Phantom Chef - Scorpion Bowls

04/14/2026

Season 2 Episode 3 - 4/11/2026
SoCo Tavern, 136 Huttleston Ave, Fairhaven, MA

SoCo, aka the old Ice House, a Fairhaven hot spot back in the day.

The flavors were a bit limited compared to what we’ve already seen at other establishments: classic buffalo, chipotle BBQ, garlic parmesan, sweet chili sriracha, SoCo dry rub. We tried the garlic parmesan & sweet chili sriracha. The flavor of the sauces was very good, but there was too much. “Blub blub blub” - that was the sound of celery sticks drowning. Perhaps if there were carrot sticks, they could have saved them?

The wings themselves could have been a little crispier, but they were nice and juicy inside! At $16 for 8 wings, they were the priciest we’ve had yet, but this is only episode #3

Overall - Very good
Ratings (1-10): Presentation - 6.5, Flavor - 8, Cooked - 7.25, Value - 4.5, Total = 26.25

03/23/2026

Season 2, Episode 2 is up!

Season 2: Chicken Wings - Episode 2 - 3/21/2026

Sixes & Sevens, 7 South 6th St, New Bedford, MA

If you’re old enough to remember the Cobblestone’s restaurant (just off of Union street in downtown New Bedford) you know where Sixes & Sevens is. All the interior brickwork is the same, but the vibe is totally different. Can you say gourmet hot dogs? Oh man! But before I get off-track, we’re here for chicken wings.

We arrived a little before 5:00, which turned out to be a good thing, since by 5:30 there was a line at the door. The atmosphere was casual, relaxed and comfy, with a splattering of nostalgia and humor. The prices were very reasonable (8 wings for $15) and yes, they have other choices besides hot dogs… but we were there for the wings.

The wing menu sported 9 sauces and 7 rubs to choose from. Oh man, they are not afraid of spices here! A few noteworthy examples:
Weird Flex - Buffalo beefed up with Scotch Bonnet
Up In Smoke BBQ - Classic BBQ spiked with smoked chipotle pepper
Big Mistake, Huge - It’s really hot. Don’t be a dummy
Joe Dirte - BBQ style rub with fruity pepperberry and dark roast coffee

We went with Mozambique and Joe Dirte. I was tempted by ‘Big Mistake, Huge’ but chickened out; not as young as I used to be. (spoiler alert on the score on this place - we’ll be back to try more flavors!)

The wings were cooked perfectly; wonderfully crispy and lusciously juicy. The Mozambique sauce was perfect; not just the flavor, but the amount as well, by no means stingy, but not swimming in the sauce either. The Joe Dirte rub was a rousing flavor experience. The presentation was a bit lacking, paper-lined plastic bowls and no carrots or celery, though arguably, it fit the ‘come as you are’ pub feel of the place.

On a side note. This place makes their own homemade blue-cheese dressing. I’m at a loss for words to describe how extraordinarily good it was. They have ruined blue cheese dressing for me, when I have it anywhere else in the future.

Overall - Excellent
Ratings (1-10): Presentation - 7.75, Flavor - 9.5, Cooked - 9.5, Value - 9, Total = 35.75

03/23/2026

Season 2: Chicken Wings - Episode 2 - 3/21/2026

Sixes & Sevens, 7 South 6th St, New Bedford, MA

If you’re old enough to remember the Cobblestone’s restaurant (just off of Union street in downtown New Bedford) you know where Sixes & Sevens is. All the interior brickwork is the same, but the vibe is totally different. Can you say gourmet hot dogs? Oh man! But before I get off-track, we’re here for chicken wings.

We arrived a little before 5:00, which turned out to be a good thing, since by 5:30 there was a line at the door. The atmosphere was casual, relaxed and comfy, with a splattering of nostalgia and humor. The prices were very reasonable (8 wings for $15) and yes, they have other choices besides hot dogs… but we were there for the wings.

The wing menu sported 9 sauces and 7 rubs to choose from. Oh man, they are not afraid of spices here! A few noteworthy examples:
Weird Flex - Buffalo beefed up with Scotch Bonnet
Up In Smoke BBQ - Classic BBQ spiked with smoked chipotle pepper
Big Mistake, Huge - It’s really hot. Don’t be a dummy
Joe Dirte - BBQ style rub with fruity pepperberry and dark roast coffee

We went with Mozambique and Joe Dirte. I was tempted by ‘Big Mistake, Huge’ but chickened out; not as young as I used to be. (spoiler alert on the score on this place - we’ll be back to try more flavors!)

The wings were cooked perfectly; wonderfully crispy and lusciously juicy. The Mozambique sauce was perfect; not just the flavor, but the amount as well, by no means stingy, but not swimming in the sauce either. The Joe Dirte rub was a rousing flavor experience. The presentation was a bit lacking, paper-lined plastic bowls and no carrots or celery, though arguably, it fit the ‘come as you are’ pub feel of the place.

