by Beth Keating
Review
DisneyBizJournal.com
March 8, 2022
It had been – quite bluntly – a really long time since we had been to Boatwright’s Dining Hall at Port Orleans-Riverside. In fact, nearly two decades. We had come down to Florida for an early version of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas party, and stayed at what was then still called “Dixie Landings.” In the intervening years, both the menu and the resort name had undergone a change.
I remember eating a quick meal at Boatwright’s before we headed for the airport to return home. Traveling with small kids at the time, I don’t recall the meal being particularly impressive, though I do recall it being more casual than it was at our more recent visit.
Today’s version of Boatwright’s Dining Hall still has the giant skeleton of an under-construction boat overhead to emphasize the nautical, ship building theme of the restaurant. The overhead lanterns and antique shipbuilding tools scattered about just add to the character of the venue.
The high ceilinged, open room itself is somewhat noisy, owing not only to the fact that it is next door to the River Roost Lounge, where you’ll hear the beloved “Yeeha Bob” giving his raucous nightly shows, but to the fact that the front of the restaurant is open to the main hallway that leads to the food court as well. It’s a busy place. (And if you have the time to spare after your meal, it is well worth popping next door to grab a drink at River Roost to enjoy Yeeha Bob’s unique brand of performing.)
Boatwright’s menu features Southern Louisiana style cooking, with such down home favorites as slow-roasted barbecue meats, jambalaya, and shrimp and grits.
Our meal started out with a marvelous, and somewhat large, loaf of complimentary corn bread, paired with a square of soft, airy butter topped with warm honey. The bread was a welcome and unexpected surprise when our server brought it to our table. Cornbread is always a roll of the dice, but this bread was moist enough to get happy reviews from our party.
For appetizers, we selected the Boudin Balls ($13.00), three deep fried golden balls of deliciousness made of a mix of Andouille and smoked sausages combined with Louisiana style Dirty Rice. The balls were garnished with a horseradish remoulade, Creole mustard, and pickled vegetables. There was lots of texture going on here, and the creamy sauce had just a hint of a spicy kick to it. The balls themselves, too, had an enjoyable level of spice. It was a noticeable kick, but not overbearing in any way. A definite decision from the table that we would order these again!
Our second shared appetizer was the Mardi Gras Fritters ($12.00). The plate was a trio of Pimiento cheese fritters made in-house and topped with a red pepper jelly. The fritters were sweeter than we expected, crispy on the outside, and warm and melty on the inside. They also were a hit.
Two of our diners opted for the All-You-Care-To-Enjoy Chef's Platter ($35.00), and received an enormous plate of wide ranging barbecue-style offerings. The meal was so filling that they didn’t end up asking for seconds on their “all-you-can-eat” choice. They were already too full from the first round, but would still order this choice again because of the variety that was offered on the platter.
Included on the Chef’s Platter were ribs, Nashville hot chicken, smoked sausage, and barbecued beef brisket, with mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, street corn, and green beans. The brisket was the favorite on the platter, thinly sliced, tender and slathered in a sweet barbecue sauce. The sausage was smoky with a touch of spice to it, but it was a “softer” sausage without that decided “snap” that sometimes accompanies your first bite into a sausage. The ribs were tender as well, treated with the same sauce that coated the brisket. The Nashville hot chicken was good, but was definitely the least distinctive meat on the platter. It was basically a chicken tender, breaded with a slightly spicy breading (it did not have the sweet glaze that occasionally accompanies Nashville hot chicken.) The diners also noted that there was a marked difference in the flavor of the chicken tender, depending on the thickness of the piece. (There were three pieces on our platters.). The chicken came out a little uneven. The thicker pieces worked better, as the thinner pieces were a little on the dry side.
The green beans were perfectly cooked, and the mashed potatoes were thick, flavorful and served more “homestyle” with a bit of the skins left on. The mini piece of corn on the cob on the Chef’s Platter was street corn style, lightly spiced with an interesting drizzle of sour cream, and was a nice side selection to all the meats.
On the other hand, the mac and cheese met with much debate. While one diner thought the shells were “bland” and not worth getting for a second helping, others thought the mac and cheese was a perfect accompaniment to all the heavier sauced meats. The first tasting came across sweet to one diner, with a bit of a crumbly topping. (We later determined that the sweetness may have come from the barbecue sauces being soaked up from the surrounding meats, because the other diner didn’t get the “sweetness” at all.)
Another diner chose the General Fulton's Prime Rib ($36.00), and was slightly disappointed. While the flavor was good, with a Chicory-Coffee blend rub on the slow-roasted meat, the slice had a lot of fat on it, and the edges of the meat were a bit dried out. (We were the last seating of the evening, so there’s that…) The dish also came with the same yummy mashed potatoes and green beans that the Chef’s Platter had, and also included a creamy and somewhat bold horseradish sauce that was an excellent accompaniment to the meat.
Despite how full we were, the desserts were definitely worth indulging in. We chose the Mississippi Mud Crème Brûlée ($8.00), a Crème Brûlée that despite its chocolate-ness was not overly sweet, but it was delicious! The sugar top had a nice crunch to it when you cracked it with your spoon, and the chocolate cream underneath was delightfully smooth and light. The dessert was topped with a chocolate shortbread cookie and garnished with fresh strawberries.
The final dessert was the Banana Cream Pie Bread Pudding ($7.00), a larger than expected house-made round of bread pudding with large slices of fresh bananas, drizzled with vanilla Crème Anglaise, caramel sauce, and Bourbon-soaked Golden Raisins. It was topped off by an enormous scoop of really high quality vanilla ice cream. The golden raisins and bananas were a tasty, if unexpected, combination, and the dish got a big “Wow!” from the diner, who took extra time trying to finish his plate, because, despite how full he already was, he was determined not to let the bread pudding goodness go to waste!
Boatwright’s is only open for dinner, and serves from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Reservations are recommended.
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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.
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