Retired racing greyhound + free dining = speed eating!A dining report-done!

[PaDisneyCouple]

Location: Hollywood Brown Derby
ADR time: 9/29 at 12:45
Arrival time: 12:35
Seated time: 12:40
Host/hostess: Very polite, especially with the many disappointed folks that hoped to walk up and get a table. They were informed that the restaurant wasn’t taking any walk ups, as they were full.
Server: Jared Ryan
Drinks: DW= Iced tea Me= Sprite. Both= complimentary small glass of champagne
Appetizers: Me: Sweet Corn Bisque - with Lump Blue Crab and a thyme emulsion $8
Entrees: DW: Pork tenderloin (unable to find on the menus)
Me: Hijiki Crusted Ahi Tuna Cobb - "Seared Rare" with mizuna, palm sugar cucumbers, pickled diakon, flavored soy and wasabi sauces $29
Dessert: Me: Strawberry Cheesecake - with shortcake crust and strawberry Grand Marnier caramel sauce $9
DW: Banana White Chocolate Toffee Tower on cocoa almond cookie and bananas "foster" $9
Commentary: The waiting area here was much less chaotic than the one at Yak and Yeti the day before. This was probably due to the “no walk ups” at HBD. It was really quite peaceful, and we enjoyed looking at the drawings on the walls while we waited.
Jared surprised us right away, informing us that our ticket stated that it was our 12th birthday. Seeing 2 adults, and no children at the table, He then stated he’d like to offer us some champagne to celebrate our 12th anniversary. Of course, we accepted. Once again, we thought we’d help by bringing our “A” game. That is: we knew everything we wanted, including desert, right at the point of ordering.
I feel that the corn bisque was lacking in full flavor, an ok offering. The tuna was a series of slices arranged atop the accompaniments. I enjoyed every bite, and I must say, it was a good-sized portion of tuna. Indeed, it felt like 8-10 strips. So many, I ran out of the soy and wasabi sauces, which were drizzled on the plate, with 3 strips to go. I had to ask Jared for more sauce. They were very tasty, not in need of “drowning” level sauce, but rather, just a touch. My cheesecake was ok, but it did have a couple of obviously over-ripe berries. DW enjoyed her pork, eating every last bite. When asked if she liked her desert, she simply said, “oh, yes!”
Poor Jared was so busy; he brought the desert menus out to us without thinking. We played nice, and simply waited for him to return, at which point he remembered we’d already selected our deserts. But he was right there with drink refills, without being asked.
Conclusion: We enjoyed our first-ever meal at HBD, and plan to return there again. We’d been at DHS since 0800 (am EMH), and it was a nice cap to the day. The meal was well paced, and finished at 2pm. Interestingly, this meal took about as long as Y&Y, but it felt better paced. And we never had the perception that we’d been forgotten.

Photos:
My cheesecake:

Banana Toffee Tower of DW:

 

[Disneygrl36]

Lovin' your food porn pics!!!!!!!!!!
We will be dining at Hollywood Brown Derby for lunch in exactly a week!!!!

 

[PaDisneyCouple]

Lovin' your food porn pics!!!!!!!!!!
We will be dining at Hollywood Brown Derby for lunch in exactly a week!!!!

Lucky you!

I'm hoping to get more reviews up later this week. My fingers needed a rest, after 2x 12 hour shifts at work, where I was typing almost the whole time. I'm thinking that the tingling in my left hand by late Sunday wasn't such a good thing, and stayed away from the computer yesterday.

 

[GovieMom]

Your pics are great; thanks for posting!

 

[janloz]

Loving the reviews and Max. Keep them coming.

Quick non-food question. Do you have any pics of the BC room with daybed? We are thinking of moving to BC from WL for our trip next Sept. but I would like to see if DD8 will fit.

Also, any things at BC we shouldn't miss?

TIA

 

[PaDisneyCouple]

Loving the reviews and Max. Keep them coming.

Quick non-food question. Do you have any pics of the BC room with daybed? We are thinking of moving to BC from WL for our trip next Sept. but I would like to see if DD8 will fit.

Also, any things at BC we shouldn't miss?

TIA

Thank you.
I'm not sure we've got a photo of the bed. I know we didn't open the sofa, which I guess became a bed. It was about 5 foor wide, I'd say.

Take time to eat at Beaches & Cream. Also, get to SAB. The "changing of the guard" each day at 4:15 was fun. We saw it 3 times. Take time, it near the volleyball court, to just enjoy the foliage. Walk around Crescent Lake at first light. Oh, and we found the shopping at the YC to be better- more selection. Though, understandibly, no BC clothes there.

