REVIEW: House of Blues (aka HOB)
SUMMARY: Homer’s Odyssey
This was a Monday dinner ADR for a party of 7 (5 adults, 2 children) at 6:30 p.m. Later in the night my wife and I were heading to Jellyrolls, so we didn’t need any delays from the 6:30 ADR. I kept this ADR, because once again, there was nothing else available for a party of 7 before 8:00 p.m. I have determined, in my mind at least, that October has become a busy time of the year. Every single ADR I tried to move, 3-4 weeks before the trip, couldn’t be done. I expected such problems with the larger traveling party (7), but not when the group trimmed down to the smaller party (5).
Homer’s Odyssey (A Simpson-esque tale of travel travails):
Alas and alack – with changes to the DDE program, and program availability soon offered at park ticket windows, a tale such as mine may never be told again. It’s an epic tale, of getting from here to yon. Food review comes afterward. So “Fairly warned, be thee, says I”.
My elongated journey to HOB began at 4:00 p.m. on Monday afternoon. After a soggy morning at AK, we headed back to the room at BC, after experiencing a late lunch at RFC (AK). Just to dry off, change clothes, and mostly catch our breath after hurriedly touring the AK park in the middle of a seasonal soaking storm. I had already ordered our DDE cards that a.m. before we ventured out, and needed to pick them up at guest services outside the EPCOT front gates, any time after 5:30 p.m.
POINT OF INFORMATION:
I had to pick up the DDE card today, because I needed it for the Cape May breakfast discount tomorrow morning for our early ADR. No way to get the card in time otherwise, and I wasn’t about to miss out on that 20% discount. I enjoy the capering of Goofy, Minnie, Chip and Dale, but not so much when paying full price. If this sounds strange to you, here’s another window into my madness: I am always ecstatic when our local grocery store has its triple coupon promo weekends. I enjoy saving money whenever I can, and I relish the challenge of getting products for free during the triple coupon promotions. “It’s my Graceland”.
I, going solo (as most tragic literary characters seem to travel), left the cozy confines of the hotel at 4:00 p.m. The plan was for me to head through the back door (IG) into EPCOT, sample a few food booths while ambling toward the big golf ball, and be out front of EPCOT to pick up the temp DDE cards at 5:30 on the dot, maybe a minute or two before (hah, hah, hah….fat chance). From that point, outside the front of EPCOT, and at no earlier than the 5:30 p.m. pick up time, I had to get to HOB before our 6:30 ADR. As most of you know, that EPCOT walk from front to back can take quite awhile. If I attempted that route, some of our group could then just take the bus together, to DTD, and meet up with the rest of our party. But, the DTD bus from the EPCOT area resorts is so unpredictable, and our luck with the DTD bus so very very bad when we are pressed for time, that we calculated almost no way to be on time for the 6:30 ADR. So, the modification of the plan became for my wife to drive the girls over early, and have a few minutes to browse some stores. This removed any reason for me to backtrack through EPCOT to BC or BW, just to try to catch a mystery bus, that may or may not be appearing at an unknown time. I decided, in my naïve wisdom, that I would do a fair sight better to walk out to the bus stops at EPCOT, catch a bus to Saratoga Springs, then walk to DTD. I could then catch a boat if one was standing ready, or hoof it otherwise. Surely that would be the most practical way to go????
As I entered through the IG, the sky was looking awfully dark, back in the East, and the wind was bringing it all this way. I stopped to quickly ‘poncho up’, donning the familiar yellow look of a tourist wearing last year’s rain gear fashions. And as predicted, the bottom fell out just as I got to the fish and chips stand at England. And people, I do mean the bottom fell out. A hammering rain, which lasted only a few minutes, cleared the walkways, except for myself and a small handful of other determined poncho wearing ‘raincoat rangers’ who trudged along. It rained so hard that I got soaked, not through the poncho, but from the splash up from the ground. Tennis shoes, socks, and bottom half of my shorts, were drenched from just the rebound splashes off the pavement. The poncho served me well, against the gravity propelled water deluge, but like the Death Star, it had a weakness, and that rebounding water soaked me good.
With the rain now lightly falling, and being thoroughly soaked on my lower half, I decided against visiting any booths, and instead made my way steadily through EPCOT, and to the F&WF Event Center, in the old Wonders of Life Pavillion. I got under the front awning, de-ponchoed, hastily wrung the water out of the bottom half of my clothing, and went inside to look around and spend a half hour or so drying off. The rain had scared off the crowds, so I could have walked straight into a wine seminar, which was less than half empty. But no, I was a man on a mission, and would not be deterred or distracted by the offer of free wine and expert knowledge that would forever further to enhance my wine drinking experiences. I browsed the non-wine gift shop section, then the wine section, and barely used up 15 minutes. Now less wet than before, but with cotton–creeping moisture slowly invading any remaining dry sections of clothing, I re-ponchoed, and headed for the front of the park, stopping only once to look over some pins in the pin center store. NOTE: The only thing I actually accomplished at the Festival Center was to locate the 2007 cookbook. I didn’t acquire it at the time, because I didn’t want to get it wet, or tote it along on my coming travels to strange new lands. Usually, I wait until the end of a F&WF trip to buy the cookbook, in case I don’t need the recipes. Never works out that way, and I always end up scrambling to find one right before we leave. This time was no different, but at least I knew the exact location where to find it later.
