Cash and Curry:
Bring yo cash along son, and I don’t mean me. This place was pricey, even when participating in the buddy pack deal. Time to talk wingonomics readers. 2lb of wings and four beers sounds like a fine feast for two average American sports watching types. At $27, this breaks down to $13.50 per punter. We’ve made a critical error in our assumption though, we may as well divide this deal by zero. Although 2lb of wings sounds like a lot, it really equals about 16 slightly larger than average sized wings. Perhaps the bones are heavy, maybe they include the weight of the sauce, or perhaps they forget to minus the tare weight of the basket they are fried in. All that I can say for sure is that you’ll be ordering another pound or so to hit the magic dozen each. This brings the price for a dozen + two brews up to $18 per chump (before tax/tip). Similar satisfaction at Zipp’s would run about $11 during happy hour ($3×2 beers + $5 dz/wings), for a crisper, higher quality wing (we also visited Half-Moon during 4-7pm, but they did not have a happy hour deal that extended to fine brews or wings). The location is decent, just off of the 51, in the Biltmore area. The space is huge, and upmarket sports bar throughout. Lots of TVs & loud patrons, but luckily there are plenty of pockets of seating for more private parties. For fans of the Carry On series of movies there is plenty of cheeky-bum-peekaboo artwork on the walls, even Benny Hill (RIP) would chuckle. Service was attentive, but not outstanding (does not apply to those with low IQs). I’m not seeing $7 worth of additional value.
Bottom line: Good wings, too much sauce, expensive. Go during a Suns game for 1/2 price wings (call before you go to make sure deal is still valid) or after a funeral of a rich relative. Why no photos you ask? The rainbow blend of sauce of my fingers did not permit me to document the sticky, spicy, crime scene without incurring damange to my sensitive camera equipment. Bring a bib, straw, & sailboat to the sauce party & as always, make it rain.
PS. I wonder how much a silkie wing weighs?
Guido:
I’ve been a fan of Half Moon wings ever since I moved out of the burbs and set up shop downtown. However, I must say, I was somewhat disappointed and I’m not so sure their status as “best wing in the valley” is as definitive. In terms of sauces, Half Moon still delivers a variety of unique flavors like Thai Peanut, Garlic Parmesan, and Honey Chipotle that are well executed and not just poured from a bottle. Speaking of sauce, there is plenty of it. Our platters were drenched in each of the four sauces we ordered making the whole affair a little sloppier than need be. It was hard to tell where one flavor began and the other started and with the whirlwind of hands snapping them up their appeared to be a bit of taste cross contamination. This was a minor issue but a little segregation could take out some of the mystery I found my taste buds trying to unravel. The real surprise for me was that the wings themselves seem to have taken a dip in quality. I remember on prior visits being impressed with the size of each bird brachial but this time they were well within the range of other local purveyors. Additionally, the texture was lacking the crisp crunch I have come to savor at other locales. Perhaps a few more seconds in the fryer could do some good. Atmosphere- Half Moon provides an ambience somewhere between a hotel lobby and a Scottsdale strip club. The décor and layout are stylish with plenty of leather, wood, and a few dozen well placed flat screens. No floors covered in peanut shells or Golden Tee tournaments here. However, not forgetting its core clientele, the staff is comprised of young scantily clad members of the fairer sex who are not afraid to engage in a little bawdy banter. Another nice touch are the walls strewn with pictures of shapely women (and some not so shapely men) exposing varying degrees of manmade coin slot, a cheeky bit of moniker double entendre.
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