A few months ago, some friends and I engaged in a food argument as old as time itself: What restaurant serves the best wings? Of course, we couldn’t agree, and there are probably more places serving wings in town than we could name. I decided then and there that I would have to conduct a guided sampling.

I rounded up a friend who’s always game for some wings and we set out. Because wings and lager beer go together, we needed a designated driver and a few places close to one another so we could walk between them. Hog Wild BBQ, Double Dogs and Buffalo Wild Wings fit that bill.

We began our spring wingfest at Hog Wild BBQ, which serves mild, medium and hot wings in regular and BBQ sauce. Hog Wild isn’t usually noted for wings, and that’s unfortunate. The BBQ sauce wings were tangy with a standard taste and a creamy texture to the sauce. While the flavor wasn’t remarkable, and the wings were a bit small, we liked them. What made these wings really stand out was the crispiness. Most restaurants cook wings until they are just finished, which leaves the wings soft, and more so after a dunk in the sauce. At Hog Wild the cooks keep the wings in oil longer, leaving them crispy without drying out the meat. We commented on the texture several times, and agreed that while we might not go to Hog Wild specifically for the wings, they are worth ordering on any visit.

We next crossed the street to Double Dogs for the second stage of spring wingfest. Because of the large number of sauces and flavors, Double Dogs presented a bigger challenge. We tried the favors selectively, starting with “Double Dog Hot.” We agreed that while the flavor was good, the wings weren’t initially all that hot, although it did increase over several wings. The Teriyaki wings were pleasant and light, but perhaps a bit too subtle in flavor. Not much ginger or brown sugar came through.

The Chipotle wings were my first favorites of the night. Peppery and smoky with a robust taste, these wings really pack a flavorful punch. The smoked jalapeno flavor came through without dominating. I loved these.

We next ordered the Thai Garlic, but the order got confused and we had the sauce as a dip instead. The cooks at Double Dogs roast their own garlic and then add that to a Thai sauce. The result is a gingery garlicy flavor that is nice, but not spectacular. I ate a leftover chipotle wing.

Finally, I had the Smokin’ Thai, a relatively new flavor at Double Dogs. All I can say is “wow.” This is definitely my new favorite. The flavor absolutely exploded with orange spiciness that comes from a combination of the Thai Garlic and Double Dog Hot sauces. The garlic came out much more in this sauce than in the regular Thai Garlic – the whole was definitely greater than the sum of the parts. We both loved this sauce, and the heat built up to a “serious hot” by the time we finished.

We finished at Buffalo Wild Wings. One important distinction is that the sauces from Buffalo Wild Wings, according to the server, are prepackaged and so lack the freshness of Hog Wild or Double Dogs sauces. There were way too many flavors for us to sample them all, so on the advice of some regulars we selected six sauces spanning the massive scale of heat. The Teriyaki sauce was thick and robust and full of flavor, but also sweet, almost to the point of cloying. The Asian Zing had almost no flavor whatsoever – very disappointing. The Mango Habanero had a citrusy orange zest, smokey flavor bursting with heat. As we worked our way through our six each, the heat built to a punch that Double Dogs could never touch.

The Caribbean Jerk sauce, which had a nutmeg, garlic and thyme flavor, packed a heat that surpassed the hottest thing available at Double Dogs. This was a huge, bold flavor that nonetheless didn’t overwhelm the taste of the chicken. We agreed that this was the best flavor we sampled at Buffalo Wild Wings. If I go back, it’ll be for these.

The Wild flavor features a liberal dosing of Cayenne pepper that gave the wings a great deal of heat and a huge flavor – enjoyable, but hot.

We ate the legendary Blazin’ sauce as the last of the night. Diners don’t eat this one for the flavor – there’s really very little of that anyway. This is just a hot, hot wing. The Mace Spray of wing. It’s all heat. My dining companion was left speechless and gasping for water, but soldiered on and ate six of them. I had one, it was hot, and I went back to working on some of the extra Wild and Caribbean wings.

While we liked the Caribbean Jerk sauce the best, we agreed that the range of wings we sampled wasn’t all that impressive.

So after more than 50 wings each, we agreed on some winners. The wings with the best texture came from Hog Wild BBQ, no doubt. Double Dogs’ Smokin’ Thai and Buffalo Wild Wings’ Caribbean Jerk took the prize for best flavor of the night. Absolutely fabulous. Buffalo Wild Wings won for overall heat. As for “the best wings”? We couldn’t agree, and there are more places to try. Stay tuned.

— Our anonymous food reviewer gives new restaurants a six-week grace period before reviewing. To comment, please contact Managing Editor Mike Alexieff at 783-3235 or via e-mail at malexieff@bgdailynews.com.