I exited EPCOT at a ‘ludicrously oversized novelty’ Mickey glove, manned by an all too perky (and dry) cast member. Heading left, I was at guest services or guest relations or whatever it is called, but I was too early, as it was only 5:10 p.m. Rob’s Rule – if I am late, I will be delayed by all the forces of nature that are presently available to slow me down and further delay my arrival. If I am ridiculously early, cosmic forces whisk me along at light speed, increasing my ‘earliosity’ factor by ten-fold, and I end up having to wait around and kill time. Following the norm for this Rule, there was no line to wait in at the window, and the cards weren’t there yet. The nice CM says it will be 5:30 on the dot, as they are almost never there any earlier. I sat down near the first ticket booth area, made a quick phone call, and people watched. And once again this trip, I terribly missed not having my camera. But that’s another story for another time, maybe in the FAQ section at the end of my reviews, if one eventually exists. If I had my camera, I would have taken pictures of:
Several guests coming from the bus stops skipping the bag check and security search, and not through the No Bags entrance either. Just slipping through, within easy view of the security guard.
Guests coming off the monorail, missing the numerous signs directing them into EPCOT, and wandering over toward the bus stops area, only to come back by a minute later.
The ECV zipping by my observation perch, faster than I can run, I would estimate going more than 10 mph, then trying to make a 90 degree right turn toward the bus stops, and almost tipping over.
And my personal favorite – the guy smoking at the tree planters, less than 12 feet away and upwind from, a security guard standing there, as you head toward the bus walkway.
Note: NO SMOKING BAN ENFORCEMENT that I saw, anywhere, in any park, outside any park, at a bus stop, or at a resort, all week long. Booooooooooo!!!!!
Anywho, I went back up to the window at 5:28 p.m., and lo and behold, our envelopes were there. Hooray!! I grabbed ours, checked the contents, and headed for the bus stop that should transport me to Saratoga Springs Resort (SSR). Only, there is no bus yet. I was the 4th person in line, but in a moment of panic, realized that I had no idea how many bus stops there are at this resort, or at what stop to best exit the bus. So, I did what any normal person would do, I eavesdropped on the people in front of me, conversing about the resort. Gaining no useful info, I decided I am too far into this journey to bail now, so I will have to ride it out. A bus rolled up 16 minutes later, after 2 Wilderness Lodge busses, 2 All-Star busses, and 2 Animal Kingdom Lodge busses each have come through. Our merry party of 4 had grown to 25 or more, in those last 16 minutes. After boarding, we took a fairly quick trip to SSR.
Doing my best Goldilocks impression, I tried to gauge my exit strategy for the stops. Stop # 1 was too far away, Stop # 2 was tucked in the middle of nowhere. But Stop # 3 (after the fact, I think there are 4 stops here) was ‘just right’. Why, you may ask? Because there was a DTD bus loading there, when we pulled up. I got off this bus, and walk straight onto that bus, like something from a Dr. Seuss cartoon. A couple who had been riding along the whole time, they do the same thing. I found out they were doing the same thing I was, taking this SSR bus from EPCOT, to get to DTD. Within 4 minutes, I was off of this new bus and walking toward RFC, to check the boat docks. A quick time check showed it to be 6:18. Time was growing short, so I somehow resisted the call of the Sirens (in my case, that means I didn’t stop for the parrot demo that takes place outside the RFC entrance), to continue my journey.
I had to now get from Marketplace to HOB in less than 12 minutes. I walked up to the dock, and a boat was magically sitting there, going to the West Side next. (I have much better luck with boats than busses, in general). I hopped on this nearly empty boat, and waited to leave, and waited, and waited, and waited. Seems this ferry boat was holding at this dock until the other boat left the West Side dock, which keeps them more evenly spaced. After 5 minutes of waiting, we were off, for a quick 5 minute ride to the West Side dock at HOB.
As we neared the dock, I felt much like bold Ulysses, standing on the helm, wind in his face, seeing Ithica approaching on the horizon. In my case, it was me, sitting in Row 4, Seat 3, on a floating metal platform that was propelled forward by loud diesel engines from a World War II surplus sale. But, I did have the wind in my face, so some of the comparison was valid. As I was walking off the boat, my phone rang, and it was my party asking where I was at. The time was 6:29, and they are having drinks out front, listening to the band. I walked up at 6:30, and headed to the check-in podium. Homer’s Odyssey complete, I had arrived in Ithica. Mission Accomplished.
