On Sunday, August 2, 2009 we went to dinner at Alondra Hot Wings to celebrate Dad’s (my father-in-law’s) birthday. My wife had obtained a $25 gift certificate (required spending $35) to that restaurant from restaurants.com for only $3. It seemed like a pretty good place specializing in hot wings but also serving other things such as pizza and sandwiches. We had wanted to make a reservation but when my wife called them they said they did not take reservations. On Sunday afternoon we drove over to Mom and Dad’s and after my brother- and sister-in-law arrived and Dad finished cooking some crab for the paella he was making for his birthday celebration the next day, we all drove to the restaurant. It’s in northern Alhambra requiring us to drive north on Atlantic Blvd. and turn right on Main Street. Alondra Hot Wings is on the north side of the street near the intersection with 5th Street. We turned left on 5th Street. There didn’t seem to be much parking behind the restaurant but there was a public parking lot on the east side of 5th Street. We just parked there, crossed 5th Street and entered the restaurant through the back door.
Alondra Hot Wings has a “gangster” theme, not in terms of gangbangers but in terms of old school organized crime and famous gangsters in history. We entered through the back door and walked down the hall. On the right wall were framed front pages of vintage newspapers detailed arrests of famous criminals. One the other wall were large black and white photographs of the famous gangsters, most of them portraits and/or mug shots. There were many we had heard of: Bonnie and Clyde (whose car we saw at the casino in Primm, Nevada in late June), Bugsy Siegel, Luciano, Gambino, Genovese, Capone, Gotti, and many we hadn’t heard of such as Gigante, a great name for a gangster. Each photo had a brief written profile below it with the gangster’s name and when they lived. The restaurant had a black and brownish red color scheme. Most seating consisted of booths along the walls and tables set together in the middle. Other large photos on the walls showed the New York City skyline, a couple showing the late World Trade Center twin towers. There were also several flatscreen TV’s showing the L.A. Dodger game. Over the speakers they played traditional Pop music, mostly Frank Sinatra.
The restaurant was cranking. Ever booth and table was full. I noticed one table where several cops sat and I wondered what they thought of the décor. At the large L-shaped bar and open kitchen on the left side of the restaurant they told us we had to give our name and the size of our party to the hostess at the desk up front. We did so at 6:54 pm and the hostess said it would be a 20-minute wait. While we waited I saw many people eating wings served on round metal platters on elevated on stands. I also had a chance to look at the menu. They served three different kinds of wings: original, barbecue, and teriyaki. For each we could choose a level of spice between mild, medium and hot. They all came with carrot and celery sticks and ranch dipping sauce. There were also many other sauces to choose from including “atomic” hot sauce, honey barbecue, and maple syrup.
The menu included a lot more than just wings, though. There were also deli sandwiches and burgers from the grill that included one called “The Big Apple” though it didn’t have any apples in it. The section “Organized Pizza” listed many pizzas named for gangsters or other gangster terms. Like the photos they had the “Bonnie and Clyde”, the “Gotti”, and the “Luciano”. They also had the “Don” and the “Sleeping with the Fishes” pizzas. Desserts included fried twinkies and doughballs or chunks of snickers bars coated in thick dough. I also learned from the menu that they have four locations: in Paramount on Alondra Blvd. (possibly the original location), Long Beach, Alhambra (where we were), and Montebello.
We actually weren’t seated until 7:25 pm yielding a wait of over 30 minutes. They put us at one of the group of tables in the center. We knew what we wanted so we ordered right away. My brother-in-law brought a bottle of wine and I believe they charged a $5 corkage fee. First they brought the Philly Cheesesteak sandwich that Mom ordered and then they brought a plate of 16 original wings, mild spice level. They were small but numerous enough for everyone to have some and enough for a meal for me. Even though they were mild they still had a bit of heat, enough to give them flavor. I also tried some of the fries that came with Mom’s Philly cheesesteak sandwich. They were good, especially after dipping them in the residual sauce from the wings. My wife enjoyed her tomato fried in buttermilk batter that she shared with the others. They also had a “Sleeping with the Fishes” pizza that has shrimp on it. For dessert, they ordered a fried twinkie though Dad was also given a fried twinkie for his birthday. The servers sang “Happy Birthday” to Dad, singing “Happy Birthday to the Gangster” in place of his name. The others also ordered some of those Snickers doughballs that they enjoyed very much.
