ABC Wing Reviews: Port Hotel
After our Tim’s review, we are continuing our trend of reviewing spots outside of the immediate Tyrone area. The Port Hotel in Port Matilda is up next!
We judged their wings based on four categories: presentation, wing quality, sauce, and hospitality in order to grant an overall score on our patented wing-o-meter.
For this review, Andrew (A) got the “Mr. B’s Buffalo” sauce, Bryce (B) had “Spicy Ranch”, and Christian (C) got the “Butter Garlic” wing sauce. The wings cost $11 and approximately $14 with tax.
Presentation
For this category, we based our ratings on how the wings looked before we began to chow down.
Because the Port Hotel has a policy that no one under 18 can be served unless accompanied by someone over 25, we ordered take out at the Port Hotel, so the wings came in a styrofoam to-go box. Unfortunately, the wings were scattered through the box with nothing to keep the wings hot. While the presentation was not great for takeout this score could improve if one was to eat in.
A- 5/10 B- 5/10 C- 5/10
Related Stories
ABC Wing Reviews: Tim's Cafe in Altoona
ABC Wing Reviews: Spruce Creek Tavern
ABC Wing Reviews: Macs Market / Gridiron
ABC Wing Reviews: The Bullpen
Wing Quality
For this category, the wings will receive a rating based on the overall quality, juiciness, and the bone to meat ratio of the chicken itself.
There was a split decision on wing quality. B and C both agreed that the wings had a nice crispy exterior but a nice juicy interior. They also agreed the wings had a decent but not great size to them. However, A’s wings were a mixed bag. While the flats possessed qualities like the ones listed above, the drums had a weird consistency to them. The top of the legs featured tough meat while the rest of the meat had a somewhat fatty consistency.
A- 6/10 B- 7/10 C- 7.5/10
Sauce
The sauce category is about, you guessed it, the SAUCE, we judge this category on flavor, consistency, and coverage.
“Mr. B’s Buffalo” sauce was mediocre at best. The sauce was nothing special and had no indistinguishable qualities from any other average buffalo sauce. The sauce had a slight kick to it which was welcome, but once again had no unique buffalo flavor. Additionally, while the wings had a good layer of sauce, there was no extra to dip. While this is not a deal breaker it definitely was missed.
The “Spicy Ranch” sauce was just what the name says. A creamy ranch sauce with a spicy kick to boot. The sauce had pretty average flavor and a nice consistent layer of sauce on each wing. My only complaint would be that there wasn’t any extra sauce to dip the wings. Overall this was a good sauce and I would recommend it to others, but it wasn’t anything spectacular.
The “Butter Garlic” sauce was not very impressive. The wings were decently covered and there was plenty of butter to dip the wings in to get the enhanced flavor. Even with the wings drenched in the blood clot causing sauce, there was hardly any garlic taste. I personally prefer a strong presence of garlic, but there were few bites where a garlic taste was present. Overall, the sauce was mediocre and there was nothing outstanding about this flavor.
A- 6/10 B- 7/10 C- 6/10
Hospitality
This category reflects upon our overall experience at the restaurant taking into account: wait time, service, and friendliness.
Due to the nature of the restaurant, we had to jump through a few hoops to order our wings, because of this we will not be reviewing the hospitality of the Port Hotel. If you are under 18 you must be accompanied by someone above 25. Additionally, to order out at the Port Hotel you must be over 21 to order take out. We elected to order take out at the Port Hotel.
A- N/A/10 B- N/A/10 C- N/A/10
Final Score
In conclusion, the Port Hotel wings are middle of the pack
— ABC
In conclusion, the Port Hotel wings are middle of the pack. The sauces we reviewed didn’t bring anything special to the table, however, they do offer a variety of sauce so maybe there’s something unique there. Also, if you are under 21 you have to judge whether or not the wings are worth the hassle. Personally, we believe they are not, but this is just our humble opinion.
A – 5.75/10 B – 6.25/10 C – 6.25/10
Following week five the Tavern still stands as out wing champion!
After five reviews our list stands as follows
- Spruce Creek Tavern
- Tim’s Cafe
- Mac’s Market
- The Bullpen
- Port Hotel
We are always looking for new spots to try, so tell us where you would like us to go next in the comments…
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Beth Hunter • Mar 18, 2018 at 11:42 am
If you are under 21 you must be accompanied by a legal guardian or another guest over the age of 25 when picking up food or dining at the Port Matilda Hotel. This rule is in compliance with our Liquor License and not abiding by it can be very costly. Some restaurants/taverns have what is called a Pizza Hut Exemption which gives them the ability to serve patrons under 21. We do not. We also inform our patrons who call in for pick-up of food to avoid any unnecessary aggravation or embarrassment. We strive to provide good service while also abiding by the laws under which we must operate. Thank you for the opportunity to respond.
Jay Isenberg • Mar 13, 2018 at 11:55 am
You guys should try Quaker Steak and Lube! The have really good wings there, I want to see something take down Spruce Creek Tavern
Katrina Patton • Mar 12, 2018 at 10:40 pm
I love what you guys are doing. The best wing place I’ve gone to is Al’s Tavern in Altoona, it’s a little pricey but SO good! I usually get the BBQ 5 alarm but the Louisiana dry rub is really good as well… I’ve tried a few sauces/dry rubs and they’re all great! If you guys want some good wings, try theirs!