The Cabin
The Cabin is a restaurant in Freehold, NJ right off of Rt. 33, and the name is definitely fitting as it looks like just that…. a cabin. This rustic spot was suggested to me by a man who goes by Cash using our Suggest A Joint. I do not hide the fact that I am a big fan of Pic-A-Lilli Inn, and as a former South Jerseyan himself, Cash claims that when he misses his home town, The Cabin is there to fill the void with great wings that remind him of The Pic.
This is all I needed to jump in the car with the family and make a day trip to Freehold and try them out. When we arrived, it was raining cats and dogs, so it was a pleasure to see that this place had an overhang by the entrance that allowed me to drop off my precious cargo and take the brunt of the wet weather like a good Dad should. We made our way past two bars, and seeing how seating is not a problem (this place is pretty large), we had our pick at a comfy booth with a window. I took a look at the menu to notice that they offer only one kind of Buffalo wing and were pretty cheap at $7.95. But, for good reason: you only get 7, so keep that in mind. I placed my order and waited for my food to arrive.
When the wings got to the table I could see that these bad boys were crispy even without biting into them. They were paired with celery and blue cheese and were dusted with parsley to make the plate look all fancy dancy. I immediately dug right in and just as I suspected, the level of crunch was unreal for an unbreaded deep fry. So much so that I thought to myself “why the hell don’t I have a crispiness factor in my judging? I should do that.” Aside from that, the chicken was an average size and had a tenderness to it that reminded me of a baked then fried technique, though I was told that was not the case.
The sauce, however, is where it was at. The Buffalo flavor you’d expect to find was a bit lost as this tended to be more like a spicy BBQ. But that BBQ taste mixed in with some sugary notes made my tongue sing during each bite and made me understand why these were compared to the Pics. It’s that sugary quality with the stickiness of the sauce that seems to get me every time. The only problem was there was not enough coverage of this wonderful sauce. Good thing I ordered an extra side to dump all over the rest.
If you are looking for a hot wing, you will not find it here. Maybe in the future they’ll bump up the heat just a bit, but the flavors that The Cabin’s wing sauce delivers is one that I recommend trying out if ever in the area.
The Cabin Restaurant
984 Rt. 33, Freehold, NJ 07728
(732) 462-3090