NEW BUSINESS: House of Wings Ready to Soar in La Verne
At House of Wings, you're surrounded by friendly staff and 23 TVs.
La Verne may not have a House of Representatives or House of Blues, but it does have a House of Wings (HOW) in downtown La Verne, giving many in the Foothills community another great dining and drinking alternative when the mood runs toward seeing good friends over an imported beer or dirty martini in a lively sports bar hosted by an attentive wait staff and filled with 23 televisions tuned to every sporting event on the planet.
There are even more items on the menu than there are TVs on the wall, so whether you’re a family or a Westside foodie, you’ll find something to please your palate.
However you like your wings, HOW has a sauce for them, including BBQ, honey BBQ, teriyaki, garlic parmesan, lemon pepper, and sweet and sour, most of which are made in-house. Baskets range from five pieces for $4.99 to 100 pieces for $54.99.
The House of Wings’ burger lineup is just as tempting. After running my eyes up and down the menu, I finally ordered a bleu cheese burger with crispy bacon, lettuce, tomato and onions, per my waitress Gabriella’s recommendation. The University of La Verne student and part-time server gets an A+ for her suggestion. It was savory, sharp and perfectly complemented my Sam Adams Seasonal beer. What she didn’t prepare me for was the Himalayan mountain of fries that came with my burger. HOW might go broke serving such generous portions.
Make sure to leave room for the tiramisu.
Meanwhile, my friend, who walked in with his family after my wife Colleen and I had already been seated and greeted, later emailed to say how much he enjoyed his wild mushroom burger and honey BBQ wings. He also highly recommended the waffle cut fries. “They’re worth the extra buck,” he said. His son’s only comment was that the waitresses “were cute.” The father, however, said he didn’t notice.
My wife Colleen ordered the Chef’s Special, a juicy breaded chicken breast topped with spinach, mushrooms, and provolone cheese, which also came with a pyramid of fries. The few bites I stole from her plate were moist and tender.
Other entrees include beef stroganoff, a 16-oz. Angus Rib-Eye Steak, a 12-oz. “Frenched” pork chop, grilled quail, and several shrimp specialties. Next time, I’m trying the Gourmet Shrimp sautéed with chardonnay wine, mint and garlic served with toasted bread.
My biggest regret was not being able to indulge more as I perused the long list of appetizers, such as crunchy frog legs, spinach artichoke dip and Irish Nachos (waffle-cut fries topped with cheddar cheese, bacon, scallions, olives, sour cream and chicken).
Unlike some establishments, House of Wings doesnt skimp on anything. Before I tackled my first wing, Gabriella set before me a giant stack of napkins. These napkins weren’t your scratchy paper towels most places try to get away with; they were so velvety smooth, I’d set the table with them for Thanksgiving dinner.
House of Wings is roomy, too. You can sit in the large main room or in the spacious bar or out front on the patio to people-gaze.
My friend’s email concluded: “We’ll definitely go again.”
I’ll second that!
House of Wings is just what La Verne needed. Owner Sam Ghapantsyan and his son Hovhannes (John) have pulled out all the stops for your dining and drinking pleasure.
They thought of everything, didn’t cut any corners and definitely didn’t wing it.
If you’re a University of La Verne student and flash student ID, you get to take 15 percent off your bill.
Leave a Reply