Louisville, KYChicken Wings

Southern Living's regional wings survey singled out the jumbo wings here, dry rubbed, smoked over hickory and then flash fried in peanut oil so the skin snaps. It is a barbecue kitchen first, which is why these taste smoked rather than sauced, and why the Bauer Avenue room fills up during Louisville Wing Week.

The Home of Spicy Chicken was frying hot chicken and wings in Louisville long before Nashville hot chicken became a national menu item. LEO put it head to head with Chicken King and found a west Broadway institution with a loyal following, known above all for its wings and its wedges.

A downtown fixture for more than fifteen years, where party wings sit next to spicy chicken among the strongest sellers. LEO's fried chicken showdown put it opposite Indi's, and Kevin Gibson made the case that the two kitchens represent different arguments about how hot a Louisville wing should be.

LEO tells readers to order the Southern fried chicken wings here with a side of hot water cornbread, which is the correct order at this Smoketown cafe. It is cash only and open Thursday through Sunday, so plan around it. The room has been feeding the neighborhood for decades and it shows.

A pound of dry rubbed, hickory smoked wings arrives as five oversize drummies and four flats, smoked without frills, juicy chicken under crisp scorched skin. Robin Garr counted eight wing varieties on the menu. Order them plain the first time to see what the smoke is doing before you reach for sauce.