The Incredible Expanding Women - 14 days on the DxDP ~ COMPLETE!

[MrsB1228]

Friday was our first visit to Hollywood Studios.

Hooray for Hollywood!

I made a Fantasmic dinner reservation at the Hollywood Brown Derby and the latest time I could get was 3:50 pm. Therefore lunch had to be as early as possible and I made an ADR at 50's Prime Time for their opening time of 11:00 am.

Checking out the "living room".

We were seated a few minutes after 11 and shown to our table. It was Nancy's first visit and I requested a TV table so she could get the whole experience.

There's so much about this restaurant that's a blast from our past. It's a lot of fun to step back in time.

Our server was our "cousin" and I'm afraid I didn't make note of his name. He was in character, but not over the top which suited us just fine.

After looking over the menu, we made our choices and selected the fried herb and garlic cheese along with an order of onion rings.

My apologies once again for our impatience. We hadn't had breakfast and were rather hungry so unfortunately we dug into the cheese as soon as it arrived and I totally missed taking a picture. The picture above was what remained of the onion rings before I remembered the camera.

Both appetizers were very good. The onion rings were crispy and not greasy at all. The cheese was amazing, we both thought it was the best of the two apps.

For our entrees, we both ordered:

Aunt Liz's Golden Fried Chicken - served with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Chicken Gravy, and Collard Greens

This was my plate, and I had asked for white meat only and was given two breasts. I had also asked to sub the collard greens for green beans. As you can see, I also got some baby carrots as well. Nancy also got two breasts, but decided to keep the seaweed (this was our server's description). You can see her plate behind the onion rings in the picture above.

We both enjoyed the chicken very much! It was juicy, with a lovely crispy coating and was well seasoned. The potatoes were fine, nothing too memorable and my veggies were tender-crisp and tasty. Nancy said the collard greens were OK, but needed to be mixed with the potatoes to add some flavour. 3.5/5

For dessert, we both selected:

S'mores - toasted marshmallows, graham cracker and chocolate.

This wasn't great. The marshmallows were still cold and the chocolate was still hard, definitely not the ooey-gooey melty goodness we were anticipating. 2/5

Overall, we give 50's Prime Time 3/5. The appetizers were very good and parts of the entree were good (namely the chicken) but dessert was a let-down. Service was good, but not really any antics to speak of. We enjoyed it, but I don't think we'd rush back.

Up Next: Dinner at Hollywood Brown Derby.

​

 

[pumba]

fantastic photos and reviews..
We found to much food for us and we were always having to be someplace other then where we were...but it still worked..

We also did house of Blues and we ordered two hot platters of the corn bread and then found out the corn bread was under my voo doo shrimp...TO MUCH FOR ME...hahahah..

Thanks for all of your reviews...and I may try a few that I havent tried yet..

 

[RGirl]

Mmmm - your food at 50s looks so good! I have never been all that interested in eating there, but, well, YUM!

 

[MrsB1228]

Goodness! You are moving right along here. I'm already behind! But that's not a bad thing because now you've given me a craving for that ham at Raglan Road and the mushroom filet at Le Cellier. Em had the pavlova at RR and liked it a lot earlier this year.

I can't say enough good things about that ham, it was really delicious! Nancy enjoyed the pavlova and was very happy with her choice. Glad to hear Em enjoyed it too!

Speaking of Le Cellier or rather the Canada area; we toured BC several years ago while in port for an Alaska cruise and it was so lovely. We saw the downtown area with the Empress Hotel and parliament building but I would love to return and see the beautiful gardens. If Epcot is just a taste of the real thing that would be awesome.

I love Victoria! Did you have afternoon tea at the Empress? It's a fun thing to do while in Victoria.

I really recommend touring the Butchart Gardens if you ever return to Victoria, it truly is spectacular. It's considered to be one of the finest floral display gardens in the world, and is a National Historic Site of Canada. Hard to believe something so beautiful started out as a quarry.

Ok, back to the food!! I've had the candele pasta before and it was delicious, certainly ample enough to split as you so wisely chose to do. That way you can enjoy pizza as well! Smart ladies.

