ADRs? Yes We Made Stinking ADRs - A June '15 Dining Report - Updated 10/10: Sassagoula & Wrap-up

[kastoney]

Can't wait for your reviews! I loved your last trip report (even though I'm awful at commenting while reading... ) Can't wait to see what you thought of Boatwrights!

Thanks so much for joining in. Comment or not, I'm glad you enjoyed and hope this one is just as much fun for all!

Yeah Kari! So happy to see you doing another DR and glad your surprise worked out so well.

Can't wait to hear about Boatwrights-

Hi Rachel!!!! So glad you are hear, actual food should be commencing this weekend.

I'm here! Great start! I do miss POFQ! It was my first onsite resort and I think it's just lovely. I do agree that it is a bit too motel-like for me but where it lacks in amenities it makes up in Disney charm. Luckily we don't spend that much time in our rooms. Looking forward to the food!

POFQ is definitely charming and I'm sure we'll be back. Now that Casey's naps are finally a thing of the past the room isn't as much of a big deal for us. While I'd love to do deluxe every trip, it was nice to find a place that will allow even more trips to occur ; )

We stayed in POFQ on our honeymoon and we loved the location...then my DH won a trip through work staying at the BC after we had stayed at POP 3 months earlier (not a fan, paper thin walls...enough said ) well that ruined me! I love deluxe resorts! Our next stay we are doing moderate but it makes for a longer trip so I will sacrifice

We started at PoP and I couldn't figure out why anyone would pay 2-3 times more to stay elsewhere. Then I did and as you said it ruined me forever! While POFQ was closer to value than deluxe to me, the ambiance definitely put it above. So like you I'm sure I'll "sacrifice" in the future for more disney time ; ) #MoreIsAlwaysBetter

I'm not a huge fan of flying but look forward to travelling out of DCA because I'm promised a Taylor sandwich.

Have you had then sandwiches before???? They were new to me, but really really good

As you know we are only 10 minutes from dulles, but after last trip I'll drive to National for a better flight and now better food any day ; ) Already booked September trip and we're JetBlue bound again

Yay! So excited to be following along! I loved the surprise and text conversation with your husband! And Casey sounds a lot like my 4 year old when we talk about WDW too. So adorable!

A couple of things....1) Isn't it crazy what dads will eat after their kids? I wouldn't touch my kids' leftover food/drink. Gag. But he will finish whatever.
2) We took our daughter to a surprise party once and she is obsessed with surprises now. Even to the point when her dad gets home from work, she will hide and surprise him. Silly kid.
3) I'm really excited to hear about Raglan Road. Y'all did eat there right?

Thanks. And cheers to 4 year old daughters!!!!

I could not believe it when Jason ate her ice cream. I won't even drink after her because of all the food particles that always get in. But that man just finished off her chili tonight and is definitely not too proud to eat her scraps.

Glad to know mine isn't the only one who take surprises to the extreme. SURPRISE!!!

Yep, we did eat at Raglan. It was later in the trip, but I'll have plenty to report and some more Casey video!!!

 

[tjug409]

Can't wait to hear about it!

 

[butiflfeet]

I love POFQ! I'm a deluxe girl all the way but sometimes you need a Disney fix and the budget is just a little tight so POFQ is our go to!

 

[Princess Leia]

The carriage ride sounds like so much fun. We saw some of the horses at Riverside, but never actually saw anyone on them. Are you going to do a trip or dining report? I'd love to hear your experiences.

Yes, I'm planning on doing a Trip Report which will include dining. If you want a taster have a look at my PTR - the link is in my signature. There is a post on dining choices. I'm just trying to get photos etc organised. Hats off to those who successfully do Trip Reports.

 

[Sailormoon2]

Hurray for another Kari DR. Can't wait for your humorous reviews.

 

[nicoleakr]

Following along!

 

[Elevationist]

Now that doesn't mean I'll convert to the 180-day spreadsheet crowd

Come to the dark side, Kari. We have cake...

Boatwrights (all of these were new to us)

Can't wait to hear what you think of this one! I'm seriously debating if I want to work it into my 2016 trip, since I'll be staying at POR.

Me: How does this sound for father’s day: 16-oz Prime Rib-Eye Steak with Brioche, Bone Marrow, Point Reyes Blue Cheese Butter

J: Good except for the blue cheese

Me: Ok, I’ll cancel the reservations then

J: Where are we going?

Me: ; )

That was it till curiosity and a little googling got the better of him the next day:

J: Why did you send me the menu for Yachtsman steakhouse?

