Glendale Heights eatery serves up comfort food - and plenty of it
Don't come to the WingTown Grill on a diet. Or with a heart condition.
After all this is a joint that proudly displays pictures of diners able to eat their Quadruple Bypass burger in 30 minutes.
Salads are garnished with bacon and crisps. Burgers come with both onion rings and fries. And did I mention the Cheese Burger Salad?
Owner and restaurant developer Dominick Voso, who hails from the Bartlett area, opened the eatery nine months ago in a Glendale Heights strip mall seeking to capitalize on the popularity of wings, manager Dayna Voso, Dominick's wife, explained.
Decorated in red and black with exposed pipes, the restaurant is a combination sports bar and diner featuring the classic long counter with stools, while overhead several big-screen TVs show Cubs and Sox games.
I stopped in with my husband on a weeknight. For appetizers, we ordered onion rings and the "signature" Cheesy Garlic Parmesan French Fries.
The rings are breaded versus battered and have a crisp sweetness that's irresistible. The Parmesan fries are decent but didn't have the big garlic punch I craved to cut the richness.
Hoping to appease the nutrition gods, we got salads and found them OK but the lettuce seemed a little tired.
Lettuce may do little to distract from WingTown's four levels of bypass burgers ranging in price from $10.99 to $25.99 for the quadruple, which contains a stunning eight slices of cheese, 16 slices of bacon and four patties.
There's also a build-your-own burger option with a huge number of choices, which beside the usual suspects include hard-boiled eggs, grilled pineapple rings and marmalade.
My husband opted for the Single Bypass Burger. It was a bit overdone, but the overall package won him over.
So what about the wings? I ordered the 2-pound Wing Sampler for $15.99 that includes four choices of sauces. I chose mild, hot, the WingTown sauce and BBQ.
We recently stayed overnight in Buffalo and had some fantastic wings there, so my standard was pretty high. Some places have a tendency to overcook the little guys, resulting in a tough, dry product.
Fortunately, WingTown's wings were great - juicy, plump, falling nicely off the bone. (They also have boneless wings, but really - what's the point?)
The WingTown sauce was a mixture of medium, honey mustard and BBQ - I found it a little schizophrenic and would recommend the classic mild, medium or hot Buffalo sauce. Orders came with a generous helping of celery and blue cheese dressing and there are a number of sauces to choose from.
Our waitress was pleasant and Voso also popped by to see if all was well.
Desserts seem more of an afterthought here and no wonder given the massive quantities of food you get. There are sundaes, brownies and cookies. We tried a brownie and peanut butter cookie - good but not spectacular.
To quench your thirst, WingTown offers a variety of macro- and microbrews, including a great deal on the always tasty Fat Tire, which goes fabulously with a plate of wings.
I'd enjoy returning to watch a Bears game over wings and a Fat Tire. Turns out, I wouldn't be alone.
"Adults love football season here; they come and have wings and a beer and watch games on our big screens," Dayna said.
As for the Quadruple Bypass - I'll leave it to the big-time carnivores.
<p class="factboxheadblack">WingTown Grill</p> <p class="News">1177 Bloomingdale Road, Glendale Heights, (630) 588-8100</p> <p class="News"><b>Cuisine:</b> American</p> <p class="News"><b>Setting:</b> Casual dining, perfect for sports fans</p> <p class="News"><b>Hours:</b> 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.</p> <p class="News"><b>Price range:</b> Appetizers $3.99 to $8.99; salads $5.50 to $9.50; entrees $8.49 to $25.99</p>