A Culinary Adventure in the Bayou - Tiana's Place on the Disney Wonder

Things have been super busy lately, but today we’re happy to finally have another post for you!

Tiana, from Disney’s Princess and the Frog, always dreamed of having a restaurant of her own and cooking her daddy’s recipes for guests to enjoy. Tiana’s Palace abaord the Disney Wonder is her dream come true. The dining space is decorated with photos of friends and family members of the chef, as well as knickknacks and stories about the girl whose dream came true. The tables are set with placemats that are shaped like lily pads and frogs are artfully painted on the plates in a nod to the form that the main character, Tiana and Naveen, take for much of the film. If you look closely, you’ll also find some fireflies, a nod to Ray and his family, around the restaurant.

The restaurant is set to be in New Orleans, and hallway that leads in the dining space embraces this with “brick” walls that carry on into the main seating area, balconies and Mardi Gras beads. The Mardi Gras feel is carried on when beads are handed out and on one evening the kid’s menus are shaped like traditional jazz instruments that they are encouraged to play during a parade around the room.

Music is a big part of Mardi Gras and New Orleans in general, and it also plays a big part in the Princess and the Frog movie. It also plays a central role in Tiana’s Place. As you enter you’ll see a sign for the Crawfish Crooners and at the very front of the restaurant is a stage set with a piano, bass and microphones, and a dance floor in front of the stage. These aren’t just for show! Each night the band comes out to play some jazz favorites as well as some songs you’ll recognize from the movie. Guests are encouraged to dance and enjoy the music!

Tiana herself also makes an appearance. You’ll see her one stage with the band a fee times, as well as talking about all of the delicious eats, leading the parade, and going around to greet guests.

Speaking of eats! The movie and the restaurant are set in Louisiana after all so much of the food has a Louisiana flair like Pepper Pot Soup, Cajun Spiced Sea Bass, Creole Roasted Chicken, and Beignets. There are also dishes that play into the movie’s other characters as well.

Sit back, relax, and get ready to get hungry while we talk about all of the amazing eats and sweets we enjoyed at Tiana’s during our four meals on two sailings aboard the Disney Wonder this past fall.

The meals began on each night with bread service, just like in each of the main dining rooms. The two breads served at Tiana’s are Herbed Brioche with Roasted Onion Dip and Fig and Date Ciabatta Roll with Minted Yogurt Dip. The Fig and Date Ciabatta is delicious – a crusty on the outside, soft on the inside ciabatta with a hint of sweetness from the fruit. The Herbed Brioche, though, is our favorite of the two breads. A round loaf of soft, herb-y and buttery brioche is sliced most of the way through and placed on the table for everyone to enjoy. It is served with a roasted onion dip that pairs tremendously with the bread. We had to ask for more of the dip it is that good.

The first night in Tiana’s on the first sailing we enjoyed two appetizers, the Louisiana Hot Crab Dip and the Cream of Wild Forest Mushroom Soup. The soup is thick and creamy and has a rich, earthy mushroom flavor. If you’re a crab dip fan this the Louisiana Hot Crab Dip is for you. Creamy, cheesy dip with chunks of crab, topped with scallions and served warm with crunchy slices of bread that pair perfectly with the dip.

We each enjoyed one entrée - the Kid’s Penne, the Oven Roasted Turkey Breast and Grilled Rum-Marinated Swordfish. Christian is a kid fan of pasta, so the Whole Wheat Penne Pasta with Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella Cheese was a great choice. Perfectly cooked pasta served with slightly sweet tomato sauce and topped with creamy melted mozzarella cheese. It is normally served with Broccoli and Apple Slices. At the time of the cruise Christian wasn’t a fan of broccoli, which has since changed, however. The broccoli was nothing special, just steamed broccoli, but it wasn’t bad. The apple slices were Granny Smith – tangy and tart – yum.  

The prospect of a turkey dinner is something that we never pass up, so the oven roasted turkey breast stood out as soon as we opened the menu. Three slices of well-seasoned, and moist turkey breast (which is hard to do) are served with buttery green beans that still have a bit of bit to them, creamy mashed sweet potatoes and moist stuffing. It’s like Thanksgiving on a plate, which was great since we were enjoying this meal only a few short days after Thanksgiving.

The Swordfish, a huge portion of it too, was moist and tender. It was served over top of black bean muneta and roasted corn, and it was topped with sweet potato fries. Overall, a satisfying dish.

Christian left for the kid’s club once his meal was done, so we enjoyed the Louisiana Root Beer Crème and the Banoffee Cream Pie alone. The Root Beer Crème is an interesting dessert, but if you like root beer you should give it a try. A root beer crème itself has a Jell-O like texture. It is served with cherry and chocolate accents. The Banoffee Cream Pie is for all of you banana lovers out there. A base of caramel toffee topped with bananas, chocolate and whipped cream and dusted with cocoa powder. The plate is also garnished with a drizzle of chocolate and a chocolate shard. If you like the combination of bananas and chocolate – we do!- this is the perfect dessert for you.

On our second evening at Tiana’s we sampled to appetizers – the Ahi Tuna Tartare and Iceberg Wedge. The fresh, finely chopped raw tuna is topped with radishes, pine nuts and mango puree. Only one of us actually likes tuna, so only a few bites were taken from this dish. It was tasty from a tuna liking perspective, but a bit overpowering after a while. The salad was simple, but a great way to start the meal. A large wedge of iceberg lettuce on top of sweet, juicy tomato slices and served with bacon bites (yum!), cubes of Pepper Jack cheese and Thousand Island dressing. Quite a satisfying salad.  

