Today at Disneyland: Blue Bayou

We headed out to Disneyland this afternoon for a special reason: a dinner reservation at the Blue Bayou.

It was another beautiful summer day on Main Street USA:

It's hard to believe, but before today I had never eaten at the Blue Bayou...

...which is located at 31 Royal Street...

...in New Orleans Square.

Right next door is the entrance to the private Club 33, which is located above the Blue Bayou. We've had some wonderful experiences at Club 33 over the years.

The unique atmosphere in the Blue Bayou is worth the (pricey) cost of the meal. It's a dark, candlelit restaurant, and the Pirates of the Caribbean boats glide by at the start of the ride.

The service was friendly, although the salads were a bit slow to be delivered, resulting in the main course arriving when we were only halfway through our salads.

The menu is expensive and fairly limited. We all had the salad and thought it was excellent; the other choice before the main course is gumbo. A bread basket with one style of plain roll accompanies the salad course.

The other members of my party were delighted with the 5-Pepper Roast New York Steak and the Tesoro Island Chicken.

I had the Buccaneer's Beef Short Ribs in a Zinfandel demi-glaze. Unfortunately, I found it quite bland and on the salty side, nor were the short ribs particularly tender. Edible but forgettable -- nothing special and nothing I'd ever order again.

The majority of the main courses come with "Blue Bayou Potatoes" and vegetables. Since I don't care for cheesy potatoes -- I've never understood the appeal of that combination (grin) -- the Blue Bayou Potatoes were a miss with me.

I understand the restaurant must keep the menu limited to help speed along the huge numbers of guests served each day, but given the pricing, an alternate side option such as rice or a different style of potato would have been most welcome.

Unlike most Disney restaurants, there are free refills of sodas at the Blue Bayou. Annual Passport holders receive a discount; my Premium pass took 15% off the bill.

The bottom line: I'd go to the Blue Bayou again based on the atmosphere and the enthusiasm of my fellow diners for their entrees, but the food fell short of my expectations, particularly given the high price. The meal didn't compare well with excellent meals I've enjoyed at other Disney restaurants in Anaheim and Florida, and needless to say, it doesn't come anywhere close to the food at the restaurant upstairs, Club 33...not that I really expected it to!

August 22nd Update: Welcome to readers of the Disney Dispatch!