The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (101 page)

Grub:

Blue Bayou
(L, D)

[
FastView:
 
Delicious food, including traditional Louisiana dishes, served in a gracious setting on the waters of
Pirates of the Caribbean
.  A Guest favorite.  It just doesn’t get better than this when dining at the park.
]

According to
Zagat Disneyland Resort Insider’s Guide
(2010), the
Blue Bayou
restaurant is the most popular restaurant in
Disneyland Park
and at the
Disneyland Resort
, and it’s no mystery why.  Designed like a 19
th
-century plantation garden, the restaurant is so unique, and so lovely, you’d have to time travel to old Louisiana to enjoy a more gracious and
magical
bayou setting.

The
Blue Bayou
opened on March 18, 1967, the same day as
Pirates of the Caribbean
, and from beginning to end, dining at the
Blue Bayou
is a special experience.  You step from the bright sunlight of
Royal Street
into an elegant foyer.  Even if you’ve called ahead, the popularity of the restaurant and the leisurely pace of the dining dictate that you’ll have to cool your heels a bit before your table is ready–but what a pretty place in which to cool your heels!

When your party is called, you’ll be led into the darkness of a vast plantation
garden.  The only lights are cast by the plantation house balconies (you’ll swear Scarlett O’Hara is about to emerge from one of the doors), the muted candlelight on the tables, the gentle illumination of tea lanterns strung over the lawn, and the fireflies flickering across the water.  First time and even returning Guests swear that
Disneyland
has found some supernatural way to turn day to night, so realistic is the night-time setting of the restaurant.

Dimly you discern Guests sitting at the tables.  Beyond them, low-slung boats filled
with shadowy figures glide past.  The shadowy boaters are Guests embarking on a cruise through
Pirates of the Caribbean
.  They’re enjoying a tranquil journey past the plantation shore, past you and your fellow diners, before plunging down a pitch dark flume!

Your party will be seated and provided with menus.  Beverage orders are first, naturally.  The ordering and dining will unfold at a relaxed pace, the better to enjoy the setting and your dining companions.  This is a place to take your time, talk and laugh with friends and family, enjoy life. 
It’s the perfect atmosphere to celebrate a special birthday, anniversary or life event.  If you’re looking for a quick– or inexpensive—bite to eat, you’ll want to select another venue.

Service is attentive. 
Blue Bayou
Cast Members will do their best to add
magic
to your dining experience and will accommodate special requests as much as possible.

When my family and I lunched there in August of 2008, my brother wanted maple syrup for his
Monte Cristo
.  Maple syrup seemed a logical adjunct to us, since we were raised in New England, but it wasn’t part of the menu, given that the
Monte Cristo
is a southern dish, and the typical side is a fruit sauce.

We asked the Cast Member if there were any possible way he could rustle up some maple syrup.  He smiled, said he’d see what he could do, and was back in three minutes with an elegant little pitcher of maple syrup for my brother.  How did he do it, when maple syrup isn’t even on the menu?

I learned the answer to that later, when doing research;
New Orleans Square
restaurants are fed by a huge kitchen and storeroom complex below ground.  The Cast Member, instead of simply saying “We don’t have maple syrup” took the initiative to descend to the kitchen complex, which would have pitchers of maple syrup on hand for the
Café Orleans
breakfasts.

That is typical
Disney
service: Finding swift, satisfactory solutions for Guests and going above and beyond with good cheer.  And there was no extra charge for the syrup.

And speaking of
charges, expect to pay a reasonably large bag of gold doubloons for the
Blue Bayou
’s superlative dining experience.  Even lunch will set you back $26 to $38 per plate before tax and tip.  Dinner (supper) is even pricier at $30 to $46 per Guest entrée.  Thinking of splitting a meal to save some coin?  Think again; the steep split-plate charge is $12.

If
you can foot the bill, you get a lot of value for your investment, including, of course, the unique and evocative southern atmosphere.  Each entrée is accompanied by Cajun salad or
New Orleans Square
’s famously delicious gumbo, as well as appropriate sides such as potatoes, corn, vegetables, and “dirty” rice.

Lunch entrées are pirate-themed and southern or Cajun in origin, but varied enough for any taste, and include
Buccaneer’s Boneless Beef Short Ribs
($34),
Isla-Cruces Crab Cakes
($36.99), the ever-popular
Le Special de Monte Cristo
, battered turkey, ham and Swiss cheese ($25.50),
Pan-Seared Salmon
($34),
Portobello Mushroom and Couscous Macque Choux
($30),
Royal Street Seafood Jambalaya
($32),
Slow-Roasted Beef Strip Loin
($38), and
Tesoro Island Chicken
($32).

Dinner (supper) entrées
include the
Pan-Seared Salmon
($34),
Portobello Mushroom and Couscous Macque Choux
($30),
Royal Street Seafood Jambalaya
($32),
Slow-Roasted Beef Strip Loin
($38), and
Tesoro Island Chicken
($32), with the addition of
Broiled Filet Mignon
($43),
Herb Panko-Crusted Rack of Lamb
($40), and a
Surf & Turf
plate that combines
filet mignon
with lobster tail ($46).

Lunch and dinner entrées all include a house salad and signature gumbo. 
Shrimp Cockail
is available for an additional charge of $6.

