We had a very early dinner ADR (4:45) since we had booked the Fantasmic! package. I was excited about trying The Brown Derby...DH wasn't as excited. We had read a bunch of mixed reviews and I think that not many other Fantasmic package options are what convinced him to try this.
(Background info: DH's first trip ever was last year. We waited in line for 2 hours to try to see Fantasmic, which was finally cancelled due to torrential rain and lightning. Therefore, we HAD to see Fantasmic this year and wanted to get the dining package so we wouldn't have to wait for 2 hours.)
We were seated at one of the round booth tables against the wall with the white tablecloths.
If I could have picked any table in the whole restaurant, I would have picked the one we were given. We decided to hold back on the wine/beer tonight since we knew we would be indulging later on in the trip (Cali Grill, FLying Fish, Ohana, etc.).
For my appetizer, I got the Cobb Salad.
And YES (to all those who wonder) the Cobb salad is plenty for 2 people, but only counts as 1 app. YAY! Could I be any luckier?! And also, DH tried it and ate every bite...avocados and all. (We did request it without blue cheese only because we are both firm believers that blue cheese is downright nasty.
) We thought it was super-cool to see the guy toss up the salad right in front of us. If we had a video camera, this would have been one of the 2 times we used it the entire trip. (Side note for you curious people: The other time was at AK when we watched the gorilla pick his nose and eat it! Totally awesome!!)
For his app, DH got the crab cake.
He proclaimed it the best crab cake he's ever had (he proceeded to say those exact same words 2 other times during our trip, but that's beside the point). I tasted it and it was a dang good crabcake. I feel like we are tough crab/crab cake critics because we live right on the eastern shore of Delaware. Crabs (and chicken) are our specialty. So, if we say they are good crab cakes, then they are good crab cakes. The coleslaw on top was a yummy contrasting flavor and texture.
My entree was the grouper (I think?!).
Honestly, I don't remember much about this dish. If I went back, I would probably try something different. It wasn't bad, just not very memorable.
DH got the lamb chops (shocker!!).
He loved them. Although he truly enjoyed last night's lamb at Jiko, I think he enjoyed these even more. Jiko put their own twist on the lamb with unique flavors, while these chops were a flavor he is more used to...comfort food, if you will. He ate every scrap and probably would've eaten more.
I really wanted to try the famous grapefruit cake...however, I don't like grapefruit or cream cheese frosting (crazy, I know). So at the last minute I decided on the banana white chocolate toffee tower.
Holy crap, was this fantastic! (I would love to have one right now.) It was one of the best desserts I ate on the entire trip, and I'm not even a banana fanatic. It was not too sweet, not too banana-y, and just right.
DH got the vanilla bean creme brulee.
He ate almost all of it and it was good, but mine was better.
All in all, it was a great dinner. We loved the experience and DH enjoyed it much more than he thought he would. I would recommend The Brown Derby for anyone who needs/wants to have a nice dinner at HS. The Fantasmic! package was the way to go. We only waited about 35 minutes for the show, had decent seats, and DH finally got to see it (Yay!). He loved the special effects, as I knew he would.
Next up: Crystal Palace Breakfast
I'm sure there's plenty more to come...
Think DH will agree?
