Scat Cat’s Club is a bar and lounge located at Port Orleans French Quarter Resort. This is the half of the Port Orleans resort that sticks to its New Orleans/French Quarter theme heavily. Every Saturday through Tuesday there is a live musical act that performs, typically taking requests from the audience and creating a very relaxed atmosphere. You may recognize some of the performers from the band Off Kilter who used to perform at Epcot. We heard that Scat Cat’s Club changed-up their menu offerings, so we ventured down the bayou to check out the digs.

 

Sazerac – Bulleit Rye Small Batch American Whiskey, Agave Nectar, and Peychaud’s Bitters with a splash of Pernod – $11.25

No absinthe in this sazerac, but expect a very strong drink. It’s a little bitter, very heavy, and very unique to the city of New Orleans. If you’ve never had a sazerac and enjoy these alcohol-forward drinks, we recommend giving it a shot. This one is also available at Riverside. We tried new offerings at Riverside’s River Roost Lounge recently, you can read that full review here.

 

The Big Easy Sangria – Big Easy Red Blend Wine, Bayou Satsuma Rum Liqueur, Topped with Sprite – $9.75

Surprisingly enough, this one doesn’t include the standard Beso Del Sol sangria found across Walt Disney World. Instead they’re using a red blend wine literally named Big Easy (which is also available by the glass if you would enjoy) and mixing it with the citrusy satsuma rum and a little bit of Sprite to give it the sangria taste. It’s a very good drink that doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, quite refreshing.

 

Southern Hurricane – Myers’s Original Dark Rum, Bayou Silver Rum, and Tropical Juices topped with a float of Southern Comfort  – $10.75

Almost a standard hurricane drink, but then you add in the splash of Southern Comfort. It’s a really good and fruity drink that is surprisingly strong. The only downside is that it’s relatively thick and sometimes difficult to drink, not because of any syrup from the fruit juices used, but from the thickness of the fresh pineapple juice.

Bayou Rum Flight – Silver, Spiced, Select, and Satsuma Bayou Rums – $11.75

Looks are a little deceiving here, especially with the order of the rums. Silver is the lightest color, in this case being the one in the far back. Moving forward we have Spiced, select, and then the Satsuma. We all agreed that the Select was by far the best of the bunch by being an incredibly smooth and great flavor. We provided links to each of the rums for purchase or further observation. In our River Roost Review, we noted some unique things that the Bayou Rum company does, such as aging their Select in bourbon barrels. They’re a unique distillery that’s local to New Orleans and a perfect addition to the themed resort.

 

Chicken and Waffles – Tender Cajun Chicken Bites, Waffle Crisps, Buttermilk Ranch, and Candied Bacon – $11.00

These were amazing. Hands-down one of the best bar foods at Walt Disney World. Each piece of chicken is dipped in a buffalo Cajun sauce that is absolutely a perfect balance of spice and flavor. They’re placed on a waffle crisp that isn’t too soft, but not too crunchy either. Everything comes together to create these perfect bites that are easily enjoyed.

 

Sassagoula Crab Dip – Bagel Chips, Cornichons – $12.00

First, the dip is cold. We inquired if it was meant to be cold, our server concurred and even told us that a few days ago someone asked for it to be warmed up. So it’s possible to get it served either way, if you would enjoy. We didn’t enjoy this one, however. For being a crab dip there was an overabundance of fish flavor, smell, taste, and it lingered all night long. The bagel chips are very unique and we had high hopes for this one, but ultimately it got worse the more we consumed.

 

Crawfish Étouffée- Tender Crawfish Tails, Spicy Shellfish Stew, Steamed Rice – $14.00

It’s not really possible to get a good picture of Étouffée. French to English, it literally translates to ‘smothered’, which is very accurate. This style of cooking is prominent in Cajun and Creole dishes, employing numerous spices and simmered all day long. The Étouffée served here at Scat Cat’s Club tastes, looks, and feels like it’s been simmered for a long time. It’s a large portion of a delicious crawfish sauce served over rice. Each bite has ample spice, flavor, and that perfect New Orleans style kick. Absolutely recommended, although we don’t think it’s really ‘bar food’, but it’s still spectacular.

 

Mardi Gras Mac and Cheese – Gulf Shrimp, Andouille Sausage, Cheddar Cheese Sauce, Cornbread Crumble – $13.00

Pasta, some shrimp, lots of sausage, and scallions combine together to form a really good mac and cheese entree. There’s a decent amount of spice in the mixture as well, giving each bite enough kick without distracting from the overall cheesiness. Overall it’s a solid dish with some great ingredients that work well together.

 

Bayou Brisket Sliders – Smoked Brisket, Tomato Jam, Pimiento Cheese, and House Chips – $12.00

First impressions of the sandwiches were greatly exaggerated. The brisket looks wonderful, but unfortunately is par for the course on taste. There’s nothing special going on with these sliders, even with the tomato jam and pimiento cheese. The best part is that the meat is beyond tender and doesn’t require a lot of effort to get a good bite from the burger. A healthy portion of house chips joined the sliders, which were nice and crunchy on their own and ended up being the best part of this dish. We used them to scoop-up the remaining Étouffée.

 

Bayou Wings – $11.00

SECRET MENU ALERT! Well, not so secret. The wings were here at Scat Cat’s for a long time and didn’t get printed on the current menu. They’re still available, and your server or bartender will remind you about them if you’re ordering food. These are large, plump chicken wings in a great buffalo-Cajun sauce served with either bleu cheese or ranch. Eight wings for $11 at Walt Disney World isn’t a horrible deal, especially when they’re gigantic and tasty.

 

OVERALL

Three out of five new dishes being pretty good isn’t bad for a bar, especially one at Walt Disney World. Other things to note is the draft selection recently removed the New Orleans-native Abita Brewing Company beers from this location, although they’re still available at Riverside. Keeping the bayou wings was a nice touch, especially for those guests who want more traditional bar food. There’s a lot to love at the Port Orleans Resorts and this menu change reaffirms Disney’s commitment to not only keeping the resort relevant, but investing time and effort into creating dishes that honors the theme.

Topher Wallace