The Magic that Left the Bayou

   We visited The Blue Bayou for the first time in 2006. Every time we were on Pirates of the Caribbean we would look over at the restaurant and wonder what it would be like to eat there. We talked about how neat it would be to get that experience.

     2006 was also the year Dead Man's Chest was released so the restaurant was giving out souvenir menus. We of course got ours. Our first experience at the restaurant was all we imagined it would be. We did not sit next to the water but the atmosphere was amazing. It felt like a part of the attraction. We all got the Gumbo and it was absolutely the best! I had the shrimp Jumbalia and it was a bit hot but very good. They bring out bread with your meal that is some of the best bread I have ever had and their Au

 gratin potatoes were also the very best ever.

     We ate at at The Bayou again in the 2007 only this time we requested a table by the water. It was such a wonderful experience. This time I had the Buccaneer Beef Ribs and they were the best tasting ribs I've ever had. My son tried the Monte Cristo sandwich and it was very good too. We all had the Gumbo and the bread was still as good as ever. 

     The Blue Bayou became a Disney tradition for us. We made sure to go at least once a year, can't afford to go anymore than that. We looked forward to our Gumbo, ribs and sandwich along with the Au gratin potatoes. 

     Every time we got on Pirates of the Caribbean we looked over at The Bayou and relished in the thought we would be eating there sometime during out visit. It was a part of the magic.

    Then in 2013 the bloom fell off the rose, we went to the Bayou and they had raised their prices quite a lot, the Monte Cristo no longer came with potatoes and the food was not quite the same, except for the Gumbo. It was still delicious. However they no longer had our ribs so we tried a new steak which was not that good. They changed the bread and it is now a sweet potato bread or something like that. It was ok but not as good as it was in the past. 

     We decided to try the restaurant again in 2014 when the magic that was The Blue Bayou and the tradition of eating there ended. We tried the Monte Cristo again and it was horrible, the rest of the food was not as good, the prices had elevated even higher than the year before and even though we love the atmosphere, it was not enough to pay for food we did not enjoy. 

     We miss the Blue Bayou atmosphere but at least get to experience it somewhat when we ride Pirates. We miss the ribs we loved so much but they are gone. As for the gumbo and Monte Cristo, well we found a place we can still enjoy those foods for half the price which I will write about later on.