Could Hollywood & Vine be one of the most hated WDW restaurants on the Dis? Quite possibly. I ate here on a whim last year, so I only read the bad reviews when I started to plan my next trip. I had a great meal, so I couldn’t understand why the reviews were so negative. Given all the bad reviews though, I assumed it had gone downhill, so it didn’t make the final cut.
Our choice of restaurants at HS was limited, as we were booking a Fantasmic! Package. As H&V was out of the picture and we didn’t fancy using two TS credits at Brown Derby, we chose Mama Melrose. I ate here last year too and had a pleasant meal, if not unremarkable. You know what comes next- MM wasn’t available! The only restaurant we could get in (with a Fantasmic! Package) was, of course, H&V. While slightly disappointed, we were just glad that we had managed to book the package, considering so many people were having problems in doing so. Anyway, I thought, how bad can H&V be?!
What we ate:
Andrew: Mixed leaves, pasta salad with chicken, pasta salad with vegetables (Plate 1); mashed potato, chicken with peppers, turkey, beef, mac and cheese (Plate 2); refillable soda
Plate 1: As far as salads go, Andrew really isn’t interested, so it’s a wonder he decided to not only try the pasta salads, but the MIXED LEAVES too! All were enjoyed and he particularly liked the dressing on the mixed leaves, which I believe was balsamic vinegar.
Plate 2: Mashed potato is a staple British dish that Andrew loves, but I think he preferred the American version with the skins in. It was smooth, creamy and very tasty. The beef, as you can see, was a little fatty, but it was cooked well, as was the turkey. Not much was said about the chicken, so I’m guessing it was edible but nothing special. The mac and cheese, however, he loved! It’s much cheesier than our version over here, but it is also quite heavy, so it fills you up very quickly.
Rating:
****
Lauren: Tomato and mozzarella salad, artichoke, olives, feta cheese and red onion salad, shredded zucchini, pine nut and redcurrant salad, Caesar salad, mixed leaves (Plate 1); Caesar salad, cornbread, mashed potato, mixed bean salad, mac and cheese, polenta (Plate 2); refillable soda
Plate 1: I love salad and the variety here was fantastic. Everything was very fresh and tasty, in particular the Caesar salad. This was a very refreshing first plate, after being out in the sweltering heat all day.
Plate 2: I tried most of these dishes last year, and I’m pleased to report that they were just as good. Cornbread is a nice change as we don’t have it over here and the mashed potato is so much better than our version! The polenta had an interesting texture, almost egg-like, but I liked it. Again, the mac and cheese was great and the mixed bean salad was very good.
Rating:
****
Shared dessert plate: Lemon tart, chocolate mousse, cheesecake, cookie/nut bars
We were very full so we shared. The mini desserts were wonderful: the tart was suitably tangy and the cheesecake was extremely creamy with a light base. We didn’t really care for the mousse, as it was quite bitter. The cookie/nut bars were my favourite part of H&V last year and they still are! They’re chewy, chocolatey and nutty. I took one along with me to Fantasmic!, as I did last year. A new tradition perhaps?
Rating:
****
As you can tell, we had a very successful meal at Hollywood & Vine. I still can’t understand why people don’t like it! There is a great selection of food and it’s very good for vegetarians. We would definitely return.
As soon as my case is in the room I drop dead on the bed. I'm hoping to manage to grab a quick bite this time when we check into SSR, but who knows 
I'll try to jolly it up a little then! 
We didn't want to miss out on evening EMH! Sunshine Seasons was fine really, I just think I picked the wrong thing at the time.
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Great username by the way - a much underappreciated character!! 
That's a breakfast platter all right!!!! 
Looking forward to more reviews!! 