Me: Thought we could this weekend

J: Sure and then we can go to Napa and grab some wine

Me: No, just Disney we leave Thursday at 2. Happy Father’s Day

You two are TOO CUTE!!!

Apparently she thought this was so much fun that just tonight at bedtime she told Jason they should surprise me and take me to Disney for my birthday next month ; ) Yep ladies and gentleman I’ve created a monster!!!

Your daughter is indeed wise. If your husband is smart, he will take the Small One's suggestion very seriously.

efore long we arrived at Port Orleans French Quarter, a new resort for us and our first moderate. I didn’t get any resort pictures, but here are a few of our room.

This is the door, in case you hadn’t seen one before ; ) We were in building 6 and the 2nd which was a great location close to the lobby, buses, and pool.

Same building I was in!

POFQ is a great moderate option when you don’t wanna spend an arm and a leg.

I agree! I loved it! (But then again, I'm not spoiled by Deluxe Club Level like SOMEBODY...... )

Up next finally some FOOD and a trip up river to Boatwrights!

Can't wait to eat! I'm STARVING!

 

[LindseyJo22]

Love the start of your review! I was excited to hear about this surprise father's day trip It's fun when other family members get in on the surprise too, it sounds like your daughter definitely got a kick out of that!

Glad you enjoyed POFQ; I've not stayed on that side, but in general it's a great choice of a moderate in my opinion. Though I haven't stayed at very many places on property. That may change very soon though

Can't wait to read about all the food (as I sit here and wait until it's time to go out for dinner )

 

[cinderkelly]

Now onto Casey…I hadn’t told her either as there’s no chance she could keep a secret so the morning of the trip I told her when she woke up. It went a little something like this:

She's adorable!

Yep ladies and gentleman I’ve created a monster

Raising future generations of Disney fanatics..that's how it should be!

Overall we really liked the resort. The inside of the room was definitely more like a value than a deluxe and I’m not a huge fan of the motel style, but those were the only negatives. Housekeeping was great, service friendly, the resort was quiet, busses efficient, and the location was central to just about everything with a short bus ride to MK, Epcot, and MGM and of course the boat to DTD. I still love me a deluxe, but POFQ is a great moderate option when you don’t wanna spend an arm and a leg.

I've always thought the grounds of POR/FQ were beautiful. I stayed there once for one night a looooong time ago before they renamed the resort but my memory can't recall what it used to be called!

 

[BlondeAppetit]

following along! wine in hand!

 

[Elevationist]

I've always thought the grounds of POR/FQ were beautiful. I stayed there once for one night a looooong time ago before they renamed the resort but my memory can't recall what it used to be called!

That's because it was called just "Port Orleans" back then... no "French Quarter." That part was later added when what was then known as Dixie Landings became a sister property and was renamed "Port Orleans Riverside"

 

[kastoney]

Can't wait to hear about it!

I love POFQ! I'm a deluxe girl all the way but sometimes you need a Disney fix and the budget is just a little tight so POFQ is our go to!

I'm with ya. I used to never understand why anyone would do anything but a value and then I did a one time deluxe splurge and there was no turning back. So POFQ was a great "find" and I'm sure we'll be back at some point.

Yes, I'm planning on doing a Trip Report which will include dining. If you want a taster have a look at my PTR - the link is in my signature. There is a post on dining choices. I'm just trying to get photos etc organised. Hats off to those who successfully do Trip Reports.

I'll definitely check out the report and PTR. Can't wait to see what you all tried.

Hurray for another Kari DR. Can't wait for your humorous reviews.

Ah, shucks thanks!

Following along!

Welcome to the food party.

 

[kastoney]

Come to the dark side, Kari. We have cake...

Make that cake wine and I may just join ya ; )

Can't wait to hear what you think of this one! I'm seriously debating if I want to work it into my 2016 trip, since I'll be staying at POR.

Should be getting it done later today. And in a bit of foreshadowing, it should definitely be given consideration

You two are TOO CUTE!!!

Thanks, I think so but I may be just a little bit biased.

Your daughter is indeed wise. If your husband is smart, he will take the Small One's suggestion very seriously.

We probably would if we weren't already going 3 weeks later. We will be spending my birthday weekend at the beach though, so while not Disney should be a great time!

I agree! I loved it! (But then again, I'm not spoiled by Deluxe Club Level like SOMEBODY...... )

Yep, spoiled rotten and I LOVE IT!!!!

Love the start of your review! I was excited to hear about this surprise father's day trip It's fun when other family members get in on the surprise too, it sounds like your daughter definitely got a kick out of that!

