The Blue Bayou's Magical Monte Cristo

Last year I wrote this Disney guest post for Cathy at A Peek Into My Paradise.
I wanted to share it with you on my blog this year since it's my birthday
& for the second year in a row I will not be enjoying a Monte Cristo at the Blue Bayou...
You can find the original post here.

You see, I'm having major Disneyland withdrawals...

We recently moved from the SoCal desert to Northern Indiana.
This is the first year in what seems like a looong time that I won't be going to Disneyland for my birthday
& eating at the Blue Bayou.
It is going to be a very hard day.

We were a little spoiled living so close to Disneyland.
and by close I mean an hour-and-a-half away...
We would go every other week before we had kids,
and we tried to go at least once a month after they were born.
We had Premium Annual Passes up until a couple months before our move.
But with ticket prices going up so much,
we weren't sure if we would be able to renew the passes even if we stayed in SoCal.
So we moved away...
Taking away the temptation of spending more money to renew,
but also taking away the ease of visiting the parks.

We bought a house in Indiana,
but had to wait to close on it for almost a month due to delays in closing our CA house.
We were fortunate enough to stay at a friend's cozy little lake house while waiting to close on our new home.

While we were staying at said lake house,

we enjoyed many beautiful sunsets

and were able to enjoy not only the glisten of the calm moonlit lake,

but also the twinkling of fireflies at twilight.
It was magical.

Now I don't know about you,

but when I see fireflies near water,
and get this magical feeling,

I can't help but think of my favorite restaurant at Disneyland...

The Blue Bayou.

Yes, the same Blue Bayou that I will not get to eat at on my birthday this year.
Yep, you know the one...
It's that nice restaurant with the nighttime outdoorsy feel that you pass while you're on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.

If you've never eaten at the Blue Bayou
I encourage you to call ahead to make a reservation the next time you're at Disneyland.
Ask for waterside seating while you get checked in...
You may have to wait a little longer if you want to sit waterside,
but to me - it's definitely worth it.

Fireflies are flickering above the water.
Frogs & crickets are singing their nighttime serenade.
You can even hear someone playing the banjo from the little house across the water while you eat.
It's kind of enchanting in a way.
Sitting waterside is definitely the way to go.
Especially if you have kids...
Waving to everyone riding the boats can be a great distraction while waiting for the food to arrive.

We always go during the lunch hours for two reasons...
1) It's slightly cheaper than the dinner hours
2) The menu is different for lunch than it is for dinner

We order Le Special de Monte Cristo Sandwich
every. single. time.
and it is only served during the lunch hours.
It's my favorite.
It never disappoints.

photo credit: Adrea in Wonderland

Imagine this...
A battered & deep fried sandwich
filled with Turkey, Ham, & Swiss Cheese
sprinkled with powdered sugar
and served with a side of blackberry preserves to dip it in.
It's amazing.

The Blue Bayou has such generous portions of everything that we always split the order.
They do have a split plate charge,
but you can avoid the extra cost by splitting the salad as well.
They just bring out an extra plate & let you divide it yourself.
It ends up being the perfect amount of food for each of us!
Besides, walking around Disneyland when you're stuffed is no fun.

photo credit: Chip & Co

The ambiance is relaxing,
the food is delicious,
the service is impeccable,
& it doesn't feel busy like so many other restaurants at Disneyland.
It is a truly wonderful place.

I would also recommend trying their Mint Julep at least once.
It's non-alcoholic & is one of those love-it-or-hate-it kind of drinks.
You'll never know if you like it or not until you try it.
I happen to find it refreshing.

Because I knew I would be missing out on my birthday Monte Cristo this year,
we decided to make our own,
but with a twist...
Monte Cristo French Toast

It's not deep-fried like the one at the Blue Bayou,
but more like a mix between French Toast,
a grilled cheese sandwich,
and of course,
the Disneyland Monte Cristo.
Not the same, but not too shabby!

I love comments & would love to know if you've ever been to the Blue Bayou or had a Monte Cristo!

Hopefully you enjoyed reading this post as much as I enjoyed writing it!
If you're new around here...
check out my About Me section,
see what we have in common,
& enjoy surfing my blog!

xoxo