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It's finally here Cheapskates! CheapDigest, the CheapEatery.com blog. We're headed deep into the underbelly of NYC cheap eats to find and eat at the best cheap eateries.

Here's the deal: Just hit us up at requests@cheapdigest.com with an investigation that costs under $10 ("What's the best banh mi in Chinatown?" or "Who makes the most legit tacos in Manhattan?") and we'll hit the streets to get you the breakdown. CheapDigest will post your question and our investigation on the blog. For the lucky reader who gets his question picked, some lunch or a free t-shirt might be in the works.

If your question doesn't get picked but you have some interesting food pictures or food related news, feel free to shoot us an email at cheapstreets@cheapdigest.com and we'll try to post it on our home page.

We hope you enjoy the pictures and the stories. But, don't be selfish by keeping all this sweet blog reading to yourself. Tell a friend or two. Here's our first posting, enlightening all those who've troubled to ask us: "Who has the best cheap chicken wings in Manhattan?"

"The Most UNscientific Chicken Wing Tasting Tour"

Chicken wings. Of all the words in the English language these are among the most important in the vocabulary of the frugal eater, second only to “free samples” or “instant ramen” – though unlike the olive bar at Whole Foods or coiled brains of freeze-dried noodles, chicken wings come without the unfortunate associations with thieving degenerates and the mentally deranged. For most, wings call to mind soggy boxes delivered alongside extra large pizzas, or the jostling crowds of sports bars, bits of passably fried chicken heaped up in giant orange mounds with carrots and celery thrown in, possibly as a joke. But the truth is that chicken wings can be more than just something to eat while the game’s on. Like most food we eat on a budget, there are wings out there that are both cheap and good. We set out to find them.

But no experiment is complete without an arbitrary set of rules to govern it, and foremost among them is this: No sauce. On one level this is because I didn’t want to stain the pages of my notebook, but on another it’s because sauce is generally used to disguise the fact that the chicken you’re eating is gross. Good wings should stand on their own. The second rule, and one more pertinent to your pocketbook, is that you should never, ever, ever pay more than two dollars per wing. Fried chicken wings are, at their core, cheap food -- cheap to buy, cheap to make -- and anyone charging you more than two bucks for a wing is trying to cheat you. With that in mind I found four places that might change the way you think about wings.  

CHINESE TAKE-OUT CHICKEN WINGS

The Where: Chinese Takeout -- New Shanghai, New Hong Kong, New Mr. Chow’s, etc.

The Where, Exactly: Look outside, throw a rock.

The What: Four chicken wings

The How Much: Usually around $3.50 

Your friendly neighborhood local Chinese takeout joint is a maintstay among cheap eaters the world round. Most people head straight for the sweet-and-sour whatsits or sesame garlic mystery rolls, but they‘re missing out on some surprisingly tasty chicken. Four fried wings for under four bucks. Chicken, grease, salt. Hard to get that one wrong. Add in the convenience factor (I went downstairs and ordered inside the restaurant, but I could have just as easily have called, or shouted my order down from my window) and this is a tough deal to pass up. 

KOREAN FRIED CHICKEN

The Where: Bonbon Chicken

The Where, Exactly: 98 Chambers St, Financial District

The What: Eight pieces of Korean fried chicken, totaling four wings

The How Much: $8 

Bonbon is the takeout arm of BonChon, the famed (and rightfully so) Korean fried chicken chain. At exactly two dollars a wing, this place barely makes it inside our price range. Korean fried chicken is the one kind of chicken that comes closest to being worth paying a little more, and Bonbon gives you a cheaper alternative to the real thing. The garlic or spicy glaze almost disqualifies it to start, but is delicious to be the exception that proves the rule. Still,  I’d guess BonChon gets first crack at the best pieces of chicken and sends the rest downtown to sit under a heating lamp. If you just want cheap chicken, go somewhere else -- but it’s not bad if you find yourself jonesing for Korean fried chicken but don‘t want to pay the full price.  

INDIAN FRIED CHICKEN

The Where: Bombay Frankie Roti Roll

The Where, Exactly: 994 Amsterdam Ave, between 108th & 109^th, Columbia

The What: 8 Chicken Lollipops

The WHAT?!: Tandoori chicken on the bone. Not actual lollipops.

The How Much: $6 

The dark horse of this endeavor, these reddish-brown bits of chicken don’t really look like other wings -- and they don’t taste like them either. The bone has been stripped of skin and gristle so that it sticks from the meat like a handle (hence the name) and the meat itself is more heavily spiced than other wings. While it may be a bit of a trek if you‘re not already on the Upper West Side, it is hands down some of the best fried chicken in town. The food comes out quickly but doesn’t taste pre-made, and there’s an attached gay bar, if eating delicious chicken makes you feel gay. (Note: If this is the case, you are already gay.) There’s a small counter with a few stools, but be prepared to eat outside, possibly on your way to the next bar. Also be prepared to rave to random strangers about how delicious the chicken you’re eating is. 

SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN

The Where: Charles Fried Chicken

The Where, Exactly: 2837 8th Ave, btwn W 151^st and 152^nd St, Harlem

The What: Four Chicken Wings

The How Much: $3 

The Platonic Ideal of chicken wings. It took me almost 30 minutes to get to the right stop on the subway, then about another 15 to cross down through Jackie Robinson park and make it up to 151^st. I got to the restaurant after a big rush and had to wait for them to fry up some more chicken wings. I sat there for 20 minutes while two little kids screeched at each other. And it was STILL worth it. Getting there isn’t easy, but the universe can’t put chicken this delicious out there without making you work for it. If you were in a different part of town you’ll pay twice the price for half of the quality, and still feel like you’re getting a deal -- but once you eat here, there’s no going back. Absolutely unbeatable.