Need Brown Derby reviews

[MickeyNicki]

Just added this for our HS Osborne Lights night, we have ressies at 4:25

What do you think of this place? Would I be better off with 50's Prime Time instead?

I think DH and I will just get the Cobb salad and maybe some appies....not really interested in the heavy dinner foods.

 

[3prettyprincesses]

The Brown Derby is one of our favs! We go there every trip and it never disappoints. Love the atmosphere as well.

The food is delish. Last time we went, I had the cobb salad, sterling pork chop and flourless chocolate cake. Amazing! DH had the cobb salad, duck 2 ways and grapefruit cake. He loved it all.

My in-laws had the crab cake appetizers which they absolutely loved.

We also had an amazing waiter, he looked like Stanley Tucci actually! Very attentive and professional. He recommended a bottle of wine, Marilyn Merlot, and it was wonderful.

 

[Doc Goofy]

This is my favorite WDW restaurant. Sitting there in a dark booth, looking at the caricatures covering the walls, sipping a martini... I expect Bogie and Bacall to walk by any minute. A calm oasis, a beautifully executed venue. We've always had great food there. I like the Cobb salad very much. The filet mignon and whatever the fish special is - always good.

 

[Pakey]

Although I'm not a fan of the Cobb salad (texture is an issue; taste is fine) I do enjoy this place. I do miss the seared ahi, but my husband and I split the tuna tartar and the new fish entree and it was decent.

Best thing here is the cocktails. They make a great martini.

 

[bellefromboston]

My family loves, loves, LOVES the Brown Derby! The food and atmosphere are fantastic! I highly recommend the cobb salad. So good! I would choose brown derby any day over 50's.

 

[mickeymotto]

Add us to the list to HBD lovers!

I highly recommend the crab cake appy. It is done beautifully, with a crispy potato crust and succulent crab inside. Its one of our favorite appys!

I am not so much a fan of the cobb salad either. The texture and dressing is just not my fav.

We do love the sterling pork chop and blackened grouper. They are wonderful!

For dessert, the grapefruit cake and banana toffee tower are yummo!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

One of my favorites too! I am a fan of the Cobb Salad but I customize it with certain ingredients I'm not so fond of on the side. Yummy crusty rolls. Great service every time I have been there. I think you'll love it!

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I've always really liked my meals there, except for this one duck and venison thing I had once. Let me find links to my old reviews for you!

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=10271710&postcount=1
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=16441079&postcount=63
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=17208135&postcount=12
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=21978851&postcount=36
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=31534256&postcount=417
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32935443&postcount=507

Sorry some of the pics do not show up anymore, I should try and fix that someday when I have the time.

 

[kathie859]

We had a perfectly awful dinner at The Brown Derbr in Nov, 09. We were 4 adults, 3 kids--using TIW card. The service was simply lousy--and we had an early dinner ADR, so it's not like we chose to go in the middle of dinner rush. The steaks were fatty (not marbled--but fatty and of less than good quality). I had wanted to try the fabled and oft touted grapefruit cake for dessert--it was stale. The service didn't flow; i.e., appetizers out before cocktails No refills offered for non alcoholic beverages and an absentee server. Just an all around lousy EXPENSIVE experience.

We may eventually give it another try, but it will be awhile!

 

[MickeyNicki]

Well thats alot of great reviews....do you think it will take us 2 hours to eat or can we make it out of there sooner? Reason I ask is I want to spend time at the Osborne Lights, love it when they first turn them on

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Well thats alot of great reviews....do you think it will take us 2 hours to eat or can we make it out of there sooner? Reason I ask is I want to spend time at the Osborne Lights, love it when they first turn them on

I think less then two hours. Everytime I've been there I've always had appetizer, entree, and dessert, due to being on a package or the DDP, and I don't think it's ever taken me two hours to eat.

 

[MickeyNicki]

Can I ask you guys about the Cobb Salad? What was it with the texture that you didnt like? And what is the dressing like?

 

[TLSnell1981]

Well thats alot of great reviews....do you think it will take us 2 hours to eat or can we make it out of there sooner? Reason I ask is I want to spend time at the Osborne Lights, love it when they first turn them on

Add another great review. We've dined at HBD many times and have always had excellent service and food. I believe our average meal time is around an 1 1/2. We have taken longer, but this was not because of slow service.

