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By: Dan I. Cook

My treasure hunt will be a new series where I’ll uncover some cool hidden gems throughout the City and reveal them right here on Coral Springs Talk. These gems will include some of my favorite things. It may be a food item, a location, a gadget, or a person. My mind works in weird ways so you may not always agree with what I reveal which makes my treasure hunt even more interesting. I hope you enjoy!

First Gem: Blue Cheese Dressing

I don’t need a poll to tell me who has the best blue cheese dressing in Coral Springs. Why? Because I’m a blue cheese dressing expert. Whether it’s on a salad or on chicken wings, I know who has the best. Houston’s in Pompano Beach makes a solid one. They toss it into their chilled lettuce, cheese, bacon and served a cheese toast point. This dish is nothing short of phenomenal. Next up would be the blue cheese dipping sauce at Royal Pig in Fort Lauderdale. It’s thicker with the consistency of cream cheese. Man, is it damn good. When you pair it with their chicken tenders, which are money, it’s like they were made for each other. You must try it to understand what I’m saying here. Now the true hidden gem of this Treasure Hunt for the best blue cheese dressing in Coral Springs is…..

Wings Plus

I’ve been eating the blue cheese dressing from this place for three decades. No one matches the flavor or texture. They must have hired a leprechaun in the early years and made him cough up the secret to great blue cheese dressing. I have often tried to figure out how they make this. I know there is mayo, blue cheese, and poppy seeds. Anything else, plus the quantities of each ingredient remain a mystery. All I know it’s so damn good.

In order to find out more about my little gem I needed to go right to the source and uncover all I could about it, so I went to the manager of Wings Plus: Bridget DeVita.

Bridget was born in Valley Stream, New York to parents, Brian and Carol Walsh. They moved from New York to Florida in 1987 and have been here ever since. She has three sisters, Noreen, Erin and Siobhan, and one brother, Brian Jr. All of them work full-time assisting with the family business, Wings Plus.

Dan I Cook: Is this a recipe kept just in the family, or do you share it with employees?

Bridget DeVita: Our blue cheese recipe has been in our family since 1984. We have one specific chef that prepares the blue cheese everyday. Other than that, the recipe is locked up in a safe.

Dan I Cook: I won’t ask about the location of this safe just to prevent any break-ins.

Bridget DeVita: I appreciate that.

Dan I Cook: Who came up with it, and was it supposed to be like another restaurant’s blue cheese dressing, or is it totally original?

Bridget DeVita: It was created by a good friend of my dad and my Uncle Joe. The recipe itself is totally original.

Dan I Cook: I know there is poppy seeds in it. What is the deal with the poppy seeds? I’ve never seen that in a blue cheese dressing.

Bridget DeVita: Everybody always asks about the poppy seeds. Well, if we took the poppy seeds, out it would change the flavor of the blue cheese. It all works together for that amazing taste.

Dan I Cook: How many gallons do you make at a time and approximately, how much do you sell in a month?

Bridget DeVita: If I had to guess, we probably make at least 38 pounds of blue cheese per day. How much blue cheese do we sell in a month? That is a tough one. Well, if we make 38 pounds of blue cheese a day and there are seven days in a week and 4 weeks in a month…If I am doing my math correctly, I would say we sell approximately 1,064 pounds a month. This should be a common core math problem.

Dan I Cook: Is there any restaurant out there that has tried to clone this recipe and if so, which one? Can you provide the ingredients without having to kill me?

Bridget DeVita: Many competitors have tried to create our blue cheese, but it is often imitated and never duplicated. Can I give you the recipe? I’ll consider sharing it with you when you are six feet under. Actually, you know what? I let you in on a little secret: there are poppy seeds in the blue cheese.

Dan I Cook: If you had to pick one blue cheese dressing to dip an order of wings in, or to have on a salad, what restaurant would it be? And it can’t be Wings Plus.

Bridget DeVita: Honestly, our blue cheese is so unique, I never order blue cheese from any other restaurant.

Dan I Cook: C’mon that’s BS. You never order blue cheese dressing when eating out? You know folks are not going to believe that.

Bridget DeVita: Honest to God, I never order blue cheese dressing. I only like ours.

Dan I Cook: Lastly, what is it like working in a family business like Wings Plus?

Bridget DeVita: It really is a blessing working in the family business. Don’t get me wrong, we have our moments, but it is so great that our family gets to be together everyday. The laughs we share everyday are the memories that will last a lifetime.

Verdict

So let the discussion begin, but I know they are the best and deep inside your heart you know they are too.

Sometime before the year ends we will do the “Best Of” wings in Coral Springs and that will be interesting. I’ve been eating a lot Bru’s Room wings lately and I’m really beginning to like them.

Remember to tell the Walsh Family that Dan and Coral Springs Talk sent you and ask them if we can borrow the recipe.

Stay Hungry!

Author Profile

Dan Cook

A native of Broward, Half-Samoan Half-Irish or Afa Tasi, Food Warrior, Beer Ninja, United States Marine, owner/talent of danicookeatdrink.com. Retired Oakland Park Police Department/BSO Sergeant, DLE.