Restaurant Review: Courtyard Cafe at the Orleans

Welcome back! You seem to like this blog. Why not share your favorite articles with your friends on Facebook and/or give it a Stumble? Thanks!

Have you ever had your mouth all watered up for a meal that you just knew was going to be lip-smacking good. . . and then found yourself gutted when it wasn’t?  That pretty much describes my experience at the Courtyard Cafe at the Orleans in Las Vegas.  I’ve visited the Orleans on several occasions for their cheap, but good lunch buffet, followed by a movie in their upstairs theater and a little slot action. I like the property very much. It provides an inexpensive, off-Strip option for Vegas visitors looking to stretch their budget. When I found myself here one night during my September trip, I was excited at the opportunity to try a new restaurant.  Which one would it be? 

My first choice was Big Al’s Oyster Bar, where there were seats at the counter, but once I perused the menu and saw the portion sizes, I ruled it out.  The portion sizes were just too big.  (If you have someone you can split a meal with here, it’d be a great bargain.)

I didn’t want to eat at TGI Fridays, since we have that here in Vermont, so I wound up at the Courtyard Cafe.  The best way to describe the decor is:  This is how your low-budget grandma would decorate–you know, little trellises with fake plants and such. I didn’t care about that, I was starving and I just wanted something quick to eat. I saw exactly the item I wanted: a catfish sandwich. I love catfish.

I placed my order with the waitress and waited eagerly for its arrival.  And waited.  And waited.  I went through my photos on my digital camera.  Still no catfish.  I wrote in my journal. Still no catfish.  There was no window to look out of, no people-watching opportunities, no TVs.  I was in solo diner hell.  Finally the food arrived.  I launched myself at it.

Catfish sandwich

The catfish was breaded and deep-fried on a bun with shredded lettuce and tomato.  It came with a side of coleslaw.  The food was terrible.  The catfish tasted overly fishy and not very fresh, and I’ve made better coleslaw from one of those bagged kits you buy at the grocery store.  The only thing that was good was the creole mustard sauce on the sandwich. I couldn’t help but wonder if they’d added it in an effort to mask the lack of freshness of the catfish?  If so, it didn’t work.  What a disappointing meal.

Coleslaw

Thank God this meal was under $10. Look, I’m pretty frugal, so normally, cheap food makes me happy, even if it’s just “okay”.  But even I have some standards when it comes to the quality of what I eat.  This place didn’t meet them, I’m sorry to say.