Glad you enjoyed POFQ; I've not stayed on that side, but in general it's a great choice of a moderate in my opinion. Though I haven't stayed at very many places on property. That may change very soon though

Can't wait to read about all the food (as I sit here and wait until it's time to go out for dinner )

Thanks. Casey definitely loved it, though she has requested we tell her next time we go to Disney so she has a countdown calendar for the next trip ; )

POFQ is definitely worth a trip. I picked it primarily so we didn't have to deal with multiple bus stops but it was a pleasant surprise.

She's adorable!

Thanks. I keep reminding myself I made her, even if she is a little Jason mini-me ; )

Raising future generations of Disney fanatics..that's how it should be!

Yep, I really think of it as my duty for mankind ; )

I've always thought the grounds of POR/FQ were beautiful. I stayed there once for one night a looooong time ago before they renamed the resort but my memory can't recall what it used to be called!

They are definitely beautiful. I think I liked the overall look of POR a bit better, primarily because of the lower buildings and the more plantation style but the ground of both were very well kept.

following along! wine in hand!

Thanks and make sure you pour some for me!

 

[kastoney]

Finally, onto what everyone is here for FOOD.

I’d “planned” on eating at Boatwrights this night, since I wasn’t sure when we’d be staying on this side of town before. Not knowing what time we’d get in I hadn’t made an ADR but on bus to the resort we were able to score one at 7:30. With some time on our hands after check-in we decided to check out the pool for a while.



Casey clearly had a blast and we ended up coming back a few more times during the trip

Finally it was time to EAT and after a quick (about ten minutes), but freaking hot walk (heat index of 100+) we finally arrived at this little hidden gem: Boatwrights Dining Hall or just Boaties as Casey said the cool people call it ; )


There were a TON of people waiting to be seated when we arrived so my first glimpse of summer crowds wasn’t off to a very good start. We ended up waiting 20 or 25 minutes, but Casey amused herself playing peak a boo with a child sitting in the lounge. #WhateverPassesTheTime


We were finally seated in the back corner of the very full restaurant and had this view.

While the restaurant isn’t a totally immersive experience like some other places, the nautical touches were nice though not particularly New Orleans.

As we contemplated our dining choices, my usual beer and wine loving self was in the mood for something that would get my Disney party started a little faster and settled upon this beauty….

Meet the Ramos Fizz, Hendrick's Gin, fresh Lemon and Lime Juice Half & Half, and Agave Nectar topped with Soda Water. I was a little concerned about the edition of the half and half, and the side note on the menu that said the drink contains pasteurized egg whites but loving gin and citrus went for it anyway. And boy am I glad I did, as this was very refreshing. It was nice and tart from the lemon and lime, yet had some pine-like undertones from the gin. I know this likely sounds odd, but it worked both from a taste and a party starting perspective.

I didn’t take a picture, but Jason elected to stay in theme and have an Abita Amber.

With our drinks, this little basket of deliciousness joined our table.

This was clearly “homemade” cornbread and was the perfect balance of sweet and savory.

Having read that the Mardi Gras Fritters were good, we decided on these for our appetizer.

The Mardi Gras Fritters are House-made Pimiento Cheese Fritters with Pepper Jelly. I love, love, love pimento cheese. I eat it with chips, put it on burgers, and really love it on just some plain Wonder bread (side note for anyone living in the south Harris Teeter Grocery Store has amazing store-made pimento cheese). So that said, I was looking forward to some of this delicacy all fried up – unfortunately there wasn’t a pimento to be found in the fritters. Now don’t get me wrong they were really good fried cheese fritters and the pepper jelly added in some heat and additional flavor that was missing from the lack of pimentos. But when you advertise something as pimento I expect to at least find a sliver of them somewhere in the mix. I would definitely get them again, just adjust my expectations accordingly.

Not knowing if the fritters be spicy or not, we got Casey a bowl of the kids chicken soup to start her meal.

I figured since this was on the kids menu it would be straight up Campbells from a can, but I was pleasantly surprised to see it was home made and had really good flavor. I asked my budding food critic what she thought and she said it tasted like soup ; ) #GottaWorkOnHerInnerCritic

For entrée’s Casey and I decided to share the Voodoo Chicken which is Crispy Battered Chicken Breast and Fluffy Golden Waffles topped with Maple-Bacon Gravy.

Note the little hand in the picture making her way to the waffle as soon as it was put down ; ) Despite the voodoo name in the title, this was not spicy in the least. The chicken was tender and crispy and the waffle good, though a little dense. The pile of greens on top served absolutely no purpose, other than to likely add some color to my plate of brown food, but the bacon and maple gravy was delicious. I ended up adding some tobacco to mine just to kick it up a notch.

