Baltimore does not have casual opinions about Old Bay. It has positions. So the first thing worth saying is yes, Old Bay is one of our fourteen wing flavors, it is halal like everything else in our kitchen, and it goes on bone-in or boneless. The second thing worth saying is that fourteen flavors is a lot to stand at a counter and decide between. This is the guide we wish people had before they ordered, sorted by what the flavors actually taste like rather than the order they appear on the menu.
The fourteen flavors, grouped by what they actually do
Menus list flavors alphabetically or randomly. Nobody chooses that way. Here they are in the four groups people actually pick from.
Heat first. Rim Fire, Mango Habanero, Hot. Rim Fire is the top of our range and it is not a novelty heat, it builds. Mango Habanero is the one that fools people, because the fruit hits before the pepper does. Hot is the straightforward version: cayenne-forward, no sweetness hiding it.
Mild and family-safe. Mild, Lemon Pepper, Garlic Parmesan, Old Bay. This is the group to order when the table includes kids or anyone who says they do not like spicy food. Garlic Parmesan is the most ordered wing in this group nationally and it is not close. Lemon Pepper is the driest of the fourteen, meaning less sauce and more crunch.
Sweet and sticky. Honey Garlic, Honey BBQ, Sweet and Tangy, Teriyaki. These are the ones that disappear fastest at a party and are also the messiest. Teriyaki is worth flagging because our teriyaki is made in house rather than bought in, which is the reason we can put it on a halal menu at all.
Smoky and tangy. Chipotle BBQ, Buffalo Gold, Thai Chilli. Buffalo Gold is our most interesting flavor and the hardest to describe: honey and mustard behind the buffalo, so it lands sweet then sharp. Thai Chilli sits between the sweet group and the heat group.
Why Old Bay works on a hibachi wing
Old Bay is celery salt, paprika and black pepper doing most of the work, with mustard and bay behind it. It is a dry seasoning, which means it does what lemon pepper does: it seasons the skin without soaking it. On a wing that has been fried properly, that keeps the crunch intact for the drive home, which sauce does not.
It also happens to be the flavor that makes the most sense with hibachi rice. The salt and paprika sit next to fried rice the way seafood seasoning sits next to almost everything else in this city. If you are ordering for people from outside Baltimore, order Old Bay as one of two flavors, not the only one. It is an acquired taste everywhere except here.
Bone-in or boneless
Both come in the same six counts and at the same prices, and both take all fourteen flavors. Bone-in holds sauce better and stays hot longer, which matters if you are driving more than ten minutes. Boneless is faster to eat, better for kids, and the one to pick if the wings are going on a table with other food rather than being the meal.
If you cannot decide, order two counts of ten in different styles rather than one twenty. Same price, twice the coverage.
How many wings you actually need
This is the part people get wrong, usually by under-ordering.
| Group | Order | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One person, wings as a meal | 10 pieces | $14.99 |
| One person, wings as a side | 5 pieces | $7.99 |
| Two to three people sharing | 20 pieces | $27.99 |
| Four to five people | 30 pieces | $39.99 |
| Eight to ten people | 50 pieces | $66.99 |
| A room | 100 pieces | $129.99 |
The rule that has held up: four to six wings per person if there is other food on the table, eight to ten per person if there is not.
Two combos are also worth knowing. Five pieces of Garlic Parmesan with fries and a drink is $10.99, and ten pieces of Buffalo Gold with fries and a drink is $16.99. If you are eating alone, the combo beats ordering the pieces separately. Chicken tenders run alongside the wings at $7.99 for three, $9.99 for four and $11.99 for five, and they take the same fourteen flavors, which most people do not realize.
What to drink with the hot ones
Water does very little against capsaicin. Dairy and sugar do more, which is why the boba menu is not a side note here. A Brown Sugar Milk Tea at $6.49 or a Taro Coconut Smoothie at $6.49 will reset your mouth between Rim Fire wings in a way a fountain drink will not. The Watermelon Slush at $6.49 is the other reliable option. If you are ordering Mango Habanero for a group, order at least two milk-based drinks with it. Somebody at the table will need one.
Ordering from our Moravia Road location
We are at 5230 Moravia Rd, Suite B, in Northeast Baltimore, a few minutes from Belair-Edison, Frankford and Hamilton, and a short run from Morgan State, Overlea and Parkville. Everything is fried and sauced when the order comes in, which is why the wings arrive hot and also why a large count takes longer than a small one. For anything over twenty pieces, order online ahead rather than walking in, especially on a Friday or Saturday evening.
Visit us
Fourteen halal wing flavors, fried when you order them, on Moravia Road. Flame Japanese Hibachi Baltimore, 5230 Moravia Rd, Suite B, Baltimore, MD 21206. 410-858-4910.
