As a young nation, America is not the home to creation of very many of the world's great meals, but among America's contributions to the culinary arts, Buffalo wings are one of the best. Buffalo Wings got their name from their birthplace, Buffalo, New York, a short drive from Niagara Falls. Luckily, I encountered the Anchor Inn my first trip to Buffalo when my local hosts took me to the Anchor Inn for lunch and explained how it to eat Buffalo Wings.

The Anchor Inn is no longer in operation, but its sister location, The Anchor Bar is still in action. We never ate at the Anchor Bar because the Anchor Inn was easier to get to and had a parking lot, but by all reports the wings are the same.

Buffalo Wings have become almost as ubiquitous as pizza or hamburgers, but for the best in Buffalo Wings , one must go to the origin, Buffalo's Anchor Bar, where Buffalo Wings were invented. No visit to Niagara Falls (or to the Buffalo region) is a success without
a meal or two at The Anchor Bar.

The Anchor is a family owned Italian restaurant. One night, some friends of one of the family stopped by, looking for a late night snack. Mom, the chief, scarfed around the kitchen to see what was left, and found chicken wings. For reasons unknown, Mom
tossed some cayenne pepper in olive oil and now secret spices, brushed it on the wings, and stuck them in the pizza oven. While the wings were baking, Mom mixed blue
cheese in mayo for a dip, and so was born an iconic food.

We have never tasted Buffalo Wings anywhere else that compare to those of the Anchor Inn. The Wings at Anchor Inn are more than the best Buffalo Wings known to man. They are a gourmet dish, and worth a meal in themselves.

While Buffalo Wings are only a food item, eating original Buffalo Wings is a cultural experience.

Here is the proper procedure for eating Buffalo Wings . The menu lists a number of choices of Buffalo Wings by the number of wings served, starting with appetizer sized servings. Now the appetizer is fine for the locals, who can eat here frequently, but the tourist or occasional visitor should keep in mind that eating Buffalo Wings at the Anchor is a rare treat. Go for one of the meal size platters. To decide which one, tell your helpful waitress how hungry you are, and she will advise you one which option to order.

Next, you should specify how "hot", i.e., peppery, you want your wings-- mild, medium, or hot. For us, mild borders on being too hot.

Wings are served with a bowl of white glop which is a mix of mayonnaise and blue cheese. A separate dish of celery sticks accompany the wings. The empty bowl is for bones. Proper procedure is to dip the celery and wings in the glop and eat them with your fingers. The glop has a calming effect on the peppered wings. A goodly supply of napkins is also served.

A cold beer is the perfect companion for Buffalo Wings .

The ambiance is semi-rustic seafaring, in keeping with name of the place, it seems perfect for Buffalo Wings .

Service was great. The friendly waitresses are well versed in introducing you to the mysteries of properly eating Buffalo Wings , and they enjoy it. And why not? It is not often that you get to eat one of the world's great dishes at its home base.

There is also a typical Italian-American menu, but shame on you if you even think about it. Order Buffalo Wings .

The bottom line is this: anybody who visits Niagara Falls without a meal of Buffalo Wings at the Anchor Inn is an idiot. Don't miss it.

This is it, baby. We're talking chicken wings, those heart-clogging little wonders that put Buffalo back on the map! Frank and Teressa's Anchor Bar is where they started one night in 1964 and they still pump them out in mass quantities.

I've had so-called "Buffalo Wings" around the country, and few come close to the simplicity of the original – deep-fried wings, butter, and hot sauce. No breading allowed, people! Wrong, wrong, wrong!

The Anchor Bar's wings are great - big, meaty wings that are crisp outside, and coated in that famous sauce in your choice of heat: mild, medium, hot, and suicidal. Serve 'em up hot with celery, blue cheese dressing, and a cold beer and you have Buffalo Heaven! Dip your wing in the dressing and dig in! They give you napkins and lots of them, but I find the tongue to be a more efficient cleaning machine . . .

The bar itself is super-casual – wood-paneled rooms covered in license plates from all over the States, pictures of the famous and infamous who have dined there, vinyl seat chairs and no attitude. During the evenings you may even catch a jazz combo playing for a modest cover charge. But really, who are we kidding? You're there for a grease-fest and you're going to wallow in every moment of your visit to the epicenter of a culinary icon. They even won a James Beard Food Award in 2003!

Few are the cities that are so closely tied to a single food, but such is our fortune. And we wouldn't have it any other way!

And oh, there is other stuff on the menu. Who cares?