The bill net of the $25 gift certificate came out pretty reasonable. We made out like gangsters.
Alondra Hot Wings has a “gangster” theme, not in terms of gangbangers but in terms of old school organized crime and famous gangsters in history. We entered through the back door and walked down the hall. On the right wall were framed front pages of vintage newspapers detailed arrests of famous criminals. One the other wall were large black and white photographs of the famous gangsters, most of them portraits and/or mug shots. There were many we had heard of: Bonnie and Clyde (whose car we saw at the casino in Primm, Nevada in late June), Bugsy Siegel, Luciano, Gambino, Genovese, Capone, Gotti, and many we hadn’t heard of such as Gigante, a great name for a gangster. Each photo had a brief written profile below it with the gangster’s name and when they lived. The restaurant had a black and brownish red color scheme. Most seating consisted of booths along the walls and tables set together in the middle. Other large photos on the walls showed the New York City skyline, a couple showing the late World Trade Center twin towers. There were also several flatscreen TV’s showing the L.A. Dodger game. Over the speakers they played traditional Pop music, mostly Frank Sinatra.
The restaurant was cranking. Ever booth and table was full. I noticed one table where several cops sat and I wondered what they thought of the décor. At the large L-shaped bar and open kitchen on the left side of the restaurant they told us we had to give our name and the size of our party to the hostess at the desk up front. We did so at 6:54 pm and the hostess said it would be a 20-minute wait. While we waited I saw many people eating wings served on round metal platters on elevated on stands. I also had a chance to look at the menu. They served three different kinds of wings: original, barbecue, and teriyaki. For each we could choose a level of spice between mild, medium and hot. They all came with carrot and celery sticks and ranch dipping sauce. There were also many other sauces to choose from including “atomic” hot sauce, honey barbecue, and maple syrup.
The menu included a lot more than just wings, though. There were also deli sandwiches and burgers from the grill that included one called “The Big Apple” though it didn’t have any apples in it. The section “Organized Pizza” listed many pizzas named for gangsters or other gangster terms. Like the photos they had the “Bonnie and Clyde”, the “Gotti”, and the “Luciano”. They also had the “Don” and the “Sleeping with the Fishes” pizzas. Desserts included fried twinkies and doughballs or chunks of snickers bars coated in thick dough. I also learned from the menu that they have four locations: in Paramount on Alondra Blvd. (possibly the original location), Long Beach, Alhambra (where we were), and Montebello.
We actually weren’t seated until 7:25 pm yielding a wait of over 30 minutes. They put us at one of the group of tables in the center. We knew what we wanted so we ordered right away. My brother-in-law brought a bottle of wine and I believe they charged a $5 corkage fee. First they brought the Philly Cheesesteak sandwich that Mom ordered and then they brought a plate of 16 original wings, mild spice level. They were small but numerous enough for everyone to have some and enough for a meal for me. Even though they were mild they still had a bit of heat, enough to give them flavor. I also tried some of the fries that came with Mom’s Philly cheesesteak sandwich. They were good, especially after dipping them in the residual sauce from the wings. My wife enjoyed her tomato fried in buttermilk batter that she shared with the others. They also had a “Sleeping with the Fishes” pizza that has shrimp on it. For dessert, they ordered a fried twinkie though Dad was also given a fried twinkie for his birthday. The servers sang “Happy Birthday” to Dad, singing “Happy Birthday to the Gangster” in place of his name. The others also ordered some of those Snickers doughballs that they enjoyed very much.
The bill net of the $25 gift certificate came out pretty reasonable. We made out like gangsters.
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