After a friendly argument over “which place does the best wings” led to the spring wingfest back in April, I received a number of suggestions for getting wings around town. Given the stridency of the suggestions, I gathered the troops and tried again. In addition to my dining accomplice from last time, I also brought an acquaintance who is a certified judge for cooking competitions. With that set we decided to hit Smokey Bones and Toot’s, and then another place within walking distance. Off we went.

The first thing to note about the wings at Smokey Bones is their larger-than-usual size. Despite the extra cooking time required, the crispy wings remain tender on the inside. The buffalo and Buff-a-Que sauces on the Wings of Wonder weren’t bad. The buffalo sauce might be termed a “comfort wing” – it’s pretty mainstream and tastes like a standard mixture of melted butter and hot sauce. The Buff-a-Que sauced wings had a citrus-y-sweet flavor with a note of cayenne pepper in the background. In some ways it recalled the orangey taste of General Tso’s chicken. Neither of these was that remarkable.

The real star of the show, and indeed of the evening, was the plate of smoked wings. The hickory smoking provides a savory flavor base, while the pepper and cumin flavors in the Memphis rub bring big flavor without too much bite. The cooking process left it so tender that, along with the cumin undertones, the taste reminded our cooking judge of a very delicate mutton dish he once sampled in China. We searched for adjectives to describe the sum of the flavors: “exotic,” “distinctive,” “excellent” and “mouthful of flavor” all stuck out.

Our next stop after Bones was Toot’s. This was a big disappointment – perhaps in part because in an earlier review of that place I gave generally positive marks to the wings and the sauces. I stand by that and have ordered the wings there since that review appeared. This visit, however, was a disaster. We ordered five of their flavors – Cajun, medium, hot and napalm, as well as the hot BBQ. The first four came out in less than five minutes. The speed of delivery, as well as the cold temperature of the wings, confirmed that they had probably been sitting under the lights for some time.

We found the Cajun flavor to be the most distinctive, although not all that flavorful. The medium, hot and napalm flavors were all pretty close to each other, with a bit more heat added at each step. But the sauces were flat, thick and pasty. It was almost like having the gravy from biscuits and gravy with some Texas Pete thrown in for heat. As I said, I’ve enjoyed the wings at Toot’s in the past, and I hope this is a passing problem. The hot BBQ wings never arrived, and we determined to move on.

Unfortunately our next planned stop didn’t pan out, so we asked a few people for some advice. The broad consensus was that if we wanted good wings we should head over to the Spillway Bar and Grill. It’s worth mentioning that all the recommendations for Spillway came accompanied by personal safety warnings, so it was with anticipation and trepidation that we hailed a cab and headed over.

The concerns turned out to be baseless. The clientele was friendly, outgoing and having a great time. Aside from the thick smoke, this looked like a fun place to hang out, and I’ve certainly seen, and been in, sketchier places in Bowling Green.

Spillway’s wings, as it turns out, might very well be the best in town. The wing pieces were thick and meaty, so much so that nobody grabbed for the drumsticks before the wing pieces.

In most places the main flavor of a Buffalo-style wing comes from the sauce. At Spillway the medium and hot sauces were good, but the surprise came from how much of the chicken flavor remained with the wing. The meatiness of the wing piece and skillful cooking preserved the chicken flavor, which added to the overall quality of the dish.

For example, the subtle mustard flavor of the sweet and tangy wings allowed spicy background notes to enhance the overall sense of the dish. This was a good offering.

Spillway now offers a bourbon wing, which was not on the printed menu when we visited. We didn’t taste a great deal of bourbon in the sauce, but this was also after we had already sampled the hot wings. What we got from the bourbon wing was a very subtle sweetness with a hint of pepper sauce. The balance of flavors and textures was excellent. I felt like I could eat a dozen of these without my palate becoming overwhelmed.

The flavors and preparations of the wings at Spillway point to a kitchen that takes pride and care in its wings.

To sum up the evening, the group consensus was that if you’re at Toot’s, order something besides wings for the time being. If you are searching for the single best plate of wings from among the three we sampled, Smokey Bones’ smoked wings take the prize. If you’re looking for a spread of great wings where the quality cuts across all the offerings, where the whole menu of wing flavors is consistently good, then Spillway is the place for you.

— Our anonymous food reviewer gives new restaurants a six-week grace period before reviewing. To comment, contact Assistant Managing Editor Andy Dennis at 783-3262 or at adennis@bgdailynews.com.

Smokey Bones

2450 Scottsville Road

• 782-1888

Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Price for wings: $13.99 for 16

Toot’s Bar and Grill

2500 Scottsville Road

• 843-2335

Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday

Price for wings: $7.50 for 10

Spillway Bar & Grill

2195 Old Louisville Road

• 842-9401

Hours: 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday

Price for wings: $5.25 for 10