My mom often makes similar comments about the price of wings. As a kid, we often had fried chicken wings for dinner. I always thought it was a treat. I didn’t realize it was also a way that mom could feed a family of seven for very little money. They were a “butcher’s cut”, cheap parts that you could get for next to nothing.
We also ate a lot of beef shanks (makes a good pot roast), another once cheap cut that’s gotten pricey.
I’m not a huge fan of most wing places. Usually there’s too much breading for my liking, and some of the sauces get kind of silly in their heat level, IMHO. What’s the point of eating a chicken wing if the Nuclear/Death Sauce if all that you can taste?
For me, the best hot wing is a perfect balance of crispy, salty, and tangy-hot. Seasoned flour for the coating, deep-fried until golden and crunchy, then tossed in a sauce made of melted butter and a splash or two of Frank’s hot sauce (I prefer the vinegary tang of those kind of pepper sauces to straight Tabasco).
Celery sticks and homemade bleu cheese dip on the side.