 

[PaDisneyCouple]

We'd planned on our next meal, dinner on 9/29, being at Kouzzina. Had ADR's and everything. Problem is: we'd stuffed ourselves at HBD. And, we'd learned the day before not to trifle with eating 2 large meals within a few short hours. As a result, we went to the concierge desk early the morning of 9/29, and told them we'd release our 2 person ADR for Kouzzina that night for another couple to enjoy. Once again, they seemed a tad surprised that we'd cancelled in advance. It just wasn't meant to be.

For those interested: that evening, I had a ham and cheese sandwich and brownie from the BC Marketplace. DW had a fruit cup. It was a nice downsizing.

 

[PaDisneyCouple]

Location: Kouzzina
ADR time: 0730 on 9/30/09
Arrival time: 0725
Seated time: 0732
Host/hostess: We arrived before opening, but were told by others outside that we could still check in, and get a spot in line, so we did. It didn’t take long for them to open, and begin seating.
Server: Karol
Drinks: DW: A Frappe and a large apple juice Me: Hot chocolate and a large apple juice.
Appetizers: No thank you, as its breakfast.
Entrees: DW: Turkey-Sweet Potato Hash - with Two Eggs and Arugula Salad $12.49 Me: French Toast - Golden Brown Thick Challah Bread with choice of Bacon or Chicken Sausage $10.49
Dessert: N/A
Commentary: Business-people made up the majority of the early diners this day. Some had to have dined there before, as the staff appeared to know them by name. They also must’ve been creatures of habit, as we saw at least one (and possibly 2-3) single male diner getting his food inside of 5-8 minutes after being seated. We needed to bond with the menu, so our meal lasted longer. The beverages were fine. I’d say my bacon was good, but the French Toast didn’t really have much flavor. I was expecting some cinnamon or other spice. Also, I’m spoiled by real upstate NY maple syrup from Clute’s, so the syrup was a little lacking in flavor and body. DW felt that her hash had too much turkey, and not enough sweet potatoes. Based upon the sample I was provided, I agree.
From our vantage point, we could see the kitchen (who couldn’t), and also the area where prepared food was set. This proved to be a case of TMI, as we knew that our meals had sat there unnoticed for over 5 minutes before someone brought them to us. Prior meals hadn’t sat for nearly that long, and the place hadn’t suddenly gotten busy. Their lamps work, though, as the meals were still nice and hot upon arrival.
The “show” wasn’t so bad, either. A gentleman was really giving the business to what appeared to be a warming oven in the kitchen. Forks, knives, spoons, whatever cutlery he could lay his hands upon, he was trying to get something loose. After over 30 minutes of effort, it appeared that he’d extracted some sort of door gasket, and was going to replace it. Also, someone was leading around a vendor, complete with tools. To the kitchen, then the pizza area, then back to the food prep table. Sometimes, it can be very interesting to watch how things work.
Bill: 36.47
Time of departure (per bill): 08:23
Would we do it again? Not sure. Both of us think we’d rather go to Captain’s Grille, instead.

 

[PaDisneyCouple]

On 9/30, the Living with the Land ride was still closed. DW suggested we take the Behind the Seeds tour. So, we booked passage on the 1pm tour. This left us time to try to fit in lunch, with a FP ride on Soarin'.

We've never eaten at Sunshine Season Food Fair (ssff) before. This, plus good things DW read about in the Unofficial Guide, led us to go there for lunch. Ok, so its also close to the other plans we had...

It is a large, open seating area, with a food service style to match. There are more stations of food than I can remember. To maximize our qsl credits, we shared: I got a chicken caesar salad and large chocolate milk, while DW selected a fruit salad. It was enough to keep us both happy. I even tried some of the fruit. We see ourselves going back to SSFF when in Epcot in the future. The food was tasty, seemed fresh, might have been healthy-even, and the service quick. The portions were generous, also.

After our tour, we walked to WS, where we decided to try a little bit of the world. First, we got water from....Mexico! Well, not really, it was another hot day, and we often used snack credits for water on this trip. So, we picked up a bottle as we plotted our next move.

On the way to Mexico, we passed so many temptations, but with so little time. Next time, we'll have to go all-in, and chow around the world. We chose a little desert at the FW Champagne station: Grand Marnier Parfait. Orange, sweet, cool. No photo was taken, as it was quickly consumed. This would not be our last encounter with the Epcot F&W this trip; we were hooked.

 

[oybolshoi]

I am honored to be mentioned in your reviews ... if we could have three barrels of fine German beer delivered to our front doorstep right now the hubby and I would be most pleased!

 

[PaDisneyCouple]

I am honored to be mentioned in your reviews ... if we could have three barrels of fine German beer delivered to our front doorstep right now the hubby and I would be most pleased!

