Ed. Note: Contributor Michael Butler and self-professed wing expert takes the advice of local radio hosts and tries out a new hot wing restaurant, then asks for our prayers before he goes back to the restaurant. That may be a first for an I Love Memphis Blog post!  

Memphis has plenty of wing spots. I’m pretty sure there are more hot wing joints than there are BBQ spots. You can literally find 20 or 30 going down Winchester alone, and they all claim to have the best wings in Memphis. Enter Wing Guru: formally known as Don Don Jr’s Wings. I found out about then Don Don Jr’s/now Wing Guru while listening to the 92.9 FM Jason and John show. John Martin would go on and on about how good they were. I like to think I’m a bit of a wing expert and I already had my personal favorite, but after hearing those guys rant and rave about it, I gave in.   I was skeptical. After all, these are radio guys and it was probably just some clever marketing. I took a trip over on my lunch break and walked into a very clean and bright restaurant. Most wing places aren’t very nice on the inside but this one was cool. There were plaques all over the wall featuring quotes from people praising the wings - people like Grizzlies players and coaches, NBA vets, Memphis legends and more. If Zbo and Tony Allen are vouching for you, then it has to be pretty dang good, right? I’m going to go ahead and say I was intimidated by the number of flavors The Wing Guru offered. Usually there are the same choices at most spots, but this spot has lots of creative flavors like spicy taco, garlic Sriracha, and the fabled honey suicide that's won a few awards. I made two trips here so I will break down each. My first trip, I was nervous and skeptical, so I played it safe. I went for the lemon pepper wings and the spicy taco (being that it was taco Tuesday). The lemon pepper was pretty decent, but the spicy taco was awesome. Yes, they taste like tacos! Also, it's not very spicy for those that can't take the heat. On my second trip, I was more adventurous and decided to experiment. By this time, there was a name change from Don Don’s Jr to "Wing Gurus". That's a wild claim, but I figured my second trip would either disprove or validate the "guru" claim. I went with the garlic Sriracha and the Memphis Dry Heat wings with a side of fried okra. The Memphis Dry Heat wings are really, really good, but the garlic Sriracha, though? They are the absolute truth mane. Yes I said mane so you know it's real! I've had wings everywhere, and I've never had anything like that. It was a perfect combo of spice and flavor. You have to get the fried okra. It has a hint of lemon pepper sprinkled on them. The next time I head over to Wing Gurus I will try these award winning Honey Suicide wings. I ran into the radio voice of the Grizzlies, Eric Hassletine and Brad Carson at Wing Gurus and I swore Hasseltine’s face was beet red from those wings. So pray for me y'all. Wing Guru is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., and is closed on Sundays. Go there: Wing Guru 5699 Mt. Moriah Road wingguru.com