I happened to be driving through the Denver area, and like it's almost customary for me at this…read morepoint, I started craving wings. I remembered trying CD's Wings a little over a year ago and really enjoying them, so the plan was set in motion. I was going back to CD's.
I was in town on a business trip and had a few colleagues tag along. We made our way over around 1 PM, and the place was just like I remembered it. Not that I expected much to change, but it was nice seeing it stay consistent. Just like my first visit, the place was packed. Seeing that many people there early in the day felt like a good sign that CD's was still doing something right.
There are a ton of sauce options, but like usual, I went with flavors I know I'm going to like: Hot and Spicy BBQ. I had read that the wings here are made to order, and after waiting about 20 minutes for them, I believe it. I also specifically told our server that I wanted them wet. Well, they definitely listened. These things were WET. They weren't just covered in sauce, they were practically swimming in it. That's exactly what I wanted.
I generally know what to expect from Buffalo, which CD's calls Hot, so I was especially interested in the Spicy BBQ. After that first bite, I immediately remembered why these wings had stuck in my head for more than a year. I came back with high expectations, and somehow they still exceeded them.
The Spicy BBQ is exactly how it sounds, but the balance is what makes it so good. You get the sweetness of BBQ along with that Buffalo-style heat, and somehow you taste both at the same time. Neither one takes over. It doesn't taste like they just mixed two random sauces together either. The flavors actually work together, giving you that sweet BBQ taste with enough heat to keep you going back for another bite.
The sauce is great, but what really makes these wings stand out is the chicken itself. There's a slight crisp when you bite through the skin, followed by tender, juicy chicken underneath. Considering how wet I ordered them, I was impressed they still had that crisp. Honestly, they don't need to be overly crispy. The juicy chicken, little bit of crunch and all that sauce work perfectly together.
After eating a few, I noticed something else. It didn't matter whether I grabbed a flat or a drum. Sometimes the flats are great but the drums aren't quite the same, or the other way around. Here, every wing was good. Maybe they've mastered their cooking time, maybe it's how they prep them, I don't know. Whatever they're doing, it works.
I love wings, so maybe someone could say I'm going to give any decent wing praise, but after trying wings at different places around the country, you really do notice the differences. There's a difference between a good wing and one you actually remember months later. CD's falls into that second category.
My thoughts were proven even further when the colleagues with me said these were some of the best wings they had tried. What made that even better was that the previous day we had gone out for Mexican food, which is their favorite type of food. When we compared the two meals, they still picked CD's Wings as their favorite. I wasn't expecting that.
Am I going to declare these the best wings in Colorado when I haven't tried every wing spot in the state? Probably not. But from what I've tried so far, CD's is sitting at the top, and it's going to take some really good wings to knock them off.
If there's one complaint I have, it's that there isn't a CD's Wings back home in Chicago. I genuinely think this place would be a success there. These aren't wings that are just good for the area. I think they can compete with some of the best wing spots I've tried anywhere. More than a year went by between my visits, and I still remembered these wings. After finally coming back, I somehow enjoyed them even more the second time.
Wings: 9.25/10
