Hollywood Brown Derby vs. California Grill... And it's a knockout!

[Doc Goofy]

My husband and I first ate at CG over twenty years ago. At that time, it required a strict dress code and he wore his Navy choker whites. The design included a dance floor in the middle of the room and we danced. We remembered it as a romantic and wonderful evening - with great food. I was so excited to get a reservation for our recent trip 12-15. We got the first available dining time at 5:30 as we wanted to make a leisurely meal of it and then retire to our room balcony for the fireworks. This time our DD, age 14, was with us and she was excited as well.

We arrived just before our reservation time and were taken up in the elevator and encouraged to take a seat in the bar lounge area to wait for our table. We had not really even gotten seated before our beeper went off and we were led to a table. It appeared that most of the tables were empty but we were not granted our request for a castle view. Oh well, we had a window and a nice view of the Grand Floridian. We had wanted to watch the castle light up from our table, but no luck.

This is when it got weird. Despite the place just opening, the din was unbelievable - so loud! And it got LOUDER quickly. Our waiter was just running and pressed us to make our choices ASAP. We started with the cheese platter and we each had a bowl of lobster bisque as well. It all came out at once, which was fine, but the table got covered quickly. The BEST thing was the great bread with olive oil for dipping. The soup was tasty - not a trace of seafood in it, though. The cheese platter was okay. I know they change it up sometimes and some of the pairings just did not work for me.

Our entrees came out pretty quickly as well. The pork tenderloin was the best choice, cooked perfectly and with wonderful blue cheese polenta. The filet was okay, not very flavorful. The veal cheeks were just gross, no texture at all, like meat flavored gelatin. Perhaps this is exactly the way it is supposed to be but I would not recommend ordering it unless you are an experienced veal cheek eater and know just what you are getting!

My husband was not given a steak knife with his filet. When he enquired about it, the waiter said, "The steak is tender enough to eat with just your fork." He laughed about it and my husband agreed that the knife was not essential. He did use the knife that came with the cheese platter a few times on it. Regardless of how tender the steak was, I thought it very odd for a signature restaurant of that caliber not to have the proper cutlery. Just another thing that took away from our experience there...

At this point we were ready to leave. We had planned on dessert and coffee. I had looked at pictures and dreamed of that molten center chocolate cake for so long. But the atmosphere was just not conducive. It was so frenetic in there - too warm, LOUD, people rushing around. We were SO ready to leave. So we paid our $200. check barely an hour after we'd arrived and left very disappointed in the whole experience.

I was hesitant to write this review. I know others have reservations there. You may have a totally different experience. I hope so!!!

Next I will relate the totally wonderful experience we had at the Brown Derby...

 

[engle]

Yes, I will be looking forward to your Brown Derby review. Great review of Cali Grill. I have been wanting to try it next time. It sounds like you are experiencing a bit of what I have on my last few trips....inconsistent service. The food sounded as if it was pretty good and you never mentioned that your server was scarce but just provided not so perfect service. And yeah, even if a filet is that tender, you need a knife.

 

[heather360]

Just wanted to let you know that you're not the only one to have this experience at the California Grill. The CG had been one of our must do restaurants. The last time we went, which was 2 years ago, we were kind of overwhelmed by the noise, the brightness of the restaurant, and the rushed service. When it came time to make are ressies for this past Nov. we just couldn't bring ourselves to do it.

Instead we tried Narcoossee's and it was wonderful. You still have a view of the MK but it was a much more pleasant experience and the food was great.

 

[MarieA]

California Grill was not open 20 years ago. It opened in 1995. Top of the World was there 20 years ago and closed in 1993. Are you sure it was CG and it was 20 years ago?

 

[Doc Goofy]

It was in 1985. I THOUGHT it was called California Grill then, but I could be wrong. It was definitely the same location, but the layout was quite different.

The food was good and the server was friendly. The atmosphere was just teeth-grittingly hectic and rushed. All three of us felt it. Just not a pleasant dining experience at all.

I LOVE the Contemporary Resort and asked my husband if we can stay there again sometime. "Sure, if we don't have to eat at the California Grill!" he replied. Now that's just sad...

 

[Doc Goofy]

I toyed with the idea of cancelling this reservation as the above experience had almost burned me out on "fine dining". I'm sure glad I didn't.

The moment we were led from the foyer into the dining room, I began to feel relaxed and pampered. - The wood everywhere, the placing of the tables, the lighting, all combined to give an air of elegance and timelessness. This place is truly a replica of a place and time that are forever gone.

We started our meal with dirty martinis and olives (except DD, of course). It just seemed to fit the atmosphere. The martini skewers were topped with little Mickey heads with MGM Studios printed on the back (Keepers!). Our waitress helped us choose wine for our meals - a pinot grigio for me and a Shiraz for DH - both excellent choices.

Our starters consisted of the brie and oyster soup for our daughter - creamy and delicious. (And DID include oysters...LOL!) And my husband and I shared the Cobb salad. Some have complained of the finely chopped greens in this salad but it is indeed a replica of the original dish from the Brown Derby in Hollywood. I liked it very much, especially the bleu cheese. It was tossed at our table before it was served, which I appreciated.

