Tink Tested: Crossroads at House of Blues Dinner

Location: Main dining room inside House of Blues Orlando, at Downtown Disney West Side 

Parking/Transportation Situation: General Parking in Orange Garage or parking lot behind Cirque du Soleil. Bus service from all parks and resorts.(If using Disney Transportation, allow 1-1.5 hours transportation time.) See comments on parking situation below.

Meals Served: L, D, Gospel Brunch on Sundays only

Characters/Entertainment: Live music on the outdoor porch and inside, nightly

Type of Cuisine: Southern/Cajun

Type of Menu: A la carte

Pricing/Dining Plan: $/ 1 Table Service Point Per Person
Full Menu: Crossroads at House of Blues Dinner Menu

Atmosphere: Eclectic, funky blues club
Dress Code: Theme park casual

Guests Who Would Enjoy This The Most: Music lovers and fans of foods with a "kick"

Level of Difficulty of Getting a Reservation: Easy

Fun Stuff for Kids: The live music is entertaining, however, it typically starts later in the evening, and with the concert venue attached, this restaurant tends to draw in a mainly adult crowd.
Rating of Appeal to Kid-Diners: Are we done yet???

Stand out dishes: St. Lois Ribs, Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Juicy Lucy Burger
Best Use of Dining Plan Point: NY Strip, Jambalaya with Shrimp, or Full Rack of Ribs, with any dessert

Experience: How did I pick this totally random destination for today's Tink Test? Restaurant.com. I bought a certificate on their sight for this location. Because it's an "operating participant" or "third party operator", they are non-Disney and sometimes offer coupons and other deals. When all is said and done, I paid $3 for the certificate on sale and it was good for $50 off when you spend $100. Sounded like a great deal to me, and we figured we could easily spend $100 on the four of us, so we decided to try it out. My husband and I had been to the House of Blues to eat once before, but it was only for appetizers at the bar, so we were looking forward to trying a full meal.
     Because of our weirdo work schedules, we again opted for a late lunch/early dinner and made a reservation just prior to arrival, for 4pm. Now, here is a very important factor to consider when opting to dine at a Downtown Disney restaurant: arrive plenty early, and with plenty of patience. You have probably heard that Downtown Disney is in the process of being transformed into Disney Springs, a more modern, sleek and bustling version of the shopping, dining and entertainment marketplace. When done, it's going to be an amazing destination, with fabulous new places to visit. The latest arrivals include The Boathouse Restaurant, (stay tuned for a review after we dine there for Father's Day!), a vegan bakery, an Italian gelataria, amphicars that drive right into the lagoon, and cool new stores like Chapel Hats and APEX, by Sunglass Hut. Once complete, it will easily add a full day's worth of touring to anyone's Disney vacation schedule, but for the next couple of years, it's kind of a mess. There is no parking available at the old "marketplace" side, as there is a large garage under construction down that way. There is parking available accross the street, by Disnwy Casting and the Hess Station. There's also a lot of roadwork being done, so traffic is miserable! On Friday and Saturday nights, it is not uncommon for I-4 to be totally backed up at the Downtown Disney exits and for all of Buena Vista Drive to be at a standstill. There is a garage at the West Side, called the "Orange Garage". (Side note, coolest garage EVER! I wish all garages in the universe implemented the technology that shows you how many spaces are available on each level, in each row, and even illuminates available spaces with a green light above them. I want to see Disney use this for things like the monorail. Think about it... a sign above each car that tell you how many people are in it, so you know which to walk to, in order to get a seat? GENIUS! Disney, you can pay me later. Or name a monorail after me or something.) There is also a large parking lot back behind Cirque du Soleil and House of Blues. That is where we parked, and had an easy walk into the restaurant. 
     Once inside the rather dark and eclectic venue, we were greeted and sat almost immediately. Our table was right next to the stage, which, luckily for my eardrums, was not in use this early. D declared that it must be there for her to dance. Obviously. We had plenty of time to peruse the menu, as we were not greeted by a server for at least ten minutes. It seemed like eating at this "off time" was throwing the staff off. The one server we saw was rushing around, and seemed frazzled. Ten minutes in, she rushed by our table and sort of snapped, "I'll be right there." Don't mind us. We'll just wait right here. Trust me, honey, I've been in your shoes. I was a server too, (though I do try to block those memories out as best as I can), but I know that when you're oversat and in the weeds, you'll get waaaaay more understanding from your guests with an, "I'm so sorry. Give me one sec and I'm all yours," than you do with a snappy comment, which seemingly places blame on your guests. We were cool, though. We knew she was a little freaked out, and we realized this wasn't a place that had as many kids dining there as other places in Downtown Disney might. The server returned to the table when things calmed down a bit, and asked if we had questions about the menu. We informed her of K's egg allergy and she left to get a chef for us. The chef was very helpful and friendly, and stayed with us until all of our questions were answered.
     We ended up ordering a BBQ Chicken Grilled Flatbread as a starter. It came to the table after about 12 minutes. The crispy, flat dough was covered in a smoky barbecue sauce and held pieces of grilled chicken, gouda and mozzarella cheese, cilantro and red onion. It had a nice flavor, and since it was egg free, K enjoyed digging in too. Before we were done with the flatbread, our entrees came out. The hubby went for the full rack of St. Louis Ribs with mashed potatoes and fries. (He likes carbs with his carbs.) I got the Applewood Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and veggies, and D and K shared a kid's hot dog, fries and veggies. The ribs were tender, with a heavy smoky flavor. A bit on the drier side, but not unreasonably so. The Red Rose Garlic Mashed Potatoes were flavorful, despite being rather runny. The veggies were a delicious blend of peapods, asparagus and carrots in a buttery sauce. I even managed to get the kids to eat a few. I wasn't thrilled with my meatloaf. It was tasty, for sure, the only problem is that it tasted exactly like a spicy Italian sausage and NOT meatloaf. Basically I was eating a mushy, spicy Italian sausage, in loaf form. Not exactly appetizing. I didn't end up eating most of it. The kids liked the hot dog and fries, so there was that. 

