Monday Munchies: Fayetteville's Chick'n Headz aces wings

I screwed up. Back in January, I declared Fayetteville's chicken strip as a one-mile stretch of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

• I didn't go far enough. Just west of Interstate 49 is locally owned Chick'n Headz , a wing and catfish place.

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This was a mammoth mistake on my part.

The vibe: Yes, it serves wings, catfish, fries, tenders and the like, so Chick'n Headz has a sports-bar feel without being one.

• Really, it's more like a small-town diner, where everybody knows each other and are genuinely glad to see you.

The verdict: Go eat here. These are what wings are meant to be.

• The naked version are a crisp skin perfect under a tossed sauce of your choice; the breaded version without a sauce are awesome for fried-chicken lovers.
• They're meaty, midsized morsels.

This cake pounds any competition. Photo: Worth Sparkman/Axios

Best bites: The poultry alone is perfect, but Chick'n Headz blows it all away with a list of homemade sauces. All are based on a hot sauce but are generally mild unless you ask for them to be amped up.

• Pro tip: The lemon pepper is insanely good and not what you'd expect.
• The honey mustard and honey BBQ also are solid choices.

Fried okra, naked and breaded wings. Photo: Worth Sparkman/Axios

The bottom line: This is the crown jewel in Fayetteville's chicken strip. Even if the food wasn't fantastic, I'd still frequent this place, if only to see one of the owners — Natasha Kendle . She's the real deal.

• Both times I've visited, she produced samples of food, even insisting I take a piece of the homemade pound cake and eat it before dinner.
• (The cake alone is off the charts. Sweet, delightful and full of smiles — like Kendle.)

Check this place out: Open at 3162 W. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. in Fayetteville, 5-9pm Wednesday-Friday; 11am-9pm Saturday; and noon-6pm Sunday.