Call to Quarter

If you can’t get enough of New Orleans, check out Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Disney. On weekends, the line starts forming before 6 p.m. By mid-evening, you can wait as long as three hours for a table. Reservations are accepted for the upstairs dining rooms (call midweek to reserve for Fridays or Saturdays), but not for Flambeaux’s, the downstairs bar where the live music is.

Wherever you wind up, you’ll see waiters with disposable cameras snapping pictures of people who seem convinced they’re in New Orleans.

And not without reason. Brennan’s may be a Disney-ized version of Mardi Gras, but it’s owned by a venerable New Orleans restaurant family, so it’s more authentic than you might expect. The building has French Quarter-style filigreed ironwork and an open-sky atrium graced by a whimsical courtyard fountain and real gas lamps.

Flambeaux’s, the jazz club, is to the right as you enter. Upstairs, the Parlor is two rooms: one Georgian, the other a blood-red parlor laden with heavy velvet curtains (paging Mr. Lestat!) and Mardi Gras-themed murals. Outside, there’s a pleasant terrace furnished with heavy wrought-iron tables and chairs. The menu is the same on both floors, except that Flambeaux’s doesn’t offer the nightly specials.

On my first visit, the food was uneven and the service stressed. The second time around, it took 30 minutes for our drink order to arrive, but after it did (along with a profuse apology), everything was better, suggesting that things are falling into place.

The cocktails pack a wallop, so proceed with caution (we’re talking doubles here). The Ramos Gin Fizz is a froth of gin, sugar, egg whites and milk with the same stealthy power as a pina colada. The stiff mint julep is less sugary than the Derby Day style. The Hurricane is the famous French Quarter rum bomb.

The appetizers include traditional favorites such as oysters en brochette, dominated by the flavor of the chewy bacon wrapping. The black-eyed pea and grit fritters are another smorgasbord of textures, but with less flavor.

The coconut-crusted shrimp are better. Cajun or not, they’re impressively plump and nicely fried in a crunchy coconut beer batter that doesn’t crowd out the flavor of the shrimp.

Louisiana seafood cakes, constructed of “Gulf fish,” shrimp, bread crumbs and the usual flecks of bell peppers, are a little dry and on the dense side. The best appetizer I’ve had was the plate of sliced boudin and andouille, steamed in beer and attractively arranged around a heap of gorgeously caramelized onions, which provide a nice contrast to the mildly spicy and garlicky sausages.

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The house soup, gumbo ya-ya, is based on a dark roux notable for its depth of flavor, and I would have liked more of it. Perhaps owing to a random act of ladling, mine was top-heavy with chunks of that admittedly wonderful andouille, and I would also have liked a more equitable distribution of rice and chicken. Still, it is one of the most-invigorating flavor combinations here.

Turtle soup is often the soupe du jour. The traditional garnishes of sherry and boiled eggs are missing, but it’s a good soup of tender, finely minced turtle meat swimming in a hearty broth with an artfully subdued tomato base, fragrant with bay leaves and thyme.

After that first visit, I felt Brennan’s was still struggling for the right pitch in the entree department. The cochon de lait, billed as “slow-roasted, tender pork,” was flavorful but a little dry, and the greens and the Southern Comfort sauce that came with it tasted like an overdose of liquid smoke.

So did the barbecued shrimp, served in a puddle of smoky roux, though the shrimp were juicy and firm. The molasses roasted duck did not have the crisp skin a roasted duck should have and its side dish of “dirty rice” mixed with giblets was overcooked and too salty. I ordered a grilled filet mignon, and it came rare, as ordered. It was a good piece of meat, but I wouldn’t say it was worth its $29 price tag.

But the second time around it was a different story. I’d made reservations for upstairs again, but, perhaps by a fluke, my party got ushered to a table in Flambeaux’s. No complaints from us. The four-piece band (piano, tuba, bass and trumpet) was enjoyable, and after the stalled service was jump-started, the experience was pleasing.

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Across the board, the food was considerably better. This time we ordered Creole chicken breasts. They were rubbed in seductive Creole spices, nicely grilled and served on rice, given depth by a flavorful tomato-okra corn sauce.

For the purposes of science, we also tried one of the specials, grilled pork medallions. This $31 entree included mashed potatoes, a wonderfully fresh green salad with candied pecans and goat cheese, and dessert. As medallions go, these were quite large, and they were complemented by a tangy apple-raisin chutney. The garlic mashed potatoes, which I’d found rather leaden on our first visit, were satisfyingly fluffy this time.

Brennan’s is a vast place, encompassing 15,000 square feet. That’s a lot of ground to cover, and while there are still some tics in the operation, indications are it’s headed toward surer footing.

* Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen, 1590 S. Disneyland Drive, Downtown Disney, Anaheim. (714) 776-5200. Dinner: Appetizers $6 to $9. Entrees $17 to $29. Most desserts are $6; double deserts such as bananas foster are $13 to $14, served for 2. Flambeaux’s is open 11 a.m.-11 p.m., with music from 6:30-10:30 p.m. The Parlor is open 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Brunch is served Sundays from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Full bar. Parking free with validation.