     Things got a little weird when D asked me if "the people on the ceiling are dead". Huh? Are you seeing things, child? Ok, I get what she's asking. There are plaster tiles on the ceiling, depicting various Blues "greats", like Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles. They do look a little headstone-like, so I saw where she was going. We did get a chance to talk a bit about the great things that many people have done for music, especially people with challenges, differences and setbacks. Yes, friends, we made the House of Blues into a teaching moment. Anyway, she quickly lost interest, and went back to her hot dog. 

     Despite more than half of my meatloaf being left behind, the server did not ask if it was ok, or if I wanted anything else, which seemed about par for the course. Since we knew we had to spend at least $100 in order to use the coupon I had, and we weren't quite there, we had to order dessert, (Ow, ow! Would ya quit it with the arm-twisting?). The hubby and D decided to share a piece of Key Lime Pie, which they were thrilled with. Not overly puckery and just sweet enough. Despite not finishing my meal, I was not in the mood for dessert, so I got my Triple Chocolate Cheesecake to go. It was fair, but no better than what I can get at Publix. The kid's dessert, "fresh baked chocolate chip cookies", may have been fresh baked, but it was yesterday. In a grocery store. Ok, maybe not, but they were not fresh, delicious cookies.
     The good news is that with the Restaurant.com coupon being taken off, it was a reasonably priced meal. We still spent about $75, but that was with tax, tip and eating 3 courses. The bad news is, we were not fans. The service was on the generous side of "fair". And I totally get it... servers have bad days, stuff happens, etc, but other than the friendly seater and the helpful chef, we were disappointed that our experience was not a welcomed one. I think I would have enjoyed the food more, had I ordered the amazing looking fried chicken that I saw pass by me. (Damn it, Tink! Just ORDER the fried chicken next time! This is the second time you passed it up, and second time you regretted it.) 

Tink's Tots Try It Out: According to D (6 yo girl) Hi, D. What did you think of House of Blues?    "I liked it. I liked the food. The hot dog and chips."     I don't think you had chips.     "Oh, ok. So the hot dog. Oh, and the ceiling with the things."     You liked that?    "Yeah. I learned about the music."   (I stare blankly.) She WAS listening after all! Squad goals achieved! 

Tink's Tots Try It Out: According to K (2 yo boy)  K, do you remember House of Blues?     "Yeah."     Did you like it?    "Yeah. (sings) Huss of Boooos, Huss of Boooos."   So I take it you wished they had music?     "Yeah. With a moo-moo hear an a moo-moo there..."    Here a moo, there a moo, kid. I get it. You're saying that all restaurants are the same. They bore you. You've seen one "moo", you've seen 'em all. They really gotta do something to WOW you, right?     "Nooooooooo."   I feel ya, kid.

Will we be back: Glad we tried it, and I'd happily come back for a date night some time and sit on the porch and listen to the live music, but I won't be back to eat again. 

