Operating out of the building that used to be Whistles, Ale Mary’s is a new kid on the block in the city of Scranton. It is a nicer establishment with a good selection of food and beer. The place has a big bar and lots of tables for seating. It is well-kept and the service was stellar. Our bartender/server was very attentive and knowledgeable about the food and drinks on the menu. We sat outside, and I feel like it is easy to forget about the people out there, but our dude was always checking on us, even though he was manning the bar. It wasn’t super busy, so it may have been a different story if it was more packed. Either way, the guy was great at his job. There aren’t many tables outside, but on a nice day or night, it is always a nice treat to enjoy some outdoor dining if you can grab a table. After ordering, we didn’t have to wait long for the wings at all. They were served in what looked like fryer baskets on top of cutting boards. It was a unique touch that added a bit of charm to something simple like wings. Ale Mary’s does not allow you to get orders of less than ten, which is a slight let down since I wanted to try more of the flavors they offered. Be sure to check the specials board to see if they have any wing sauces not on the menu.
They aren’t the cheapest around at $0.50, but you definitely get your money’s worth with these wings. The wings are nice and crispy, all while being pretty massive. I was struggling near the 12 mark, and I normally take down 15 without a problem. You will leave more than full.
The menu itself is pretty bare when it comes to wing choices, but on their wing night, Ale Mary’s usually makes some interesting specials. For example, on this night, they had a Chicken Parm wing and a Bacon Cheddar Ranch wing. It’s great to see some creativity out there. It was a bit upsetting to not see the Peanut Butter and Jelly wing on the menu or as a special since it was the wing that won craziest at the Wings at the Waterpark event. Either way, you’re bound to find some flavor that catches your eye. For reference, the flavors that are always on the menu are House, Porketta, Capt Morgan Jerk, and Bourbon+Bacon.
On this trip, we ordered Bacon Cheddar Ranch, House, Porketta, and Bourbon+Bacon. The Bacon Cheddar Ranch was a special sauce for the day and it did not disappoint. The wing was covered in melted, shredded cheddar cheese and topped with pieces of bacon. Then, what looked like a ranch dressing mixed with hot sauce was drizzled over all the wings. I am a huge sucker for a bacon, cheddar, ranch combination, and I loved the taste here. They do serve the wings with a side of extra ranch for dipping if you’d like. Also, they use real bacon on the wings, which is a nice touch. They also use real bacon on the Bourbon+Bacon. The bourbon sauce was like a thick, bourbon/molasses sauce. It was sticky and sweet. With the bacon on top, it added a saltiness to it that enhanced the flavor. The Porketta were a bit of a let down. All the Porketta seasoning was there, but it seemed to be lacking a bit in the flavor department. It is difficult to make a good dry rub, and I think Ale Mary’s needs to work on their formula here a bit. Finally, the House sauce was another hit. The sauce itself is not your traditional hot sauce. It sort of reminds me of sweet and sour sauce that you would get at a Chinese restaurant, but with a lot more flavor to it. These wings were great. The slight spice at the end of the wing really brought it up a notch in my book.
Formerly Whistle’s, a place I enjoyed immensely, when I was 21, has been transformed into Ale Mary’s at the Bittenbender. Located on Franklin St. in Scranton, Ale Mary’s is a new establishment that has already made a name for themselves with a popular happy hour on Friday and also by placing first at the Wings at the Waterpark wing festival for craziest wing flavor. The inside is classy but not snobbish in any way. When you walk in, you know that the place isn’t a dive bar but you also can tell by the feel of the place that you can go in there with friends from all walks of life and have a fun time. Our server was also one of the bartenders and he was really nice and had a good personality for the trade. He also had a killer beard. The weather was still nice so we took the opportunity to eat outside. The inside has 2 separate bars stocked full including a good selection of craft beer. There are tables throughout the place that can seat any number of people. For whatever reason, I just really enjoyed the atmosphere. It’s just has a real positive vibe to it. It wasn’t boring, it wasn’t over the top with stuff to do, it didn’t have 200 tvs, it was just right. A great balance of everything.
These wings were very large and at 50 cents a wing, you will walk away full. They also had a crispiness to them that you don’t always get with larger wings. The only thing I would of liked to do would have been to get wings in orders of 5 instead of orders of 10. I feel like most people prefer that option but if you have enough flavors and there are 2 of you, it’s not a big deal. We split 40 and it worked out great.
On their menu, it shows that they only have a few flavors such as house, bourbon bacon, porketta and Captain Morgan Jerk, which just by itself, is an interesting and unique selection. But at Ale Mary’s they switch out new sauces every week or so, to keep things fresh. This week they had cheesy bacon ranch and Korean BBQ. I wish they had the flavor that came in first at the wing festival, which was a peanut butter and jelly sauce.
All the wings were lovely. We got house, which was their hot, porketta, cheesy bacon ranch and bourbon bacon. The house were very tasty. They weren’t overly hot but maybe that’s why they call them their house wing. Either way, it was very flavorful with tame spices and a buttery taste you’ll enjoy. The porketta were solid. I don’t think we ever had a porketta wing that we disliked. The only thing that would have made it better would have been more seasoning. But I can say that for just about every wing I have had. I always want more sauce or seasoning of whatever flavor it is. The cheesy bacon ranch might have been my favorite. What’s not to like out of that trio? The cheese sauce was a nice heavy layer of cheddar cheese that you would get with cheese fries and topped with actual pieces of bacon. Then covered in ranch sauce. It was everything I ever needed. Finally, the bourbon bacon was an excellent choice to have on the menu and in my belly. Again, it had actual pieces of bacon added with the sweetness of the bourbon BBQ sauce and I think molasses syrup was in there as well. It all came together to make a flavorful wing that will make you crave the morning.
