Let’s Do Lunch!

Guest · 8 Dec 04, 09:01 PM

Brown Derby (MGM)

A trip to MGM is not the same without a visit to The Brown Derby.
So we find ourselves once more transported to the Hollywood of old, surrounded by lots of polished dark wood, and the hundreds of caricature drawings of Hollywood greats, that adorn the walls.
It was pretty hot outside today, so we reasoned that a chilled bottle of Honig Sauvignon Blanc would refresh us nicely. (It did!)
We decided to share the feta cheese, orange and spicy pecan salad.
They split it in the kitchen for us, so we each had a separate plate, which was a nice touch.
The flavours went together perfectly, although the amount of feta was extremely skimpy. It’s not an expensive commodity, and I do think it would have made the salad even nicer than it was.
The pecans were a kind of sweet/spicy and one of the most delicious morsels ever!

Paul went on to have his favourite Thai noodle bowl with coconut crusted tofu. Which he deemed the best one he’s ever had. (He’s chosen it four times now!)
He’s not the only one that loves it; I noticed that loads of people had ordered it. Tofu seems to be a pretty popular choice round here!
I noticed they’ve added some Edamame beans to this dish. They are a type of soybean and very high in protein. They are bit smaller than a broad bean, but with a much tastier, nuttier flavour. How can something so good for you taste so good? The red curry sauce had a bit more depth too.

I had the New York Strip Steak which was marinated in dark ale. It was the best tasting steak I’d had in a long time. (Not that I eat many) It was cooked to perfection with the flavour enhanced – not masked, by the ale.
It came with Mashed Boniato (apparently) which is a type of sweet potato. Sadly though, I couldn’t discern the difference from the usual red-skinned potato mash that is often served at WDW. Actually I’m pretty convinced it was red-skinned potato!
The plate was drizzled with a thick, syrupy balsamic reduction, and some very good guacamole.
We were too stuffed for dessert – and to be honest, nothing on the menu appealed very much. You really have to tempt me when it comes to dessert (unless I’m desperate for sugar, and then I’ll gobble anything sweet!)

We enjoyed our long and very relaxing lunch at the Brown Derby and I’m sure we’ll be back in April.

Ps Still miss the piano player!

Chefs de France (EPCOT)

As many of you know, we’ve been big fans of le Chefs for many years. We’ve eaten there about twenty times, and each time enjoyed the experience hugely.
I suppose it had to happen eventually…………………… the disappointing visit!
We did go at a very busy time. It was 1pm on a Saturday, during the Food & Wine Festival. But that did not excuse the below-average wine, the fridgey tuna or the Barbielike waitress, who obviously found it very difficult to walk and talk at the same time!
I know I should have complained. I don’t usually have trouble expressing my feelings when it comes to food, but based on so many previous pleasant experiences here, and the fact that I had a headache, I couldn’t be doing with making a fuss. (I know – very British LOL)
Anyway, when our server Jennifer, finally arrived at the table we ordered our usually very acceptable carafe of house red. It wasn’t corked or stale - just not very nice. I was thinking perhaps it was me at first, but on interrogation Paul agreed.
Not only was my Tuna Nicoise decidedly lacking in potato and green beans (some Nicoise aficionados may argue their inclusion anyway) but the tuna was fridgey!
It was a nice sized portion of seared fresh tuna, and I’m not saying it was off, but it had been held at too low a temperature, for too long - at least overnight (I’m being kind) and was ruined as far as I was concerned.
Paul, on the other hand enjoyed his Grilled goat’s cheese salad as much as he usually does. Cue clean plate!

I think the main thing that stopped me complaining was that I could see he was enjoying eating and I knew it would upset him if I moaned. (I had been a bit moody that day!)
I left the restaurant feeling quite dejected. Oh well – C’est la Vie!

Chefs de France (EPCOT)

You didn’t think I could leave it there did you Dibbers?
We had to return to our beloved Chefs. Our bad experience had to be a fluke………... Didn’t it?
It was our last day, we were spending the remaining few hours of our holiday at EPCOT and thought a little light lunch may be in order.
Initially I thought we’d go to Le Cellier, but we were too full from our dinner at Citricos the night before, and I was reluctant to return home with bad memories of Chefs.
I’m exceedingly pleased to tell you that normal service had been resumed!

