The Best Damn Chicken Wings in Connecticut
Or, Magic While Road Tripping
It was a long Sunday, Traveler. I’d driven for about five hours at this point.
I’d planned the road trip out forever ago. I even started the journey at a point. My ill-fated voyage came to an end outside of New York City, when the radiator in The Antelope finally quit. Rest in Peace, Antelope.
After driving five hours in a rented Jeep Cherokee I made it into Easton Connecticut. The first thing I had on my list of things to do was to finish a ghost hunt that I’d started two years ago in Union Cemetery. The ghost hunt was a success! But now I had to race north to beat the dark and the closing time for my next stop. I was due in Plainville, Traveler, at Pheonix(sic) Moon Occult Gifts.
Yes, I checked it twice as well.
Pheonix Moon falls under the category of my favorite kind of shop: metaphysics/curiosity. I had some gifts to pick up and some stories to share and I was able to do both! Traveler if you’re ever in Plainville, Connecticut, Pheonix Moon is definitely a must stop.
But I had another problem I failed to plan for. I was in Connecticut on a Sunday and it was 7 p.m.
Oh no, the fabled blue laws of Connecticut! I hadn’t eaten all day! What was even still open?
All around me, restaurants closed. The shopping center with the Mexican restaurant and pizza place was a ghost town, pun not intended, as they both cut their lights off for the evening. I got in my rental car and used a quick Google Map search.
And that’s where our story really begins, Traveler.
I found a place ten minutes away open for another 90 minutes. But when I checked the reviews, I found nothing but astonishing praise for this place.
That place I found, Traveler, is J. Timothy’s Taverne(sic).
The history of the restaurant, which I’ll be citing from their own history page, is in itself a point of interest. The building dates all the way back to 1789 and in 1795 it opened as a Tavern after being purchased by John Cooke and stayed a tavern until 1934, when Cooke’s great-great-grandson, according to the site, turned it into a full service restaurant.
Apparently, ESPN had their first ever press conference at Cooke’s. Life can be funny when you stop and think about history, Traveler.
So, we have the history which in itself is interesting. But then I learned about their Dirt Wings. I won’t spoil the history there, Traveler. At that point I’m just reading from the website.
But I will mention some trophies, hardware if you will, that those dirt wings have won.
This is from the accolades page. Some of these impressive awards include:
- one of the 21(sic) best wing joints in the country, according to Buzzfeed. (I found them under an article of 22 wing joints. They were number 2. The Buzzfeed link is posted above.)
- Food Network Top Five Bar Foods
- The Daily Meal-America’s Best Buffalo Wings (#2)
- And more, but check the accolades page for that.
I look at my phone’s Chrome browser in my car and think, I have to try these wings.
With that, I input a destination to J. Timothy’s and head ten minutes up the road.
The original Cooke’s Tavern is a nice, big building that’s well lit off of the side of a long strip of Connecticut roadway. It has a warm feel to it. There were a lot of cars when I went, Traveler. The parking lot is hug and I still had to wait a moment to grab a space. It’s popular.
Upon entry I was greeted by the host and informed that my best bet would be a seat at the bar. I nodded and made my way into the the tavern section of the restaurant.
Yes, that original 1795 Cooke’s Tavern, and I got to sit in it.
I pulled up a stool and waited for the bartender who was very nice and very friendly to an out-of-town adventurer like me. As she took my order, a six-piece dirt wings with a side of fries and a Diet Coke, she gave me a friendly smile and I turned my attention to the big screen television behind the bar. The Las Vegas Raiders were blowing out the New York football Giants.
Strangely, whenever I try and eat at a local tavern, a Raiders game is usually on the television. I believe in synchronicity, Traveler. I’m just not sure what it means here other than I should probably move to Vegas.
Yeah, that sounds correct.
But back to the beast coast. The atmosphere of J. Timothy’s is incredible. It’s busy, but not packed tight like a sardine can. The locals are friendly and boisterous, yet not annoying and there’s always enough space.
And as I watched the Raiders lay it on the Giants, my wings and fries came out. I picked up a flat and bit right into it.
I had high expectations for these chicken wings, Traveler, and somehow those expectations were exceeded.
As promised, the wings were crispy and caramelized on the outside, bathed in sauce just how I like them. But once I bit through the skin, Traveler, I found this incredibly soft and succulent chicken that I couldn’t get enough of.
Baking the wings twice made the meat just fall off the bone.
This is what traveling, road trips, and adventures are all about. Finding the things that you weren’t looking for in unexpected ways is absolutely the slice of life.
Or maybe, these things find us instead.
All I know is that I ate one of the best meals of my entire life one cold, dark Sunday night in Plainville Connecticut when there were no other options. And that night I was the luckiest man on earth.
Should I end up back in Connecticut, which is quite likely, I’ll be sure to pay homage to the great J. Timothy’s, and their wings. Those same wings which are among the best in the entire country.
Until again,
Safe Travels
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