Everything at VN was sooo good! It definitely set the food bar high that day, LOL!

fantastic photos and reviews..
We found to much food for us and we were always having to be someplace other then where we were...but it still worked..

I know exactly what you mean, we felt the same way too. It was a great experience though.

We also did house of Blues and we ordered two hot platters of the corn bread and then found out the corn bread was under my voo doo shrimp...TO MUCH FOR ME...hahahah..

LOL, we didn't notice that corn bread was included with the shrimp either. The shrimp was delicious, as was the corn bread but definitely too much for us too.

Thanks for all of your reviews...and I may try a few that I havent tried yet..

Thank you for reading and commenting!

 

[MrsB1228]

Mmmm - your food at 50s looks so good! I have never been all that interested in eating there, but, well, YUM!

I can heartily recommend the fried herb and garlic cheese appetizer and the fried chicken. Both were lovely, however the S'mores was a letdown. I was looking forward to gooey, melty goodness and they most definitely weren't. It's a fun experience though, and I think it's worth trying at least once.

 

[RGirl]

I can heartily recommend the fried herb and garlic cheese appetizer and the fried chicken. Both were lovely, however the S'mores was a letdown. I was looking forward to gooey, melty goodness and they most definitely weren't. It's a fun experience though, and I think it's worth trying at least once.

I have heard that, if you call ahead, they can even make gluten-free fried chicken! I think we may book this one next time. Hard to give up HBD though......

The 'smores really don't look that appetizing. I have seen pics before, and they kind of leave out the best part of a 'smore - the melty, sticky part!

 

[MrsB1228]

I have heard that, if you call ahead, they can even make gluten-free friend chicken! I think we may book this one next time. Hard to give up HBD though......

The 'smores really don't look that appetizing. I have seen pics before, and they kind of leave out the best part of a 'smore - the melty, sticky part!

If their gluten-free fried chicken is anything like the regular, it would be awesome! I agree though, I don't think I'd give up HBD for 50's.

You're absolutely right about the S'mores! If it isn't melty, sticky and all-around gooey ... what's the point?

Thanks for reading!

 

[MrsB1228]

After our very early lunch at 50's Prime Time Cafe, we visited some attractions (Star Wars, One Man's Dream, etc.) and watched Beauty and The Beast Live On Stage. We checked in to Hollywood Brown Derby at 3:45 for our 3:50 Fantasmic package dinner reservation. We amused ourselves by looking at all the caricatures in the lobby and were taken to our table at 4:00.

This was our first time in this restaurant and I enjoyed the golden light, warm woods and comfortable seating. We were seated in the upper tier, across from the lobby entrance to the dining room. Here's the view from our table:

I love the derby hat light fixtures!

Our server came over and introduced himself right away. He brought some ice water for us, explained how the Fantasmic package worked and then left us to look over the menu.

Before too long, he returned with some lovely dinner rolls accompanied by soft, unsalted butter topped with pink Hawaiian sea salt.

These were delicious warm sourdough rolls. Crusty on the outside with a beautiful light, fluffy interior. We both enjoyed them very much.

He returned in about 10 minutes to check on us, and we placed our orders.

For my appetizer, I chose:

Blue Lump Crab Spring Rolls - snow crab claw and an Asian slaw with spicy miso aioli.

Here's a closer look:

This was wonderful! Lots of delicious snowy-white crab meat and the aioli was a great accompaniment. It added a small kick of heat which added interest and dimension to the dish. The slaw wasn't anything special and I didn't really bother with it. 5/5

Nancy selected:

Crispy Phyllo Napoleon of Bleu Affine - with wild mushroom duxelles, grilled portobello, golden chanterelles, and a fig reduction.

Nancy absolutely loved this! There was a lot going on with this appetizer, but she said everything worked together really well. 5/5

For our entree, we both chose:

Sterling Silver Pork Chop - with smoked gouda and heirloom apple slaw served over potato hash with bacon, Napa cabbage, sweet peppers and a cider jus.

We both had mixed feelings about this entree. While the chop was delicious; tender, juicy and full of flavour, the hash it was served on was just ... weird. I found it rather oily and bland, and Nancy agreed it really didn't have much flavour. It was like an oily hash brown with a slight apple taste. Neither one of us cared for it. We give it 3/5 because the chop was lovely but the rest was meh.