Our entrees were the filet for DH and DD. Both ordered medium. Hers was more medium rare and his more medium well but they were in the medium range and they were pleased. The flavor and tenderness were excellent and the accompaniment of halved new potatoes was also good.

I had the grouper. It was a sizable piece of white fish, cooked and seasoned perfectly. It was served over baby asparagus cooked until just tender-crisp and drizzled with balsamic vinegar. From a presentation standpoint, I don't like the look of the pink onions served on the top of the fish but that's a MINOR complaint. Bread also accompanied our meal - good but not quite as good as the CG bread.

We were relaxed and ready to have the full experience. For dessert I had the grapefruit cake (just had to). It was good, maybe not something I would order again and again. DH had the white chocolate banana thingy. The flavor was heavy on banana and very light on chocolate but tasted good. We had coffee with both. DD had two scoops of vanilla ice cream - can hardly go wrong there!

All in all a very nice experience. The one we wanted at California Grill and did not get. Price plus tip was $205. A little more than at CG but with more food and better service and MUCH better atomosphere. AHHHHH, now we'll be back there!

 

[evenpar4me]

sorry that you didn't enjoy CG,was a wonderful experience for us,but I laid the ground rules,simply told our server that we did not want to be rushed that this was going to be a dining not eating experince,he understood,and the service was fantastic.can wait for Jan am eating there twice,and am not on plan. different strokes for different folks i guess glad you enjoyed the Derby will never go back there,funny isn't it what people like.

 

[hmillerbarilla]

Hey, great review! I'm a huge fan of CG but have only had GREAT experiences there. I'm trying BD for the first time this fall and really looking forward to it. Glad to hear the good review.

 

[N10CJT]

We had a much different experience at California Grill last month, though our server was not great either. We spent a long time there, and noise in a restaurant rarely bothers me (I love New Orleans, and a lot of the restaurants there are much louder!). We weren't rushed at all, and our sushi was fantastic (this coming from a NYC bred sushi snob). We took a nice break to watch the fireworks on the observation deck. Overall it was my favorite restaurant in Disney.
Brown Derby was great, too! And I kept the skewer, as well! (Though my martinis are super-dry and super-neat.) Our server was fantastic, I plan to write her a commendation. And the food was great there.... duck and venison sausage, yum, and my girlfriend enjoyed her grouper..... and again, I love that New Orleans cuisine, so the bananas foster taste of that dessert was right up my alley!
Nice review.........

 

[Minniespal]

Enjoyed reading your reviews ~ Thanx for sharing.

 

[MarieA]

It was in 1985. I THOUGHT it was called California Grill then, but I could be wrong. It was definitely the same location, but the layout was quite different.

The food was good and the server was friendly. The atmosphere was just teeth-grittingly hectic and rushed. All three of us felt it. Just not a pleasant dining experience at all.

I LOVE the Contemporary Resort and asked my husband if we can stay there again sometime. "Sure, if we don't have to eat at the California Grill!" he replied. Now that's just sad...

If it was 1985 it was definitely Top of the World. We did the Sunday brunch there in 1987, 1989 and 1990 (never had dinner there so I don't know whether there was dancing). It was fantastic and we were disappointed when it was closed.

I hope the CG is not bad - we have ADRs there for our May trip. It's the first time we will be dining there. The only reason I made the ADRS is because of all of the positive reviews on the forum. I don't like being rushed and will let the server know that when we sit down.

 

[rysmama215]

I am so sorry you had such an experience at CG. We went in November, just DH & I, and I rate it as one of my top 10 restaurant experiences ever. Yes, it was loud, but I'm not really bothered by that, I guess. We were there for well over 3 hours - not rushed at all. The food was great, great (I had the filet, and I'm pretty sure I got a steak knife with it). And the wait staff, particularly our waiter, was absolute perfection.

I would go back in a heartbeat. It makes me sad to hear that not everyone has as wonderful an experience as we did.

 

[John's Mom]

Thanks for sharing your reviews!

 

[IWISHFORDISNEY]

I see you had the same experience at CG that we had. It was so bad that we are afraid to return. I could have written your post. There are so many other places to try that I just cant justify giving it another go. My husband said never again and I find it sad. We do the world every year and it is a biggie we had to scratch off our list. We too had poor service, bad food, rushed feeling and lound atmosphere (this usually doesnt bother me either), and a huge bill for a very bad experience. I have tried many other signiture places and this was by far our most disappointing. I was starting to feel like a complainer because you rarely ever see a bad review of the place. Now on the other hand the Brown Derby sounded wonderful.

 

[Doc Goofy]

Thanks for all of the replies. Discussing things on the DIS boards is always fun. Now that you've reminded us about the previous incarnation of this restaurant, my husband remembers it WAS "Top of the World".

I've been going to WDW since 1972 and I have forgotten some of the details - and so many things have changed. I took a picture of me with my parents on that very first trip with me this time. Both of my parents are gone now and I'm making memories with MY family...

