The Fifty Pub & Grub

The Fifty Pub & Grub is located on Wallace Road NW in Salem, Oregon.

Woohoo Jagermeister!

While I'm not one to frequent bars much anymore, I checked this place out because fellow Yelp buddy Chuck B. tried "Hog Wings," which I thought was interesting. I had heard of Pig Wings on "Man v. Food Nation," and I figured this would be (at least roughly) the same thing.

The bartender erroneously thought the hog wings came from a rib -- and trust me, that's not a bad guess. In fact, they are indeed cut from the shank (right below the knee).

I ordered a small basket of Hog Wings ($7). Seven pork shanks are deep fried (no batter coating of any type...just straight in). You can get them mild, BBQ, or flaming. I opted for the flaming Hog Wings here for some spice.

Menu (November 2011)

Yup, "Hog Wings"

"Flaming" Hog Wings (The Fifty Pub & Grub)

I got seven lovely shanks, all right. The meaty exterior was quite crispy, while the inside emitted juicy porky bliss. For the most part, the meat came clean off the bone fairly easily (a couple larger pieces put up a slight fight).

Clean off the bone!

I was let down by this pub's version of "flaming," which basically amounted to two containers of sauce: one with Frank's Red Hot and the other with ranch. Are you serious, bro? I know it's a pub, but even other bars take the time to prepare better "spicy" grub. This was nothing more than a cop-out. At least Frank's tangy sauce temporarily satisfied my craving.

I came in right as the lunch rush occurred, and seeing that one person was taking and preparing all the orders (for roughly 15 people), the long wait I endured to pay my tab was understandable.

Overall, the hog wings were fine, and that must be given substantial weight on the rating. But I shake my head at the less-than-halfhearted attempt to pass this meal off as "spicy" or "flaming." 6.5/10