Tink Tested: Boatwright's Dinner

Location: Just off of the main lobby of Port Orleans: Riverside

Parking/Transportation Situation: General Resort Parking. No valet available. Bus service from all parks. Boat service from Downtown Disney. (If using Disney Transportation, allow 1-1.5 hours transportation time.)

Meals Served: D

Characters/Entertainment: No characters, no entertainment

Type of Cuisine: New Orlean's Style Cuisine

Type of Menu: A la carte

Pricing/Dining Plan: $$/ 1 Table Service Point Per Person
Full Menu: Boatwrights Dinner Menu

Atmosphere: Mississippi River Boat Club 

Dress Code: Theme park casual

Guests Who Would Enjoy This The Most: Couples, Families with a taste for Southern Cuisine

Level of Difficulty of Getting a Reservation: Easy

Fun Stuff for Kids: Though the restaurant itself does not offer much in the way of engaging things for kids to do, they do occasionally hand out balloons, and before or after dinner, for a fee, you can grab a horse-drawn carriage ride around Riverside. 
Rating of Appeal to Kid-Diners: Are we done yet???

Stand out dishes: Sweet Tea Brined Pork Chop, Chicken and Waffles, Etouffee, Jambalya, Red Velvet Cheesecake, Mocha Mug Cake (Brew du Krewe)
Best Use of Dining Plan Point: The Big Easy NY Strip, or Prime Rib, plus Bananas Foster

Experience: Get ready to be "goin' down the bayou, goin' down the bayou...", a la Tiana and her froggy prince. Don't get me wrong. The theming and atmosphere here don't have any "Princess and the Frog" nods, but the menu looks very much like what I imagine is served at the fictitious "Tiana's Palace" restaurant in the movie, minus the piles of minced veggies. (In fact, it really is a shame that they didn't re-theme it when the film came out and give Tiana the credit she deserves.) Why doesn't Disney just drop everything and follow through on all of my ideas? Ugh. Moving on...
     The hubby and I have been to Boatwright's before, pre-kid, and enjoyed it, though it didn't quite make it onto our normal rotation of Disney favorites. For this meal, K got some two-on-one attention, since D was not able to join us. By the time we walked into the lobby of Port Orleans Riverside for our 5:30pm reservation, (which I had made pretty much on the drive from our house), Mamma and Dadda's arms were exhausted from swinging the little dude between us, while he giggled like a lunatic.
     Huge shout out to Boatwright's for an amazing pre-arrival experience! Before I booked the reservation, I called over to their podium, because the last time the hubs and I ate there, they had many balloons in the dining room. Since my husband has a crazy latex allergy, and balloons would make him be dead, we needed to see if that was always the case, or just that one time. The seater I spoke to was SO fantastic! She not only said she would clear the room of balloons before we got there, she put notes on all of their helium tanks, asking fellow seaters and servers to refrain from blowing up balloons until we were gone. Now THAT, my friends, is old-school Disney guest service! Bravo!
     When we arrived early, at 5:00pm, as promised, there was not a balloon in sight. Despite being early, we were seated within ten minutes. The dining room here really looks like a cross between a boat-making warehouse, and a yacht club. The high ceilings hold the hanging hull of an old river ship, and the walls are covered in antique tools and boating items. K looked up at the riverboat hull and asked, "Anna-Elsa?" Apparently K felt that it looked more like a Viking ship than a riverboat and of course, when you think Vikings, you now think of Anna and Elsa... clearly.

"Um, duh, Mamma, that's Anna and Elsa's ship, obvs."

    Our server was a fabulous woman from Moldova, who could not have been more friendly, professional or accommodating. While we looked over the menu, and she got us an allergy menu for K, she brought out a basket of warm, sweet cornbread. The menu was full of fantastic Southern fare, but since I am not a spice person, my eyes immediately went to the steak option. The hubs loves a good jambalaya, so that's what he was eyeing.      Boatwright's is one of the locations on property that has already switched over to having an allergy menu, instead of needing to call the chef for every allergen concern. The allergen menus are versions of the regular menu, with each item listed as being 'ok for those with an egg allergy, milk allergy, etc.' The positive side is that it speeds up the ordering process for those with allergies, and puts everything in front of you, in black and white. The negative is that I found the menu confusing and the hubs and I even 

questioned whether or not we were reading it correctly.

