New Orleans in California

I have never visited Louisiana. But the thought conjures up images of fog-shrouded bayous, flickering fireflies, banjo and saxophone music, and cuisine with marvelously delectable flavors. Add palm trees, hot California breezes, and a hint of the piratical, you've got Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Disney. Yep, there are even foggy bayous of a sort, but I'll get to that later.

While visiting kin in Southern California this past autumn, my mom and I enjoyed a sunny afternoon exploring Downtown Disney. As if afternoons in CA could be anything but sunny. After searching Downtown Disney's website for spots to grab a gluten-free lunch, I found Ralph Brennan's:

In the mood for New Orleans cooking? Is that even a question?

Open-air foyer. Love the red walls,
wrought iron chairs, and zany fountain.

Lunch included iced tea, a gluten-free* jambalaya with fresh-tasting shrimp, and salad with balsamic dressing and candied almonds. I also ordered a Bayou Breeze, a drink especially recommended by the chef as gluten-free. A perfect example of classic Southern hospitality. Or is it typical California good vibrations?

The Bayou Breeze

I got a kick out of the drink's presentation, thanks to the emerald-hued Midori at the bottom and the pirate sabre roguishly spearing the maraschino cherry. Cruzan coconut rum, Midori liqueur, orange juice, and cranberry juice comprised the drink, which the waitress recommended stirring together before quaffing. Unless I wanted a full blast of Midori liqueur. Naw.

Crocodile mirror

Oh great, I'm photographing restrooms now. So I've become a total tourist, and loving it. So, here's the foggy bayou. Isn't that a spectacular mirror, despite the mosquito in the corner of the mural? I'd say it was a great specimen of Bayou Bling.

Anyway, I loved eating at Ralph Brennan's: New Orleans cuisine and atmosphere without the humidity and with all the charm. Fabuleux.

* In creating a gluten-free version of their Pasta Jambalaya, Ralph Brennan's simply substituted rice for the pasta. The restaurant has a gluten free menu available upon arrival, though not online at this time.

Featured Quote: Pirates!

"Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me. 
We kindle and char, inflame and ignite. 
Drink up me 'earties, yo ho. 
We burn up the city, we're really a fright. 
Drink up me 'earties, yo ho. 

"We're beggars and blighters
and ne'er do-well cads, 
Drink up me 'earties, yo ho. 
Aye, but we're loved by our mommies and dads, 
Drink up me 'earties, yo ho. 
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me."

"Yo Ho," by George Bruns and Xavier Atencio (1967)

Written especially for the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in Disneyland

Does this really need a caption?

A golden cross from the wreck of the Nuestra Senora de Atocha,
discovered in 1971. The piece is (at the time of this blog's
posting) part of a museum display at the Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee, Florida.

Aboard the HMS Bounty

I am so excited, since I recently got the chance to see the ship "" "Bounty," a replica of an old British ship that used to voyage around the world over two hundred years ago. 

The ship was built in 1960 for the film Mutiny on Bounty (1962), starring Marlon Brando. Although a replica of the original ship, it was actually built one third larger than the original, to make room for camera crews and allow easier movement around the ship. The ship towered dramatically into sky, dwarfing people, cars, and even buildings.

Photo Highlights from the Magic Kingdom

A few highlights from my trip to the Magic Kingdom in 2009... 

...like the riverboat, the Liberty Belle, which seems to be the sister of the Mark Twain in Disneyland in California...