ABC Wing Reviews: Spruce Creek Tavern

By Andrew Sherren, Bryce Bauer, and Christian Fink|January 31, 2018

Gotcha%2C+Left+to+right%3A+Honey+BBQ%2C+Black+Gold%2C+Blazin+Bacon+Ranch

really big guy

Gotcha, Left to right: Honey BBQ, Black Gold, Blazin’ Bacon Ranch

Wings are universally loved and one of the favorite foods in the area. So we decided to jump on the bandwagon and give our opinion on the area’s finest wings. The fan favorite Spruce Creek Tavern is our third stop.

We judged three varieties of Tavern 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) ordered “Honey BBQ”, Bryce (B) got “Blazin’ Bacon ranch”, and Christian (C) got the Tavern exclusive “Black Gold” flavor.

“

The Tavern never disappoints

— Jake Meredith, Guest Wing Reviewer

Presentation

For this category, we are basing the rating on how the wings looked before we began to chow down.

The Tavern’s presentation is without a doubt some of the best in the area. The wings came out oven hot and sauce glistened off each wing. The smell filled the room and our appetite grew immensely. Each basket was also filled with a hefty helping of fries, which is a huge plus. Also, the newspaper design on the wax paper was a nice touch.

A- 8/10     B- 8/10     C- 8/10

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.

The Tavern also had exceptional wing quality. The skin was cooked well and had a nice crisp to them. Generally, each wing was handsome in size and featured a good amount of juicy meat. However, there were one or two duds, but nothing to really complain about.

A- 7/10     B- 7/10     C- 7/10

Sauce

The sauce category is about, you guessed it, the SAUCE, we judge this category on flavor, consistency, and coverage.

“

The “Blazin’ Bacon Ranch” sauce had extremely good flavor covering the wing from head to toe.

— B, Professional Wing Reviewer

A- The Tavern’s “Honey BBQ” sauce is some of the best around. This sauce combines a sweet flavor with the classic tang and smokiness of barbeque. Each wing was sauced and tossed, and a thick layer covered the wings as a whole. Additionally, there was a generous puddle of sauce to dip the fries in.

B- The “Blazin’ Bacon Ranch” sauce had extremely good flavor covering the wing from head to toe. This sauce is a combination of a cool ranch with a nice blazin’ after-kick and has chunks of bacon throughout. The wings were not only coated with the sauce, they were bathing in it. With so much excess sauce it allowed for dunking fries in and there was still extra to spare. While this may not be the best sauce I’ve ever had, it is still one of the best in Huntingdon County and is highly recommended.

C- “Black Gold”. Your taste buds will explode with the beautiful sensation of these wings. This high score is warranted due to the sauce’s unique and tasty flavor. The sweet and tangy sauce makes anything you put on it burst with flavor. The only reason points were lost was that there was no puddle of sauce to lather up in.

 A- 8/10     B- 9/10     C- 8/10

Hospitality

This category reflects upon our overall experience at the restaurant taking into account: wait time, service, and friendliness.

The hospitality of the Tavern was above average. The wings came out at a respectable 20 minutes and due to the nature of the restaurant there no wait for checks. Another plus, a waiter was there to refill our drink whenever needed. However, refills are charged after the first one which is unfortunate.

A- 8/10     B- 8/10     C- 8/10

Final Score

A – 7.75/10    B – 8/10    C – 7.75/10

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ABC Wing Reviews: Macs Market / Gridiron
ABC Wing Reviews: Macs Market / Gridiron
L-R: The Bull Pens BBQ Buffalo wings, Buffalo-butter garlic wings, and Buffalo bacon ranch wings
ABC Wing Reviews: The Bullpen

In conclusion, the Tavern combines great sauce with a unique atmosphere to create one of the best wing spots in the Tyrone Area. We highly recommend going on wing night and trying out any of the sauces we reviewed. However, the Tavern had the jump on us and knew we were reviewing them, this possibly influenced our experience. Due to this, our next review will remain anonymous, but it will be somewhere out of the country.

After this review, the Tavern unanimously takes home the crown of wing champion.

Thus, after three stops, our rankings are as follows:

  1.  Spruce Creek Tavern
  2.  Macs Market
  3.  The Bullpen

We are always looking for new spots to try, so tell us where you would like us to go next in the comments…