The way I think about a vacation is that it's never going to be absolutely perfect in every detail... but at WDW it comes pretty darn close! So go try all of the restaurants you've always wanted to try, form your own opinion, and come back and write reviews!

 

[mom2aredhead]

We also ate at Brown Derby last week and it was exactly as you described...elegant and relaxed with impeccable service. It was my husband's only request for the whole trip and I'm glad we made it there. I too toyed with the idea of cancelling - it was our first time on DDP and I wasn't sold on using 2 credits there - but it was one of our favorite meals. (It was actually my husband's favorite - I liked Tutto Italia a teeny bit better, but mostly because I love authentic Italian food)
We will absolutely be back th Brown Derby on upcoming trips.

 

[SunShineGurl]

a stricter dress code and dance floor would have been a great improvement. Calfornia Grill was the first dining reservation I made when we booked our vacation and it was unfortunately the biggest disppointment of the trip.
Of course, the looking forward to the fireworks was terrific and the matre'd was terrific. He really had me looking forward to my dining experience. ...and then we stepped off the elevator. We walked into an open air dining cacophany. lounge area to the right, stage kitchen - immediate left and a smaller dining area to our center and front left. We visited with other diners waiting for their tables, had pleasant conversations, eagerly looking forward to dinners and fireworks.
Our server seemed pleasant at first, he was very welcoming and took our drink orders and then he disappeared - for 20 minutes! After looking around the restaurant I saw him standing at a computer terminal, figuring up another party's statement - the new dining plan had just started and I think there was still some bugs or confusion, especially since tips were not included anymore.
Our party included my dh, dd - 18, and myself. We all loved our appetizers. dd- mussels; dh- california roll sushi; and me - flatbread. I think if we would have stopped there we would have been happier. Our main courses and the menu changed direction and became much heavier. Even though the food was delicious it was way too much for me and I left at least half my entree and took the dessert back to the room. After a day in the park, the food was way too much for me and all the noise was too much and I actually looked forward to getting out of there and back down the elevator to the peace and quiet of my car and back to the Animal Kingdom Lodge.
So, maybe, in different circumstances, I might like it better; but, after poor service, lopsided menu, noisy atmosphere I, nor my husband can't see ourselves returning anytime soon.

 

[tejasranger]

Hey, great review! I'm a huge fan of CG but have only had GREAT experiences there. I'm trying BD for the first time this fall and really looking forward to it. Glad to hear the good review.

We just got back Feb 2nd our first evening Jan28th was the cal. grill. It was noisy but we reserved near the time of the fireworks you should expect noise. My filet mignon was the best I ever had. My husband enjoyed his pork tendorloin. He did get to eat the molton choc. cake he said it was wonderful. My dessert was very good also. Our waiter did not rush us at all. I thought it was superior service. I highly recommend Cal. gril.

 

[BriarRosie]

My husband was not given a steak knife with his filet. When he enquired about it, the waiter said, "The steak is tender enough to eat with just your fork." He laughed about it and my husband agreed that the knife was not essential. He did use the knife that came with the cheese platter a few times on it. Regardless of how tender the steak was, I thought it very odd for a signature restaurant of that caliber not to have the proper cutlery. Just another thing that took away from our experience there...

Your first experience there at Top of the World sounded great! But when you wrote this, I thought there was absolutely no excuse for omitting the knife, especially when you're asking for one! I think the server was trying to cover his backside for being a bad server. I would have told the manager how the server mishandled the request for a steak knife after the meal was over.

My first experience with California Grill was on my birthday in November of 1996. I had a wonderful meal there, and subsequent meals over the years (and on other birthdays) have all been very good. I wouldn't have enjoyed my meal if I had the same issues you did.

But I'm glad the Brown Derby more than made up for the CG disappointment!

 

[Flower Power]

We had a wonderful experience at the Cali Grill on our last trip. We had sort of late ADRs (9:40) so that we could watch Wishes from the restaurant but it didn't work out that way. We arrived at 9:05, checked in and was immediately escorted upstairs to be seated. We got our requested window seat and thought it odd that the restaurant was sort of empty. We found out later on that the scheduled 10 PM Wishes had been changed to 8 PM. It was the one thing that my DD had insisted that she wanted to do!! However all was not lost. We were greeted by our waiter, Jose, and gave our drink orders. They were brought in a timely manner and we ordered the flatbread (oop) for app. After this was delivered to the table, we followed by DGD 12 and DD ordering filet, DGD 9 ordering steak from the childs menu and my order of Braised veal cheeks. We were not disappointed on any thing we ordered. All the steaks were cooked as ordered and tender enough to cut with a fork. My veal was delicious, I can't agree with the OP who claimed they were gelatinous. Mine were tender and had a wonderful texture and fantastic taste. Almost too rich to finish. We finished with the girls getting sundaes and DD and myself ordering the Strawberries,strawberries, strawberries for dessert. Each of the strawberry selections were different and delicious but the biggest thing was that when finished with them we didn't have that "stuffed to the gills" feeling. It was a perfect ending to a very wonderful dining experience. BTW we were there for 2 full hrs..and never felt rushed in the least. We would definitely dine there again.