At the recommendation of @Pfau I also got a side of collard greens.

Boy am I glad I listened to advise for one once in my life ; ) These may have been the best part of the meal. They had clearly been cooked all day to southern perfection and the edition of tons of bacon really brought the flavor to a new level. Like the chicken a few shakes of tobacco were needed to please by spicy palate and push the greens over the top. Even better the waiter forgot to place our order for these, so when I inquired he quickly brought them out and removed them from the check. Free + Good = Happy Kari!

Somewhere along the way I’d plowed through my gin fizz and moved along to my own Abita, but it was the Purple Haze for me. For those unfamiliar the Purple Haze is a pilsner style beer that has some good fruitiness too it. If you’ve never tried Abita beers, we always enjoy them, especially when at Cajun restaurants.


Jason had a hard time deciding what to eat, but finally settled on the Cajun Bayou Catfish at the recommendation of our waiter (who was very good and attentive by the way)

This was served with Dirty Rice, Asparagus, Cayenne-Butter Sauce, and Chive Aïoli. Starting with the main attraction, the catfish wasn’t fried but had some sort of breading on top. The waiter indicated it was an Andouille crust, but neither of us picked up any heat or flavor of the traditional New Orleans sausage. The catfish itself was well cooked, but despite the Cajun moniker was largely flavorless. Thankfully the tobacco butter was absolutely amazing and really made the dish. I would have loved to have some of this for the corn bread or even my chicken and waffles, but someone who shall remain nameless was not sharing. That certain someone also really enjoyed the dirty rice, but the asparagus was nothing special.

Too full for dessert we settled the check and soon ventured onward. Unfortunately we weren’t picking up our Tables in Wonderland card until the next day, but we did get a 10% annual pass discount. While that doesn’t include my cherished discount on alcohol, it did take $5.48 off the bill.

On the way out Casey heard YeHaa Bob coming from the River Roust lounge next door so we stood in the entrance way for a few minutes to let her dance along to the music. From there it was a slow (and thankfully much cooler) walk back to POFQ with our full bellies, but we were able to catch some fireworks from what I think was Illuminations.

We got Casey to bed and while she insisted on being all creepy single white female and staring me down for at least 20 minutes, she finally dozed off and got in a good nights sleep for the next day.


Overall we really enjoyed Boatwrights. This was the one ADR I didn’t make in advance and while I was surprised by the crowds, we had no trouble getting in. On the food, the collards were the clear stand out, so much so that Jason commented if we came back again he’d just stick to the collards, dirty rice, and maybe a few apps (and of course beer!) and just skip the entrée all together. I’m not sure if I’d spend a lot of time traveling here if I wasn’t staying at the resort already, but from either POR or POFQ its so convenient you’d really be missing something if you didn’t try it.

Up next something, not just ooey but a little gooey as well.​

 

[deannaf87]

Boatright's looks good. I grew up in "cajun country" and love cajun food. I feel like I might be disappointed with Disney's cajun offerings though. We did have an ADR there for our upcoming trip, but when we switched from POR to AKL, I cancelled it. One day we'll get there.

I just laughed out loud at Casey's "single white female" staring. Been there!

 

[jabead]

I don't even remember the last time I dined at Boatwright's, but I seem to recall that it was breakfast. Since they haven't served breakfast there for 5 or 6 years, it's been at least that long but I have a feeling it's been more like 10 years. So anyway, your review has reminded me that one of these times I need to have dinner there, followed by seeing Yehaa Bob at the River Roost Lounge. I've never seen him but have heard many good things about his show.

Can't wait for the ooey, gooey goodness! I'm feeling a bit sad that Liberty Tree will probably still be closed on my next trip, assuming I get back there for F & W this fall.

 

[basketlacey]

We stayed at POR a few years back and I'm sorry that we didn't try Boatwrights. I also love pimento cheese - all the ways you mention and then some. That fried cheese looks yummy, even without the pimentos.

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Love the Boatwrights review. We ate there I think in 2007 and I remember being disappointed. Your meal seems to be a big improvement. Not sure if it is worth the trip if not staying there though.

 

[BlondeAppetit]

Ha! Look at that sweet SWF face! I know that look too! I have heard so many great things about Port Orleans! I am sure that we will stay there one day too! Boatwrights sounds like a nice, convenient option.

 

[momof3princes]

Boatwright's looked good! Glad your drink was a good gamble...you never know how that will turn out! Those greens looked amazing, I love hot sauce too, I would have put it on just about everything
I have had the wake up in the night with a kid standing in front of you staring