"Why do theme parks' meals not taste good?" I kept repeating this thought during the trip.
I dined at two restaurants & cafés that were supposed to be the best of all in the Universal Studios Orlando (from online reviews). I visited the Three Broomsticks Restaurant at Harry Potter's Hogsmead and Lambard's Seafood Grille in the San Francisco Area.
After the Dragon Challenge (a magical roller coaster feeling like riding a broomstick), I needed breakfast with a strong cup of coffee. It was a mistake to ride the coaster on an empty stomach (for me, my hubby was totally fine). I forgot to scream during the ride as I was not feeling well. I could not walk straight afterward and he left me to ride the second track of the roller-coaster (there were two rides from the same line), and he totally enjoyed it (jealous!). While I hate being more pale than my hubby, I was finally able to sit down at the Three Broomsticks Restaurant for breakfast. At the restaurant (in the Harry Potter movies), the usual suspects (Harry, Hermione, and Ron) drink Butter-Beer and enjoy dinning with their friends and professors. I am not familiar with the movies; however, I read Harry Potter in both Japanese and English, so I could accept what they offered for the menus in the atmosphere.
I ordered the Continental Breakfast (watermelon, cantaloupe, honey-dew, pineapple, and other fruit with a croissant and a blueberry scone), while my hubby ordered the American Breakfast (a tiny-tiny bacon and sausage link with a really small portion of eggs and two pinches of potatoes--we thought it was a joke at first).
I loved the blueberry scone and our picture showed how wonderful the breakfast was; though, the total cost was thirty six dollars!! I understand that the theme park costs more than usual restaurants; with the amount of food and quality do not matching market value at all.
At the theme park, waiters and waitresses were very nice. They smiled at me and some tried to greet me in Japanese. Their name tags showed where they were from, so we could have nice conversations about their hometowns. The service was very good, but if I go again, I would like to vocalize how unhappy I was with the food. I booked Lambard's Seafood Grille around the San Francisco Area for dinner because the online review suggested a smooth dining experience. I booked ahead of time, and I was really looking forward to tasting their clam chowder...
I love trying new meals. My aunt used to be a chef, and my mother was a nutritionist. I have really high expectations about food when I chose restaurants. I read reviews and image what the meals will taste like. Unfortunately the seafood restaurant did not satisfy my greedy stomach.
So I quickly learned that the theme park did not provide good food. I went to the City Walk for the next day's dinner. I visited Emeril's Orlando Restaurant (because over 80% of the restaurants there were CLOSED due to renovations). I did not know him as a chef but I knew him as a character from Futurama (Elzar)!
I had a fantastic early dinner--quiet (no screaming children or adults), fresh baked cornmeal bread (my favorite), and handsome waiters (which are always important). I ordered a simple hamburger and fish sandwich. They were very delicious. Fantastically, the total is about the same as the either of the first two restaurants in Universal Studios.
