by Beth Keating
Review
DisneyBizJournal.com
June 29, 2024
It’s hard for us to review new items at the Hollywood Brown Derby at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, because our love for their traditional “Famous Cobb Salad” ($25.00) means that we rarely step foot in the restaurant without ordering the historic (and delicious) dish. Honestly, sometimes we don’t even look at the rest of the menu.
Be that as it may, the Brown Derby has a few new items on their “summer menu,” and our cast member/server enthusiastically pointed them out to us on a recent trip. We were convinced to try one of the offerings on our latest outing, even though the Cobb Salad is, itself, a crisp and cool choice in the heat of a Florida summer.
The new dish that caught our attention was the Pan-roasted Halibut with a Thai Coconut Sauce ($48.00).
The halibut was a nicely prepared fish, not too heavy for a theme park day, but still a pretty substantial meal. The fish was crispy outside with a moist interior, and though it was billed as “pan-roasted,” it definitely came across with a grilled flavor and texture. The halibut was served closer to a “steak” thickness (more like a salmon cut), rather than the way flakier, thinner white fish are served.
The accompanying Thai sauce was both sweet and spicy at the same time. It was an intriguing flavor combination because the sauce started out sweet, but after a few seconds on the tongue, had a spicy kick to it. It was a welcome amount of spice to the diner who chose the dish, but was a bit too spicy for the other diner who snuck a bite to taste. You can never be sure what Disney means when they say “spicy.” Overall, though, the sauce was a good complement to the milder fish.
Diced heirloom tomatoes tossed in olive oil and braised white asparagus were served alongside the fish, and gave the plate a pretty look. Fresh green herbs garnishing the top added to the freshness.
And if you aren’t a fan of eating fish, there’s also another very summer-sounding dish on the menu right now… a Root Beer-brined Pork with Creamy Polenta, Pickled Corn, Herb Chimichurri, and Barq's Root Beer Lacquer ($40.00). If root beer doesn’t scream summertime to you, your mom obviously wasn’t making you ice cold root beer floats with vanilla ice cream once school was out! We’re planning on heading back to try this one before the summer is over. Root beer for grown-ups!
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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.
Get The Disney Planner: The TO DO List Solution by Ray Keating. More information at
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