**Editors Note: This was written a few weeks ago, but someone *cough cough* Kristen is a slacker (or she says “busy!”) and hasn’t gotten the post finalized until now! So here is a review, written as if it were the day after…
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Today is a big day—a milestone, if you will. Pierce is turning 21—which really only means that he’ll be able to navigate Nashville music venues without big scarlet-letter X’s on his hands. Either way, we needed to save up some money for the day’s festivities.
So, our choice this Sunday was Wild Bill’s Beignets and Bikes—across the street from the Bridgestone Arena on 5th avenue. Wild Bill’s opened up in 2009 and brought a unique Cajun Café to downtown Nashville. Here’s our take.
Wild Bill’s Beignets and Bikes – Downtown Nashville
Pierce: Iced Coffee ($3.29), Chicken Sausage ($5.29)
Kristen: Café Au Lait ($3.29), Banana Beignets ($4.99)
Service Time: 11 minutes, 3 seconds
First Impression: At first, it was hard to tell whether Wild Bill’s was a sit-down joint or an order-at-the-counter place. It seemed like it could go either way. We sat down—admiring Wild Bill’s wall-sized mural—and the lone waitress in the place approached us. The poor girl later explained that she had worked until 4:30 a.m. the night before and didn’t get any sleep. She was clearly tired, but we appreciated the effort.
She made our coffees pretty fast. Pierce recommended the Café Au Lait to Kristen—being that the drink traditionally goes along with beignets. (Pierce is a self-proclaimed connoisseur of New Orleans cuisine. His two visits there give him that distinguished knowledge.) Pierce ordered an ice coffee.
The Au Lait was a little too “watery” for Kristen’s taste. Three packets of Splenda still wasn’t enough to fit it to Kristen’s needs.
Pierce, on the other hand, loved the iced coffee which had a distinctive mid-taste “bite” to it.
The Main Event: Kristen ordered the banana beignets—which came out covered in powdered sugar. The little pockets of doughy-goodness were filled with banana and had a distinctive mushy texture. Overall, they were very good.
Pierce had to resist opting for the beignets, as well. After all, we wanted a little variety in this review. So he ordered a Chicken Sausage. The sausage came in a hot dog bun, but didn’t come with any sides. It had a surprising taste—a sausage exterior, stuffed with chicken “herbs”—whatever those are. Regardless, it was quite good.
The Verdict: The food at Wild Bill’s was good. The atmosphere was OK and the service was OK. But the big downer was the price. Pierce’s chicken sausage was more than five dollars and—while good—wasn’t worth the price. Kristen’s beignets were tasty, but smallish in size. (Even the historic Café Du Monde in New Orleans includes three beignets per order.) So, two for five dollars, again, seemed a little pricey.
If you happen to be in downtown, Wild Bill’s is worth checking out—but it’s not worth going out of your way to get there.
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