Style Center of the World

The Hollywood Brown Derby is one of the marquee experiences of Walt Disney World’s theme park dining. Though there is not a dress code for the restaurant, I’ve always felt it deserved to be handled with a bit more reverence when it came to sitting down for a meal here. Now, in days past, the hands down best meal on the menu was the Sterling Silver Pork Chop followed by a slice of the world famous Grapefruit Cake for dessert. The days of the pork chop are behind us, but that doesn’t mean that another entrée hasn’t stepped up to fill the void in guests’ stomachs.

I typically tend to gravitate towards all things pork; whether that is bacon, tenderloin, bacon, chops, bacon, roasts, or bacon. However, I am never one to sneer at a sensational cut of beef and can, in fact list the best steaks I’ve ever had on one hand. At The Hollywood Brown Derby the current offering is a Charred-glazed Filet of Beef with a red wine reduction and a cabernet and roasted shallot butter. On the night I ordered the steak it was also served with a potato crisp and on a bed of sautéed vegetables, but the accompaniments are known to change from time to time and have also included mushrooms and mashed potatoes.

I order my steaks medium well, less for the color of the meat or amount of blood and more for the fact that I love my steaks to have their fair share of charred, crusty, burnt bits. The preparation of my filet was excellent, and our server even made sure to ask if I wanted to have the steak butterflied to ensure that it wouldn’t be dried out when I received it, a question that is often overlooked. The steak was tender enough that it could actually be cut through with a butter knife and, not to play with the tired cliché, it melted in my mouth. The wine reduction and cabernet of the butter gave the steak even more areas of my palate to play with.

I wouldn’t go as so far to say the Charred-glazed Filet of Beef is the best steak in Walt Disney World, but it is definitely has a place in the top steaks discussion. The Sterling Silver Pork Chop is definitely missed, but the filet is worth more than a second billing. Oh, and even though the Grapefruit Cake only appears on the menu as a part of the mini dessert trio offerings, fear not, you can still order a full-sized slice! The new best meal on The Hollywood Brown Derby’s menu may just be the Charred-glazed Filet of Beef and a slice of the world famous dessert!