Bob Baumhower's Restaurant

Maybe it was the time/day (a rainy Monday afternoon, 2 PM) but this Baumhower's experience left me wishing we had taken our wing craving elsewhere. The boneless wings (named "hot lips" on the menu) were pitiful--tiny pieces of chicken, and the buffalo sauce looked like it had been carelessly drizzled on the chicken after it had been plated, instead of tossed in a bowl properly (sauce didn't even cover all of the chicken). The regular bone-in buffalo wings were rather small as well, and also lacked flavor from a weak saucing. The only redeeming thing about the meal were the fried Wickles--they were awesome. Breading was perfect, and those wicked pickles were oh so juicy and flavorful inside that breading. I will give Baumhower's another shot just so I can enjoy these fried delicacies again!

Wow this place keeps slipping.  I went for the 911 wings and they were mild enough for a kindergarten class.  The server offered to bring me "the next hottest" which would have been their Bring The Pain sauce.  Folks, it was straight Texas Pete sauce and nothing else.  A decade or so back, the 911 wings came out with habanero pieces in the sauce.  They have a hotter wing, the name escapes me now, that was smothered in jalepeno and habanero.  They were really hot and really good.  Today the hottest sauce is Texas Pete?  That just makes no sense whatsoever.  The wings themselves were clearly not cooked to order.  They were cold, dry and tough.

My son went for the Caesar salad with grilled chicken.  The greens were room temp and the salad dressing was bland.  The grilled chicken on the salad was nicely cooked and had a good flavor.

On to my last rant...  Turn down the game.  Seriously do you need to have the television hitting 90dB?  Yes, I really did have a volume meter and yes, I really am a geek.  So you understand, 90dB is the level at which OSHA starts regulating workplace sound levels.  If the level gets any higher, the maximum number of hours they could legally work employees is 6 hours per day.  90dB is stupidly loud.

I will make this short and sweet.

This is only the second time that I have eaten here. Other than Buffalo Wild Wings, it's about the only place within quick driving proximity of work that serves wings. Please do not even mention Domino's as a competitor. :)

My first experience was lackluster. The waiter seemed disinterested in our group and mumbled. He was respectful, but not motivated to provide an experience. I had the fish. I know, I know. Fish at a wings place. I did. It was super salty and that was my punishment for ordering fish.

Today's experience was a little better. The waiter was good and continued to check on us until our food arrived. I ordered the large wings with Jamaican Jerk sauce. The sauce was great but the wings...oh the wings. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. The wings were a little nuked. I prefer wings to be a little tender and so that target was missed. Overall, It served it's purpose as a quick lunch stop for some wing-hungry dudes.

Side Note: The staff is very respectful.

I'm still looking for a place to rise up and provide some serious quality wings. Birmingham deserves it.