Bean Post makes their blue cheese dip from scratch everyday and with each bite, we got huge chunks that were both delicious and extremely fresh. Meanwhile, Bushwick’s Life Cafe prepared the only ‘hot’ Buffalo wing of the event, bringing a substantial batch of their ‘Brutal’ wings. Each bite carried with it some great heat, but thankfully didn’t leave us gasping for a glass of milk to temper the temperature of our mouths. Even hosts Red Star were back, serving up their sweet “raspberry bbq” varietal- a syrupy, sesame seeded wing, as meaty as any cooked up all day long.

Williamsburg sports outpost Mullholland’s boldly switched up their wing style for the competition from last year. Known for having one of the best traditional hot wings in all of New York City, they switched gears to a dry rub wing, with a lime garnish. Our crew couldn’t get enough of these and made several return trips to their table. The squeeze of lime over the freshly cooked meat provided a sweet and sour contrast to the dry rub which was loaded with brilliant flavor and these meaty wings proved no match for our seemingly endless appetite. Perennial favorite Bonnie’s of Park Slope was the subject of much debate at our table- as we wavered back and forth over which wing was king. Serving up the most traditional Buffalo style wing of the day, Bonnie’s stood atop the pack for its consistency and its excellence. No borough wide wing contest would be complete without Bonnie’s, and their spicy, saucy wing on this day reinforced their supremacy.

The competition was fierce and just about every wing we sampled blew us away. Perhaps the best part of the afternoon (aside from the fact that the event was completely free to the public) was that each wing was so distinct; if one was sweet, the other was spicy; if one was crispy, the other was soft and meaty. And it gave attendees to taste some of the tastiest comfort fare from areas of Brooklyn where they’ve likely never been. We certainly had our favorites but in the end the panel of well informed judges, including Brooklyn Borough President, Marty Markowitz would choose a winner. And after much deliberation, Crown Heights’ Super Wings came away as the big winner of the day- a decision that we roundly endorsed. Super Wings came with not only the biggest crew of the event, but also some of the most innovative wings of the day. Their ‘Pineapple Jerk’ supplied sweet fruit flavors with a nice back end of heat, while the ‘Ginger Buff’ had a true blue ginger root flavor that would fit perfectly next to a piece of sushi.

After the last wing was devoured and the winner celebrated their much deserved victory, it was time to head off with a stomach filled with amazing chicken and great memories. And as a cherry on top of this fantastic event, a portion of the proceeds of the day are being donated to benefit the Dr. Theodore Atlas Foundation, an organization that works tirelessly to provide free medical care to children in need. So in the end it looks like everyone won on Saturday. Well, except for maybe the chickens.

- Jay Rubin