Food: Tree's Wings & Ribs

You know the economy's bad when it hits an establishment like Tree's Wings & Ribs, a family-friendly sports bar and grill nestled in a shopping center between Wellington and Royal Palm Beach.


Opened in the mid-'90s, Tree's has been serving up good, dependable food for well over a decade now, but things have been slowing down. Or at least, that's how things seemed to me when I stopped over for dinner one Saturday night. You know, Saturday, college football day, when people watch the pomp and pageantry of what has become the NFL's premier farm league. Yet the place was almost empty except for me.

It's puzzling in more ways than one, because the food at Tree's has always been a great value. No, the wings aren't the best I've ever had, but they're big and well-cooked and Tree's gives you a dozen of them for $9, along with ample amounts of celery and their special garlic ranch dressing for dipping. Heck, even the dolphin-topped garden salad was serviceable. You'd think a sports-friendly place like Tree's would fare better, even in a recession (there are a dozen big flatscreen HDTVs in the place, and Tree's has channels like ESPNHD, too). Anyway, if you're ever in the area, check them out.

2/4 stars