Buffalo Wild Wings, referred to as "B-Dubs" by frequent visitors, has the distinction of being the key component of the Downtown Mall revitalization. Even though it's part of a restaurant chain, B-Dubs is locally owned and has been in Mankato since before the brand took off nationally. Starting as Buffalo Wild Wings and Weck (BW3), the current sports bar/restaurant has expanded to include a large patio and private party room. B-Dubs also has an impressive standing in the community, partnering with various other businesses to spread delicious wing-age to the masses.
Properly briefed? Good, let's get to the mission!
Mission Report: Dinnertime!
I decided to start off with the Popcorn Shrimp appetizer - which you can get with cocktail sauce or any of the many BWW dipping sauces.
These shrimp are really what popcorn shrimp should taste like! The breading is crispy and has a great mix of seasonings. Plus, each one is a full shrimp; nothing chopped up or formed into a ball like some other places. As with most shrimp platters, you pay a little extra to experience the sea -- but if you like shrimp, it's worth it. Unfortunately, this app also comes with fries I didn't expect. B-Dubs added these fries to their meals a while ago, apparently pairing them at every opportunity. It's as bad of an idea for their menu as dropping the "Weck" from their name was a good idea for the brand. The fries are just bland - a complete lack of seasoning makes them one-step above a filler, and the consistency has never been... consistent.
For our main courses, I had the Black'n'Bleu Burger (w/ fries, again!) and my cohort got the Ribs and Boneless Wings combo with onion rings instead of the fries (she's a smart one).
B-Dubs has a lot of great burger options, but none is better than their blue cheese mixed with Cajun spices. The burger itself is a good-sized chunk of beef on a soft bun, 'bottomed' with tomatoes, onions, and lettuce. I'd prefer some leafy romaine lettuce, but their chopped iceberg does just fine. Avoid the fries and replace them with either onion rings or buffalo wedges!
The combo meals on the Buffalo Wing Wings menu are the priciest options available, but may be what you're looking for if you are really hungry! Even though B-Dubs has an impressive array of over a dozen different sauces ranging from the uber-mild to their multi-alarm "Blazin" sauce (my fav is Parmesan Garlic), they've added 4 new dry-rub sauces to their repertoire. My cohort selected Desert Dry Heat as her rub of choice for the boneless wings - a nice bit of spice, but it wasn't overpowering. As with most wings, blue cheese always makes things better - this was no exception. The ribs are juicy and have a light barbecue taste - though yummy, I do wish they had a little more meat on the bones.
You might notice the lack of onion rings with the meal above. They brought it out with buffalo wedges, but quickly put in an order for rings once we pointed out the problem. To be fair, it wasn't really a problem because both are tasty options, but we really wanted to review the onion rings! The buffalo wedges with the meal were delicious - these are well-seasoned and crispy on the outside and the perfect kind of mushy on the inside. If you want to bump the yummy up a notch, ask for them with melted cheese! The onion rings are those classic diner-type rings, made from full-sized sliced onions and battered in golden glory.
Mission Summary: Experience and Scoring
While B-Dubs has room for lot of patrons, this can sometimes be their downfall. Like many sports bars, when it's busy...mistakes are made. Waiting a while to get our orders in and for the food to come out is mildly frustrating, but to be expected in a packed restaurant with a large group. Overall, they were quite accommodating and the front-house manager checked in to make sure we were happy a couple of times. If your goal is to chow down on some good food and watch coverage of the local athletic team taking a pounding, B-Dubs is your place. However, don't expect to be able to hold a conversation of any kind with the people next to you, let alone your buddy four seats down. Buffalo Wild Wings gives you the stability and conformity of a chain restaurant with the feel of a local haunt. Here's how our scores breakdown:
Ambiance - 1 2 3 4 5
(4 if you want a Sports Bar)
Speed of Service - 1 2 3 4 5
Taste - 1 2 3 4 5
Menu Selection - 1 2 3 4 5
Quality - 1 2 3 4 5
and finally, the Covert Diners "patented" Bang-for-your-Buck meter (measuring the price you pay to what you get out of it):
$$$ 1 2 3 4 5 Bang!
Mission Complete
Are you trying to find Oxnard's Best Pizza Restaurant? Next, you should go to Topper's Pizza. One of the pizza restaurants in the US that is expanding quickly is this one. Roll out the Toppers Pizza menu and prices in advance to make your choose. Customers will laud Toppers Pizza Place's quality and ingredients.
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