Once again we got to MGM at opening. I was the third person in the park once they opened up the turnstiles and had a "front rope view" of the opening
. I was also in the first elevator on Tower of Terror and rode it a second time minus mom (who didn't really care for it, but she did try it!). This has got to be one of my favorite rides at WDW!!!
But on to the food... sorry!
We got hungry about 11am again, but due to FP times and other things grabbing our attention, we didn't eat until closer to 12pm. We were close so we grabbed some food at the Backlot Express. I was worried about lines, but there was no reason to be. It was quiet compared to everywhere else and I honestly can't figure out why.
Backlot Expess
Mom and I both had: Hot Dog served with French fries or carrot sticks and cokes.
I was pleasantly surprised. Don't get me wrong, a hot dog IS a hot dog, but they were hot and juicy and the fries were hot and crisp. They were also bigger then I thought they would be. We lathered ours with ketchup and mustard and chowed down. They really hit the spot and were just what we needed to jump start us back up.
Food:4/5
Service: 3/5
Overall: 4/5
I was happy. This is a good place to stop when you need a bite to eat. I will go here on future trips for a nice, hot hotdog.
For dinner we had 5:30pm reservations at Hollywood Brown Derby. We arrived about 5:10pm, checked in, and waited until about 5:30pm. When we were seated, we had to deal with some annoying guests across the way but luckily they left before too long (lets take our shows off in a fine dining establishment and let our kids play around under the table!... you all know the kind.) and the rest of our dinner was in peace and quiet.
Hollywood Brown Derby
I had:
Grilled Fillet Mignon on warm new potato-cress salad with sherry vinegar and sweet tarragon-lobster butter, Banana White Chocolate Toffee Tower on cocoa almond cookie and bananas "Foster", and a coke.
Mom had:
Split Roasted Half Chicken with rice pilaf, almond cranberry polonaise and maple vinegar sauce, Grapefruit Cake - A Brown Derby Original! Light Layers of Yellow Cake with fresh Grapefruit Cream Cheese Icing, a drink of some sort and coffee.
Guys, it didn't get better then this. This meal rated number 1 in our top 3 meals of the trip by both of us. It was amazing!
If you have one fillet while there, this is the one to have. It was great, juicy, tender, cooked to perfection! And the tarragon-lobster butter... *faints* So amazing. They did not cut corners and have real chunks of REAL lobster in there. *stomach growls just thinking about it*. The banana "thing" as we came to call it since the name is too darn long was also so good. I LOVE bananas and white chocolate and this really impressed me. You could taste all the parts of the desert, but at the same time they mixed so perfectly. I was in heaven!
Mom was surprised with how good the chicken was. In fact, she rated this chicken OVER the prime rib the night before. This is an amazing fact because she is a red meat type of person, and thinks chicken is... well... chicken! It was so full of flavor and so juicy. The pilaf was a bit sweet for me but she ate it right up. Just be warned it is a very sweet side dish so if you don't want something too sweet it may not be for you. The grapefruit cake was moist and light, with just a touch of tartness from the frosting. It was a perfect way to end the meal as it was not overly sweet. Mom also said this was the best coffee she had so if you are a coffee drinker, have no fear!
Food: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Overall: 5/5
This place is spectacular. Yes, it is a bit pricey, but I think you get every cent worth when you come here. Service was out of this world! The food was out of this world! I can not think of a better way to end a day at MGM. I will 100% be coming back here again!