Christian had the Penne Pasta, which we’ve already talked about. We also enjoyed three other dishes from the entrée menu - Big Daddy’s Roasted Prime Rib of Beef, the Honey-Roasted Butternut Squash and Eudora’s Artichoke Ravioli.  The slice of prime rib was massive! It was tender and flavorful and served with carrots and broccoli that were steamed, but had a little bit of bite left and twice baked potato that was soft on the inside and had a bit of crisp right on top from the twice baking.

We’re squash lovers, so the Honey-Roasted Butternut Squash was an obvious choice. Tender, sweet butternut squash slices are served with a slightly spicy tomato sauce that’s full of chunky vegetables like celery and bell peppers. The sauce’s spice is a great counterbalance to the sweetness of the squash and it also pairs well with the kale and rice that the dish is served with.

The Artichoke Ravioli is also delicious – tender artichoke filled raviolis served in a zesty lemon butter that pairs nicely with the pasta and the artichoke flavor. It is topped with tender pieces of artichoke, sautéed spinach and Pecorino cheese. This dish, and the squash are on the vegetarian entrée list, but they are satisfying and delicious for vegetarians and meat eaters alike.

We finished the meal with a traditional New Orleans treat, Beignets. Fluffy fried donuts served warm, topped with powdered sugar and served with a rich chocolate espresso sauce. A great way to end the meal.

On our third evening at Tiana’s we enjoyed two appetizers – the Caesar Salad and the Coronation of Mixed Leaves. The Caesar Salad was simple, but satisfying – crisp romaine lettuce and broccolini topped with creamy Caesar dressing, garlic croutons and shaved Parmesan cheese. The Coronation of Mixed Leaves was an adventure in salad form. Mixed greens are piled high and served with juicy vine ripe tomatoes, crunchy and sweet apple pieces, candied walnuts and blue cheese. An aged red wine vinegar dressing ties the whole dish together.

We each enjoyed one entrée, the Lime-Marinated Jumbo Shrimp, the Vegetable Lasagna and Christian made a special off menu request for a Kid’s Grilled Cheese, Mashed Potatoes and Banana. Jumbo is not an understatement when it comes to these shrimp! Tender shrimp, with a bit of lime flavor, served with chicken, andouille sausage and celery. The lasagna is slightly different from the traditional lasagna – it’s served in a ramekin. Your own personal lasagna. Noodles, tender and delicious vegetables in slightly sweet tomato sauce with mozzarella cheese and topped with a crunchy cheese, bread crumb crust.

Christian loves mac and cheese, or pizza, or burgers and chicken tenders, but after a week of those choices at lunch and dinner he was ready for something different. After all, he doesn’t eat those things much at home, so he was ready for something that felt a little bit more like food from home. On this particular evening he ordered a grilled cheese that was perfectly toasted on the outside and the cheese was gooey and melty on the inside. Instead of fries he opted for mashed potatoes which were creamy and buttery. He also requested a banana instead of veggies or apples and it was brought to the table where our server peeled and sliced it for him! He had one happy toddler at this meal!

That brings us to our last evening in Tiana’s. On our last evening we ordered two appetizers – Mama Odie’s Tomato Soup and the Boudin Sausage Fritters. Mama Odie knows how to make a creamy and satisfying soup! It was creamy, had great tomato flavor and was topped with cilantro. The sausage fritters are a mix of pork and slightly spicy Boudin sausage that has been breaded and fried to have a slightly crispy outside. It is served with a Bourbon aioli.

For the main course we enjoyed the Roasted Creole Half Chicken, the Cajun Spiced Sea Bass and the Kid’s Mac and Cheese. The generous portion of chicken was tender, moist and perfectly seasoned with creole spices. It was sitting on top of a bed of buttery Chard and a savor chicken gravy. It was also served with, what might have been the best part of the dish, a toasted corn and pecan bread pudding that was really a savory stuffing muffin. There was a nice crunch from the pecans and a sweetness from the corn – yum.

The Sea Bass was tender and flaky with a crust of Cajun spices on the outside. It was served over Jambalaya with shrimp, topped with a salad of thinly shaved fennel and served with a remoulade that was perfect for the fish.

Christian’s mac and cheese was a standard, super cheesy and delicious macaroni and cheese dish served with fries. He enjoyed it.

We finished the evening with Mama Odie’s White Chocolate Bread Pudding. We’re big bread pudding fans and this one did not disappoint. Sweet, crustardy, bready goodness topped with sweet vanilla ice cream, that because the pudding was hot, had started to melt by the time it got to us. Warm bread pudding, with vanilla ice cream melting down into it – one of the best things ever! It is also served with a praline sauce that paired perfectly with the entire dish. If you’re not a fan of overly sweet desserts this one is most likely not for you, but if you’re really a sweets fan (we are) and a fan of bread pudding we highly suggest that you order this dish.

Wow, that was a lot of food! We enjoyed each and every dish that we order at Tiana’s place and we love the atmosphere of the restaurant. We highly recommend not skipping your nights at Tiana’s, to truly enjoy the food inspired by the Princess and the Frog and by Louisiana, and to get up and dance!

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