Knuckles Sports Bar | Scott “Paul” Blackerby

Buffalo Wings

There is a theory that sports bars would not exist, at least in their modern form, had someone not first invented Buffalo wings.

The theory might seem flimsy. After all, the wings concept started when Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, received an errant delivery in 1964. What many call the first modern sports bar – Legends in Long Beach – didn’t open until 1979.

It took awhile for Buffalo wings to catch on. Since the 1970s, however, their popularity caused other kitchens to add them to menus. And chefs began to elaborate on the original recipe. Still, there is something about an order of Buffalo wings in a sports bar. At Knuckles in the Hyatt Regency Monterey one can opt for diverse sauces. But their Buffalo version is a welcome throwback, with the subtle crackle of the fried veneer and meek white meat offering little resistance to the smooth yet ill-tempered sauce.

It’s remarkable – snarling hot sauce snapping at an amiable dash of vinegar until it begins to bite back. And the heated tussle takes place in a pool of butter too mellow to temper their argumentative natures, yet rich enough to make its presence known.

KNUCKLES SPORTS BAR 1 Old Golf Course Road (inside the Hyatt Regency), Monterey. 372-1234, hyatt.com.