Hooters opening in Santiago

DavidZ

Silver
Aug 29, 2005
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Hooters is opening at the Bella Terra Mall...in the front space formerly occupied by "Blue Bar" or whatever that was called. I saw them putting up the sign and training the staff on Saturday.
 
May 29, 2006
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Really guys, Hooters wings aren't that great. It's like saying Pizza Hut has great Pizza. I make my own.

Start with fresh wings. I get whole ones and cut them. I find about a pound uncooked is a good portion size. Frozen bagged wings typically have water and salt added. You are also paying for all of the ice in the bag. A 5 pound bag of wings weighs about 4 pounds after it thaws and drains and the wings will shrink.

Dredge the wings in corn starch(fecula) before frying
Use plenty of oil. 4-6 cups in a large pot or wok.
Don't overload the fryer. 8-10 wings per batch depending on the size at a time for 8-12 minutes depending on how much oil you have and the size of the wings. Fry at 350-365 in corn or canola oil.
Put the "drummettes" in before the "blades" About three minutes lead time.
Use Franks Red Hot for the sauce, not simply "salsa picante."
Remove the wings with tongs Make sure you have something to take them out of the oil handy!

Don't over-sauce the wings. Usually 1/4 cup or a little more is fine for each pound of wings. Too much sauce will make them soggy and they will sit in a puddle.

My current favorite sauce is a blend of 2/3 Kikoman Garlic Scallion Sauce and 1/3 Tapitio Hot Sauce. Don't know if you can get them in the DR. "Authentic" Buffalo wings are just Frank's or Frank's with some margarine to make them less hot.

I never used to coat the wings. Flour trashes the oil and burns and the coating is too thick. But corn starch makes them crispier without it being a noticable breading and it helps the sauce stick to it. The starch actually seems to help the oil last longer by absorbing any excess water and it doesn't seem to burn.

Cook outside if you can.

Another sauce I make uses a 5oz can of Chipotle peppers with about 2 cups of any generic hot sauce and maybe some jarred garlic buzzed in a blender. HOT and Smoky.

Any place that has fried food as the main way to cook and sells wings is going to have the oil turn black in a matter of a day or so. Oil is expensive, and many franchises will work the oil until it's smoking. When oil turns bad, it will have a burned flavor and you won't be able to digest it well. The fast food chains avoid this by cooking foods that don't damage the oil. Wings kill oil with their high water content and the fat that renders off of them.

I can understand going out for wings if you're watching a game on HDTV, but other than that, it's just overpriced and not that good.
 

cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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Disagree, Peter. I make awesome wings, pizza, etc. (search my photo journal of the recipe.) But sometimes you want someone else to do the cooking.

I like Hooters wings for that reason.
 

rice&beans

Silver
May 16, 2010
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Disagree, Peter. I make awesome wings, pizza, etc. (search my photo journal of the recipe.) But sometimes you want someone else to do the cooking.

I like Hooters wings for that reason.


Isn't it amazing that you had to explain that.......

After that great quote from Mr insightful......



Words of wisdom from PeterInBrat........"Really guys, Hooters wings aren't that great. It's like saying Pizza Hut has great Pizza."

THAT WOULD BE YOUR OPINION, not the rule of the land.....

I just had some Hooters wings the other day, and they were F--KING AWESOME.......

Not to mention the GREAT SCENERY......



Merry Christmas PeterInBrat.......
 
Nov 25, 2008
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I think Peter is correct, what Peter lacks to inform us is that their are 4-6 Colombians waitresses in Hooters Santiago for 15 days to show the local girls the ropes.... so this is a must...GO to hooters in the next 2 weeks otherwise you will be served by locals.
I had their wings, nothing to brag, but then again I wasn't their for the wings.
 

Viajero

Bronze
Dec 16, 2011
1,593
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I heard about this awhile back. I was looking at the pics from SDQ recently and, while the chicas are beautiful, what I noticed was a lack of dark skin women ... it's almost as if they don't exist. That being said, I plan to check out the one in STI next week or soon.

Hooters_bufeo_RD_DSC1076.jpg
 

aguas

New member
Feb 7, 2010
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I heard about this awhile back. I was looking at the pics from SDQ recently and, while the chicas are beautiful, what I noticed was a lack of dark skin women ... it's almost as if they don't exist. That being said, I plan to check out the one in STI next week or soon.

Hooters_bufeo_RD_DSC1076.jpg

In regards to the skin color issue, couldn't the same be said about most businesses on the island? I was actually at this Hooters a couple of months ago watching the last Mayweather fight. I think Hooters wings are terrible, but they do taste the same as in the states, also terrible.

But it is still nice to know that Santiago will be getting this business. I would think that the one in the capital was doing great, which is probably the reason someone thought to open one in Santiago. Besides the terrible wings, I think Hooters, at least in the DR, serves as a more upscale sportsbar. At least this is the vibe I got when I was there. Oh, and the scenery was definitely great.
 

cobraboy

Pro-Bono Demolition Hobbyist
Jul 24, 2004
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LOL...


Hooters wings are so terrible they've prolly sold more than anyone else on the entire planet.

Pretty girls are everywhere. If you want just pretty girls go to a strip club. But the food at Hooters, for bar food, is pretty damn good.

But, as always, opinions vary.

Hooters STI will definitely get my biz...
 

