For the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began a year ago, Universal Studios Hollywood opened its gates for Taste of Universal, a special ticketed outdoor dining and shopping event on Friday.
Although it was pouring rain when the event began, guests were waiting and eager to get in. Gerardo Salvatierra of Yorba Linda was there with his family, and he said the first thing he felt when he made it through the turnstile was happiness.
“Everything is opening up a little now and we’re a bit tired of being at home and things are safer now, of course,” he said. “We thought this was a good opportunity to come and see the park again. It’s beautiful, it’s awesome and it’s just total happiness.”
There was the smell of sweet treats and savory eats in the air, guests scurrying about through The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, posing for masked photos inside “The Simpsons” Springfield U.S.A. and socially distanced kids dancing around with the Minion characters. Things did feel a bit more “normal.”
With the number of positive tests in Los Angles County steadily decreasing and the number of people getting vaccinated increasing, Southern California theme parks were given the go-ahead to open with a maximum of 15 percent capacity on April 1 when new guidelines dropped earlier this month. Though Disneyland’s parks announced they’d open at the end of April, Universal Studios has yet to announce an official re-opening date, just extending Taste of Universal to run through Sunday, April 11.
Though rides are not part of Taste of Universal, guests will be able to experience various lands within the upper lot of the park from 12-7 p.m. Fridays-Sundays and choose from a list of over 70 culinary options to taste, 30 of which were created specifically for this event.
“We are just so proud of the food we make here at Universal Studios,” Executive Chef Marie Grimm said. “It’s all about creating what the guests like and making sure we have the fan-favorites because they haven’t been here in a year so we want to make sure when they come back they can eat what they’ve been missing the most. But there’s a big diversity to the food, the flavors, textures and we have more vegan and vegetarian options than we ever did before.”
One of the best bites we tasted during the event was the vegan-spiced cashew brittle, a sweet treat invented by Grimm.
“When you taste it, the coconut oil mimics that buttery creaminess you’d want from a brittle, but it’s vegan,” she said.
There’s also the sweet and savory Crepewich. Of these, one is a turkey club with crispy bacon and a tangy sauce and the other is a vegetarian option with fresh spinach, berries, sliced onions, almonds, a pomegranate drizzle and feta cheese. Both are light, yet filled with flavor.
Guests were quick to share their favorite bites including the fish and chips from The Three Broomsticks, the BBQ brisket sliders from Hollywood and Dine and the round grilled cheese sandwich from the Minion Cafe.
During the shutdown, the park continued work on a few projects and Taste of Universal served as the debut of the all-new “The Secret Life of Pets: Off The Leash” attraction shop, The Pets Store, and the “Despicable Me Minion Mayhem’s” Minion Cafe.
“It’s always fun to play around and create food because it is a fun environment,” Grimm said. “When you think about Minions, it’s a kid’s cafe and experience, so we thought, well, Minions are round so we did a round grilled cheese with sourdough bread. You also have to have a balance, so parents have something to eat, too.”
Guests are still required to wear face masks and social distance. There are plenty of markers on the ground as reminders to keep a proper distance. Eating and drinking, which of course requires the removal of a face mask, is permitted only in designated outdoor dining areas with properly distanced tables. Each shop only allows a certain amount of guests in at a time to control capacity and there are temperature checks upon entry to the theme park.
Staff could be seen cleaning up and sanitizing high-touch surfaces throughout the event and they’ve implemented contactless payment options wherever possible.
Taste of Universal
When: 12-7 p.m. Fridays-Sundays through April 11
Where: Universal Studios Hollywood, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City
Tickets: $44 for adults and $25 for kids ages 3-9 at UniversalStudiosHollywood.com.
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March 13, 2021 at 08:29AM
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Universal Studios Hollywood’s Taste of Universal opens, and here’s what it was like (rain and all) - LA Daily News
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