Ask your server about decadent dessert choices
.  Special beverages include the
Louisiana Lemonade
, a refreshing beverage served with a souvenir “glow cube” ($6.29), or the
Mint Julep
(non-alcoholic) for about $3.49 (or $6.29 if you order it with the “glow cube”).

If you’ll be bringing little ones aged three to nine years old,
you’ll be pleased to learn they have their own special menu that includes kid-size entrées like
Chicken Breast
(with spaghetti) ($9),
Mickey’s Cheesy Macaroni
($8.50),
Roasted Beef Strip Loin
($13), and
Seared Salmon Filet
(with spaghetti) ($9), for a range of ages and tastes.  The children’s dishes are accompanied by fresh fruit, veggies, and a small beverage (juice, milk, or water) for no extra charge.

This brings us to a discussion of children and fine dining.  Even though the
Blue Bayou
is a lovely venue with high-quality cuisine, it’s located at
Disneyland
and serves families all day and evening.  The restaurant and its Cast Members are used to serving tiny diners as well as adults, so your children don’t have to complete a Central Park West dining etiquette seminar before you bring them to the
Blue Bayou
.

That said, because the
Blue Bayou
is an expensive and enchanting environment, Guests make reservations there to celebrate milestone birthdays, anniversaries, corporate promotions, and even honeymoon meals.  If your children are very young, if they tend to cry a lot, or if they are boisterous and are likely to or engage in spirited hijinx, they might not be ready for the
Blue Bayou
.  And why coop them up on the bayou when there are a ton of more kid-friendly restaurants in the park?  (True story:  When I was three and my brother was two, we got our family tossed out of a fine German restaurant due to our boisterous—but hardly criminal—behavior.)

If you’re at the
Blue Bayou
for a corporate event or a romantic date, you can make other arrangements for the children in your party.  You can contact the Front Desk at your
Disneyland Resort Hotel
to arrange for a baby sitter, or ask about the
Grand Californian
’s child care center,
Pinocchio’s Workshop
, which has video games, crafts, DVDs, and serves snacks, and for an extra fee, supper.

Still, m
any children will enjoy the magnificent dining experience of the
Blue Bayou
if they’re ready for it.  Kids feel special dining in this nice place with the grown-ups.  The key is to keep kids engaged by paying attention to them; kids can easily feel left out in fine restaurants, and that can often spark acting out even when that’s not their usual behavior.

With some money saved up and the right preparation, this can be an
amazing
dining experience.  For
Pirates of the Caribbean
fans (the movies or the attraction), dining here is an added bonus!

Be sure to c
all
Disney Dining
for
Priority Seating
at (714) 781-DINE or (714) 781-3463 or email
[email protected]
before your visit.  Due to the restaurant’s intense popularity, on crowded days your party might have to wait 10 – 30 minutes to be seated even with
Priority Seating
.  But it’s well worth the wait! 
Kid’s Eye View:
  I’ve only been there once, but it’s pretty.  It looks out on
Pirates of the Caribbean
.  If you rode
Pirates
and thought [the
Blue Bayou
] was a myth–it’s real.

Café Orl
éans
(L, D)

[
FastView:
 
Transport yourself to old New Orleans at this elegant restaurant.  Dine on the terrace and watch the rest of the world pass by.
]

This popular table service restaurant specializes in French and Southern cuisine.  As opposed to the moonlit plantation charms of the
Blue Bayou
, diners at the
Café Orléans
can enjoy the sunny Franco-cosmopolitan beauty of dining
al fresco
at shaded café tables pleasantly situated between the winding lanes of
New Orleans Square
and the
Esplanade
along the
Rivers of America
.  It’s prime people-watching territory, and the food is wonderful.  There’s also limited seating in the elegant interior.

Veteran
park-goers
loved the café’s delicious breakfasts. Unfortunately,
Café Orléans
discontinued breakfast on September 1, 2009, during the overhaul of the giant underground
New Orleans Square
kitchen.  If you want breakfast in the
New Orleans Square
vicinity, your closest port of call is the
River Belle Terrace
at the nexus of
Adventureland
,
Frontierland
, and
New Orleans Square
–a mere stone’s throw from
Pirates of the Caribbean
.

But never fear
Café Orléans
fans; you can get your
Monte Cristo Sandwich
fix ($18) when the café opens for lunch and supper.

Start your meal with
appetizers like
French Onion Soup
($9), delicious
New Orleans Gumbo
($6 per cup, $9 per bowl),
Pomme Frittes
(French fries, but with a parmesan-garlic twist and spicy Cajun sauce on the side) ($5.50), or the healthy
La Salade de Maison
(the house salad) ($5.50).

Entrées
no longer include
Creole Ratatouille
(it was very good, though not prepared by little
Remy
from
Disney
’s
Ratatouille
), but still include
Crescent City Salad
($15.50 with blackened chicken, $19.50 with pan-seared salmon), the
Mardi Gras Chicken Sandwich
($18), the ever-popular-and-delicious
Monte Cristo
(battered and fried sliced turkey, ham, and Swiss cheese) ($18), and the even more decadent
Three Cheese Monte Cristo
(mozzarella, Swiss, and brie) ($18).