We both had the goat’s cheese salad this time, and I agree with Paul that this is a really nice combination of tastes and textures.
The warm, dry cheese on the toasted walnut and raisin bread, (our friendly, efficient waiter brought us more of this, when he overheard Paul saying how much he loved it) with the sweet peppers and mixed leaves, was very nice indeed!
As if we hadn’t had enough cheese, we ordered the Assiette de fromage de France, to share. Well, I told Paul that I wanted to see what the selection was – for research purposes! LOL
There was Brie, Gruyere, Port Salut and Fourme d’Ambert. All were perfectly ripe and served at room temperature. Tres bien!

I had two glasses of chardonnay and Paul stuck to water. (We didn’t want to chance the carafe today)
Sadly – very sadly, there was no room for dessert. So I’ll have to wait till next time for my Profiteroles!
For there will be a next time at our much loved Chefs de France!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mike · 8 Dec 04, 09:06 PM

...thanks Sue... I'm ravenous again!

Super report... that grilled goat’s cheese salad looks sublime!

Any more Sue?

Mike

Bob_and_Dawn · 8 Dec 04, 09:07 PM

Some gorgeous looking food there Sue; a great review.

Bob

Guest · 8 Dec 04, 09:12 PM

Originally posted by MikeJones
...thanks Sue... I'm ravenous again!

Super report... that grilled goat’s cheese salad looks sublime!

Any more Sue?

Mike

Might have a couple more up my sleeve Mike!

Guest · 8 Dec 04, 09:13 PM

Originally posted by Bob_and_Dawn
Some gorgeous looking food there Sue; a great review.

Bob

Thanks Bob. I'm looking forward to hearing about yours too!

gala · 8 Dec 04, 09:17 PM

Great report Sue and yummy pictures. When I saw the title 'Lets do Lunch' - I thought- great! - a Dibb foodie meet. Still, this was just as good. Any more reports to follow?

Margaret

Guest · 8 Dec 04, 09:57 PM

Glad to hear your bad experience at Chefs didn't put you off. Sounds like it was worth going back. That steak at the Brown Derby sounds delicious too!

Guest · 10 Dec 04, 09:57 PM

Mmmmm more food lol

Sounds nice but shame about Chefs being a bit off on the first visit

Claire

DIBBadmin · 10 Dec 04, 09:57 PM

This thread has been automatically closed as it has not been posted on in 365 days.

