Before I set out into the fog for Universal Orlando's Halloween Horror Nights, Universal set out a buffet for invited reporters to sample some of the food that it is serving at this year's event.
Let's start with my favorite items.
Starting from the left, we have:
The corn chowder also included shrimp, which provided a welcomed bite of protein. This is a classic, mild chowder that probably will hit better later this season when you need a warm-up on a chilly night. But even now, it's tasty and comforting, though nothing beyond those medium shrimp distinguish it from pretty much every other bowl of corn chowder you might have had.
The walking taco is just a mess of stuff dumped into an open bag of chips, but it's another tasty hit. My only complaint here is logistical. While I loved the mildly spicy ropa vieja with the cooling lettuce, cheese and the sour cream, that's just too much mass for the Doritos to carry, which defeats the whole gimmick of this being finger food. Find a spoon or fork, or just dump this on a plate, and go to town.
But my favorite dish all night was the vegan and gluten-free Heart "Beet" Tostada. Served on a fried corn tortilla, this tostada features diced beets atop hummus, adorned with vegan feta and watercress. It's both refreshing and filling, offering both a contrast of texture and complementary flavors. My heart goes out to whomever on Universal's culinary team crafted this savory delight.
Here we have the Evil Minion Totchos from the everyday menu at Illumination's Minion Cafe, as well as:
The Totchos were fine, as was the slider version of the burger. But they're nothing special for Horror Nights. The Red Door, however, was pure disappointment.
Listed in one place as filled with chickpeas and potatoes and in another as filled with onions and potatoes, the Red Doors we got on opening night were filled with peas and carrots. Far from tasting like the samosa we expected, this tasted like a pea soup Hot Pocket. People in the park on opening night reported the same, so I don't know what Universal was going for here. But something themed to the Red Door should be a spicy experience - not the definition of toddler pablum bland.
For dessert, I really, really wanted to try the Mini Stay-Puft S’more [$6.99] from the Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire kiosk, but they were not available on the media buffet.
After touring the 10 houses, I jumped into the queue to buy one, but when I saw that I would be waiting for a while - and realizing that I was facing a late night of editing and writing - I chose to head back to my room and get to work instead. Maybe I will get one at Universal Studios Hollywood when its Halloween Horror Nights opens on Thursday?
Halloween Horror Nights 33 house reviews and walk-through videos:
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I've always enjoyed HHN foods, but $13.99 for a walking taco is a steep price to pay for a snack bag of Doritos filled with some miscellaneous toppings. FWIW, I ALWAYS eat walking tacos with a fork/spork, so the messiness noted here is pretty much par for the course when it comes to this item - frankly if I can eat a walking taco with my hands it means there's not enough stuff inside of it.
The marshmallows are the obvious hit of HHN this year, but I wonder if it's more style over substance for the Instagram crowd.
I have noticed that Universal does tend to be pretty dynamic with their special HHN food offerings and will continue to tweak menus to meet demand. Sadly this can also mean axing certain items that are troublesome to make or prove to be more popular than the kitchens can produce, so understand that YMMV, just like your experiences in the houses.