Dining questions...Help a girl make some decisions

[Tasmen]

So I'm trying to figure out what we are going to eat when we go on our trip in a couple weeks.

Questions:

Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen -- Is it fancy or no? I know the price is $$$. That's not so much the issue. We'll have a 4 year and 18 month old with us at the time. I know they have a kids menu, but just how kid friendly is the place? Momma really wants some bananas foster but I don't want to go there and get it if the meal itself is going to be demon child tortuous.

Blue Bayou: What are the times for the first seatings for lunch and dinner? I've eaten at BB many times but never actually sat on the water's edge. I'd like to try to that this around if at all possible.

Best quick service for a toddler: What has the best quick service meal for an 18 month old? She's a pretty good eater and will eat almost anything we give her. She's also not really a 'share your plate' type of girl and likes her own meals. The girl loves to eat. I'm trying to plan so that we give her a little variety in what she gets to eat while we are there as she does become a little picky when she's given the same meal numerous times in a row. (But hey, wouldn't be?)

 

[prncssmel]

As far as Blue Bayou, opening seating for lunch is 11:30 usually. Dinner is at 4. I think they run straight through, though, so I don't know that you would be guaranteed a water's edge table.

We have sat waterside every time. I just ask for the first lunch seating when I reserve, then ask for waterside when we arrive to check in, which is about 15 minutes early.

 

[Lostgirlz]

Hi, hope I can help. I am going back in Dec. Ok lets start with your first question. Brennan's I know this place from back home as I am originally from Louisiana, and this place is a landmark in New Orleans, and trust me you recieve nothing less than you would get at the original. They make sure the standards are nothing less than a wonderfull time from start to finish. I have been just about every time I am there last October me, and my daughter went she is 5, and was tired from being in the parks all day. She went through the meal without having melt downs, and cleaned her plate. She had a cheese burger, with mac and cheese. The kids menu is nice for kids, and I wouldnt hesitate going back. I believe they give the kids colors for the kids menu. As far as fancy it can go both ways. It's NOT like Napa Rose where if you went on jeans you might feel out of place. So park casual is ok it's not a super fancy dress place.

Ok Blue Bayou, lunch I believe starts at 11:30. I have went during lunch with my daughter for dessert only, but we had dinner PS for halloween night also, so we did blue twice. We had no trouble getting water table both times. Dinner is around 4 I believe again ask for a water table but be prepared the wait for 1 can be 30 mins it depends on how many you have waiting for the same thing. it's worth it if you don't mind the wait.

Quick Service well Golden Horseshoe might be something your family may like. If you time your lunch right you can eat, and enjoy the very funny Billy Hill, and the Hillbillies. Golden Horseshoe serves Mozzerella sticks, Fish, and chips, chicken nuggets, and some darn good funnel cakes. It's a simple menu, and you may even hit it during show time.

You also have French Market Inn it cafeteria style, and they have some good clam chowder in a bread bowel, and other choices.

Hungry Bear is pretty good it's located in critter country go past splash mountain, and it's the big brown building on the right. They have burgers, chicken sandwhichs, salads.

Plaza Inn which has Minnies Breakfast during the morning at lunch it turns into a cafeteria style place also. You have your choice of pasta, Roast beef, and the famous fried chicken which everyone says is a must for the fried chicken.

I hope this helps some, also check out Carnation Cafe yes you sit, and order from the menu, but it's right on main street, and you sit under umbrellas on a patio. They have THE BEST loaded potato soup, and their sandwhichs, and meat loaf stack is awesome. They also have a cute childrens menu they have what they call the peanut butter painters pallete my daughter loves. They bring out what looks like an artists pallette with 2 slices of bread, peanut butter, and little cups with mini marshmellows, jelly, i believe raisins, and maybe 1 or 2 more things I can't remember, but it's fun for the kids to create then eat their creation of the PB&J sandwhich.

 

[Tasmen]

Thanks! I wanted to hear the Jazz Kitchen was as good as something I could get in New Orleans. I'm also from Louisiana originally

 

[pixiewings71]

Oh the Jazz Kitchen is absolutely family/kid friendly!! We eat there quite a bit, in fact we will be having our Thanksgiving dinner there.

We do BB for lunch, so 11:30 and we ask for waterside, we have that planned for DDs Dec bday trip that's coming up.

Quick CS? Good for kids? Does she like pizza? If so Pizza Port! Or the Stagedoor Cafe around the corner from the Golden Horseshoe. In DCA you have less choices, but Award Weiners is good and so is Taste Pilots Grill.

 

[lorieintucson]

I'm so jealous that you have an easy to feed toddler! Your trip will be so much nicer with that hurdle down. I have a fussy pre-schooler and noticed that almost every counter service and sit down restaurant had a different choice for the toddler (if there was one) or kid's meal. Which made it difficult for my 3 year old (who would have been happy only if the mac and cheese from Cafe Orleans or a hot dog was offered at each restaurant), but for a child who likes variety i bet you will find something different at each, even if there is only 1 or 2 kid choices. We really wanted to go to the Rancho Zolaco, but their kid's meal was chicken and rice (not fussy approved), and that would have meant brining in a meal from another place so we could eat there. BOO I'm hoping this time we'll have better luck.

and i really want to add the Jazz kitchen to our trip now. Thanks for that 'kid friendly' review

 

[Tasmen]

Quick CS? Good for kids? Does she like pizza? If so Pizza Port! Or the Stagedoor Cafe around the corner from the Golden Horseshoe. In DCA you have less choices, but Award Weiners is good and so is Taste Pilots Grill.

