Bon Appetite Bistro is located at 41 Tennessee St. in Ringgold. If you turn left at red light #1, they are on the left, but coming from the direction of Chattanooga, we found it easier to turn left at Depot Street, just prior to the red light, then make the first right, and they are on the corner. The reason I say this is that the parking is angled and when you turn at the red light, you’re going in the wrong direction to be able to park.
We have made two visits to the restaurant to get a “real” feel for it, to be certain we got exactly what it is they are going for. To be honest, I still don’t know.
They are advertising as a gourmet French and Cajun restaurant. The menu doesn’t say that to me. The website mentions you must call ahead for a gourmet meal – I don’t get that – why can’t I just order it from the menu when I get there? Another thing, I do not consider being served on paper plates with plastic utensils and styrofoam cups as fitting into “gourmet”.
On our first visit we found it to be their grand opening weekend and they were on a limited menu, offering five or six selections for you to choose from, priced at $5 including the drink. (The website says they opened nine years ago – I’m confused.)
On this trip, Wayne ordered the turkey and cheese sandwich on a croissant. When it arrived it was on bread. He said the sandwich was good, but didn’t arrive as ordered.
Since everything was sandwiches except the Honey Cajun Shrimp, I decided to order that. It actually was a small salad with shrimp. The shrimp was sweet and delicious and I probably would order it again.
Several weeks later on our second visit, they had their regular menu so there was more to choose from. We decided to try the wings and placed our order for the Jamaican Jerk (ten for $6), thinking we would then peruse the menu while the wings were being prepared. Most of the “entrees” are sandwiches (Chicago Style Smoked Sausage, Honey Hickory Ham, Toasted Creole Roast Beef, Shrimp Po-Boy and several others). I wanted to try the Cream of Mushroom soup, but really didn’t want another lettuce salad, although they do have pastas.
I finally ordered chicken salad without the bread and with two sides; potato salad and broccoli salad. The only “hot” side appears to be baked beans. Surprise! Everything was delivered at once. It appeared our server didn’t turn in the wing order until she got our entree orders!
I can’t say I was impressed with any of the items on my plate. At first I wasn’t sure it was really chicken salad, as it was a sort of lumpy white sauce. After tasting it, I think it might have been made with a sweet yogurt instead of mayonnaise – although I could be wrong. It did contain sweet pickles, and those are not favorites of mine. If I went back, it would be to try the pastas.
Wayne ordered the Crescent Cajun Turkey Sandwich ($4.75), mainly to see if the croissant showed up this time. Actually, it did, and it was very large. He said it was a very good, tasty sandwich. For $2 you can turn your sandwich into a meal, which means you get one side and a drink. Wayne ordered the bleu cheese chips. He wasn’t expecting potato chips with bleu cheese dressing poured over them – but he thought they were pretty good.
Both of us agreed the wings were quite good with a hint of spice. We both felt the wings would have been better had they been hot rather than lukewarm.
We were told that they make all their breads on the premises.
Entree prices range from $3.95 for the Chicago Style Smoked Sausage to $8.95 for the Honey Cajun Shrimp Platter. Pastas are $7.95 for Alfredo Vegetable Pasta to $9.95 for Cajun Shrimp Pasta. There are several soups, salads and appetizers (including a 12” pizza for $9.95). Dessert offerings include Cheesecake, Coffee Cake and Cake of the Day priced from $2.75 to $3.25. Kiddie meals include a Mini-Sandwich, Hot Dog, and Chicken Nuggets with one side and soft drink for $3.99.
Hours for Bon Appetite Bistro are Tuesday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. until 8 p.m. and Saturday until 6 p.m. They are closed on Sunday.
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cdojanet@chattanoogadineout.com