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| - My 16 year-old son and I were already downtown and starving, so we decided to give WD a try. It was only 4:30 on a Friday, and they don't open until 5 pm, so we just cruised around the neighborhood for a little while to kill time. We walked up right as they opened (in fact, we were the first people there, other than a young lady ordering take out from the window). I wasn't sure how it all worked, not having been before, and didn't know that there is indoor seating, so we were prepared to sit at one of the tables out front. The cheery guy sticking his head out of the take-out window invited us in, to our relief (It was kind of chilly outside).
We took the bar stools at the farthest end from the door. But with the music speaker directly behind our heads and in the path of a vigorously blowing fan, we weren't in the most comfortable spot. But before we could decide whether or not to move (I mean a couple of minutes!), every seat was taken and a long line of people was queuing up out front at the take-out window. So we stayed put and waited to order.
As I noted, we were the first people to arrive, so I was a tad annoyed that it took so long to place my drink order (two other customers' orders were taken before mine, so I also had a bit of a wait for my Manhattan, which was delicious; still, the bartender needs to work on his speed of execution--I tended bar for several years, and besides not paying attention to taking orders in order of the customers' arrival, he was slow and a bit fumbly).
While we were sitting there waiting to order food, Mr. Cheerful came over to show us diners the evening's special: chicken and sausage gumbo. He explained that it had a southwest twist--nopalitas instead of okra, which makes sense, because getting fresh okra right now is not an option (which is why gumbo made in the winter traditionally includes filé powder--or if it's a seafood gumbo, roux. Nowadays, though, you're likely to find any combination of okra, filé, and/or roux. I was told that WD's gumbo just used a roux.). The little squares of nopalitas added a delicious flavor and texture, and if you didn't tell someone otherwise, they'd never guess they were eating cactus paddles.
Anyway, I was intrigued. I grew up in the South and have spent a fair amount of time in Louisiana, so I consider myself well-versed on this dish that I often make myself--although during this season of Lent, one is more apt to find gumbo z'erbes on home tables than the version with meat). Plus, I was freezing because of the fan, so a steaming bowl of gumbo sounded perfect. And it was, although I had to ask for a spoon so I could eat it. A couple of dashes of hot sauce, and it was so, so good. I could've easily eaten a second serving!
Speaking of seconds, my son loved his Little Birdy biscuit sandwich so much that when he finished it, he asked if he could have another. Hah! Well, it was that good. The biscuit is tender and crumbly (and huge), and we are a biscuit-crazy family, but the chicken was the real star. Seriously addictive stuff.
We also ordered a bowl of the mac 'n cheese, which was a very generous portion of pasta drenched in a sauce containing a hint of smokiness (from smoked Gouda, I suspect). I found it a bit flat (underseasoned) and disappointing. The "herbs" seemed to amount to a sad sprinkling of chives that did nothing except add a dash of color, and the cheese sauce tasted more of bechamel than cheese. As my son commented, "This can't hold a candle to your friend Bernie's mac and cheese at Citizen." Agreed. One more note about the dish: while it's definitely fun to watch someone in the tiny kitchen whip out a blow torch and pass it over a dish, it doesn't really add anything to this one (at least not ours). The result was a scattering of blackened spots across the top, rather than creating a bubbly, browned top. If there'd been a sprinkling of cheese to torch, then I'd see the point. But as it is? Nope. We wound up taking most of it home, and I'll doctor the leftovers up myself.
After we stuffed ourselves on dinner, my son unbelievably still had room for dessert. Of course, we ordered beignets. Ok, bear with this picky foodie for a second: these fried donuts served in a pool of really, really good honey and powdered sugar were delicious. But beignets? They looked like beignets. They smelled like beignets. But these little fried gems are dense rather than the slightly chewy, airy pillows I expected. I don't think they used a choux pastry or let it rise long enough. In any case, don't expect real beignets and you'll happily enjoy them!
We look forward to returning to WD, although we plan to hit their sister joint Welcome CHICKEN + DONUTS first. I'll post something here when we do.
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