If there was one Midwest/East Coast culinary tradition that I missed most when living in California, it was wings.  Buffalo wings in Canton Ohio are the sushi of San Diego – they’re everywhere.  As with ice cream stands, everyone seems to have their favorite.  It is my humble, amateur-foodie opinion that Roosters has the best wings around.  Therefore, Rooster’s definitely makes the rotation, especially being Dave’s absolute favorite spot.  But it works out perfectly because I love it too.  Canton also has Quaker Steak & Lube, which is pretty fantastic for wings….that is, until you discover Rooster’s.  And yes, it’s a chain, but a small one, and for some reason feels very local to Canton.  So we frequent the place with reckless abandon.  No better place to relax, eat, drink, and unwind from a hectic day at work.

It’s definitely fun to go on a Monday evening in the summertime and see a car show outside.  They always look so beautiful and shiny, sitting there all in a row.  Every time I go to a car show, I wish I had an old car – it’s kind of like going to bike night at The Lube and wishing you owned a Harley.

So onto the inside, Roosters has a distinctively masculine interior.  I’m pretty sure every square inch of this place is covered in wood, so it’s very loud.  Other than that, I like it.  TV’s everywhere keep you entertained with the latest in sports, so it’s no wonder men love this place.  It’s always crowded and the all-female wait staff (again, no wonder men love it) are chatty (in a good way) and welcoming.

We are sadly predictable and order almost exactly the same thing every time we go.  Well, I should say we used to order the same thing: mac-and-cheese bites (fried mac and cheese with sour cream on the side), which were crazy good.  But we’ve gone healthy – correction, healthier.  Yes instead of the fried goodness, we’ve substituted a crouton and cheese covered salad.  (Baby steps, right?)  Their salads are great and obviously not much of a sacrifice, especially with the Roosters red dressing.  Don’t know what’s in it, but it’s homemade and ultra tasty.

Of course they have a great selection of beers, with Dortmunder and Blue Moon on tap (which is all DZ and I need to stay happy).

Onto the main event.  The main draw to Roosters’ wings is their size (insert jokes); they are the biggest wings you’ll find.  Period.  They are crunchy, juicy, saucy, and meaty, creating just the right combination of textures and flavors.  They have many sauces to choose from, with various levels of heat.  We lie in the light to moderate range (i.e. we are huge wussies) in terms of spice tolerance, so Garlic and Carolina Gold are our two favorites – the garlic is full of flavor and surprisingly not over-the-top garlic-ie, with just the right amount of heat.  Carolina Gold is a little sweet, not very hot, almost honey mustard-ish with a delightful tang.  Dip in blue cheese and thank me later!

So the moral of the story here is that yes, Canton has plenty of wingies to choose from, but for us it’s all about Roosters.  They have a whole other menu too, if wings aren’t your thing, and I’ve yet to have anything average.  Great food, very reasonable prices, fantastic service, and comfortable atmosphere, especially if you like sports and killer wings.