With the return of “Fantasmic!” comes the return of “Fantasmic!” dining packages. We had lunch at Blue Bayou Restaurant as part of a “Fantasmic!” dining package on the first day of the show’s return.
‘Fantasmic!’ Dining Package Details
The Blue Bayou dining package at Disneyland Park is $89 per adult and $35 per child. It includes a multi-course meal at Blue Bayou Restaurant and reserved seating for viewing “Fantasmic!” Guests can choose lunch (starting at 11 a.m.) or dinner (starting at 4 p.m.). It’s available to book online.
Blue Bayou Dining Package Menu
The dining package menu features a selection of items from Blue Bayou’s regular menu. It is not the same food that Disney announced originally for the package. Here is what is available on the adult menu:
Starters
Chicken GumboHeirloom Tomato & Watermelon SaladStrawberry & Pistachio Salad
Entrées
Blackened Ribeye & Bourbon Shrimp (additional $10)Sustainable Market FishCreole Roasted ChickenPistachio Lemon-Basil PastaMonte Cristo
Sweet Selections
Chocolate Decadence TartCrème Brûlée TartSeasonal Sorbet
The meal includes bread service, a starter, an entrée, and a dessert.
We previously reviewed Blue Bayou’s Monte Cristo.
Here is the kids’ menu, which includes one starter, one entrée, two “selections,” and one dessert with DASANI water or low-fat milk:
Starters
Vegetable CruditéCup of Chicken Gumbo
Entrées
Roasted ChickenSautéed ShrimpWhole-Grain PastaPetite Steak
Selections
Market VegetablesSeasonal FruitSteamed RiceMashed Potatoes
Desserts
BerriesPetite Sundae
Drinks
Though not listed on the menu, each adult meal does include a soft drink.
Bread Service
Rating out of 7: 6
Sadly, the bread service ended up being the best part of the main meal. The bread was light and fluffy and had a lot of flavor provided by the rosemary. The butter was salty, but spread nicely. The strawberry jelly was incredible.
Starters
Chicken Gumbo
Tasso ham, andouille sausage, and peppers with steamed rice
Rating out of 7: 5.5
We found this to be the best option of all the starters. The serving is on the small side, but it was incredibly flavorful, with broth that had just the right amount of spice. The ham added a ton of amazing flavor and packed a bit of a punch. Overall, this was quite delicious.
Heirloom Tomato & Watermelon Salad
Greens, agave crema, and pickled watermelon rind & shallot vinaigrette
Rating out of 7: 5
This salad was a little weird, with the watermelon providing an overwhelming flavor. The tomatoes were not the best quality, but, on the plus side, the pickled watermelon rind was delicious and the shallot vinaigrette added a very nice little kick. The portion was decent, especially for a starter, and, despite the fact that it was on the weird side, it was still pretty good.
Strawberry & Pistachio Salad
Toasted quinoa, blue cheese, and purple radish with aged balsamic
Rating out of 7: 3
If we had to describe this salad in one word, it would be “sandy.” There were too many grainy elements in the salad with the quinoa, pistachio bits, and blue cheese. The balsamic had a nice flavor, but it really couldn’t make up for the distracting texture of the salad itself.
Entrées
Blackened Ribeye & Bourbon Shrimp – additional $10
Mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables, herbed marrow butter, peppercorn demi and bourbon demi
Rating out of 7: 4
This offering is an additional $10 on the already $89 Dining Package. While the steak butter was nice, the steak itself was extremely fatty and not the best quality. The portions that were edible were cooked well, but there was such an exuberant amount of fat. The potatoes were also delicious but certainly not $100 delicious. The peppercorn and bourbon demi was absolutely flavorless. We do think it was an amazing portion size.
Creole Roasted Chicken
Andouille sausage, roasted shrimp, creole rice, and creole sauce
Rating out of 7: 5.5
We thought this was the best entrée of the bunch, but that’s not saying much. The chicken was well cooked, but somewhat bland, and the “creole sauce” was just slightly spicy tomato sauce. The rice was dense and had a weird flavor to it, but it was somehow less disgusting on the other entrées.
Pistachio Lemon-Basil Pasta
Asparagus, squash blossoms, pea tendrils, and cherry tomatoes in a pistachio-basil pesto
Rating out of 7: 3
While the pasta and the vegetables were nicely cooked, the flavors of this dish were lacking. The pesto was so bland that we ended up asking for salt and pepper shakers to add some flavor to the pasta.
Desserts
Chocolate Decadence Tart
Dark chocolate-coffee custard with a chocolate cookie crust, topped with a mousse rock and Mickey decoration
Rating out of 7: 7
Surprisingly, the absolute best item from this meal was the Mickey chocolate tart. In fact, it is one of the best items we’ve had at a Disney table service restaurant. It had an amazing dark chocolate flavor. The chocolate syrup topping was crunchy, delicious, and flavorful — all the things you would want from a dessert. The mousse rock was difficult to crack into, but when we did, we discovered it had a raspberry filling. The mousse was fine, but the chocolate tart is the real star of the show.
Overall
Rating out of 7: 2
At the end of the meal, we were given a special commemorative light-up swizzle stick with a firefly at the end. Overall, this meal left a lot to be desired. The food was averaged at best, with the only amazing option being a dessert. Though the package gives you guaranteed seating for “Fantasmic!,” we don’t think the offering matches the $90 price tag.
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