8 Dec 04, 09:01 PM	#1
	8 Dec 04, 09:01 PM Guest Guest
Guest Guest	Let’s Do Lunch! Brown Derby (MGM) A trip to MGM is not the same without a visit to The Brown Derby. So we find ourselves once more transported to the Hollywood of old, surrounded by lots of polished dark wood, and the hundreds of caricature drawings of Hollywood greats, that adorn the walls. It was pretty hot outside today, so we reasoned that a chilled bottle of Honig Sauvignon Blanc would refresh us nicely. (It did!) We decided to share the feta cheese, orange and spicy pecan salad. They split it in the kitchen for us, so we each had a separate plate, which was a nice touch. The flavours went together perfectly, although the amount of feta was extremely skimpy. It’s not an expensive commodity, and I do think it would have made the salad even nicer than it was. The pecans were a kind of sweet/spicy and one of the most delicious morsels ever! Paul went on to have his favourite Thai noodle bowl with coconut crusted tofu. Which he deemed the best one he’s ever had. (He’s chosen it four times now!) He’s not the only one that loves it; I noticed that loads of people had ordered it. Tofu seems to be a pretty popular choice round here! I noticed they’ve added some Edamame beans to this dish. They are a type of soybean and very high in protein. They are bit smaller than a broad bean, but with a much tastier, nuttier flavour. How can something so good for you taste so good? The red curry sauce had a bit more depth too. I had the New York Strip Steak which was marinated in dark ale. It was the best tasting steak I’d had in a long time. (Not that I eat many) It was cooked to perfection with the flavour enhanced – not masked, by the ale. It came with Mashed Boniato (apparently) which is a type of sweet potato. Sadly though, I couldn’t discern the difference from the usual red-skinned potato mash that is often served at WDW. Actually I’m pretty convinced it was red-skinned potato! The plate was drizzled with a thick, syrupy balsamic reduction, and some very good guacamole. We were too stuffed for dessert – and to be honest, nothing on the menu appealed very much. You really have to tempt me when it comes to dessert (unless I’m desperate for sugar, and then I’ll gobble anything sweet!) We enjoyed our long and very relaxing lunch at the Brown Derby and I’m sure we’ll be back in April. Ps Still miss the piano player! Chefs de France (EPCOT) As many of you know, we’ve been big fans of le Chefs for many years. We’ve eaten there about twenty times, and each time enjoyed the experience hugely. I suppose it had to happen eventually…………………… the disappointing visit! We did go at a very busy time. It was 1pm on a Saturday, during the Food & Wine Festival. But that did not excuse the below-average wine, the fridgey tuna or the Barbielike waitress, who obviously found it very difficult to walk and talk at the same time! I know I should have complained. I don’t usually have trouble expressing my feelings when it comes to food, but based on so many previous pleasant experiences here, and the fact that I had a headache, I couldn’t be doing with making a fuss. (I know – very British LOL) Anyway, when our server Jennifer, finally arrived at the table we ordered our usually very acceptable carafe of house red. It wasn’t corked or stale - just not very nice. I was thinking perhaps it was me at first, but on interrogation Paul agreed. Not only was my Tuna Nicoise decidedly lacking in potato and green beans (some Nicoise aficionados may argue their inclusion anyway) but the tuna was fridgey! It was a nice sized portion of seared fresh tuna, and I’m not saying it was off, but it had been held at too low a temperature, for too long - at least overnight (I’m being kind) and was ruined as far as I was concerned. Paul, on the other hand enjoyed his Grilled goat’s cheese salad as much as he usually does. Cue clean plate! I think the main thing that stopped me complaining was that I could see he was enjoying eating and I knew it would upset him if I moaned. (I had been a bit moody that day!) I left the restaurant feeling quite dejected. Oh well – C’est la Vie! Chefs de France (EPCOT) You didn’t think I could leave it there did you Dibbers? We had to return to our beloved Chefs. Our bad experience had to be a fluke………... Didn’t it? It was our last day, we were spending the remaining few hours of our holiday at EPCOT and thought a little light lunch may be in order. Initially I thought we’d go to Le Cellier, but we were too full from our dinner at Citricos the night before, and I was reluctant to return home with bad memories of Chefs. I’m exceedingly pleased to tell you that normal service had been resumed! We both had the goat’s cheese salad this time, and I agree with Paul that this is a really nice combination of tastes and textures. The warm, dry cheese on the toasted walnut and raisin bread, (our friendly, efficient waiter brought us more of this, when he overheard Paul saying how much he loved it) with the sweet peppers and mixed leaves, was very nice indeed! As if we hadn’t had enough cheese, we ordered the Assiette de fromage de France, to share. Well, I told Paul that I wanted to see what the selection was – for research purposes! LOL There was Brie, Gruyere, Port Salut and Fourme d’Ambert. All were perfectly ripe and served at room temperature. Tres bien! I had two glasses of chardonnay and Paul stuck to water. (We didn’t want to chance the carafe today) Sadly – very sadly, there was no room for dessert. So I’ll have to wait till next time for my Profiteroles! For there will be a next time at our much loved Chefs de France! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

8 Dec 04, 09:06 PM	#2
	8 Dec 04, 09:06 PM Mike Imagineer
Mike Imagineer Join Date: Oct 03	...thanks Sue... I'm ravenous again! Super report... that grilled goat’s cheese salad looks sublime! Any more Sue? Mike __________________ Mike's Trip Reports - WDW/Florida 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, Florence 2006 (Piccies), New York/Florida 2006, Barcelona 2006, Wedding & Honeymoon 2007, DLRP, May/June 2007, Barcelona, our 1st Anniversary, Jan 2008, What a Carry On! Florida, August 2008, New York, May/June 2012 for Amanda's 40th & June 2014 - Gulf, Orlando and NYC for Mike's 50th!

8 Dec 04, 09:57 PM	#7
	8 Dec 04, 09:57 PM Guest Guest
Guest Guest	Glad to hear your bad experience at Chefs didn't put you off. Sounds like it was worth going back. That steak at the Brown Derby sounds delicious too!

10 Dec 04, 09:57 PM	#8
	10 Dec 04, 09:57 PM Guest Guest
Guest Guest	Mmmmm more food lol Sounds nice but shame about Chefs being a bit off on the first visit Claire

10 Dec 04, 09:57 PM	#9
	10 Dec 04, 09:57 PM DIBBadmin Imagineer
DIBBadmin Imagineer Join Date: Mar 02	This thread has been automatically closed as it has not been posted on in 365 days.