 

[KatMark]

We had a perfectly awful dinner at The Brown Derbr in Nov, 09. We were 4 adults, 3 kids--using TIW card. The service was simply lousy--and we had an early dinner ADR, so it's not like we chose to go in the middle of dinner rush. The steaks were fatty (not marbled--but fatty and of less than good quality). I had wanted to try the fabled and oft touted grapefruit cake for dessert--it was stale. The service didn't flow; i.e., appetizers out before cocktails No refills offered for non alcoholic beverages and an absentee server. Just an all around lousy EXPENSIVE experience.

We may eventually give it another try, but it will be awhile!

I'm an oddball with you. We went for lunch in 2007 and had terrible service and the food was mediocre at best (I sent my meal back twice). DH absolutely hated the grapefruit cake that everyone raves about.

And, Nic, it won't be nearly as good as OUR coffee will be on September 22.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I'm an oddball with you. We went for lunch in 2007 and had terrible service and the food was mediocre at best (I sent my meal back twice). DH absolutely hated the grapefruit cake that everyone raves about.

I didn't think the grapefruit cake was that amazing either. I didn't hate it, but it wasn't to my taste.

 

[hannahryan]

We had a perfectly awful dinner at The Brown Derbr in Nov, 09. We were 4 adults, 3 kids--using TIW card. The service was simply lousy--and we had an early dinner ADR, so it's not like we chose to go in the middle of dinner rush. The steaks were fatty (not marbled--but fatty and of less than good quality). I had wanted to try the fabled and oft touted grapefruit cake for dessert--it was stale. The service didn't flow; i.e., appetizers out before cocktails No refills offered for non alcoholic beverages and an absentee server. Just an all around lousy EXPENSIVE experience.

We may eventually give it another try, but it will be awhile!

We had one bad experience in June of this year, but all others in the past we're great. In June, we went for an early dinner too (maybe 4:30). The server was terrible which set the tone for a bad experience. Even when the food is pretty good, when I have an uncaring server with an attitude, I just can't enjoy the food. I considered not going back to the Brown Derby after this, but last month my family insisted. I'm so glad they did. We had the most wonderful server ever! She was a college student and so upbeat and steered us in the direction of a couple of wonderful new things to try. The crab cake app. is amazing and so is the salad with pecans, etc. You can have a bad experience at any restaurant at Disney, but I think for the most the Brown Derby offers an excellent experience.

 

[mickeymotto]

Can I ask you guys about the Cobb Salad? What was it with the texture that you didnt like? And what is the dressing like?

For me it was both the texture and the dressing. Everything was chopped up so fine it was kind of mushy IMO. The salad dressing was like a Green Goddess dressing if you know what that was like. I don't know, it just was not like other cobb salads I have enjoyed before, even though I know this is suppose to be the original recipe fro a cobb salad. I personally would not order it again, but I certainly would get those crab cakes!

 

[Doc Goofy]

The texture of the Cobb Salad is different from other salads because the lettuce is chopped into tiny little pieces - everything in the salad is... If you read the history of the Cobb Salad, which was first invented/served at the original Brown Derby, it makes sense. They bring it out in a huge bowl and toss it around, then serve it. - It serves two. I love it but I can see why others, expecting a more conventional salad, might not! Not sure what the criticism of the dressing is about.

 

[walkdmc]

I've had fantastic service at the BD and love their Cobb Salad. However, I ordered Filet Mignon on two trips, in Nov. '09 and June '10. In '09 the steak was delicious. In '10, it was the worst steak I've ever had. The waiter was gracious about replacing it but the replacement (another Filet, cooked "rare") was just as bad. I cannot even describe how bad the steak was but it didn't even taste like beef.

The grapefruit cake was delicious, as were the apps. If your plan is apps and Cobb salads, you'll be fine.

 

[Sleeping Becca]

Love the Hollywood Brown Derby!

I no longer order the Cobb Salad, since I got icy eggs a few years ago, I hear it's still an issue.

I'm esp fond of the duck, but everything I've ordered has been good. I think they have the best collection of desserts on property.