Frequently Asked Questions
| Q: | What are Buffalo Wings made of? |
| A: | They are wings de poulet, my dear Jessica, otherwise known as chicken wings. |
| Q: | How come they aren't just called Chicken Wings? |
| A: | Well, to tell you the truth, they ARE called "Chicken Wings" in Buffalo. Nobody calls them "Buffalo Wings" in Buffalo. It's only "outside" of city limits that you'll find them called "Buffalo Wings." |
| Q: | If nobody in Buffalo calls them "Buffalo Wings," why do the out-of-towners call them that? |
| A: | Whatever other restaurants may do wings, the original wings from the Anchor Bar were hot and spicy. We think the term is supposed to indicate that the wings are in the original style (i.e., hot-spicy) just like the wings made by Frank and Teressa's Anchor Bar. It's like Indian food. You don't make a vindaloo curry without hot chili peppers. |
| Q: | Is there a story about how the Anchor Bar originated the Buffalo/Chicken Wing? |
| A: | A lot of stories are circulated about this, as you might expect. Some say that the delivery truck delivered a bunch of wings by mistake to the restaurant and they were sitting awaiting return to the wholesalers ... when a group of people arrived late in the evening (the Anchor Bar is also a jazz club, open late on weekends) and at that late hour, there wasn't much to make ... except the wings. In any case, you still have to credit Teressa Bellissimo with her inspiring treatment of the darn things. Somehow, on that fateful night, Teressa's financial karma was kicked up a notch as it came face to face the collective bad karma of chickens everywhere, and she somehow managed to "wing it," creating a new dish that everyone who wasn't a vegetarian took an instant liking too. The rest is history. The spicy wing is still hot, and getting hotter (more popular, that is) ... everywhere you go. |
| Q: | Are Chicken Wings supposed to be served hot? |
| A: | Yes, and in more ways than one. They are supposed to be served at a hot temperature (not luke warm) because of the type of food that they are (fried food), which means, in short that they are at their peak flavor and intensity, at their moistest and most tender while still hot (in temperature). And secondly, if your are speaking about true "Buffalo Wings," they have to be spicey. They can be spicy mild, medium or hot (or very hot), but not devoid of spice, and not simply sweet or merely BBQ flavor. |
| Q: | Is that one reason why it's a good idea to make your own wings, over having them delivered? |
| A: | Well, yes, if you are purist. Wings that arrive cold and need to be heated up, don't taste as good as wings fresh cooked. Purists don't order wings to be delivered. Purists eat them at Anchor Bar (and sometimes right at the bar). Not only that, experienced purists who have tasted wings that sit around ten minutes waiting to be eaten, and have also tasted wings that are just a few minutes old, often tell the waitress to bring them right out as soon as they ready. None of this sitting around nonesense, getting old. So if you make your wings at home using Anchor Bar hot sauce, make sure you don't make them in advance, long before you plan on easting them. Eat them as soon as you've made them. Get the full impact! Eat them when they fresh made. It's a whole different thing. |
| Q: | Doesn't the Anchor Bar make a Honey BBQ wing now? |
| A: | Yes, but this still doesn't mean that non-spicy wings deserve to be thought of as the real Buffalo Wing experience. Sweet Chicken Wings have only been served at the Anchor Bar for a relatively short time. It was only after other places in Buffalo tried to put their own spin on the Chicken Wing that sweet BBQ wings started to become more common. Eventually, the Anchor Bar took on the BBQ Chicken Wing and started to manufacture a sweet BBQ sauce too. While they are no doubt popular and good, they are NOT what started this craze known as the "Buffalo Wing." No way! |
| Q: | Why does Quaker Bonnet sell Buffalo Wing sauce? |
| A: | Because Buffalonians all over the country look to us to give them the perfect Buffalo Mail-Order treats, and let's face it, Chicken Wings are good appetizer to set the stage for the grand finale ... our even more delicious Buffalo Chips (the Ultimate Macaroon ... dipped in Chocolate. Next time you treat your friends to Buffalo Wings and beer, remember to follow it with perfect finishing touch, Expresso and a Quaker Bonnet Buffalo Chips. |
| Q: | What's in the Anchor Bar Buffalo Wing Gift Box package? |
| A: | The gift box contains the ORIGINAL Buffalo Wing Sacue. There are three 12 oz bottles of Anchor Bar Sauce: Original, Hotter, and Suicide. |
| Q: | How hot and spicy are the sauces? |
| A: | What's hot to one person is another's "mild."
