If I ask you to name a food appropriate for most occasions and your answer is likely to be chicken wings. Their universal popularity makes them a welcome menu item as well as the feature of many fierce competitions. I have judged several throughout my career, and each contest delivers new, exciting flavors, creative cooking techniques, and bold new sauces.
With Hooters, Buffalo Wild Wings, Wing Stop and others, South Florida has no shortage of chains churning out subpar, fast food type wings. Thankfully, Breaded or Not is not one of them. It’s a concept developed by Mr. Myself, aka Chef Maurice from West Palm Beach and it’s not your average wing by a long shot because unlike the others, their menu includes SMOKED WINGS.
We ordered several items and enjoyed just about everything. For starters, I had the Garlic Lemon Pepper SMOKED WINGS! LISTEN TO ME, these wings were amazing. In addition to being healthier, smoking produces a more robust flavor than frying.
When chefs, cooks, and pit masters dedicate the time necessary for the arduous smoking process, couple that with the pride they exude, and the result is magical. Well, that is exactly what we experienced, magically smoked and flash fried chicken wings. In keeping with the healthy benefits of smoking, chef agreed to my request to skip the frying on our next visit. To taste what I tasted, however, save the healthy for your second visit and indulge in the smoked/flash fried version. Also, I would get the mac and cheese or the rice over the fries any day.
The Smoked Garlic Lemon Pepper was my absolute favorite with the Smoked Lemon Pepper Buffalo coming in second. The flavors were very pronounced and incredibly juicy, thanks to chef brining the chicken prior to smoking it; a process that maintains the meat’s tender, moist interior.
Although the fried wings were good, the flavor from the smoked wings was more intense, which I preferred. I sampled the very tasty fried Honey Garlic, which was heavy on the honey flavor and not so much on the garlic. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the honey was REAL honey, not watered-down reflections of the real thing.
The Florida-Carolina reminded me of a mix between Carolina Gold and Blue Front BBQ sauce in a sweet and tangy mashup that I found both delicious and slightly addictive, because I love Blue Font’s BBQ sauce.
The menu includes fried shrimp that, like virtually anything they serve, can be smoked if requested far enough in advance. I enjoyed the crunchy fried shrimp with the in-house batter and delectable dipping sauce. I didn’t know beforehand, but you can kick it up a notch by having your shrimp tossed any of their homemade sauces! On my next visit, I’ll have mine tossed in at least two of their delicious sauces.
The side items included an incredibly scrumptious, decadent baked cheesy mac and cheese and a seasoned white rice with chopped veggies that will have you do a double take. It looks like white rice with little veggie cubes, but the taste greatly surpasses anything you anticipate.
We finished things off with their house made dessert. Good God Almighty! The fried Monkey bread is state fair worthy with a delicious glaze that encapsulated the dough for a slightly crisp outside and soft inside. The cinnamon sugar crystallizes from the heat of the fried dough and creates an addictive sweet and crispy exterior. Ultimately, it tastes like a chewier, denser, and slightly less crispy cinnamon roll that you owe it to yourself to experience.
They are open WEEKEND’S ONLY! Opens each Friday from 7:00pm – 1:00am, Saturday 12:30pm – 1:00am, and on Sundays from 12:30pm – 7:00pm. You can reach them at (561) 614-5688 or visit them 2055 Spruce Avenue, West palm beach, FL 33407 or place your order online at www.breadedornot.com or visit @breaded_or_not on Instagram.
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