How's about 3 keggers of fine American cough syrup! The night-time sniffling, sneezing, stuffy head, why the XXX am I waking up on the floor the next morning kind?

 

[PaDisneyCouple]

Location: Bistro de Paris
ADR time: 6:30pm 9/30/09
Arrival time: about 6:15
Seated time: Late
Host/hostess: Not sure if they use 2 tin cans on a string, or perhaps a dead parrot (he’s not dead, he’s resting!) to communicate from the first floor to the second. We read the menu outside, then read it again, then moved inside, then watched the 1 other group get seated, then (finally) got ours. We kind of expected more here. I mean, they’re so fancy; they don’t even use those light up beeper thingies.
Server: Cedric (Its only my second night and I’m nervous)
Drinks: Water. It was a long, hot day.
Appetizers: Sautéed Jumbo Shrimp - with parsley and garlic, crab and sesame seed croquette, cocktail sauce $14.00
Entrees: Maine Lobster - cooked in court bouillon with green pea gnocchis, fava beans, and Armoricaine sauce $42.00
Grilled Beef Tenderloin - beef Parmentier, asparagus, peppercorn sauce $38.00
Dessert: Too late, too stuffed.
Commentary: Cedric was nervous. He pretty much told us this right off the bat. It was his second night. He made it through unscathed, and with time to gain confidence, I think he’ll get comfortable and succeed.
I thoroughly enjoyed my appetizer. The garlic, a favorite of mine, was not overpowering, but rather complimentary to the shrimp. A winner that I’d order again. I found the filed to be of higher quality meat than the one at Yachtsman’s the other night. Now, this is really saying something, as I had zero issues with the Yachtsman’s offering. We’re talking Allen Brothers-level quality. I’m still searching for my asparagus, however. I was looking forward to it, too. We have several dozen plants in our home garden. The peppercorn sauce was ok, but seemed to have the entire flavor concentrated in one area of the sauce. Of course, it was the part I ate last, so I had that dancing on my tongue for a while. Christine enjoyed her lobster. It was presented as a lobster lying there, with the real head, and the meat as the body (i.e.- shell removed). I thought the sample provided to me overcooked and rubbery, but she said the rest of it wasn’t so.
The bread was very good, with a CM circling the room with a fresh basket regularly. I should also note: An amuse bouche was provided to start the evening. It was a single cold scallop, served with a sauce I don’t exactly recall. What I DO recall: it was excellent. I could enjoy an entire appetizer or entrée of such goodness.
Bistro de Paris isn’t on the DDP, so this meal was OOP. It came in at $118, tip included. Time of departure: 8pm.
Would we do it again? Maybe.

 

[PaDisneyCouple]

Coming soon:
We're having a what???

-and-
I think we like this F&W thing.

 

[sherry8253]

Great reviews. I live in the HBG PA area. Sounds like you live in this area. My sister has 2 greys she got from Peggy (Personalized Greyhounds I believe is the org name). It is a small world.

 

[Disneygrl36]

Getting caught up on your reviews now that I am home.
It was so hot our week too!!!!!!!! We had 36 bottles of water delivered to our room & we drank them all plus multiple refills on most of them.
We have only eaten at Bistro once & enjoyed it. We will have to give it a try again next visit.

 

[greytblackdog]

Loving your reviews. We're headed to Disney over Christmas. These are so helpful!

I'm a greyhound owner as well! We have 2 (Roxy and Seka). After 9 years of marriage, they are our fur babies. Disney should totally have a greyhound gathering!

 

[PaDisneyCouple]

Loving your reviews. We're headed to Disney over Christmas. These are so helpful!

I'm a greyhound owner as well! We have 2 (Roxy and Seka). After 9 years of marriage, they are our fur babies. Disney should totally have a greyhound gathering!

Glad you're enjoying it. Max is our first, and won't be our last. Don't know about getting a second right now. Mom and Dad have adopted, so we've already got Dodgie as 1A.

 

[PaDisneyCouple]

