Festive Brunch 2016 in the Crystal Ballroom was fairly decent for $45 per adult.  Many of the downtown hotels charge almost double this and require advanced reservations and payment.  It was easy to make a reservations through email, and Elizabeth.Spooner@hilton.com was prompt and professional in taking my reservation.  It was nice that each table had a mini Christmas tree centre-piece and the ballroom was decorated in a festive style.  The spread of food was impressive, however; many of the dishes lacked flavour and served lukewarm.  The staff were gracious and friendly, but were slow to clear our table.  The cold seafood spread had dungeness crab legs, freshly shucked oysters, cocktail shrimp, and smoked fish including salmon, and mussels.  I found the smoked fish to be too salty and the crab legs and prawns to be quite bland, even though the meat had a nice texture.  The egg bennies tasted watery and the hollandaise lacked punch.    Highlights for me were the  dim sum, lamb curry, and prime rib.  The desserts were a let down: the chocolate fondue lacked chocolate flavour and the mango cheesecake bar suffered the same fate.  My hubby downed 4 mimosas but happily volunteered to drive us home because in his words, "The glasses were so tiny that I only consumed the equivalent of 1 drink, and they weren't exactly strong."  Still worth a try if you like the variety a buffet offers, but many of the dishes are hit and miss!