Columbia Wingmen

The Pasta Factory

Columbia’s Original Italian Restaurant Since – 1976

1020 East Broadway

573.449.3948

As Matt is finally back in town and Wingmen is starting to become more popular (just wait a few weeks and you’ll see what I mean), we are going full steam ahead with knocking out some local places that offer wings. Happy hour is a wingman’s (and broke college student’s) greatest boon, as having a cheap beer with cheap delicious wings is one of my favorite pass time activities. As it often happens, a wing craving can hit at any moment, and as Matt and I discussed our upcoming project for wingmen…we just had to have them. One thing we typically try to do at Wingmen is not EVER pay full price. You would be surprised how many places offer happy hours and weekly specials that are far cheaper than normal pricing. We had been talking about a few places we wanted to try out, and ended up heading down to Pasta Factory as we have heard good things regarding their wings. I called and found out that on Mondays they offer their happy hour (4:30 to 6:30) pricing on their wings until close. With our target acquired, Matt and I headed downtown to put Pasta Factory through the Wingmen gauntlet.

When our wings were brought out, Matt and I couldn’t help but chuckle at the enormous 12 inch in diameter plate with a small mound of wings in the middle. Gordon would not approve. However, the plates don’t change the taste and although it looked a bit goofy, who really cares. The wings themselves were pretty different than most of the wings you would find in Columbia. They are tiny! I wouldn’t say they are the smallest wings I have ever had, but were certainly below average. If you have read this before you know that Matt and I actually like small wings. Mostly due to our favorite wing joint Frailey’s South in St. Louis and their tiny perfect wings. Smaller wings tend to be a bit crispier and have a really high sauce to surface ratio. I like my wings with a good amount of sauce on them so I like this. The small wings are also sometimes a bit more fun to eat. You can eat more, it takes longer, and you do a bit more work. This might sound weird but its actually pretty fun to sit around for a while watching football, drinking, and slowing chipping away at a mountain of wings. Therefore, although some people may not like the smallness of the pasta factory wings, I actually enjoyed them quite a bit (and for this reason we don’t simply average the scores). I will point out that maybe 2-3 wings will equal the meat in a CJ’s or other large wing. This will give you some perspective.

Meatiness – 3.5/10

Pasta Factory really shines on their sauce. Coverage was good. Not floating in sauce by any means, but it looks like they were spun with the sauce, causing a nice, even coating on all of the wings. Neither of us asked for them “extra wet” but did get an extra cup of sauce on the side. It tasted quite good on the wings and complemented the chicken flavor perfectly. The sauce was a bright orange color and was a bit thick and stuck to the wings well. The sauce had a great flavor. It was average on hotness, had a good buffalo hot sauce (Franks etc), had a nice buttery flavor but was not oily at all. There was also a hint of sweetness at the end that really yielded a good result. The waiter also made a point to say that it was signature Pasta Factory sauce even though we didnt ask, suggesting it is homemade, which is usually a good sign of the overall quality of the wings and the restaurant itself. This was certainly one of the better sauces we have had in Columbia…from and Italian restaurant..who knew?

Sauce – 8.5 /10

As is typical with small wings, these were very crispy, even when coated with the sauce. However, as the wings are small, they are more likely to dry out a bit. The wings were cooked well, and I really enjoyed them, but due to the smallness I think it is very difficult to not overcook them a tiny bit without them being cooked completely. I am actually unsure, as I have never bought and cooked wings this small, and think they likely come from restaurant suppliers. Although they were not outstanding on this particular aspect they were quite good overall.

Crispiness/Juiciness – 7.5/10

Although I have been to Pasta Factory in the past and disappointed with the service a bit, it was a totally different story when we went earlier tonight. We sat in the bar, as they were nearly empty when we arrived and the bartender took care of our orders drinks etc. Eventually six or seven other people showed up and he did a great job with them as well. He was very friendly, was extremely accommodating and did a great job providing us with full glasses, napkins, blue cheese, splitting the check etc. Props to the Monday bartender at Pasta Factory. He did a great job.

Service – 8.5/10

As far as value goes, Pasta Factory is pretty good as long as you live by the Wingmen code that you will not pay full price. Happy hour each day from 4:30 to 6:30 offers up 15 small wings at $4.95 and Monday offers wings at this price until close. I would be impressed if someone could eat two orders of these as a meal, but it may be smart to grab either another order of wings or another appetizer to share if you are really hungry. We couldn’t actually find the wings on the menu, but they told us wings were typically $6.95 for 15. This in itself isn’t a terrible deal, but as I said the wings are pretty small so I wouldn’t be surprised if many people were satisfied by one order. Overall a pretty good value. Also I would like to note that we were offered both ranch/blue cheese (which we both got and was pretty good) and an extra cup of sauce, at no extra charge. This is usually another good sign that shows that restaurants really value their customers.

Value – 7/10 Mondays/Happy Hour – 5/10 Normal Price

Overall, I really enjoyed the wings at Pasta Factory. Great atmosphere, classy/casual bar with great service, great food, and at a good price. What more could you ask for? Matt and I will likely be hitting up Pasta Factory again, which means a lot when you are as critical as we both are. Check em out, you wont be sorry.

Cheers,

Nate

Overview:

Meatiness: 3.5/10

Sauce: 8.5/10

Crispiness/Juiciness: 7.5/10

Service: 8.5/10

Value: 7/10 Monday and Happy Hours/5/10 Normally

Overall (not an average): 8/10