Occasionally, I meet some associates in the Ballantyne area for lunch at the Carolina Wing & Rib House.  During lunchtime, they have a wing buffet/salad bar that is fairly good.  Typically, you do not get the highest quality wings on a buffet.  My guess is that they overcook under the heat lamps.  Wing buffets commonly have small, dry, shriveled up wings that are hardly fit to eat for true wing connoisseurs.

I am not sure what is different about the Carolina Wing & Rib House, but they have one of the better wing buffets that I have ever feasted upon.  The wings are always warm and of superior size.  They typically have 3-4 flavors on the buffet - usually the Carolina Rub, a Honey or Honey BBQ, and either a hot or mild.  The flavors change slightly from visit to visit, but these are the most common ones.   On a scale of 1-10, I would rate the wings from the buffet about a 6 (or of 10).  They may be higher if you order them, but the buffet is always a better bargain when available, so that is all I have tried.  They are not the best in Charlotte by any means, but they are a great option for a quick lunch since they are already prepared.

From a service standpoint, I would rate my typical experience at lunch time as very good.    Of course, the main function that the waiter or waitress has is to make sure the drink glasses are full (since it is a buffet) and that the bill comes out in a timely fashion.    It is rare that my glass gets empty there which is saying something considering the vast amounts of Diet Pepsi or Tea that I can consume during a meal. 

I guess this is where I am supposed to tell you about the ribs. Well, I can’t because I have never had their ribs.  I will have to put it on my list so that I can tell you about it.

Another great item on the menu is their All-You-Can-Eat Snow Crab Legs on Thursday nights.  I can not remember the price, but it isn’t cheap.  Around $25 I think, but it is crab legs.  I don’t think that they have ever come out on top when I have done the crab legs special.  The last time I went, two friends and myself had 56 reorders of crab legs.  I will say that at times, the service can be a bit slow on crab legs night.  I think it is more of an issue with the kitchen getting backed up than the wait staff.  They are always friendly and apologetic when your plate gets empty.

The rest of their menu consist of steaks, other seafood, and a large variety of sandwiches.  They have a link to a coupon on their website, but it just pulls up a blank Adobe file. You may want to check to see if they get it fixed.  Also, of note, the restaurant appears very clean and well-maintained.  This is always a plus in my book.

UPDATED 8/25/2008: THIS CAROLINA WING & RIB HOUSE LOCATION IS CLOSED. I do not know of any other locations in Charlotte; however, the Litchfield Beach and the Conway locations were open last week when I was down there. Of course, if you are in Charlotte, that is a long way to travel for wings.