Hollywood Brown Derby is off our list...

[GeorgeG]

This past Monday evening we had ADRs for our party of six at the Hollywood Brown Derby. To say we were disappointed is a gross understatement. We had dined there quite a few times since the studios opened and our experiences have been mostly good, nothing to really rave about, but good to very good. This was our first time back there since the general decline in Disney dining and we were hoping to find it is one of the very few "signature" restaurants to survive recent trends. Sadly, it's not.

The service was good, for the most part. Our server was Carlos and we had been served by him several times in the past. Two in our party ordered Grouper, one ordered the 6 oz. Filet and three of us ordered the 8 oz. Fliet, two medium and one medium well. The Grouper and 6 oz Filet were okay (not great), but the three 8 oz. Filets were brought out cold. Not cool - cold! The lump of butter on top was not even melting one bit. The plates were warm, but the meat was cold and tough. We sent all three back. We were finally served new steaks arounf the time the rest of our party was finishing their meals. We were told they were "medium rare," which is not how we ordered them, but I'm easy (I like rare to well and order medium to give them room for error). The new steaks looked cooked (seared on the outside), but they were stone cold, tough and almost raw on the inside. The one that was ordered medium well had been horizontally sliced in two and was tough as leather and all three we inedible. I've been posting here for some time that the "signature" designation is just a marketing ploy for once-great restaurants dummied down for dining plans. This has been proven to me over and over. The manager was apologetic and embarassed and ended up voiding all six entrees. I ended up getting a box sandwich from the cafeteria back at the Dolphin.

Last night my wife and I had the 12 oz. Filets at Shula's that were the best we've ever had... ever, for just a few dollars more than the terrible 8 oz. at the Brown Derby. That reminded us of the old Disney dining prior to about five years ago.

 

[pumba]

that is to bad about your dining experience..

I think that all restaurants can sometimes be a hit or miss...I have been to some that I love and go back a few days later and say YUCK...

I do love a good steak though....

HOpe that the rest of your trip was good...

 

[GeorgeG]

Shula's more than made up for the one bad experience. It's sad, though. I remember when Disney restaurants were consistently great. If there was a problem it could be chalked up to being a non-Disney operated restaurant. We truly had bragging rights back then when it came down to Disney dining, even the hot dogs. yes, there are still a handful of decent Disney restaurants, but most of those aren't as good as they were 10-15 years ago. Our new philosophy is to have a big breakfast before going to the parks (not much in the parks for breakfast, anyhow), just snack a little during the day, and leave the parks for dinner. Epcot is the one exception with a few restaurants that we still like. Out of 25 years of WDW it's just discouraging to see Disney fail so miserably at something they once excelled at.

 

[beansmom]

we ate at BD Friday and we also had the filet. It was quite undercooked as mentioned above but other than that the meal was wonderful.

In future, we would ask for 'medium' rather than 'medium rare'.

 

[mkymouse4ever]

WoW thanks for the reviews.

 

[KatMark]

Sorry your meal at BD was not good. We ate there 8 years ago and were totally unimpresed and have never gone back (terrible food and service).

 

[Karlzmom]

I'll second your sentiment. We wanted to try the place again as the menu was interesting last time and our DS got sick at the meal and we really couldn't finish the meal. Last week we dined there on the Fantasmic! dinner package.

We were sorry we went back. Service was only so-so. Food was one of the worst meals we had on the trip. I confess, I probably did part of it to myself with the meal I chose, as blue cheese polenta and kalamata olives are a strong combination, but it was downright foul. **IF YOU GET GROSSED OUT, STOP READING**** The only way I could describe it to my husband-the after taste reminding me of how your mouth tastes after vomiting...seriously. Our shrimp appetizers were cold and tough..the grilled cheese DS had was cold. The desserts were the best part of the meal and they were only *OK*. We stayed for all three courses as we had the F! dinner package or I certainly would have packed it in after the entree. Definately a "pass" for us in the future. Its a joke to rank the HBD as a "Signature" as though it were in the same league as Flying Fish and California Grill....only I'm not laughing.

 

[Joshua_me]

It's sad, though. I remember when Disney restaurants were consistently great. If there was a problem it could be chalked up to being a non-Disney operated restaurant. We truly had bragging rights back then when it came down to Disney dining, even the hot dogs. yes, there are still a handful of decent Disney restaurants, but most of those aren't as good as they were 10-15 years ago. Out of 25 years of WDW it's just discouraging to see Disney fail so miserably at something they once excelled at.

^ We completely agree...

We're "Swan/Dolphin people" these days, (because of the great rates that can be found) and usually start our day with a large breakfast at the Garden Grill buffet. Then, maybe a small snack in the parks, followed by a dinner at anywhere from "The Fountain", to "bluezoo" to "Shula's", depending on our appetites and wallets. These days, the best restaurants on property are at The Dolphin.

And it IS sad. Time was, dining at *any* Epcot restaurant in World Showcase was a treat, as was the Brown Derby in DHS.

But, the darned DP has dumbed down the menu's and dropped the quality of the food so low that sometimes it's an embarrassment just to eat there.

Even dining in Cinderella's Castle is a shadow of it's former self. We don't even bother with it any longer.

If you'd like a nice lunch/dinner, head for the Swan and/or Dolphin.

 

[starousse]

I am definitely gonna agree with you on that one. We were there this past Sunday, Dec 18th for dinner. This was by far the worst signature meal of our trip. First, the service was horrible. We were seated right next to an open door and when my husband asked our waitress if she could close it, she said no. Next came the food, cold was an understatement. So we sent it back and the waitress told us a manager would come see us, which took another 20 minutes. we decided to skip the main course and have some coffee and dessert. The coffee was ice cold too. My husband got out of his seat, went outside to one of the vendor carts and got a hot cup of coffee in a plastic cup. Never ever again!!!!!!

 

[orcasandowls]

So disappointing to hear all these negative reviews of the Brown Derby. I went with my family once as a kid, and was looking forward to going back this trip, as an adult. But with all of this negative commentary, I think it's off my list. Too bad

 

[NYDisneyGal]

We have eaten at the Brown Derby for holiday meals for the past several years, and have enjoyed them. This year I made reservations for Christmas Eve rather than Christmas day, not realizing that the holiday dinner (turkey with stuffing, etc.) is only available on Christmas Day.

Our dinner was pretty much a disaster. Two had the filet, both ordered medium, one was dry and overcooked, the other looked cooked but was cold in the center. I had the chicken - it was tasteless except for a very salty outer skin, the beans were cold and the sauce around everything tasted like ketchup. I didn't eat it. My son had the pork and I think it was ok, but certainly not of the caliber of the California grill or LeCellier's pork. Other son had the duck, and he kinda liked the duck itself but it was primarily fat, and to be fair none of us had tried duck (he was being brave) so we didn't know what to expect.

Dessert brought the promise of feeling full, but the creme brûlée was grainy and barely caramelized on top. (I had creme brûlée at Chefs the next day and it was to die for, I got it again intentionally to see if I was crazy). My son had the fruit cobbler and the cobbler itself was good but the cream on top tasted bitter - like bad sour cream. He ate around it. The chocolate cake was good (thankfully they didn't work hard enough to screw up chocolate cake).

I left feeling as if I'd just poured $250 down the drain. Won't be back.