Those are not my words, they were the words on the cover of Columbus Alive, which featured a picture of owner Kenny Yee. The article was a tribute to some of the oldest restaurants in Columbus, and Wings is definitely one of them. It is certainly the oldest Asian joint.
Established in the 1940s as The Far East Bar and Grill, this spot was serving authentic Mandarin cuisine when such a concept was unheard of in Central Ohio. It still stands tall in the Eastmoor district of Columbus, where old-school dining reigns supreme. As you pull into the East Main Street location, you notice the building is a little...rustic. As you approach the building, two large doors are adorned with amazing Eastern-inspired door handles. When you open those doors, two more doors await with similar spectacular design. Entering the second set, you step right into the bar.
The place is cool. It is elaborately decorated and dimly lit but not dark. The songs of old-time crooners play in the background, but at a low level. It all has a very cerebral and calming effect. Despite something of a language barrier, the staff is very friendly and polite.
The menu is diverse, mostly Asian but with a few variations from the norm, My mother ordered lamb chops and spinach ravioli, and said it was fantastic. They also were featuring a special tonight: Corned Beef and Cabbage. Something to do with some Irish drinking holiday. Kinda cool..
I decided to go traditional, and went with a spicy garlic chicken over fried rice and some hot and sour soup. My sister ordered sesame chicken wings (she wasn't very hungry, because I ate half of them) and we enjoyed our drinks and relaxed.
The chicken wings and soup came out first. The wings were tasty, sweet and spicy with a hint of pepper. The soup was very rich, thick, and loaded with scallions and shrimp, which was a first for me. Definitely different, but quite good. The main course came next.
Now, I am a huge fan of spicy Asian food, and this was advertised as spicy. Hell, it had the word spicy in it's name. So imagine my surprise when I took my first bite and there was nothing spicy about it. But I was not disappointed at all. I just directed my taste buds to head in a different direction of food enjoyment. They obeyed and I took a second bite.
I had never tasted anything like this. So many unexpected flavors going on here. More than a hint of ginger, some garlic, and something sweet and slightly chocolate like. I wasn't sure if I liked it at first. But I kept eating it. Until it was gone.
I enjoyed my post meal cup of coffee and thought, wow, that was very different, but very good. Everything at Wings is a little different, the food, the atmosphere, the actual place itself. But in this world of Applebee's and Olive Garden, different is refreshing. And tasty....
Established in the 1940s as The Far East Bar and Grill, this spot was serving authentic Mandarin cuisine when such a concept was unheard of in Central Ohio. It still stands tall in the Eastmoor district of Columbus, where old-school dining reigns supreme. As you pull into the East Main Street location, you notice the building is a little...rustic. As you approach the building, two large doors are adorned with amazing Eastern-inspired door handles. When you open those doors, two more doors await with similar spectacular design. Entering the second set, you step right into the bar.
The place is cool. It is elaborately decorated and dimly lit but not dark. The songs of old-time crooners play in the background, but at a low level. It all has a very cerebral and calming effect. Despite something of a language barrier, the staff is very friendly and polite.
The menu is diverse, mostly Asian but with a few variations from the norm, My mother ordered lamb chops and spinach ravioli, and said it was fantastic. They also were featuring a special tonight: Corned Beef and Cabbage. Something to do with some Irish drinking holiday. Kinda cool..
I decided to go traditional, and went with a spicy garlic chicken over fried rice and some hot and sour soup. My sister ordered sesame chicken wings (she wasn't very hungry, because I ate half of them) and we enjoyed our drinks and relaxed.
The chicken wings and soup came out first. The wings were tasty, sweet and spicy with a hint of pepper. The soup was very rich, thick, and loaded with scallions and shrimp, which was a first for me. Definitely different, but quite good. The main course came next.
Now, I am a huge fan of spicy Asian food, and this was advertised as spicy. Hell, it had the word spicy in it's name. So imagine my surprise when I took my first bite and there was nothing spicy about it. But I was not disappointed at all. I just directed my taste buds to head in a different direction of food enjoyment. They obeyed and I took a second bite.
I had never tasted anything like this. So many unexpected flavors going on here. More than a hint of ginger, some garlic, and something sweet and slightly chocolate like. I wasn't sure if I liked it at first. But I kept eating it. Until it was gone.
I enjoyed my post meal cup of coffee and thought, wow, that was very different, but very good. Everything at Wings is a little different, the food, the atmosphere, the actual place itself. But in this world of Applebee's and Olive Garden, different is refreshing. And tasty....
What you ordered sounds right up my alley. I wanna go!
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