Restaurant question-Blue Bayou

[pixiewings71]

WOW Smiley, that IS bad.....we've had to wait but not more then 20 min or so, that was even the time we checked in about 45 min. before our reservation time. It was wet, cold and rainy so DBF and I decided (it was his bday last Jan 09) that we would just sit in the BB foyer and wait for our reservation, the gal checked us in and was somewhat snooty when she said "you're very very early, you'll have to wait quite a while" we said that was fine, we just didn't want to me in the wet anymore and sat down, his name was called 15 min. after we sat down. LOL And we have been waterside everytime but once, and that one time we just didn't mention we would prefer WS, in fact we called that day and made the reservation because we just wanted to eat there.
I've also had the gumbo both places and it tastes exactly the same to me, I've asked our servers at CO before and been told they are and they come from the same kitchen so........
OP we love BB but we also love CO, at CO we get the Pomme Frites every time, we had the Mickey Beniegts last time and they were delish, DBF gets the MC and I have a bite or two, I get something different based on how hungry I am, last time it was the Ratattouile and OMG it was sooooooooooooooooo good.......definitely need to figure out how to make that one myself.

 

[smiley_face2]

Well now I can't wait to get gumbo at CO!! I loooooovvvveee the gumbo in BB! the lady at Royal Street Verandah gave me a little cup to sample, it was good but for sure not the same at BB. Maybe she was just hoping I'd buy some there
We've been going to BB regularly for over 20 years, wouldn't dream of missing it! It would have to get seriously dire for us to not go! We also have always been very lucky getting tables either right next to the water, or very close. Although I do quite often ask to be seated waterside.
This was New Years day we were there, I had made ressies many weeks in advance, when I had called to confirm our ressie, it was actually to see if we could maybe change the time a bit...she said they were fully booked for the following 3 days or so, right up till the monday after the holidays were over. So to be fair it was an extremely busy time.

 

[reynmagsmom]

Oh our meals were not bad, never had a bad meal there. We always have an appatiser, entree and desert. They have stopped serving appatisers, and the one I always get is crab cakes, so I got them as an entree. It was too rich for a full meal, I could not finish it and of course you can't pack a crab cake around with you in the park unless you want food poisoning! We had reservations booked well in advance and still had to wait a good half hour, and that was after she said she could not find us at all! I phoned the reservation line, and by crazy coincidence got the same attendant I had when I called to confirm our reservation the day before. She got on to the girl at the front and suddenly she was able to find our reservation The waiter was in such a hurry, he literally threw my husbands plate down in front of him, sent his cutlery flying...then the girl who fills glasses came by and reached across his plate to fill his glass, dribbling water on his dinner! Just a lot of little things that added up to being less happy than we have been in the past. Not the kind of service you expect for the price you are paying, nor the kind of service we've had in the past. That's not to say we won't go back, because we will! would not miss it!

That was what our service was like also... I swore I'de never go back there but I'm glad we tried CO because WOW that totally made up for our BB exp.

 

[jimreuter]

The gumbo is the same at Blue Bayou and Cafe Orleans. At Blue Bayou, a cup of gumbo is an appetizer option, but at Cafe Orleans you can get a cup or a bowl. The gumbo at Royal Street Veranda is a steak gumbo, and different from the gumbo at BB and CO, which is chicken, ham, sausage, and okra.

If you have a problem at any of the table service restaurants, ask to speak to the lead (they are the people wearing tuxedos at Blue Bayou) or the manager. Their goal is happy guests, not unhappy guests.

 

[reynmagsmom]

It just didn't seem worth it to complain, we paid our bill and left and never thought about BB again that trip, it won't be included in future plans as we discovered CO and I can get my Gumbo and Monte Cristo there for less $$$ and for lunch or dinner and the service we got at CO was great even when they were super busy they went above and beyond what I expected for how busy they were!!!!!

 

[deejdigsdis]

How likely are you to get waterside seating? Do they let you wait for an available table? I've only eaten here once -- nearly 14 years ago -- and I remember sitting in an area where the waiters were coming and going and we listened to clinking dishes from the kitchen the whole time. I'd like to try the place again, but it wouldn't be worth it having that kind of seating. It totally killed the atmosphere for me.

ETA: Also, is there a difference between the MC sandwiches at BB and CO? If you want to share a meal, can you avoid the $12 split plate fee by ordering 1 entree and just asking for a second plate? I know with the split plate both people get to have the salad or gumbo. But if you don't care about that, can you just ask for a second plate and split the entree yourself?

 

[B9erSteve]

How likely are you to get waterside seating? Do they let you wait for an available table? I've only eaten here once -- nearly 14 years ago -- and I remember sitting in an area where the waiters were coming and going and we listened to clinking dishes from the kitchen the whole time. I'd like to try the place again, but it wouldn't be worth it having that kind of seating. It totally killed the atmosphere for me.

ETA: Also, is there a difference between the MC sandwiches at BB and CO? If you want to share a meal, can you avoid the $12 split plate fee by ordering 1 entree and just asking for a second plate? I know with the split plate both people get to have the salad or gumbo. But if you don't care about that, can you just ask for a second plate and split the entree yourself?

