Simply The Best--The Chicken or The Egg--LBI, NJ

We all indulge. We can't help it! Whether it's our extra slice of pizza or the late night chocolaty snack, the best of us get cravings which require some sense of indulgence. I myself have one craving that seems to trump all others. In the dead of winter and the heat of summer alike I can't help but succumb to the craving for WINGS. As I said in my last post after eating poor wings from Buffalo, NY (where they originated) my favorite spot to give in to a wing craving is The Chicken or The Egg (the "Chegg," to locals) in Long Beach Island, NJ. Despite the fact that LBI was nowhere near the first place to make wings, the Chegg is definitely my favorite place to eat them that I've been thus far.

My necessary proviso for this post is that my family is huge LBI-heads. My mother has been going to LBI since she was a baby and was notably sailing her sunfish sailboat when it capsized as she was pregnant with me. My siblings and I have been raised in the summer, immersed in the quiet hum of Beach Haven, LBI, and we've certainly had our fair share of quality dinners on the island as well.

If any dinners stick out most, it's those that we've shared at The Chicken or The Egg. The Chegg is a beloved tourist spot but the locals and old-hands like us can't help but keep coming back. The busiest night at the Chegg is called "Wing Night." On Wing Nights every Wednesday, a plate of 5 hefty Chegg wings goes for only $3. Thankfully, my last trip fell on a Wing Night. After waiting out the 60-75 minute wing night wait (try to get your name on the list early) we got ourselves a table. I didn't really need to look at the menu--I knew what I wanted.

You want wings. The Chicken or The Egg has SIXTEEN different sauces for you to bathe your wings in. To date, I've tasted nine of them. The "Ludicrous" sauce was featured as a Man vs. Food Challenge on the Travel Channel. However, I myself am too much of a baby to try what's been said to be a devilishly spicy sauce. This trip, I tried two of my old favorites and two new sauces. The picture below shows the "Santos" sauce on the wings on the left and the "Swamp" sauce on the wings to the right.

In the picture at right, the orange wings closer to the right are my standby of "Jamaican Jerk," and to their left are the slightly milder Beesting wings. All I can say is that I wasn't disappointed. My standby favorites are always good and the new sauces didn't let me down either. Though I highly preferred the Swamp wings to the Santos, I would've been pleased to be served any of them. The wings at the Chegg are simply second to none.They're meatier than any wing I've ever tasted and their breading gives each bite a hearty crunch. An added bonus were the ginormous, fresh onion rings in the picture above. When you bite into one the onion practically falls into your mouth--the way a true onion ring should be. Also, as you can see, the burgers are first rate as well. Though I'm not one to order anything other than wings, the Chegg does have a multi-page menu of other delightful entrees.

Basically, I owe some of my favorite culinary journeys to the Chegg. It's kind of cool when I'm eating and I realize--this is why I have a food blog. Not only do I have it to share some enjoyable recipes, but I have it to share the places I eat that simply NEED to be praised. I share places like the Chegg because I want you, the reader, to GO THERE.

Overall rating: duh, a 5/5

For more information visit www.492fowl.com or just contact me--I could talk about the Chegg for hours.