You know the story. You go into an Indian or Thai restaurant, and are asked if you want your food order "mild, medium or hot." You know from experience respons "hot" will NOT be taken seriously in the kitchen. At the Anchor Bar, most regulars don't often venture beyond Hot (the "Hotter" sauce). One would have to say that "Suicidal" bumps things up more than several notches. For non-westernized tongue, however, such as, for example, an Indian, however, raised on green chilies, the Suicidal should be just about right. Our suggestion is to make your first batch ... or half batch with mild, and to open that bottle of "hotter" and have it ready and waiting for the next batch. If your vindaloo curry is never hot enough for you no matter what restaurant you go to, then you're probably a candidate for "Suicidal" from the get go. |
| Q: | What does one serve with Buffalo Wings? |
| A: | Aside from Lipitor (just kidding), the traditional side dish is Celery and Creamy Blue Cheese dressing. Why? That's the sixty-four million dollar question! We don't know the reason. Perhaps you should ask the Anchor Bar, which started this tradition some years back. The real issue, actually is "Do I only dip just the celery sticks in the Blue Cheese dressing, or do I also dip in the wings in it?" Whatever floats your boat. Probably the hotter the sauce, the more likely it will be that will be dipping both the celery and wings in the dressing. Oh, yes. Don't forget to serve some Buffalo Chips for dessert! |
| Q: | Aren't "Buffalo Style" Chicken Wings unhealthy? |
| A: | The "wing" doesn't appear on the Dean Ornish "Reverse Your Heart Disease" diet. But friends, the Buddha recommended moderation, and in moderation, perhaps this food craze only makes the chicken an endangered species; not the human. There is an ever-growning fan club making the argument that in moderation, i.e., enjoyed "every now and then" in modest amounts, the Buffalo Wing is actually theraputic. Good for the soul? We don't know about that. Good for stimulating the pleasure center? Most definetly! Buffalo Style Wings are definetly a pleasure to eat. |
| Q: | Does the Quaker Bonnet sell both retail and wholesale? |
| A: | Yes. We have our normal retail gift packages of all the products that made us famous for almost three quarters of a century. That can be ordered from our retail gift catalog. And we have a wholesale catalog for bulk quantity orders. |
| Q: | Do you sell your gift products wholesale in bulk? |
| A: | Yes, for those that qualify as wholesalers, such as distributors, gourmet shops, hotels and restaurants, we provide many of the Quaker Bonnet products that you see in our Gift Catalog in special bulk packaging. If you believe you qualify for "reseller" pricing, please contact the Quaker Bonnet via E-mail or by phone for information about how to access our special online wholesale ordering catalog. |
| Q: | How many locations do you have? |
| A: | Two locations now for the Quaker Bonnet, but with a difference, please read on. |
| Q: | Are the locations similar? |
| A: | No, there are some differences between the two Quaker Bonnet locations. The first location, at 69 Chanango in Buffalo, New York, houses kitchens for our catering service and the manufacturing facilities for our special products like our Buffalo Chips, Peanut Butter Shortbread, fat free dessert shells, hot fudge sauce, salad dressings, etc., etc., etc., and our retail store.
Our new location, in historic Allentown (in Buffalo, NY) is for our Quaker Bonnet Eatery where you can eat in or take out such items as specialty sandwiches, soups, salads and desserts. We like to say that it's the place where you can have your cake, and eat lunch too! |
| Q: | Do you sell only Quaker Bonnet products in your retail store? |
| A: | No, we sell all kinds of other brands of gourmet foods in the store. But you should know that are many Quaker Bonnet products that we sell in our retail store that we can't sell online, like our famous ice creams, frozen foods, soups, and sauces. Lots of items that made us famous.
And when it comes to those other brands of gourmet food items, Liz Kolken is always busy looking for new items to sell at the to sell in the store. Locals should come take a look around, and see what's new. There's lots of things for the holidays, including some special gift baskets. |
| Q: | What are the hours of operation? |
| A: | Monday Thru Saturday From 8am - 5 pm. |
| Q: | What's the hours of operation for the Quaker Bonnet Eatery? |
| A: | Hours for the Eatery are:
Monday thru Saturday from 8 am to 5 pm |
| Q: | Do you sell Buffalo Chips at the Eatery? |
| A: | Yes, we sell them at both the Eatery Cafe in Allentown, and at our Chenango Street location. |
| Q: | Do you still manufacturer Quaker Bonnet Cinnamon and other of Quaker Bonnet Old Fashioned Ice Creams? |
| A: | Yes, we still manufacturer our ice creams. However, we only sell our ice creams locally. We do not ship our specialty ice creams.
Since 911 government regulations make it almost imposible to ship anything in more than 4 pounds of dry ice as it is considered a hazardous substance. The result is that ice cream will not hold for 24 hours with that little dry ice, particularly in a hot UPS truck. |