Conchman

Silver
Jul 3, 2002
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I have been making a good sauce using this mix:

Mesquite BBQ Sauce and Chipotle Hot Sauce - can also add some Buffalo style sauce or my favorite Stubbs Wing Sauce.
 

beastwood

New member
Jun 30, 2011
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Spot on Peter. Wings are a personal thing...but that said Franks is the real deal....many nice (like I said personal), variations possible, but for authenticity Franks is all you need. Besides making wings myself as well, I enjoy visiting the Frank and Teressas Anchor Bar in sunny Buffalo. Frank & Teressa's Anchor Bar | Facebook. Using these guys as a measuring stick (no noiticable coating, crispy not greasy, etc), Hooters wings are so so. That said you can get Hooters wings (I believe) with or sin coating. I don't know if I can really name a chain that I would put on my top 10 wing list...they are usually local spots. Chilli's used to have decent wings for the sauce, but not necc the crispiness I like. In general my view of chains that boast wings is that they are very mediocre.

For me Hooters, (a solid in mediocrity), once in a blue moon on biz trips is a welcome distraction....but I also agree in the RD, Hooter's is the least entertaining of all possible distractions.

I will try your corn starch tip, I usually just cook the wings bare.
Thanks

Really guys, Hooters wings aren't that great. It's like saying Pizza Hut has great Pizza. I make my own.

Start with fresh wings. I get whole ones and cut them. I find about a pound uncooked is a good portion size. Frozen bagged wings typically have water and salt added. You are also paying for all of the ice in the bag. A 5 pound bag of wings weighs about 4 pounds after it thaws and drains and the wings will shrink.

Dredge the wings in corn starch(fecula) before frying
Use plenty of oil. 4-6 cups in a large pot or wok.
Don't overload the fryer. 8-10 wings per batch depending on the size at a time for 8-12 minutes depending on how much oil you have and the size of the wings. Fry at 350-365 in corn or canola oil.
Put the "drummettes" in before the "blades" About three minutes lead time.
Use Franks Red Hot for the sauce, not simply "salsa picante."
Remove the wings with tongs Make sure you have something to take them out of the oil handy!

Don't over-sauce the wings. Usually 1/4 cup or a little more is fine for each pound of wings. Too much sauce will make them soggy and they will sit in a puddle.

My current favorite sauce is a blend of 2/3 Kikoman Garlic Scallion Sauce and 1/3 Tapitio Hot Sauce. Don't know if you can get them in the DR. "Authentic" Buffalo wings are just Frank's or Frank's with some margarine to make them less hot.

I never used to coat the wings. Flour trashes the oil and burns and the coating is too thick. But corn starch makes them crispier without it being a noticable breading and it helps the sauce stick to it. The starch actually seems to help the oil last longer by absorbing any excess water and it doesn't seem to burn.

Cook outside if you can.

Another sauce I make uses a 5oz can of Chipotle peppers with about 2 cups of any generic hot sauce and maybe some jarred garlic buzzed in a blender. HOT and Smoky.

Any place that has fried food as the main way to cook and sells wings is going to have the oil turn black in a matter of a day or so. Oil is expensive, and many franchises will work the oil until it's smoking. When oil turns bad, it will have a burned flavor and you won't be able to digest it well. The fast food chains avoid this by cooking foods that don't damage the oil. Wings kill oil with their high water content and the fat that renders off of them.

I can understand going out for wings if you're watching a game on HDTV, but other than that, it's just overpriced and not that good.
 
May 29, 2006
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What can I say? I'm jaded from being from upstate NY and having lived in Buffalo, where once upon a time you could get 15 cent wings and dollar pints while watching the Bills ALMOST win the Super Bowl(we're talking 1989). Hooters has its points and I give them credit for getting the wing industry to spread esp the southern states. They have a nice hook, but the eye candy ain't free.

Meanwhile, I can still get 20 wings and a pitcher of Killian's at the local water hole for $12(yes, for both) and still watch football on a big screen. The nearest Hooters is 50 miles away for good reason.
 

rice&beans

Silver
May 16, 2010
4,293
374
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What can I say? I'm jaded from being from upstate NY and having lived in Buffalo, where once upon a time you could get 15 cent wings and dollar pints while watching the Bills ALMOST win the Super Bowl(we're talking 1989). Hooters has its points and I give them credit for getting the wing industry to spread esp the southern states. They have a nice hook, but the eye candy ain't free.

Meanwhile, I can still get 20 wings and a pitcher of Killian's at the local water hole for $12(yes, for both) and still watch football on a big screen. The nearest Hooters is 50 miles away for good reason.


I will admit, I like em this way also, but Hooters is right up there......(must be the scenery)


<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/51418611@N05/6544968087/" title="untitlelllkikd by bocachica64, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7032/6544968087_fcb65b4f38.jpg" width="383" height="500" alt="untitlelllkikd"></a>
 

cobraboy

Pro-Bono Demolition Hobbyist
Jul 24, 2004
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Nekkid wings (Like Anchors) are good, but I like the southern fried type (Hooters) better.

Regional differences, varying opinions.

Hell, a fried chicken wing is all it is, no big dealio.

I use Franks in mine.
 

rice&beans

Silver
May 16, 2010
4,293
374
83
Nekkid wings (Like Anchors) are good, but I like the southern fried type (Hooters) better.

Regional differences, varying opinions.

Hell, a fried chicken wing is all it is, no big dealio.

I use Franks in mine.




Franks is really good, lately I've been using Archie Moores, good stuff......


<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/51418611@N05/6545379467/" title="1305788796129 by bocachica64, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7034/6545379467_dbe7f73962.jpg" width="232" height="350" alt="1305788796129"></a>


<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/51418611@N05/6545375883/" title="stacks_image_146_1 by bocachica64, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7021/6545375883_372705a23b.jpg" width="360" height="316" alt="stacks_image_146_1"></a>
 

rice&beans

Silver
May 16, 2010
4,293
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Ha!!!

Great idea, one problemo comigo, I'm in Boston........

But I like the way you think!!!!!!!!!