We headed up to disney for the last two days before our passes are blocked out for the summer. We wanted to get in all the favorite things. Part of that was spending time in new orleans square to say good-bye to splash mountain, which closed on may 30th. We missed the last day of riding it, but we were able to see the very last logs going down the drop.

Keeping up with the theme, we made dinner reservations at the new orleans themed blue bayou restaurant, located smack dab in the middle of pirates of the caribbean. You get to watch the ride go by, and enjoy a good meal. And, other than oga’s cantina over in batuu, it’s the only restaurant in disney proper that serves alcohol with the meal.

We started off by ordering the disneyland 100th anniversary celebration coupes. Coupes’ of course being the glass of choice for champagne in new orleans, making perfect sense. Since the souvenir coupes come in a box for you to take home, if you purchase the coupes, you are actually able order any beverage of your choice with them.

Traditionalists at heart, we opted to stick with the sparkling wine anyway. Light, crisp, and not too sweet. I’ve had it before, and it’s a favorite. While initially the bubbles aren’t obvious, you definitely taste them when sipping.

We opted to share the scallop appetizer, so let me break it down for you. You know how scallops can smell fishy, just because their scallops? But not in a bad way? This was that. The dish was definitely powerful, yet when you smelled individual scallops - no fish. I cook with them a lot, so this didn’t surprise me, but just be prepared.

Other than that, the scallops were perfectly seared, cooked, tender, and so flavorful.

So a cassoulet is a french peasant dish traditionally made with duck, pork, and beans (you can find my at home version here). There were definitely bits of pork in the dish, along with a hint of spice, and the creaminess of beans.

We need to take a moment and talk about the crispy corn. It’s like if corn nuts were a gourmet thing. The crunch totally made the dish.

Layered throughout it all was the romesco, of which I have several versions, considering it’s my favorite dip. Bell peppers, nuts, vinegar all played very nicely with the whole dish.

I was craving red meat, so the filet spoke to me. I requested medium, since i typically find that if i request medium rare, it’s always too rare, and I hate sending things back. Unfortunately this time it was a little closer to medium-well, but at least there was some pink throughout.

The carrots were still crisp, which is how I like my roasted carrots… cooked but not soggy.

The gruyère & pepper mashed potatoes were not my favorite (but good news, you can request a swap out with the plain kids mashed potatoes if they aren’t your thing either). It wasn’t about the cheese, for me there was just too much pepper, making them spicier than necessary, and cutting down my ability to enjoy all the other flavors of the dish.

Let’s face it, we’re eating in the middle of disneyland, and we are eating scallops and filet mignon. What’s there not to appreciate. I love the fact that they are now changing up the menu seasonaly, I love the fact that my kids request to eat here, and it’s a welcome respite from the noise and craziness of the parks. Can’t wait to go back and try all the new things, once our passes are back in play.