B

Wings Ole (Downtown)

By Candace Nelson - 8:00 AM

Wings Ole has operates three restaurants: two in Morgantown and one in Fairmont. I've already scoped out the Suncrest location, so I thought it was due time for me to visit the location downtown along University Ave.

As I've mentioned before, Wings Ole is a local tradition. People rave about the fries and bleu - not because it's great food, I don't think. But it's more about that nostalgia. This place has been a part of many youths' upbringings.

The downtown location is positioned right at the beginning of the bridge, so it can be slightly precarious to get into. The parking lot is a little odd, and there is some additional parking down below. But once you get situated, it's easy to navigate.

When we walked through the main doors, there was a cool mural on the wall. It kind of gave it some individual flare. But once I opened the actual doors, a musty smell overcame us. It was like the water they had been using to clean up with was old and leaving a gross smell linger. Not good.

Looking at the menu, they are like a more expensive Taco Bell. They have fast-food "Mexican" plus wings. But the wings are covered in a tomato paste-like sauce that I hear is not great. I'm not huge on wings, so I haven't tried them. I looked to their other fare: quesadillas, enchiladas, tacos, burritos. I had a burrito before from the other location - kind of soggy, bland and not good. I went the quesadilla route. And of course, a side of fries and bleu. My total came to around $11. That's not a lot for a sit-down restaurant, but it's a good bit for a fast-food place. And I consider this place the latter.

When you order the quesadilla, you get a side of sauce. I wasn't expecting that, so I asked what sauces they had. The girl said nacho cheese, verde, ombre and a few others. I asked what ombre was - she said she didn't know. So, yeah, went with nacho cheese on her suggestion.

The interior is one giant room. We went outside because it was much fresher. They actually do have a nice, small outdoor dining area because it overlooks the river and the bridge. It's nice. Our food was out fairly quickly. The servers brought out our food on trays, but then took our paper plates full of food and put them on the table and took the trays back with them. It was odd that they didn't just leave the tray with us, considering the food was on flimsy paper plates.

My quesadilla was good. It was a good fast-food-like quesadilla. Just like something I could get at Taco Bell. Maybe quesadillas are safe - if you can pack some colby jack cheese and small chunks of chicken between two tortillas, I think you're safe. But it was good. I finished the whole thing, and I'd order it again. I won't actively seek it out, but if I ever find myself there again, I'd totally order it. I didn't bother with the nacho cheese though, didn't really need it.

I do also like their fries and bleu. The fries were golden crispy on the outside, and the bleu cheese, while not really bleu cheesy, is tasty. It's basically ranch, but I really like fries and ranch, so I'm happy either way. Don't expect chunks of fresh bleu cheese or creative, mind-blowing flavors. But for what this place is, I'm okay with it. If you're feeling into a sit-down fast-food joint, why not? Plus it does have a decent view.

Grade: B
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4 comments

  1. Wings has gotten way too expensive for what it offers. I fondly remember the original Wings-n-Things (before they changed the name), which was a hole in the wall located roughly where the Deckers Creek bridge over 119/Jerry West Blvd is now. The building was taken out to enlarge the road and build the bridge, and moved to it's current location. The current location used to be a printing shop.

    The original location was where lots of us Morgantown High Schoolers walked for lunch. You could get a bean supreme, fries-n-bleu, and a drink for about three bucks. Not the same meal would be $10. They had bathrooms, a few tables, and a pinball machine/video game in a tiny room down a flight of steps to the left of the order window. Ahhhh memories.

    Todays Wings Ole is just a bloated menu, overpriced version of the original. For $10 you can go eat at a real restaurant, minus tip.

    I do still love their burritos, and the fries and bleu aren't bad, but it's hard to help the feeling that you just got ripped off everytime I eat there.

    I live in Fairmont now, and the Fairmont location is a few minutes from my house. It's pretty much identical in quality to the Morgantown locations, but it presently has a better pinball machine, and Ms Pac-Man. I will admit, Wings over the years has managed to have the better pinball machines available in the area. Honestly, that's probably what draws me in more than the same food I've had hundreds of times now. Cheers.

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    1. First off, let me thank you for adding quite the detailed and informative comment. It seems that the crowd drawn to this establishment is those who have had a history with the place. I haven't heard anybody say - "wow! That's great food!" But I definitely think it's that Nostalgia aspect. Much the same relationship I have with DiCarlos.

      The price is probably the result of their business not doing as great because the food just isn't ideal. And I think it only exasperates the problem and repels people. It's hard to fork over that amount of money for the product you're getting. $3 would be a bargain. $10 is really pushing it.

      Thanks again for the insight. Love knowing some of the history!

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  2. P.S. I forgot to add, the Fairmont folks tell me all three locations are owned by a Fairmont couple, that may have gone to WVU, and the Fairmont location has been there since the mid-80s as well, and was very popular with the high schoolers there too, but mostly after football games at the East-West stadium that isn't far away. I see a lot of Fairmont State students in there these days, but I'm always there mid-week, rarely on weekends.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've slowly been trying to get to some restaurants in Fairmont. It's harder to convince people to drive to Fairmont for a meal, but if it's Muriale's or CJ Maggies, I think it's a bit easier. Thanks!

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