Wow...so, it has been like 2 1/2 months since I have updated our dining report
I know...I'm a bad reviewer, lol! But I have vowed to finish this puppy up. So here we go!
HOLLYWOOD BROWN DERBY - Lunch with an Imagineer
This one is going to be a little different as we had a fixed menu. Adam had been very interested in participating in Lunch with an Imagineer because his dream job would be to become an Imagineer
We spent the morning at MGM (yes, MGM) and did RRC before our 11am reso at HBD.
We were the first to arrive so we checked in and they gave us our personalized name badges then we waited in the lobby. Once the other 6 people arrived, we were led back to the Bamboo room. Soon we were introduced to our Imagineer for the meal, Eric Goodman.
I'm not really going to go into detail about what was discussed, as this is a dining review, but let me just say to you that if you have never done it before, book Lunch with an Imagineer. Very much worth the money.
First on the menu was the
Cold Water Lobster Corn Bisque with truffle creme fraiche and snipped chives.
I really liked this, but then again, I'm a sucker for crab or lobster soup/chowder. And I also enjoy truffle 
Light and easy on the stomach. I thought it was a great way to begin the meal.
Honestly, I barely remember even eating this, which isn't a good sign (although it has been three months since I've eaten it). I'm told that at the time I mentioned that it was just okay, but relatively bland. Since it sounds like something I'd say, I'm assuming it's the truth 
Next was the "world famous"
Brown Derby Cobb Salad with finely chopped greens, turkey breast, egg, bacon, tomatoes, crumbled bleu cheese, avocado, chives and Cobb dressing. Adam and I both hate bleu cheese, so we asked it to be left off of ours.
I had pretty high hopes for this. I love these kinds of salads. Bacon, eggs, turkey...sounded great. And it was a very cute presentation as well. Unfortunately for me, what met my mouth was much different than what I saw. Everything is VERY finely minced. I felt as though I was eating pureed baby food. I couldn't believe there was any dressing on it because all I could taste was the watery lettuce. I really wanted to like this, but alas, I did not at all.
I thought this was much better than Lori did, though criminally underdressed and chopped a little too fine. Top marks for presentation, utterly beautiful to look at, and kind of sad that you have to mix it up to eat it.
We did have our choice of entree, so I chose the
Pan Fried Grouper served with provencal vegetables, crispy capers and citrus juices.
To be honest, none of the options for entrees seemed very intriguing but looking back on it, I wish I had chose the Rib Eye Steak. The grouper reminded me of fish from Long John's Silver in flavor. Adam tasted it and didn't agree with me, but whatever The veggies were good as was the sauce they were in. The fish, being the main component of the dish and not tasting good, killed this for me. I didn't eat even half of it.
Adam chose the
Thai Noodle Bowl served with BBQ Breast of Chicken. It also included sugar peas, bok choy and shiitake mushrooms in a red curry broth.
I like red curry, I love Thai food, I really love barbecue, and I could eat Asian style noodles for every meal, so I was really looking forward to this. First, let me say that everything I said about the presentation of the salad was totally the opposite here. Noodle bowls in general aren't very easy to plate with any great beauty already, but throwing deep fried bok choy on top (more on this in a moment) and a hunk of chicken off to the side and this dish looks like a poorly constructed buffet plate. Kudos to the restaurant for delivering chopsticks with the dish, which I would have asked for anyway. But therin lies the problem. If you deliver chopsticks with a dish, you imply that it should be eaten with them, a tall order when the bok choy is tempura fried and requires a knife to eat, ditto with the chicken which was sliced into a long fan, but not separated into pieces that you could pick up and eat. I spent awkward minute after minute switching from knife to chopsticks and back, while trying to pay attention to the conversation that I was paying to hear and take part in. The sad part is, this dished tasted pretty good, but the difficulty and inconvenience of eating it hindered my overall enjoyment.
Yay dessert! Everyone had the
Grapefruit Cake which consisted of layers of yellow cake with fresh grapefruit cream cheese icing and grapefruit segments and juice on the plate.
Yum, yum, yum! I loved this. Tart and delicious. I loved how the sweetness of the cream cheese frosting played off the tart grapefruit segments. I'd definitely order this again.
The highlight of the meal. Everything Lori said is spot on. My only complaint is that the piece I was given was too small 
And when all was said and done, we received signed glass commemorative plates and Adam and I got our picture taken with Eric.
Price - $60.99 per person (not including tax and tip) Also to note, this does not qualify for any of the Disney Dining Plans
Decor - 7/10
Service - 8/10
Food - 7/10
Though the food wasn't anything to write home about, we would both do this again, possibly even do dinner at Artist Point (if it was available). It's just a great experience and it's wonderful to have an Imagineer at your disposal to answer all your questions for a few hours.