On the positive side, not eating the hash meant we had room for dessert!

Nancy's choice:

Grapefruit Cake - Light Layers of Yellow Cake with fresh Grapefruit-Cream Cheese Icing.

Nancy LOVED this! She said the cake was light and moist and the icing was incredible. She loved it but said you'd have to really like grapefruit to enjoy it. I had a taste and agree it was delicious. 5/5

My choice:

Banana White Chocolate Toffee Tower - on Cocoa-Almond Cookie and Bananas Foster.

Wow, this was fantastic! I love Bananas Foster anything and this was no exception. The cocoa almond cookie was fudgy and moist and the toffee mousse was light and soooo good! I loved my dessert too! Definitely 5/5.

Overall, Hollywood Brown Derby gets a 4/5 from us. We really enjoyed our appetizers and desserts but the entree was a bit of a letdown. Service was solid, our waiter was efficient and personable and he had a very good knowledge of the menu and took the time to explain how the Fantasmic package worked. He brought our tickets and explained where we had to go and the optimum time to enter the theatre. We would return for sure!

Up Next: Lunch at Yak & Yeti, Dinner at Jiko.​

 

[tiggerlvr27]

We never do a park on our first day as we're usually pretty tired from travel. Not only that, but my sister and I are both the type that have to unpack and organize the room before we can do anything else, LOL. Brenda, I know you completely understand what I'm talking about. We received an email during lunch letting us know our room was ready so we returned to the resort and spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking and just relaxing.

We took the boat to downtown Disney around 6:30 and leisurely made our way over to Pleasure Island for our 7:30 reservation at one of our favourite restaurants, Raglan Road.

It was a very pretty night, the sky was all golds and pinks. I tried to capture it with my camera but didn't manage to do it justice.

We checked in at 7:15 and were seated at 7:25. The restaurant was very busy and loud. If you're looking for a quiet, relaxing meal, this is not the place to find it, LOL! We love the atmosphere with the Irish band and step dancers, it's a lot of fun.

Right after we were seated, our server came over to introduce herself and asked if we would like to place a beverage order. Why yes, please!

Here's to a great vacation!

We both chose our favourite drink here, the Jai-Gail Sangria, which is a traditional sangria, but made with Magner's hard cider instead of wine. It's delish!!

As we sipped our drinks, we looked over the menu.

For our appetizers, I chose the Salmon Swoon - choice Irish smoked salmon served with capers, shallots and creme fraiche. Nancy selected the soup of the day, which was Tomato Gin. I apologize for the lack of appetizer photos, we were actually pretty hungry and dug right in when they were placed in front of us. Bad, bad Dis'er!!

The Salmon Swoon was delightful!! Tender, thin pieces of perfectly smoked salmon, with absolutely no trace of sinew anywhere. It was a lovely, light choice and I loved every bite. 5/5

Nancy said the Tomato Gin soup was absolutely wonderful. It was a cream soup that still managed to have a light, bright taste (probably because of the addition of gin ) and was served with a house made crisp artfully tucked into the soup cup handle. 5/5

For our entrees, we both selected the same thing (we do that a lot, LOL)

Kevin's Heavenly Ham - Irish mist glazed loin of bacon with savoy cabbage, colcannon potatoes, parsley cream sauce and a raisin cider jus.

Here's another photo:

This was truly delicious! The ham was melt-in-your-mouth tender and the sides were perfect accompaniments. Nancy and I both enjoyed it immensely and give it 4/5.

Dessert time!

I decided to have the same dessert I enjoyed last year:

Fluffy Lemon Clouds - Intense lemon curd tart topped with fluffy meringue. Sooo incredibly good!! 5/5

Nancy chose:

Dundon's Delight - Raspberry pavlova with vanilla pod ice cream and raspberry sauce. Nancy really enjoyed this, but commented that it was extremely sweet. 4/5

Service was very good, our server was attentive without being obtrusive and paced the meal very well.

