Ever seen the show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives where that guy who looks like someone you’d never want to meet gets to do most of America’s dream job and travel around the country eating greasy food for a living? I have. I’ve seen a lot of it.
A few times, that guy has been to St. Louis for the show. He’s been to the Shaved Duck which I reviewed in December. He’s also been to Highway 61 Roadhouse which happens to be very close to my house.
I’ve been to this place a number of times and I’m pretty sure I’ve eaten their wings before. It’s kind of surprising that they haven’t been reviewed here before. But here we are.
Highway 61 Roadhouse is some kind of cajun/creole-bbq hybrid, and like many hybrid restaurants and their menu is too large to be manageable. The walls are covered in blues (music, not the sports team) and alcohol memorabilia. They often have music and when I visited on Thursday I accidentally participated in all but the last round of a very nice free trivia event. Their selection of beers on tap is sufficient and everyone should be able to find something to their liking.
While I find large menus overwhelming, discouraging, and generally a harbinger of mediocre quality or regret, I’m not sure I’ve ever had a bad dish from Highway 61. The only regrets I ever feel when I leave is that I’ve eaten too much or spent a little too much money. Such was the case with this visit as well.
As far as their wing offerings, here’s what the menu says:
“Over a pound of jumbo wings smoked or lightly coated & fried. Tossed in your choice of one of our homemade sauces (mild to hot): served with carrots & gorgonzola dressing; (listed mildest to hottest) honey bourbon glaze, bbq, crossroads, hot, voodoo, Louisiana lucifer.”
So, 2 cooking options x 6 sauces = 12 varieties. I asked the waitress what the difference between Louisiana Lucifer and Voodoo were, and I don’t remember what she said other than Louisiana Lucifer wings were hotter. After my visit to The Wood, I’ve officially given up my longstanding STL Wing Review policy of reviewing the standard “Hot” option first, and instead am just reviewing the one that sounds the most interesting.
In this case, I wanted to try the Louisiana Lucifer. And at my waitress’ suggestion, I ordered them smoked. I also got an order of gorgonzola waffle fries, because they are awesome.
By the time the wings came, I had probably filled up enough on the rich fries, but soldier on we must. The smoked wings are served unsauced with a cup on the side. I generally prefer my wings sauced, but in this case I’m glad they weren’t. These smoked wings are extremely delicious without sauce. They are well seasoned and smokey and tender and a bit crispy on the outside. Everything you’d want in a smoked wing.
The sauce cup was too damn small to adequately dip the wings in, so I ended up pouring the sauce on each wing individually. Not the most elegant solution, but it does the job alright I guess.
How about that sauce? Louisiana Lucifer sounds insanely spicy, doesn’t it? Louisiana is a place known for their hot sauces and Lucifer is a fallen angel known for living in a place that is burning all the time. This name suggests a sauce unfit for human consumption.
Fortunately for me, but unfortunately for our collective imaginations, I found the sauce to be very manageable in the spice department. I also found it to be very tasty. I didn’t eat that much of it though, to be honest, because I found the wings very tasty by themselves and I find saucing my own wings to be a nuisance. Yes, I’m lazy.
Anyway, the Smoked Louisiana Lucifer Wings at Highway 61 Roadhouse are very good, and I’d imagine any of their sauces would go well with the delicious flavor of these wonderful smoked wings. Whenever I get around to updating my quick guide these will be in the top section.