Monday munchies: Crunchy chicken wings

By Amy Granite

June 29, 2015 7:15 PM PT

No matter what your cultural background, chicken wings translate to party time. They’re highly regarded as the ultimate snack food from Beijing to Buffalo, and here in San Diego, we have every imaginable style represented, with smoked and even wood-fired wings in between.

The “best” style is absolutely subjective, but if you gauge quality wings on their crisp, crunchy skins, tender, juicy meat and killer seasonings, then get ready to meet your next meal at Phuong Trang Restaurant. These intense Vietnamese-style wings, which come in two flavors - garlic butter and glazed - will knock your socks off. Pro tip: You can split a large order of one dozen between both styles.

Somehow, this restaurant has managed to capture the low-brow decadence of buttery, salty microwave popcorn and inject it into lightly battered wings whose skin - coated with toasty bits of garlic - yields a crunch as loud as biting into a potato chip. These wings are serious, rich business and should be regarded and respected as the drug that they are.

For everyday use, I’d opt for the glazed version. They’re sticky, salty and sweet with a mild application of fish sauce, if you tend to shy away from the lovable, stinky concoction. Try something different and eat a few - by wing three, if you aren’t hooked, you’re no friend of the Monday Munchies crew.

4170 Convoy St., Kearny Mesa., (858) 565-6750, phuongtrangrestaurant.com.