The Wings at Roosters in Margate Lose Something in Transition

Thirty years of deep-frying wings in one building builds a lot of history (and plaque in a lot of arteries). Even so, Roosters packed up the poultry operation in May 2008, moving from the dark, wood-paneled confines of its longtime Southgate Boulevard location to a shiny new space just a...

By John Linn

February 4, 2010

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Thirty years of deep-frying wings in one building builds a lot of history (and plaque in a lot of arteries). Even so, Roosters packed up the poultry operation in May 2008, moving from the dark, wood-paneled confines of its longtime Southgate Boulevard location to a shiny new space just a few blocks down the road. The new restaurant feels more like a modern sports bar than a wing shack, with a full liquor bar and flat-screen TVs tuned to Chicago games whenever they're on. As far as the wings go, something was lost in the transition: Where Rooster's wings were once the sauciest, biggest, juiciest around, they're now just the average-est. What remains intact, however, are quirky, Midwest rarities like the Illinois-style pork tenderloin sandwich, a pounded-flat pork schnitzel that looks like a Frisbee layered between two halves of a bun. Native Midwesterners go crazy for this sandwich — it's likely the only one you'll find in South Florida. Also in that vein is the Cincinnati-style chili served over spaghetti and "chicken thumbs," an anatomical pun on the chicken finger.

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