On a side note. This place makes their own homemade blue-cheese dressing. I’m at a loss for words to describe how extraordinarily good it was. They have ruined blue cheese dressing for me, when I have it anywhere else in the future.

Overall - Excellent
Ratings (1-10): Presentation - 7.75, Flavor - 9.5, Cooked - 9.5, Value - 9, Total = 35.75

01/18/2026

Season 2 - Chicken Wings
Episode 1 - 1/9/2026

Off The Boulevard, 736 Ashley Blvd, New Bedford, MA

Grading the first episode of a season is always tough because you don’t have any others to compare against yet, but here goes!

The first thing I noticed while tallying the grades from everyone's sheets, was how all the pages were stuck together with Honey BBQ, Buffalo, Carolina Gold, and Sweet Chili finger-prints. Clear evidence of how good the wings were.

Each couple got a plate of 12 wings, and we were able to split each plate with two different flavors, so our tastebuds got to experience four different flavors total. The presentation was very clean; nicely arranged on spotless plates, nestled snuggly in between carrot and celery spears. The flavors of the sauces were spot-on, though the Buffalo could have had a bit more bite, and the Sweet Chili was a bit wetter than it needed to be (but hey, that’s what makes it finger-licking good, right?) They were cooked to perfection! Crispy on the outside and wonderfully juicy on the inside. Valuewise? A dozen of these beauties for $18 seemed a great deal!

Overall - Excellent

Ratings (1-10): Presentation - 7.75, Flavor - 7.5, Cooked - 8, Value - 7.75, Total = 31

01/17/2026

Any guesses what season #2 will be?

01/17/2026

As season 1 comes to an end, here are the results. How did your favorite place do

09/26/2025

Episode 10 - 9/20
Luke’s Inn - 650 Metacom Ave, Warren, RI

Our first trip across the border (into RI) came with a bit of culture shock. We’re used to some establishments calling them Scorpion bowls, while others call them Volcano bowls. But, this place had both on the menu! So how can we equally judge this? We’ll just have to order both!

The Scorpion Bowl came first. What?? Wait a minute… Those aren’t dancing geisha girls. That’s three bald old men with beer-bellies and Ken-doll crotches. Everyone took a breath. “Okay, we’ve crossed the stateline, into a different world here… act like we belong.”

I tried to give the old men the same attention I would have if they were dancing ladies, but there was no bulge to grope (sorry ladies). Presentation grades were somewhat pointless since there was no comparison, but the novelty warrants some accolades. The flavor was sweeter than we’re used to, but very good. However, no fruity-bits and rather small.

Okay, on to round two, the Volcano Bowl. Ah, this we know how to grade. The bowls were in great shape, probably the perkiest I’ve yet encountered. No 151 in the center (which is what makes a Volcano Bowl, well… a volcano). The straws were crazy long, like ‘reach over and drink from another table’ long. No swords and fruity-bits. The flavor was very, very good and quite buzz-worthy (though this was our second drink after all)

Overall - Culture shock aside, both were very good.

Ratings (1-10):
Scorpion Bowl
Presentation - 6.25, Flavor - 6.75, Horsepower - 4.75, Balance - 6.25, Total = 24
Volcano Bowl
Presentation - 7, Flavor - 7.75, Horsepower - 8, Balance - 7.25, Total = 30.25

07/13/2025

Episode 9 - 7/12
Saga Fusion - 20 Rosebrook Pl., Wareham, MA

Technically speaking, Saga Fusion isn’t a Chinese restaurant; it’s hibachi. We’re not bowl-racist, we’ll try anybody’s.

None of us had ever been there before, though we did know what to expect from a hibachi restaurant. A crazy time sitting around a grill while the chef cooks, doing tricks, tossing food and shooting sake into your mouth. We were not disappointed. Oh, that’s right, we’re here for the Scorpion bowl… almost forgot.

As soon as we walked in, there was a good omen. These folks know the importance of straws!

The return of fire! Unfortunately, the picture didn’t capture it, but the center volcano was ablaze! The bowls were in great shape, though they were the ‘politically correct’ style; no perkiness to speak of. The straws were long, colorful, bendy, and luxurious! The fruity bits were properly secured with a plastic sword, but alas, there was only one set, so we had to choose who was going to get whose cherry. The overall presentation was so impressive that a neighboring patron was jealous and ordered one as well.

With the first sip, we knew we were in trouble. The horsepower was damn near ‘off the chart’. One judge’s comment - “It was so strong, I don’t remember.” The flavor and balance suffered a smidge as a result of the strength, though it seemed to mellow as dinner went on (or maybe the growing inebriation mellowed it for us).

Overall - These folks know how to do a bowl! Fantastic. We have a new leader.

Ratings (1-10):
Presentation - 8.5, Flavor - 8, Horsepower - 9, Balance - 8.25, Total = 33.75