You need to request a waterside table and that will increase your wait time. When I was a kid you couldn't request a particular place to sit and as a result I never thought to ask. As a result, I always get seated exactly where you are talking about.

There's not difference in the MC Sandwich from one to another as far as I know. It's delicious!

I don't believe that you can get away from the split plate charge. Last time I was there, I was suffering sticker shock pretty badly and just upon asking about sharing a plate with my wife the wait staff informed me of the extra charge.

 

[jimreuter]

To get a "waterside" table at Blue Bayou, request it when you check your party in at the podium in front. The host will get a wait time estimate from the lead inside, and you can decide whether you want to wait. Sometimes the answer is "right now", so there is NO additional wait. For large parties (5 or more) the wait may be over an hour, as there are only two large tables next to the water.

The same Monte Cristo sandwich is available at both BB and Cafe Orleans, although at Cafe Orleans it does not include the appetizer, and is served with fruit, not the Bayou potatoes and vegetables that you get at Blue Bayou. Cafe Orleans also offers a 3 cheese version of the Monte Cristo, without the turkey and ham.

 

[deejdigsdis]

You need to request a waterside table and that will increase your wait time. When I was a kid you couldn't request a particular place to sit and as a result I never thought to ask. As a result, I always get seated exactly where you are talking about.

There's not difference in the MC Sandwich from one to another as far as I know. It's delicious!

I don't believe that you can get away from the split plate charge. Last time I was there, I was suffering sticker shock pretty badly and just upon asking about sharing a plate with my wife the wait staff informed me of the extra charge.

To get a "waterside" table at Blue Bayou, request it when you check your party in at the podium in front. The host will get a wait time estimate from the lead inside, and you can decide whether you want to wait. Sometimes the answer is "right now", so there is NO additional wait. For large parties (5 or more) the wait may be over an hour, as there are only two large tables next to the water.

The same Monte Cristo sandwich is available at both BB and Cafe Orleans, although at Cafe Orleans it does not include the appetizer, and is served with fruit, not the Bayou potatoes and vegetables that you get at Blue Bayou. Cafe Orleans also offers a 3 cheese version of the Monte Cristo, without the turkey and ham.

Thanks for all the info. It's just me and my husband this time, and I went with an 11:30 lunch reservation. Hopefully we can get right in waterside. I'm pretty much going for the atmosphere of it all, so I will wait if I have to. Ever since I was a kid we'd sail by and wish we were "those people" dining next to the water, ...and then go eat at Hungry Bear.

 

[victorandbellasmom]

Thanks for all the info. It's just me and my husband this time, and I went with an 11:30 lunch reservation. Hopefully we can get right in waterside. I'm pretty much going for the atmosphere of it all, so I will wait if I have to. Ever since I was a kid we'd sail by and wish we were "those people" dining next to the water, ...and then go eat at Hungry Bear.

Great news about the 11:30 reservation. We eaten at Blue Bayou several times and everytime we had an 11:30 reservation we were seated by the water. Have a great time.

 

[minjo]

i noticed on the updated menu for 11/10 that the monte cristo was not on the menu that was one of the reasons we went.

 

[FlameGirl]

i noticed on the updated menu for 11/10 that the monte cristo was not on the menu that was one of the reasons we went.

? Blue Bayou? It's on the lunch menu but not dinner.

 

[AustinTink]

Thanks for all the info. It's just me and my husband this time, and I went with an 11:30 lunch reservation. Hopefully we can get right in waterside. I'm pretty much going for the atmosphere of it all, so I will wait if I have to. Ever since I was a kid we'd sail by and wish we were "those people" dining next to the water, ...and then go eat at Hungry Bear.

We waited 15 minutes for our waterside table. We were the table of three, waving at all the boats.

We also had always wanted to be those people dining by the water, and the BB didn't disappoint.

On a side note, has anyone had the gluten free rolls at BB? I've heard they are yummy.

 

[minjo]

? Blue Bayou? It's on the lunch menu but not dinner.

i must of missed it on the lunch menu...We will go anyways...we love sitting by the water...Last time we went we had flash wars with the people in the boats. I am bringing the heavy gun - Nikon D90

 

[WonkaKid]

Club 33?

 

[dsnydaddy]

i noticed on the updated menu for 11/10 that the monte cristo was not on the menu that was one of the reasons we went.

The Old Blue Bayou menu was moved to the Cafe Orleans when they upgraded the Blue Bayou to a Gourmet-style kitchen. You'll find the Monte Cristo there.

 

[pixiewings71]

As a PP said, the MC is still on the menu at the BB, it only available for lunch.

 

[Kimmers1969]

Can anyone tell me the prices of kids' meals at BB?

Thanks in advance!

 

[XGrumpy1]

Split plate fee??? What is up with that??? Kinda thought it was cheap of Disney to come up with that at BB.

 

[blackjackdelta]

Split plate fee??? What is up with that??? Kinda thought it was cheap of Disney to come up with that at BB.

Been there for a while, we share we do not split.

Jack