And the winner of the Buffalo chicken wing episode of the Travel Channel&#8217s &#8220Food

Wars&#8221 &#8212 in a mild or medium upset &#8212 is: Duff&#8217s.

The suburban wing establishment in this battle with Buffalo&#8217s legendary Anchor Bar

earned the title of best in town Tuesday night in a new series hosted by Camille Ford.

The series pits restaurants against each other to determine which has the best dish that

defines an area of the country.

&#8220How does it feel to go from underdog to top dog?&#8221 Ford asked Duff&#8217s

co-owner Jeff Feather after the so-called &#8220innovator&#8221 of the wing beat the

&#8220originator.&#8221

&#8220It is unbelievable,&#8221 replied Feather.

Anchor Bar manager Ivano Toscani was a good sport after Miss Buffalo Wing 2008, Jennifer

Starkey, cast the tie-breaking vote for Duff&#8217s.

&#8220It is a little bit disappointing,&#8221 said Toscani. &#8220You know what, this is

good for Duff&#8217s, good for the Anchor Bar and good for the city of Buffalo. That&#8217s

all that counts.&#8221

Of course, Toscani is right. The idea of having five people decide what is the best wing

joint in Buffalo after eating two wings is silly, and &#8220Food Wars&#8221 didn&#8217t take

itself too seriously even when building the tension before Starkey&#8217s deciding vote.

The vote came a few months ago when the episode was filmed, with the Anchor Bar having the

home-field advantage for the taste contest.

Starkey joined Buffalo News Food Writer Andrew Galarneau and a Duff&#8217s regular and

superfan, Fred Saia, in voting for Duff&#8217s smaller but reportedly crispier wings in the

blind taste test.

The Anchor Bar had its own superfan in the contest, Dave Rust, who voted for the Anchor

Bar, where the chicken wing was born, as did former Buffalo Sabre Rob Ray.

The program explained that Duff&#8217s became a serious wing competitor in 1982 after a

review by then-Buffalo News Food Editor Janice Okun gave it the same rating as the Anchor Bar.

The menu of the fast-paced show included some impressive visuals of Buffalo architecture,

told the story of the &#8220invention&#8221 of the chicken wing and was as much fun as a night

on the town having wings with friends after a hockey game.

Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown and Drew Cerza, founder of the National Buffalo Wing Festival,

appeared on the program to discuss Buffalo&#8217s love of wings.

Ford playfully exaggerated the importance of the wing contest in Buffalo history, noting

that &#8220this city will not rest until a winner is chosen.&#8221 She also set an unofficial

record for wing puns.

&#8220Coming up, a defining moment in Buffalo wing history,&#8221 she noted before a

commercial, &#8220when we finally crown the Lord of the Wings.&#8221 Later, she asked Feather:

&#8220Are you glad you are a wing man?&#8221

And then there was this classic of hyperbole: &#8220This is it. The event all of

Buffalo&#8217s been waiting for. Let&#8217s wing it on.&#8221

&#8220Buffalo sports unite this town,&#8221 Ford said in setting up the competition.

&#8220But Buffalo wings divide it.&#8221

That undoubtedly will remain true. The spicy ending of &#8220Food Wars&#8221 undoubtedly

will be debated today at water coolers &#8212 and wing establishments &#8212 across Western

New York.