Chicken Fight!
Plucker's Wing Bar
WingStop
I know I’ve twittered on the topic in the past, while I was pretty firmly in the Wing Stop camp, yet the Plucker’s upstart had some great wings and great flavors. I went from there to undeciced, but I have to say I’ve finally made my decision. Against every ounce of decency in me, I have to say that my new wing stop isn’t Wing Stop… it’s that dastardly, in-your-face, not afraid to create near-vulgar puns– Austin-based corporate franchise, Plucker’s! Or more properly “Plucker’s Wing Bar”. I actually preferred the old name, Plucker’s Wing Bar & Grill (or something to that effect).
I admit it! I am not a fan of the stupid and near vulgar signs on the walls, or the menus, and I’m forbidden from taking my son to the place (nor would I want to, except on “Kid’s Eat Free” day at the Round Rock location– however, I adhere to the wifely edict). The place is laced with signs & phrases that are nearly vulgar (at least to me), and the tea is waaay overpriced ($2.15!!); however, the wings are the best quality (in terms of size and structure) and the available flavors are superb. An exampled of the near-vulgarity? Check out their blog, titled “Mother Plucking Blog”. Peruse if you will, but the restaurant menus (at least the ones in Round Rock) and the Plucker’s restaurant culture convey the same feeling. Now do I want my son reading, much less saying this type stuff? Of course not– hence, we don’t visit as a family.
As I mentioned, this probably isn’t the best place to go for a family outing. It’s pretty much a sports bar, but it does have booths and tables too. They have a television on every wall (and I mean every wall), play music fairly loud, and of course they have a bar that’s at least seperated from the main inside eating area (at least in Round Rock). It’s saving grace for me is that at lunch, the atmosphere doesn’t feel like a bar / pick-up joint, nor is it too sportsy. There’s no better wing, unless you just can’t get enough of Wing Stop’s Cajun (Plucker’s cajun doesn’t hold a candle to Wing Stop’s cajun flavor). But Plucker’s Buffalo Hot and Spicy Ranch are good runners up– the fact they have a ‘all you can eat’ special on Monday’s, and if you sign up for the “Plucker’s Card Lite” or “Plucker’s Card” you get either 5% or 10% off (in Round Rock on Monday’s the discount is doubled).
So what made me decide to choose this place over the much family-friendlier Wing Stop? The wings!! THE WINGS! Not just the quality of Plucker’s wings, but also the experience that I’ve had with Wing Stop’s wings. I don’t want this to come across negatively– my experience with the local Wing Stop is that they chicken wings seem quite a bit smaller, and the bones are too often broken (for me)– this is something that irritates me, as it makes for an unpleasant wing-eating experience. The other thing I like? Being waited on. Plucker’s has a waitstaff, and wingstop doesn’t. Yes, this means adding 15-20% to the ticket, but Plucker’s has a ‘club card’ where you can get points for every dollar you spend, effectively creating a 10% or 20% off– or I hear more if you’re in military uniform– which effectively offsets the waitstaff price. Wing Stop does not have a waitstaff (and no required tipping, although they do have a tipping jar). The chicken is plump, meaty, flavorful, and you can get stuff besides wings. One of my non-wing favorites is the Buffulo Chicken Salad (with Buffulo Hot chicken tenders and Ranch). They also have wonderful appetizers, and some say deserts. Let’s put it this way– if you can fry it, chances are Plucker’s probably has tried it and serves it. Fried Twinkies? Yep (ugh!). Fried pickles? Yummy! Fried mushrooms? They’re grand! Homemade potato chips? Wonderful with the toppings and blue cheese dressing (real chunks of blue chees)! Waffle fries, if you like ‘em (I don’t care for waffle fries myself). Did I mention their fried pickle? As an aside, this is one of the few places that I’ve found that serve them well in Austin– Plucker’s, Chez Zee, and Texas Land and Cattle–Chez Zee for pickle medallions, and Plucker’s (and TxL&C) for the spears– in my opinion, the spears cut is the best, and Plucker’s breading sticks to the pickles fairly well and tastes very good.
So here I am, blathering on. I just have to say that Plucker’s has become my standard lunch fare when I walk out of the office in Round Rock. They haven’t paid me for this review (and they haven’t a clue that I have this website). I really like Wing Stop– they’re cheaper when getting just the wings and they have wonderful flavors. Plus, I feel a connnection withthem, as they were a part of my Atkin’s diet when I lost 90# before I got married. However, I like a sit down serving atmosphere, and the quality of Plucker’s wings, in my opinion, exceeds those of the competition. Wing Stop however, is the place to go if you’re looking for wings on the go (i.e., To Go)– they know how to pack wings so that they don’t mix sauces (if you get more than one flavor), and you don’t have to wait in a bar to pick them up. And it’s always fourteen minutes from the time you hang up the phone to the time they’re ready (unless you ask them to have them ready at another time).
Don’t cry Wing Stop. Your fries are two hundred times better than Plucker’s… who likes potato waffles?? And you can order online (something that Plucker’s doesn’t offer at this time).
Why am I putting this out there? Since I got married in 2005, I’ve put too much weight back on and am now going back to a modified Atkins diet. Plucker’s (and Wing Stop) will likely be a part of that when I consume chicken.
Updated 31 Dec 2009
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