END ROAD TRIP REPORT:
BEGIN FOOD TRIP REPORT:
My traveling adventures by foot, bus, and boat now concluded, I set about the business at hand, checking in for our ADR. As I walked up to the porch, I could see the dreaded sign on the door. The entire main dining room was rented out to, I believe, the Archer Company. Well, nobody called me to cancel, so here we are. I checked in, host #1 sent host #2 to see if table was ready, while host # 3 did podium things. Sure enough, we were soon taken to our table, which was in reality 3 tables pushed together, inside the left wing area of the building. This gave us plenty of elbow room, for once, but left little walkway room for diners and servers to get around behind us. We were in the center median of that left wing traffic flow. Could have been worse, but we were seated, and we weren’t the ones having to turn sideways, and walk around our chairs, to get from point A to point B.
Our server was, I believe, Christy (or Christen), and she was great. Knew the menu, answered questions, kept things moving without being pushy. Great service style.
The adults ordered beverages, and also the ‘distractionary’ kids meals, to start with. Nobody was exactly famished after the late lunch at RFC (AK), but we ordered entrees anyway. The girls both ordered kids’ pizza. It was fine, but I didn’t find it as overly flavorful as the appetizer pizzas they offer on the adult menu. Still, no complaints from the girls. For dessert, they both wanted the fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. I don’t know how fresh baked they were, but each order came with 3 cookies, and they were very tasty when eaten as leftovers the next day.
The adult food choices were:
Traditional Caesar Salad (with grilled chicken) - It was salad. It was okay. Chicken was tasty, and grilled, which is usually a good combination.
Grilled Flatiron Steak Salad – looked good, and received a thumbs-up from the orderer.
Cajun Meatloaf – a nice comfort food dish. Personally, I thought the mushroom gravy could have had more flavor. With its side items, it’s a good comfort food dish.
Brick Oven Roasted Pizza – Looked good, and reheated well the next day for a snack. I find the HOB pizza to be a good bargain at WDW. I ordered it twice when I was here for a non-family trip in July. Big pizza, good flavor, decent price.
Smoked Turkey and Shrimp File Gumbo (cup) – didn’t look as hearty as I remember it. Almost seemed too brothy and clear. The orderer said it was just okay, but nothing to try again soon.
Creole Jambalaya – This was mine. I really like the HOB version, and it beats me having to create one at home. This batch seemed to be spicier than last visit, but still it is a hearty dish. I think it would be a better choice during a colder visit month, like January or February. Again, they send out a bright orange habanero pepper as a garnish. One table nearby got it, and was advised of the pepper, by their server. I got it, and was not given the warning. But, being a reformed chile-head, I was familiar with the habanero, and it’s magical powers. (Not nearly as mind expanding as the The Merciless Peppers of Quetzlzacatenango, grown by inmates in a Guatemalan Insane Asylum, but the habaneros are not without their charm. If I am going to eat anything that spicey at dinner, damn it, I had better be conversing with the Space Coyote afterward).
Skillet Baked Rosemary Cornbread – I ordered this for the table to share, but only had one other taker. The maple butter was addictive, and the cornbread was delicious, but it reheated in the microwave terribly the next day. Next time, I’ll have to wolf it all down at the restaurant.
For drinks – I ordered a house Bloody Mary. I think the spicy Bloody Mary mix they use here is perfect. “It’s like there’s a party in my mouth, and everyone’s invited!!” The garnish of the drink this visit was a plastic skewer with: 2 sliced pepperoni, a pepper-jack cheese cube, and a pepperoncini pepper. EXCELLENT! (Loved the pepper theme).
We all skipped dessert, except for the previously mentioned kids cookies. I don’t have the receipt on this one, but I know that we used one of our discounts, either DVC or AP, with no trouble.
Summary: I love eating at the House of Blues. I never know what to expect when the dining room is fully rented out, and that seems to happen here more than any other place at DTD, or WDW in general. Sometimes, like this trip, it doesn’t impact our meal (except for our table being in the center median of diner and server traffic flow). On a (now infamous) previous visit of years ago, the server told us we had to walk across to the Cirque building to use the restrooms, because the dining room was closed for a private event, and we couldn’t use the restroom in there (she was wrong, as I had the manager clarify, being in regards to serving food and alcohol with no public restroom available for the customers….). So, whenever I see or hear that they have a private function going on, I instinctively cringe, like hearing fingernails on a chalkboard.
All things considered, this was an above average meal for the DTD area, with certainly above average service, and at reasonable food prices (for WDW). While not at the very top of our list on a visit, HOB is a solid top ten for us, and makes it way onto our schedule for most trips.
NEXT UP: Recap & FAQ's
HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!! 
You've convinced me we need to try it next trip. Now, I'm off to read the other reviews.
. She was less than enthused when her name came up in a few previous postings of mine. She started saying things about internet privacy, alien abductions, government conspiracy, etc
and she ran right out and bought 6 copies of The Catcher in the Rye. I have been hesitant to post specific names ever since. 
