By visiting our site, you agree to our privacy policy regarding cookies, tracking statistics, etc. Read more

  • Home
  • About
    • Brand Relationships
    • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Product Reviews
    • Advertising and PR

Rockin Mama™

Motherhood, Giveaways and Product Reviews

  • Food
    • Foodie
    • Recipes
    • Food Allergies
  • Crafts/DIY
  • Entertainment
    • Disney
    • Film
  • Events
  • Travel
    • Family Travel
    • Automotive Reviews
    • Disneyland
    • SoCal
      • Los Angeles
      • Orange County
  • Personal

Award-Winning Culinary Fare At Universal Studios Hollywood

Posted by Caryn Bailey Leave a Comment

Pin
Share
Tweet
0 Shares

I don’t typically expect to eat a gourmet meal at a theme park.  I’m ok eating pizza and sandwiches because I know that this is what’s to be expected.  But more and more theme parks are recognizing that visitors desire a wide variety of food options, including creative, healthy, and ethnically diverse meals. And given the fact that I tend to be somewhat of a foodie, I would choose a smoked salmon sandwich with an arugula salad over pizza any day.

Last night I headed to Universal Studios Hollywood for a unique culinary experience.  The Studio’s Executive Chef Eric Kopelow whipped up an amazing sampling of their menu options including hearty soups, artisanal sandwiches, and desserts that I would expect to see at a swanky New York bakery.  For the evening, I completely forgot I was at a theme park.

The International Cafe opened in 2010 as part of NBC Universal’s Healthy at NBCU initiative to provide guests with healthy food choices in a casual, European bistro-style setting.  Some of their menu selections include a shrimp cobb and Greek salad, a gourmet roast beef sandwich with brie and roasted pears, a “caprese-style” plate featuring heirloom tomatoes with mozzarella and basil, and an Espresso Hazelnut Brownie.  All items are made fresh, on-site. Prices are reasonable, considering the fact that the cafe is located inside the theme park. Salads and sandwiches are $6.99-$7.99 and pastries are $0.99-$5.29.

Last fall, the International Cafe received the Sante Restaurant Award for innovation and outstanding achievement in culinary service and hospitality.  This prestigious award was created to recognize excellence in restaurant food, wine, spirits and service hospitality.  The Sante Restaurant Award is the only peer-judged national restaurant and hospitality competition in North America and the cafe is the only establishment located within a theme park to be recognized for this award. Needless to say, it is quite an honor for the International Cafe to receive such an award.

Here are just a few photos of last night’s tasting:

Arrugula salad with virgin olive oil, buffalo mozzarella cheese and heirloom tomatoes, balsamic vinaigrette

Roasted cauliflower with cheddar, New York clam and mussel chowder and chanterelle mushroom and corn bisque

Shaved roast beef with brie cheese and roasted pears, peppercorn aioli

Smoked salmon with pickled onions and cucumbers, roasted garlic sauce

Oven roasted turkey with muenster cheese, roasted garlic sauce

Homemade bbq potato chips

House made garlic dill pickles and marinated olives

Chocolate Enchantment – layers of chocolate cake and chocolate mousse drizzled with chocolate ganache

Banana Meringue Tart – pastry shell filled with banana cream, caramel and topped with toasted meringue

The food was incredible.  Chef Kopelow took something as simple and ordinary as a sandwich and created a gourmet delicacy.  He managed to take cauliflower, a vegetable I refuse to eat, and create a rich, flavorful soup that I actually ate.  These days, I’m more adventurous than I used to be and committed to trying everything except the roast beef (which I don’t eat).  I can honestly say that there was not a single item I didn’t like, although I definitely have my preferences.  My favorite dish was the smoked salmon sandwich.  I loved the savory flavor infused into the sandwich by the pickled onions, tempered by the cucumbers and dill sauce.  The chocolate cake was rich and smooth without coming across as overly sweet.  Overall, I was highly impressed with the cafe.  With gourmet food items as an option, I don’t know that I’ll be eating pizza at the theme park anymore.

The International Cafe is located adjacent to the theme park’s “Streets of the World” film locations and is open during regular park operating hours.

No compensation was received for this post.  I was invited to a banquet, courtesy of Universal Studios Hollywood, which helped facilitate this review.

Photo Credit: Rockin’ Mama. All rights reserved.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Caryn Bailey
Caryn is a NICU nurse by day, blogger by night and mom 24/7. She savors the warm Southern California sun and loves to travel, shopping, baking, reading and frequenting her local tea room. Caryn created the column Lavishly Green for Peekaboo Picks Magazine to share her best tips for going green in style, she is the Former editor for Family Review Network, former OC Family Magazine online contributor, former Orange County Moms Blog contributor, former Evenflo Savvy Parent contributor, former member of the Totsy Advisory Board and former freelance writer for CBS Los Angeles.
Latest posts by Caryn Bailey (see all)
  • Knott’s Peanuts Celebration Food and Meal Plan Guide - January 27, 2023
  • Beyond King Tut: The Immersive Experience - January 19, 2023
  • Frozen Musical Debuts at Segerstrom Center for the Arts - January 13, 2023

Related

posted in Foodie, Los Angeles, Product Review, SoCal

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Lifestyle Resource for the Modern Mom

Twitterfollow me twitter Facebookbe a fan facebook Pinteresteye candy pinterest Google+circle me google+

About Blurb

What started out as a way to chronicle my son’s first year of life has evolved into Rockin’ Mama. I am a babywearing, breastfeeding mama, a NICU nurse by day, blogger by night.

More about me »

Subscribe

Subscribe to receive new posts via email:

get new post updates via the RSS reader of your choice

RSS feed RSS - Posts

Featured Events

  • Morning Hot Air Balloon Rides Jun 30, 2023

» View more events

Categories

Archives

POPSUGAR Select Moms
Caryn Bailey (@RockinMama) - influencer profile on Dealspotr
dealspotr.com

Popular Posts

  • Islands Happy Hour Menu
    Islands Happy Hour Menu
  • Sonic the Hedgehog Printables and Activity Pages
    Sonic the Hedgehog Printables and Activity Pages
  • 10 Things You Must Try at 85 °C Bakery Cafe
    10 Things You Must Try at 85 °C Bakery Cafe
  • One Hour Irish Soda Bread Recipe in the Bread Machine
    One Hour Irish Soda Bread Recipe in the Bread Machine

Recent Posts

Knott’s Peanuts Celebration Food and Meal Plan Guide
Knott’s Peanuts Celebration Food and Meal Plan Guide
Beyond King Tut: The Immersive Experience
Beyond King Tut: The Immersive Experience
Frozen Musical Debuts at Segerstrom Center for the Arts
Frozen Musical Debuts at Segerstrom Center for the Arts
  • ^ Back to Top
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

©2023 Rockin Mama™. Design Credits.