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January 16, 2026
And then there was that time I met a guy who was there when Buffalo Wings were invented.
It was back around 2008, and I was having a beer at my favorite Irish Bar - O'Faolains on a Thursday night.
Since it was a weeknight, the bar was not that crowded when an older guy I didn't recognize walked in and took a seat near me at the bar.
I always like meeting new people and hearing their stories, so I asked him if he was new to the area.
He told me that he was renting a room in the townhouse of an older gentleman who would come to O'Faolains every now and then.
He said he was originally from Buffalo, New York and when a patron nearby ordered Buffalo Wings, he casually said to me - "Hey I was there the night they invented those things."
I could not let that pass without a reply and I asked him to tell me the story.
It turns out that back in 1964 he and several friends had returned to Buffalo on a college break and they got together for drinks on a Friday night.
Another friend - a guy named Dominic - worked at his parent's pub, the Anchor Bar.
When the crew showed up just before closing - and long after the kitchen had closed, Dominic's mom came up with the idea of deep frying the only thing they had available at the time - chicken wings.
The wings were tossed in some type of hot sauce and were a hit with the crowd.
Over the next few months, those deep-fried Buffalo Wings became a popular late-night snack for those patrons that knew to order them.
They eventually made it onto the regular menu at the Anchor Bar and the rest is history.
That night at O'Faolains reinforced something that I truly believe - you can learn a lot if you take the time to strike up a conversation with a stranger.
Beer helps...
