Recently my husband and I strolled into the Vine Street Brown Derby and glanced at the hundreds of caricatures lining the walls while we were led to our u-shaped brown booth. Under the dim lighting and ambiance full of Hollywood nostalgia, we enjoyed a lovely meal, with a perfect cocktail, beautifully executed entrees and a classic dessert.

The above is all true, except we were at the replica of the Vine Street Brown Derby inside of Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios park in Orlando. And the ambiance was a bit ruined by our two year old watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on my phone in between us. But alas…

I must admit I was very impressed with the attention to detail, right down to the “BD” spelled out in little tiles at the front door.

I took a trip to the restroom and found myself wandering around, gazing at the caricatures while my food got cold!

It didn’t take me long to find Clark Gable’s caricature, as he was right over the reservation desk. There was also another drawing of him there as well!

If this restaurant had been at home, it would definitely have been more of a date-night restaurant for us–one where we get a babysitter, I convince him to wear khakis and I actually do my hair. Being a Disney theme park however, we were there in our jeans and t-shirts, sweaty from a long day of Disney fun, with an antsy two-year-old in tow. It seemed strange to look around the restaurant and see everyone dressed as we were, with small children just like we had.

My husband ordered an Old Fashioned, since Clark liked those. He being somewhat of an expert at cocktails, he was very impressed at the execution and the taste.

For our entrees, my husband had chicken that was stuffed with Serrano ham and manchego cheese.

I had seafood ciopinno–a lovely plate of Prince Edward Island mussels, sauteed shrimp and pan-seared grouper over a divine broth. It was all delicious!

For dessert, of course, we absolutely had to get the famous grapefruit cake. It was beautifully presented, and was just what you would expect–light and fluffy, with just the right amount of grapefruit tartness.

All in all it was a great meal and a wonderful relief after a few days of standard park fare. Like all things at Disney, it came at a hefty price but it was worth it for the brief time travel!

 Part 1–The History of The Brown Derby

Part 2–Cooking Recipes from The Brown Derby