Destination Saratoga podcast's new episode runs ‘wild’
Downtown hotspot Rhea dishes on what went into winning ‘wildest wing’ at Discover Saratoga’s recent Wing Off.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — After downtown hotspot Rhea won the coveted “Wildest Wing” award at Discover Saratoga’s Wing Off event last month, voters wanted to know what the heck was in the deliciously wild “Char Siu Sticky Wings.” The noodle and small plates restaurant revealed a bit of a hint — shishito pepper ranch, Aleppo chili flakes and scallions — but was that really the secret sauce?
Discover Saratoga’s Destination Saratoga podcast sat down with Rhea’s head chef, Pete Hahm, to find out. At his side: owner Shelley Spain.
The podcast’s host, Mackenzie Zarzycki, got right to it.
How about those wings.
“What’s unique about it is that it’s sweet and savory,” Hahm answered. “At first, your taste buds don’t know how to react because…you get the sweet up front. But then there’s a savory-ness to it. There’s a lot of Chinese Five Spice in there, so you’re like, ‘Hmm, I don’t know. My brain’s kind of trying to figure it out.’ And that’s what we love…you’re thinking about it. That’s why we won Wildest Wing, because we don’t even know what went in it. Just so many ingredients.”
Hahm and Spain dish on so much more in the jam-packed episode, including how she met her husband, Mike (they also own Seneca); working at Sperry’s way back when; their thoughts (as restaurant professionals) on the mega-TV hit The Bear— and Rhea’s sweet new happy hour.
“Seneca and Rhea are really the heart of what Saratoga is, right?” Zarzycki says on the pod. “We have all of these local mom and pop restaurants…You can feel the passion that you put into it…That’s what makes Saratoga truly so special.”
The folks at Rhea estimate they served about 1300 wings (making do after running out of plates at 900) during the 34-restaurant crawl, which raised $4,426 for the American Cancer Society.
Destination Saratoga is streaming now.
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