Wing Commander

Only six hours after "Gentleman" Jerry Coughlan was crowned the Philadelphia champion of Wing Bowl 15, he agreed to eat more poultry the next day at El Wingador To Go.

by Carolyn Wyman

For most people, 167 chicken wings would be more than enough for one weekend. But only six hours after "Gentleman" Jerry Coughlan, 37, of Clifton Heights, was crowned the Philadelphia champion (and No. 4 overall) of Wing Bowl 15, he agreed to eat more poultry the next day at El Wingador To Go, five-time Wing Bowl champ Bill Simmons' new Northern Liberties takeout joint.

The barebones building is the former home of a KFC and a Chinese restaurant; El Wingador's menu covers even more culinary terrain. In addition to the signature wings, it features deli sandwiches, burgers, cheesesteaks, hamburgers and a number of Simmons' family's Puerto Rican dishes. But Gentleman Jerry didn't win a new Suzuki hatchback for eating empanadas, so our focus is on the eponymous original and Buffalo-style chicken wings.

Before we dig into the Styrofoam containers, Coughlan describes what he thinks makes a winning wing: "They should have good spicing — I personally prefer hot ones. The meat should fall off the bone when you do what I call a 'Fred Flintstone': When you pull a wing piece through your teeth, the bone should come out clean without any gnawing. And the skin should be crisp, not hard or rubbery." Then the 6-foot, 2-inch 375-pounder grabs a Buffalo drumstick and does a Fred Flintstone.

"Look at that," he says, holding up the bone. "The meat's just about perfect." Though it's not as fiery-hot as he can stand, Coughlan likes the flavor. But the true test is El Wingador's signature honey-flavored wing. Coughlan says it's sweet without being too sweet and "crisp without being hard."

Why believe him? If things go as they both plan, Gentlemen Jerry and El Wingador will be in bitter competition at Wing Bowl 16.

Beyond the larger size, Coughlan says he can't really speak to how El Wingador's wings compared to those at Wing Bowl. "There, you're not really aware of taste. What you're mainly aware of is your full stomach." In fact, Coughlan "hit a wall" at Wing Bowl after leading the competition in the first half by eating an amazing 112 wings. He also didn't finish the 20 wings we ordered at El Wingador's, at least not on-site. That's probably because the place has no seating or even a stand-up counter.

"I don't do blue cheese, but my wife does," says Coughlan, packing a cup of the traditional Buffalo wing accompaniment in a to-go bag with the dozen remaining wings. Given the 30-minute drive time home, Coughlan's proven wing-eating abilities and his enthusiasm for El Wingador's product, we put the odds of her having any wings to eat it with at about zero.

(cwyman@citypaper.net)

El Wingador To Go, 342 W. Girard Ave., 215-925-9464, open Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-8 p.m., Sat., 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Sun., 11 a.m.-6 p.m.