We haven't tried pizza yet with her. But I think DL may be the perfect place to try it out. I imagine she'll love it since she's been having a love affair with cheese ever since we introduced her to it.

I'm so jealous that you have an easy to feed toddler! Your trip will be so much nicer with that hurdle down.

Don't I know it! My mom keeps telling me how lucky I am. Now, she's only 17 1/2 months right now so she has ample time to start getting picky. She has started to not eat things she used to gobble up like rotisserie chicken. However, that child LOVES her broccoli. Go figure.

 

[sonnyjane]

We haven't tried pizza yet with her. But I think DL may be the perfect place to try it out. I imagine she'll love it since she's been having a love affair with cheese ever since we introduced her to it.

Hah! My love affair with cheese has blossomed into a beautiful, committed, long-term relationship. Even now, a year after I was officially diagnosed with Lactose intolerance (after 26 years of being perfectly fine ), if it involves cheese, I just pop a Lactaid pill and indulge. So worth it!

 

[Tasmen]

Hah! My love affair with cheese has blossomed into a beautiful, committed, long-term relationship. Even now, a year after I was officially diagnosed with Lactose intolerance (after 26 years of being perfectly fine ), if it involves cheese, I just pop a Lactaid pill and indulge. So worth it!

I don't think I could ever give up cheese. I love it way too much.

___

Ok, now a question I thought about on the drive home (I'm just obsessing a little bit about the trip ). High chairs -- I know the sit down restaurants will have them, but are there high chairs for you to use in the quick service areas? I would assume yes, but we all know what happens when you assume

 

[lorieintucson]

High chairs -- I know the sit down restaurants will have them, but are there high chairs for you to use in the quick service areas? I would assume yes, but we all know what happens when you assume

we didn't have trouble finding on most of the time--that is when there were even tables to be found. I know that our early lunch time--11 a.m.--helped quite a bit and a few times families arriving after us had a hard time b/c they were all taken. A cast member in the dining area can be of some help in finding one right when you walk in. Ours doesn't have one but a stroller with a snack tray would be pretty helpful when a high chair isn't available.

 

[Tasmen]

we didn't have trouble finding on most of the time--that is when there were even tables to be found. I know that our early lunch time--11 a.m.--helped quite a bit and a few times families arriving after us had a hard time b/c they were all taken. A cast member in the dining area can be of some help in finding one right when you walk in. Ours doesn't have one but a stroller with a snack tray would be pretty helpful when a high chair isn't available.

Thanks for the info. Everything I found online made it seem like high chairs were only available at the sit down restaurants in the parks. I ended up just biting the bullet and making a bunch of reservations at sit downs. We are going to do Carnation Cafe, Blue Bayou, Ariel's Grotto, Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen and Goofy's Kitchen (though we had this reserved a while back) now.

Of the many times I've been to DLR, I've never actually gone to Carnation Cafe so that should be a nice treat for us.

 

[pixiewings71]

I'm so jealous that you have an easy to feed toddler! Your trip will be so much nicer with that hurdle down. I have a fussy pre-schooler and noticed that almost every counter service and sit down restaurant had a different choice for the toddler (if there was one) or kid's meal. Which made it difficult for my 3 year old (who would have been happy only if the mac and cheese from Cafe Orleans or a hot dog was offered at each restaurant), but for a child who likes variety i bet you will find something different at each, even if there is only 1 or 2 kid choices. We really wanted to go to the Rancho Zolaco, but their kid's meal was chicken and rice (not fussy approved), and that would have meant brining in a meal from another place so we could eat there. BOO I'm hoping this time we'll have better luck.

and i really want to add the Jazz kitchen to our trip now. Thanks for that 'kid friendly' review

That is totally and completely 100% allowed!!! Just so you know. So get your kid friendly meal and then go eat at Rancho! You won't regret it!

We haven't tried pizza yet with her. But I think DL may be the perfect place to try it out. I imagine she'll love it since she's been having a love affair with cheese ever since we introduced her to it.



Don't I know it! My mom keeps telling me how lucky I am. Now, she's only 17 1/2 months right now so she has ample time to start getting picky. She has started to not eat things she used to gobble up like rotisserie chicken. However, that child LOVES her broccoli. Go figure.

They also have pasta, salad and foccacia bread at Pizza Port. The pizza is huge slices, you just grab the slice you want. They have pepperoni, cheese, BBQ Chicken and that's all I can remember. That's what we normally get so that's what I remember. Our family of 4 usually gets 3 slices of pizza and 1 salad and we all share, sometimes we add the bread if we are really hungry. The pizza slices are HUGE! The pastas are good too, they've got some with alfredo sauce, some with tomato sauce. They do have kids' meals but my girls don't eat them there, we just get the pizza slices. hth!