 Personally, rather than seeing: 'Macaroni and Cheese' - For egg allergies', I would rather see it listed as, 'Macaroni and Cheese - Contains wheat and dairy'. This makes more sense to me, since it is how I am used to reading labels on most packages. Now, I can't say that this is how ALL allergen menus are written at Disney, because this is the first full service allergen menu that I have seen, but I will definitely let you know when we get to see another one!
     We settled on The Big Easy for me, (12 oz. NY Strip w/ Peppercorn Cream, served w/ Crawfish Mac and Cheese), Voodoo Chicken for my husband, (boneless fried chicken and waffles, served w/ maple-bacon gravy), and a kid's Jambalaya for K. The coloring pages K was given were not holding his interest, so while we waited for our food, K resorted to his favorite pastime - watching videos of himself on my phone. The hubby and I enjoyed the cornbread while we tried to keep K's uproars of laughter at how funny he finds himself to a minimum. (He is clearly my kid.)
     In about 15 minutes, the entrees arrived at the table. I was instantly disappointed that I hadn't read the menu more carefully. "Voodoo Chicken" was not in any way spicy, as I assumed it was. It was fried chicken deliciousness, on top of fluffy waffles! That's not to say that my steak didn't look good. It just wasn't as inviting as the chicken and waffles that were staring me down from my husband's plate. Now, he did let me taste the dish, of course, and it was , in fact, delicious. The chicken was tender, with a crispy golden crust and the waffles were a fantastic accompaniment. I wasn't a fan of the smoky bacon flavor in the maple glaze that came with it, though. I would have preferred straight up maple syrup, but the hubs thought the bacon flavor added a lot to the dish. My Big Easy steak was unfortunately over-cooked to a medium well, (I had ordered medium rare), so the server took my steak back to the kitchen and had me keep my mac and cheese, so that I could have that while I waited. I was not impressed with the Crawfish Mac 'N' Cheese, mainly because it had almost NO seafood in it, (I literally found two tiny bits of crawfish), but it also was quite bland for Disney mac 'n' cheese. Typically I find that even the kid's m&c sides at Disney are pretty good, but this one was disappointingly lacking in flavor. When my steak came back, it was cooked perfectly, and the peppercorn sauce was on the side, as per my request. (Told ya, I'm a plain Jane.) Again, the meat was good, but nothing to write Mickey about. On a side note, regarding sides, I was surprised that the entrees did not also come with a veggie side. Seasonal veggies could be added to any plate, for about $5 more, but for the $35 price tag, I would have enjoyed some greens or carrots on the plate. 

     K decided that there was no need to bother eating his jambalaya when Mamma's steak was available, so the hubs dug into K's rice, sausage and shrimp entree. For a kid's meal, the portion was decent and my "big kid" really liked the flavor. It had a light kick to it, but nothing too off-putting for a little one. 
     Well, now it was time for my favorite thing about eating in ANY restaurant... DESSERT. I don't know about you, but this gal frequently makes restaurant selections based on the dessert menu alone. Your entrees may be boring as all hell, but you temp me with a flashy dessert and I'm all yours! Boatwrights has the Southern standards you'd expect, like red velvet cheesecake, pecan pie and bananas foster, but the Brew Du Krewe is what caught my attention. Described as a chocolate espresso cake, with mocha ganache and fresh whipped cream, I was all in! And man, did I not regret that decision! It came to the table looking like a decadent coffee drink, served in a cappuccino mug, overflowing with whipped cream and cocoa dust.

The cake inside was warm and started melting the whipped cream into it. The ganache had a nice coffee flavor to it, without tasting like Folgers crystals were ground into it, as many coffee desserts often do. I truly enjoyed the dessert and the hubs was lucky that I let him grab a spoonful or two. And luckily for me, K was totally captivated by his ice cream sundae dessert, served as a bowl of ice cream, with small cups of chocolate sauce, mini chocolate chips, and Mickey sprinkles on the side. Seeing as he's 2, K promptly ate the sprinkles as an appetizer, before moving on to the rest of the dessert. Overall, I'd say he was a happy man by the time the check came.
     So, did I love Boatwrights? No, not really. But I can tell you this... if you like Southern cuisine, and fantastic Southern-style hospitality, you'll be way more into this place than we were.  And the good news is, it's relatively easy to get a reservation at last minute, so for sure, keep it on your radar!
Tink's Tots Try It Out: According to K (2 yo boy)  K? Hey, K? Was Boatwrights good?   "K ride boat?"   No, Boatwrights. The restaurant we ate at. Did you like it?   "Boat? Now?"   You know the place we ate at? With the boat on the ceiling?   "Yes, boat. Please. Boat."  
I give up. It's my own fault. Never mention a boat, car, train or plane to a 2 year old and expect them to hear anything else you say after that. 

Will we be back: Not unless we get a craving for Jambalaya. Too many other good restaurants where we enjoy the atmosphere and cuisine more.