Norwalk Sports Bar's Wings Win Top Prizes In 2 Competitions

NORWALK, CT — Since quickly emerging as one of Norwalk's go-to sports bars over the past few years, the staff at The Blind Rhino are used to the taste of victory. This past weekend, victory tasted like Togarashi brown sugar as the bar sent out two teams to compete in two separate out-of-state wing competitions.

On Saturday, one team made their way to New Jersey for Atlantic City Wing Wars, while the other trekked north to Poughkeepsie, N.Y., for the 12th annual Hudson Valley WingFest. For the latter, the Rhino was the sole out-of-state competitor.

Both teams took home top prizes in a number of categories at both competitions. (To sign up for Norwalk breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

"It always feels amazing to win anything at these competitions, it really does," owner Casey Dohme said in an email. "You get that same nervous, anxious feeling as they're going to announce the winners every time, but hearing your name at the top never gets old. It makes all the work, time and preparation that goes into it, not only by us but by our whole staff, worth it."

See also: Patch Picks: The Best Wings In Norwalk [PHOTOS]

• CT Sports Bar Places High In National Buffalo Wing Competition

Though the Rhino boasts a number of popular and inventive wing flavors (Patch wrote about them extensively here), such as Mango Habenero and Maple Chipotle Lime, they only entered their Togarashi Brown Sugar Dry Rub wings in the Atlantic City competition.

"We were only allowed to enter one flavor," Dohme said. "We knew there would be experts judging, but there was also a people's choice. We thought the togarashi would play well for both."

That gamble paid off, as the Rhino placed first in both the Best Spicy Wing and People’s Choice categories.

According to Dohme, the team reached out to the Atlantic City festival and were invited to join due to their "wingfest resume." The Blind Rhino was the first out-of-state competitor invited to the Wing Wars in the competition's three-year history.

Meanwhile in New York, a second team of Rhino wing specialists brought out some of their strongest players to compete in Poughkeepsie: Spicy Buffalo, Garlic Parmesan and of course the Togarashi Brown Sugar Dry Rub.

After battling it out with some tough local competition consisting of almost 30 other bars and restaurants, the team still managed to walk away with some hardware, placing second in the Best Buffalo category and third in Best Dry Rub.

"The competition is always fierce at these events," Dohme said. "No one is there to lay over and deliver a bad product, at least I don't think they are, so usually everyone is bringing their A-game wherever we go. It's incredibly rewarding to be recognized by experts or festival goers. It's also really cool for us to bring a trophy back to our employees, customers and family and see their reactions. It's pretty special; they get just as excited as we do."

One extra challenge the Rhino encounters at out-of-state competitions is that many local competitors have already carved out their position as a community favorite. Dohme said they try to use this to their advantage in these competitions.

"As soon as we step outside of Connecticut, basically nobody knows who we are," Dohme said. "This is the first time anyone is hearing about us. They've never had our wings, so maybe that works to our advantage...but people at these local competitions already have their favorite spots, so you are working against that, which is kind of a thrill."

As for why people keep responding to their wings when they do give them a try, Dohme is quick to point out their uniqueness.

"Our wings are a little different than everyone else's," Dohme said. "I think that's what sets them apart. The entire process, the flavors, the spices, the rubs; they've just got our signature on them. They're very distinct, and a lot of people like that."

Photo credit: RJ Scofield