Located a bit over 1 mile west of the Donegal exit of the turnpike, The Main Event Sports Bar resides in a building that for many years was The Ponderosa Bar. A complete renovation has cleaned up what was previously a dive, but did so in a manner that was totally nondescript and lacking in character. The décor turned out to foreshadow perfectly the evening.
I started the Thursday Wing & Karaoke Night with a draft Newcastle Brown Ale at $4 which was even served in a Newcastle glass. Newcastle is a hugely successful brewer from England and their product is widely available. It’s an OK example of a brown ale but lacks the nuttiness in the nose and finish you’d expect from a brown ale. The menu listed 19 varieties of wings but with no descriptions. The minimum order is six and were priced at $.45 each for wing night down from the $3.75 per six regularly. Veggies and dressing is $.75 extra. I can’t explain why the wings are priced by the piece but that you are required to buy six. Why not just say they’re $2.70 for six? After being informed the wings were single section, I ordered six “Buffalo” and six “Sweet ‘n Sassy”. They arrived quickly, served in two separate baskets, along with a plate for the bones and wet wipes. I could tell right away they were likely IQF (individually quick frozen), an impression that was confirmed with the first bite. They were cooked OK for a frozen wing but lacked juiciness and were not very meaty. The “Sweet ‘n Sassy” sauce appeared to be simply Thai Chili Sauce straight from the bottle. If it wasn’t, I’d like to get the recipe from the cook as it’s a great knock off. Without menu descriptions I wasn’t quite sure what the difference was between the “Buffalo” sauce and the other “Hot” sauces on the menu. I suspect it was the addition of butter (or butter substitute), although I’ve always made all of my “Hot” sauces with butter. There was nothing wrong with either of the sauces I ate but like everything else I experienced they were just OK.
I get the feeling the management has lost their passion for the business and have simply given up. Surfing the internet, I noticed they used to have a website but no longer do. They had also previously used Twitter but haven’t for nearly two years. One thing they will learn the hard way is that if management isn’t excited about their own restaurant the public won’t be either.
THE RATING
Cooking: Cooked decently but IQF wings are never great. 5
Varieties: 19 varieties is above average but nothing exciting and there were no descriptions 6
Value: OK price at $2.70 per six but the wings need to be better to get a good value rating 5.5
Enjoyment: Everything was just OK. They should just rename it the OK Corral. 5.5
OVERALL: 5.5