Overall, Raglan Road gets 4/5 from both of us and we'll definitely return. It's our favourite restaurant in DD.

Up Next: Thursday, September 26/13 ~ Lunch at Via Napoli, Drinks at La Cava del Tequila​

Thanks for your review! I am visiting Raglan Road for the first time 11/8!

 

[johnsonginad]

Yuuuum...your review of HBD brings back memories of the superb meal that we had there. The banana-chocolate-tower-thingy is SO GOOD!!!

 

[RGirl]

Mmmmm - your HBD choices look great, especially those appetizers. Sorry the entree (well, part of it) was not quite as great as it could have been, but I like the positive attitude - room for dessert!

 

[suzimar57]

your food photos are great

especially glad to see the BD items - wondered what that "crispy napoleon phyllo" looked like!

 

[emmysmommy]

That chicken meal looks delish at 50's PT. (I love the green beans there.) Too bad about the 'smores. I would definitely expect them to be hot like you would think coming off a campfire would be!

HBD is a lovely restaurant. At least you saw the positive about not eating all of your entrée with saving room for dessert. I had the banana dessert you ordered one time and it was one of my favorites the entire trip. Last time I ordered it they were sold out already. Boo!

 

[MrsB1228]

Thanks for your review! I am visiting Raglan Road for the first time 11/8!

Have a wonderful trip! I hope you enjoy RR as much as we do!

Yuuuum...your review of HBD brings back memories of the superb meal that we had there. The banana-chocolate-tower-thingy is SO GOOD!!!

We really enjoyed HBD and you're right, that dessert is superb!

Mmmmm - your HBD choices look great, especially those appetizers. Sorry the entree (well, part of it) was not quite as great as it could have been, but I like the positive attitude - room for dessert!

LOL! There's always a silver lining if you look for it. We enjoyed HBD and I'd happily go back, I'd just pick a different entree next time.

your food photos are great

especially glad to see the BD items - wondered what that "crispy napoleon phyllo" looked like!

Thank you for your kind words! Nancy really enjoyed that app, it certainly looked (and smelled) delish!

That chicken meal looks delish at 50's PT. (I love the green beans there.) Too bad about the 'smores. I would definitely expect them to be hot like you would think coming off a campfire would be!

Exactly! I was expecting ooey-gooey melty goodness and it definitely wasn't. When it arrived at the table, it wasn't even warm. Rather disappointing.

HBD is a lovely restaurant. At least you saw the positive about not eating all of your entrée with saving room for dessert. I had the banana dessert you ordered one time and it was one of my favorites the entire trip. Last time I ordered it they were sold out already. Boo!

Boo is right! The banana dessert was heavenly, and our server told us it was his all-time favourite dessert on the menu. One bite and I could understand why.

Thanks for reading everyone, an update is coming soon!

 

[englishrose47]

Subbing for some yummy food porn !!

 

[MrsB1228]

Hey everyone, I'm sorry for the lack of updates. My daughter was admitted to hospital on November 8th as she was pregnant with her first child (our first grandchild) and was being induced. Long story short, her son Lincoln was born on November 9th but the delivery was very difficult, resulting in him being rushed to the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto within hours of his birth. He was in serious but stable condition and the next few days were uncertain and terrifying. On Monday afternoon, we received the happy news that his condition was improving and that he would fully recover. He's still got a long road ahead of him and will be in hospital for a while yet. We've been driving back and forth to the city every day to be with this dear little man. My dining report will remain on the back burner for a while yet but if anyone is still interested, I will continue when life returns to normal. Many thanks to all who have been reading and commenting, I hope you'll stick with me when I'm able to return.

 

[johnsonginad]

Oh my! What a scary thing to have to go through! Love, hugs and prayers to you, you're family and your new grandson! Congratulations, and I hope everything is better soon!!! We will be here for you anytime you need us. Let us know if there is anything we can do!

 

[englishrose47]

That little guy is your priority we will wait !!!

 

[DisneyJo]

How scary, I'm so pleased he's on the mend though and congratulations

 

[englishrose47]

How scary, I'm so pleased he's on the mend though and congratulations

Hi Jo !!! You are still the Bestest !!!