Great Rides; Not So Great Food

The good news is that Universal Studios has some great rides, including the movie-themed rides that have become popular, but that I have never ridden…until last week. And, because they are indoors, they are lovely and cool, courtesy of a power bill that must be astronomical. The roller coasters aren’t too shabby either. We stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel on the property, which allowed us the luxury of cutting every line, so it really was a pleasure. I am confident that nothing could get me near one of those parks without that expensive, but fantastic perk.

But on to the food. Eh. And no, I wasn’t expecting anything great, but I was disappointed that the food was absolutely conventional at every restaurant. We didn’t go to Emeril’s, but I have eaten at his New Orleans flagship and I wasn’t thrilled at spending $150 on a good, but not special meal.

On the other hand, the burgers were pretty good. Large, but not too big to eat, and the buns didn’t overwhelm the meat. They were cooked to order and were certainly the fallback meal. But after two days of burgers and fries, how exciting can that be?  Actually, it wasn’t the mains that killed me, it was the sides and starters. Everything was fried, and well. Nothing was greasy or overbattered. And for one meal I would have been thrilled to indulge in a fry-fest. But I knew it was time for something lighter when I could see a fine mist of cooking oil spray out from us as we were flung around on the Incredible Hulk coaster.

2 Replies to “Great Rides; Not So Great Food”

  1. You have to leave the parks to get decent food. That whole city walk area is garbage. Try some restaurants on international drive though if you ever come back. There’s also a few downtown that are good.

  2. I suggest staying on the Club Level at the Hard Rock…free food and drink (beer and win) at breakfast and happy hour. I personally was too cheap to spring for such a room but my life partner was up there (7th floor, as I recall) and I used his elevator key to access the floor. The pork ribs at the Hard Rock Cafe (not the hotel) were not bad and a nice break from all the fried crap.

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