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Jake Melnick's

Managed to make a stop here on a trip into Chicago to try their wings after seeing them on the food channel multiple times.

First I have to say the gimmick of making you sign a wavier to eat their XXX wings is kinda overplayed. Second the guy kept trying to explain to me that they were not just hot but insanely hot and shouldn't be taken lightly.

After all is said and done they bring you a plastic fireman's hat that says you dared to try their hottest wings to wear while you eat them. It's roughly 10 wings for $15 so they aren't cheap either. Then they brought them out and asked me if I wanted a bell, this bell is to ring if they prove to hot so that the wait staff can bring you milk, sour cream, or anything else you request to cut the burn, I decline explaining that every time I hear this story I'm let down and have brought my Pure Evil just in case they turn out to be a letdown in the heat department :P

The waiter stands off by a computer staring at me at this point as I try the first wing. I eat it no problem without the ranch or blue cheese dressing they bring with it. Trying to determine if it's going to sneak up on me I decide to try another in attempts to get it to build up and/or the superhot effect to start, it does start kicking up after the second wing is gone. So I decide to trudge on without the pure evil cause they are starting to make my tongue all tingly and warm. The flavor is really pretty good for as hot as these wings are, a bit vinegary for me so they lost a little there but no extract flavor so I'm inclined to believe that these are in fact the real deal. They say it's a mixture of red savina and Bhut jolokia (ghost pepper) extract. But I think it may just be powder and mash.

So I continue on munching away at the wings gaining stares from other staff members cause I'm wearing this plastic fire hat over my leather fedora and it really looks quite silly. But I manage to take down all of the wings without using any of the dipping sauce or more than 1 glass of soda to help wash down the stuff while still eating. And in good faith sat a good 15 mins before taking another glass to fully enjoy my burn. About halfway through I did break into a sweat And my nose began to run a bit but nothing overwhelming. I did have a full mouth burn that built up to quite an enjoyable level, no throat burn at all but I did get a nice fire in my stomach.

Overall quite an enjoyable experience good flavor and excellent heat for a commercial establishment. I give them a 9/10 only lost points cause I found the sauce a bit vinegary for my taste.
 
I know this is an old post but figured id post anyway.  I live an hour south of Chicago and have been to melnicks twice within the last year. [very good food] the first time I went i requested their "hottest" wings.  Of course the waitress looked at me like I was crazy.  she insisted that I try some first, which I did.  When she came back I ordered them, which then is where she brought up the "waiver" and told me I would have to sign before they would serve me the wings.  I thought it was ridiculous, but whatever..  [she never did bring the waiver]  The wings eventually gave me a burn about halfway through the order of ten.  the taste/flavor was pretty good.  they were nowhere near as hot as I expected, however, I would recommend them to spicy seekers.  the next time I went I ordered them again, except this time, I ordered half their hottest, and half FIRECRACKER.  Their firecracker wings have the best sauce I have ever eaten on a chicken wing, hands down.  I think their flavors were siracha and sweet and sour or honey mustard.  I may be wrong about those flavors but im sure you can find out them on theier website.  not really spicy but absolutely DEELISH.  definitely try the firecracker wings. 
 
ps:  the waitress on my second visit told my i would have to sign a waiver before they would serve me their hottest wings.  I agreed.  never seen it.
 
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