Take your flock to Flying Buffalo for chicken wings

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The fare and atmosphere at the Flying Buffalo in Falls Church stretches -- as its name suggests -- the imagination of what a single restaurant can achieve.

The food ranges from Coca-Cola barbecue chicken wings to Wiener schnitzel and the interior includes a children's play area, pool tables and a mannequin in a Bavarian folk dress. The stereo plays '80s tunes a la Van Halen and Scorpions.

So what exactly is the Flying Buffalo, a year-old restaurant, trying to be?

"When my wife and I opened this place we wanted a family-friendly bar -- a place where parents can have a beer while their children play," says German-born Sven Gierlinger, a father of three youngsters. "It's not very common ... We found a niche."

The restaurant -- of course -- also features a good children's menu with five $3.95 dishes.

Another feature Mr. Gierlinger (a former food and beverage manager for the Ritz-Carlton hotels) wanted to achieve was a restaurant "removed from luxury, inviting to people from all walks of life," he says. "Some days I have maintenance guys sitting at one table and a group of businessmen in suits at another."

So what do they all come for?

Well, the best sellers are the wings, of which there are a dozen different kinds. Only fresh chicken is used, which helps explain why the wings are so very juicy and tender. Seasonings include traditional, teriyaki, Coca-Cola barbecue, Cajun, Jamaican jerk and Bavarian hot mustard-beer.

But the indecisive need not worry. The wings are all very tasty, well-seasoned and filling. If you desire a fiery flavor, pick the hot or habanero alternatives. Mild and medium are almost too kind. They may be ordered by the hundred.

Among the dips, the cilantro cream was our favorite.