Hana wings at Yonaka
4983 W. Flamingo Rd., 702-685-8358, yonakajapaneserestaurant.com
Once considered scraps, chicken wings are now an American culinary staple, and even great chefs — such as Yonaka’s chef/owner Ramir De Castro — use it as a stage to showcase their cuisine. Taking a page from the Thai street food playbook, Chef Ramir marinates the wings until the salt has nearly cured the meat, permeating it with savory goodness. Then he tosses the wings in sweet, garlicky sauce and fries them until crispy. Offbeat? Maybe. A new triumph for the humble chicken wing? Definitely. — Mitchell Wilburn
The 5-Way Cincy at Egg Works
Various locations, 702-445-7330, theeggworks.com
First things first: This delectable hot mess has little in common with more familiar Texas-style chili con carne dishes. Egg Work’s 5-Way Cincy is a heaping mound of spaghetti slathered with Cincinnati, Ohio’s variety of chili — a fragrant, dark stew of ground beef and tomatoes with notes of cocoa, allspice and cinnamon. The unexpected spice mix comes from the Greek immigrants who developed the Queen City recipe in the 1920s. With the pasta and chili making two layers, strata of kidney beans, chopped onions and shredded cheddar cheese take the count up to five. Add obligatory oyster crackers (here from Westminster Bakers Co., the best on the market). Note: You probably won’t need to eat for the rest of the day after powering through this Midwestern specialty. — Greg Thilmont