Location: Columbia Harbour House
ADR time: N.A.
Arrival time: 10/1. Around 1135
Seated time: Story to follow
Host/hostess: None officially, but this seems the place to mention Owen, from China
Server:
Drinks: Milk, x2
Appetizers:
Entrees: Me: Chicken Nuggets 8 pc w/fries
DW: Anchors w/chips
Dessert: Me: Chocolate mini-cake w/chocolate icing and ghost sprinkles
DW: Apple crisp
Commentary: So, we’d pretty much conquered all we wanted to at MK, having arrived at 0800 for am EMH. Now it was time to consume mass quantities. CHH is where we ate lunch during our 2003 Keys to the Kingdom tour (tour guide = Matthew, yes, he made a positive impression). So, we decided to return there for lunch on our MK day. No crowd at the door, and in we went. Turning to our right, we gazed upon the menu and queues. Still no major lines! We’d caught a break, and beaten the lunch rush. As we pondered our choices, a young CM approached us. He introduced himself as Owen, from China. He congratulated us on our anniversary, and seemed to be asking us if we were having a magical moment. Being full of happiness, we responded, “yes”. It gradually became clear that Owen wasn’t asking about a magical moment, he was informing us that we were having one. I hadn’t heard of this on the DIS, but I don’t scan for everything. He instructed us to, after paying, bring him our receipt. He’d wait in line for our food for us. He also informed us that he’d take us to a special place to sit and eat on the second floor.
Owen led us to a roped off area on the 2nd floor. It was above the line/cash register area. The table had all available condiments, napkins, spices, and utensils right there. A short time later, he returned with our food, and asked me if I needed ketchup for my fries. Not remembering the packets to my left, I said, “Yes, please”. Perhaps it was the nice way he’d asked. Owen returned moments later with 3 large cups of ketchup. More than I could ever hope to use. Next, he asked us to please sign the “Captain’s Log” of moments, which we did.
Oh, yes, this is also a food review. My nuggets were nuggets; except for the fact that I found them to be of decidedly better quality than some offerings where you swear the part of the bird that went over the fence last is being served. The fries were done just right: not greasy, not limp, not incinerated. My desert was a wonderful offering of chocolate goodness- need one say more? Chris reported really enjoying her sandwich. It was tuna salad on whole grain bread. She had nothing but good comments. Her chips were just that- chips (not fries). She also thoroughly enjoyed her apple crisp desert.
While our memories of this meal are no doubt influenced by the experience given to us by Owen, the food really was good park fare. Maybe better than some places outside of a Disney park, even.

 

[PaDisneyCouple]

As our "magical moment" was complete, we wandered a bit, shopped some, and hopped the monorail for Epcot. Our plan was to walk through Epcot to get to the International Gateway, and back to the BC. But first, we had to run the gamut of F&W kiosks.

I was happy to see that many of the NY wineries featured at their kiosk were from the Finger Lakes. Been to the winery, sample, talk to the staff, no reason to stop there at WDW.

But the Emerald Isle, we could not so easily skip. We'd skimmed the menu items of the kiosks we'd passed the day before, and knew that some way, somehow, Ireland would be a stop. Today was that day.

We selected:
the cheese plate
Fisherman's Pie
A glass of honey wine

Then, we moved to a quiet area in England, to enjoy our vittles.

The cheese was quite dry, as though it had been plated long, long ago (in a galaxy far, far away?). Had it not been, "free" (with snack credits), I might have taken it back. Perhaps that is the way it was supposed to taste. I enjoy cheese, not to the extent and/or knowledge level of some who review, but this just didn't seem up to par.

The fisherman's pie was slightly dry, but was otherwise very good. May I have some more please, sir?

And finally, the honey wine. Served chilled, in the finest plasticware glass at hand, it was most pleasing to us. Not the imperial "3rd person" us , but rather, both DW and I. We sipped and nursed that glass to the very last drop. I might have to go find it locally (if even possible in the state stores of Pa).

You know what, that's a nice way to take the edge off, and use some of those snack credits. Ok, the wine wasn't "free", but $4.25.

Sean

 

[PaDisneyCouple]

Location: Cape May Cafe
ADR time: 10/1 1800 (aka- 6pm)
Arrival time: about 5:55pm
Seated time: somewhere in the 6:15-6:20 range
Host/hostess: There was a line to check in, but they were polite.
Server: Wang
Drinks: Root beer and iced tea
Appetizers:
Entrees:
Dessert:
Commentary: Sometimes, one must retreat to gain final victory. We were wondering if we’d been forgotten, as we sat and watched so many others being paged to be seated. Finally, it was our turn. Little did we know, we’d settled into a bit of a lull between waves of hungry vacationers. As we were led to our seats, we saw lines, lots of lines, at the buffet.
As to the buffet itself, there were too many choices to name. We didn’t see the mythical crab legs currently being spoken of- this I know. Perhaps the hordes had eaten them all by the time we got there. From what we remember this night: the salads and deserts were high points. We were also presented with a special anniversary desert, as if we needed more calories. But, we certainly didn’t let it go to waste.
You won’t leave hungry. And: the tablecloth is paper. All tables are supplied with crayons. For fun, we drew things like Mickeys, greyhounds, and ships. We’d never eaten here before, and had a nice meal. In the final analysis, we prefer CMC for breakfast, usually right at opening. For dinner, we’d probably trek over to Captain’s Grille.

Time on the check: 7:25

Next, we head to our final full day, 10/2. And there was much eating, as we chug along to our conclusion: one of the best meals we've ever had.