Café Orleans will mark its grand re-opening with a ribbon cutting at 11:30 am on Sunday morning; the Blue Bayou will open to the public on Monday. Restaurant managers are excited about what they feel is a major improvement in both food quality and service at both locations, and invited MousePlanet to visit the restaurants during previews last week.
It is generally considered bad form to formally review restaurants before they are open to the public, so for now enjoy photos and preliminary commentary on some of the items we sampled.
Café Orleans
The new host desk outside the renovated Café Orleans. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
After a stint as a cafeteria-style restaurant, Café Orleans is once again offering table service, with about 60 seats in the redesigned interior and 120 seats on the patio.
Disney purists will be happy to know the stained glass panels were salvaged during the renovation. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Portions of the original counters form one serving station. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
The interior of the restaurant was remodeled to remove the service counters and create additional dining space. The restaurant?s lovely stained glass panels, said to have come from the set of The Happiest Millionaire, were preserved during the renovation.
New awnings and umbrellas brighten up the waterfront and provide shade for diners. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Once the scaffolding is removed, the patio will provide scenic views of both the Rivers of America and a new entertainment stage. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Of course, the point of a restaurant is the food, and Café Orleans boasts a brand-new menu especially created for the new location. During our visit, we sampled several of the new items, as well as one of the lighter entrees.
Pommes Frites ? Traditional Parisian-style potatoes, lightly fried and tossed with Parmesan cheese, garlic and parsley, served with a Cajun spice aioli. $4.99. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
French Quarter Blackened Chicken Caesar ? Crisp Romaine hearts tossed in a traditional Caesar dressing, topped with blackened chicken and shaved Parmesan. $13.99. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Three-Cheese Monte Cristo ? Swiss, mozzarella and double crème Brie in a light batter, fried and served with berry puree. $14.99. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
We started with the pommes frites, and then sampled the restaurant?s new three-cheese version of the popular Monte Cristo sandwich. Both items were excellent, and best eaten while still hot from the fryer. (We skipped the classic Monte Cristo in favor of the healthier chicken Caesar salad.) We did not sample either of the new entrée crepes ? one filled with seafood, the other with chicken gumbo – but cast members who have tried them say that both are quite good.
?Mickey” shaped Beignets ? Topped with powdered sugar and served with raspberry coulis and vanilla crème anglaise. $6.99. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Chocolate Crepe Soufflés ? Flourless chocolate indulgence! Raspberries wrapped in crepes and baked to perfection, served with raspberry coulis and whipped cream. $6.99. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
The location has introduced two new desserts, both of which received rave reviews from cast members who had tried them. The Mickey-shaped beignets come coated with enough powdered sugar to make a New Orleans native happy, and the dipping sauces (especially the rich vanilla crème anglaise) are a nice addition for those who will sacrifice authenticity for novelty. The chocolate crepe soufflé is exactly what it sounds like, as odd as that may seem ? imagine a chocolate soufflé folded inside a crepe and topped with raspberry sauce.
The location does offer a children?s menu, presented as a paper pirate hat. Each item is $6.99 and comes with a side of fruit and choice of beverage. The choices are:
- Mickey?s Cheesy Macaroni ? Baked noodles with creamy cheddar cheese sauce
- Citrus Chicken Drummettes ? Marinated and baked drummettes atop rice noodles and marinara sauce
- PB&J Monte Cristo = traditional peanut butter and jelly sandwich, lightly fried and served with berry coulis
In the interest of research, we ordered the PB&J Monte Cristo, and were surprised to find that it is a Smucker’s® Uncrustables sandwich, fried and sprinkled with powdered sugar. We were less surprised to find that it was actually quite good.
Blue Bayou
Curious guests gather during cast previews, hoping to land an open table inside the Blue Bayou. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
The Blue Bayou did not receive the dramatic physical transformation evident at Café Orleans, but managers expect the back-stage changes ? including an entirely new kitchen ? to help elevate the Disneyland classic into a fine dining location. In fact, the only physical change most people will note is a new treasure chest on display in the corner of the lobby. The loot was purportedly reclaimed from the Pirates attraction, as were many of the new enhancements you?ll find in windows and displays around New Orleans, and is already a popular photo spot.
We skipped the appetizers and focused on the new entrée options at the Blue Bayou. Each now comes with a choice ?Cajun-inspired wedge salad? or gumbo, and a choice of two side dishes: potatoes au gratin, seasonal vegetables, or sautéed spinach. (During previews, all entrees were served with the potatoes and steamed white asparagus and broccoli.)
The salad is a sliced wedge of lettuce, served atop a slice of red tomato, garnished with an avocado slice and a few cubes of andouille sausage, then dressed with a light vinaigrette. One cast member said she enjoyed the salad so much she wished there was an entrée version.
Diners who intend to share an entrée ? and who might be balking at the $4 split-plate fee ? will be happy to know that each person will get their own salad or gumbo, making the fee a little more understandable.
Buccaneer’s Beef Short Ribs ? slow-roasted, then finished in a Zinfandel demi glaze. $26.99 at lunch. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
In the months before the Blue Bayou closed, a special menu offering of beef short ribs proved especially popular, and has now been added to the new regular menu. Our tasters thought this was the best of the dishes sampled.
Port Royal Mahi Mahi ? broiled and accompanied with lightly sautéed pecan-crusted jumbo gulf shrimp, spinach and endive, tossed in a light lemon vinaigrette. $27.99 at lunch. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
For a lighter alternative, we sampled the mahi mahi dish, served with two pecan-crusted shrimp. The seafood was good, but the real star of the dish was the spinach and endive accompaniment. The leaves are blanched, then tossed in a lemon vinaigrette and do not have a hint of the bitterness often associated with cooked spinach.
Molasses-Brined Bayou Pork Chop ? 10 oz. chop, pan-seared and topped with sautéed Granny Smith apple wedges. $25.99 at lunch. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
We visited during lunch, and so did not sample the dinner-only crab legs entrée, but several cast members who tried the dish during previews gave it glowing reviews.
The Bayou does offer a children?s menu, again printed inside a paper pirate hat. In addition to the three items offered at Café Orleans (still $6.99 each here), kids can select a 5-ounce prime rib with Blue Bayou potatoes for $10.99.
The restaurant is proud of its three new dessert offerings, each presented with a “Pirates booty? sugar sculpture.
Tortuga Trio of Crème Brule ? chocolate, passion fruit and vanilla-bean custards, caramelized and served with Brittany cookies. $7.99. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
The crème Brule trio was the favorite of the desserts sampled, but the portion might make it difficult to share with your dining companions.
The Flying Dutchman Cookie Boat ? Warm chocolate chip cookie boat, served with Dreyer’s vanilla bean ice cream, caramel and chocolate sauce. $8.99. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
On the other hand, the cookie boat dessert is easily enough for two or three people, and the sugar sail is a fun souvenir for children.
The Key West, Key Lime ? Flaky crust filled with tangy key-lime citrus crème. $7.99. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
The restaurant?s trademark chocolate mint doubloons will soon be available for purchase in a sugar replica of the Dead Man?s Chest from the film. Each ?coin? is wrapped in gold foil featuring one of four images from the attraction.
Priority Seating for both restaurants can be made by calling 714-781-DINE, and walk-ups will be accepted as space allows.
Let us hear from you – after your next visit to one of these restaurants, be sure to leave a review on our MousePlanet review system (link).
