Married gentlemen should probably cross strip clubs off their list of places to visit.
And getting sloshed sans your spouse at some hole-in-the-wall tavern is probably not a good idea, either.
But dudes go to Hooters. That's just how it is. It's the perfect middle ground where you can look but not touch and drink responsibly by a) soaking up the beer with a tremendous amount of bad-for-you grub and b) letting your not-drunk pal, who should be satisfied enough with the chance to ogle the waitresses, drive you home.
And so, even though residents and parents of kids who go to the YMCA across the street are (understandably?) P.O.-ed about the new Hooters at 136 Astro Shopping Center, Mill Creek, it is cause for celebration among the men -- and even women -- of the Newark and Wilmington areas who wanted a franchise closer to them.
(And no disrespect to the existing Delaware Hooters on U.S. 13 near New Castle -- it's just jim-dandy -- because any new franchise in a chain is going to be way nicer than an old one.)
Immediately upon entering the new Hooters, I realized the chain decided to up its game here, maybe because they knew there'd be controversy surrounding the location and wanted to do it right.
The side entrance (not facing the YMCA) opens into a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book. Go right and you're hanging in the posh (yeah, it is nice) bar lounge area with high tables, while a left turn sends you into the dining room and its hardwood floors, ample seating (plenty of higher booths and floor-level tables) and dozens of hi-def TVs and sweet projection screens that provide clear sight lines to just about anyone in the restaurant who wants to take in a game.
My first visit to this Hooters came last week, during Villanova's first-round NCAA tournament game against American.
Instead of going for straight for my usual -- the largest pile of wings I could handle -- I opted for the fried pickles ($4.99) as an appetizer. I was surprised that they were circular instead of dill, but the shape made for easy dipping in the tasty side sauce, which was some concoction that the Hooters people call an "onion ring dipping sauce." A cook there would not divulge any further details of this "secret recipe."
It hit me later why this appetizer is such a great idea: Pickles help with dehydration. Beer and liquor make you dehydrated. Duh.
My pal opted for the Daytona shrimp ($7.99), which he described as thus: "A good amount of spice and sweet. Breaded but not overly so. Definitely something that will have you licking your fingers." The coating consists of brown sugar, hot sauce and barbecue sauce, with another one of those "secret recipes" thrown in.
As usual, we plowed into some wings for the main course. My pile of hot breaded wings hit the mark, but the dude I was with actually could not handle his batch of Three Mile Island-flavored naked wings. Impressive.
