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I was living in Orlando at the time that they put up the Royal Pacific Hotel and I vividly remember being extremely excited when I heard another Emeril’s Restaurant was being put into the Universal campus area. Ever since then I have wanted to go, especially since my couple of days working at the Emeril’s on Citywalk was so much fun and educational, and wanted to see all these new flavors and ideas that the master chef had for his new concept. Tonight, I can’t even count how many years later, I finally got to make this experience happen. Tonight was also the first night of the magical dining experience and it definitely was a good start for my month long blogging expedition.

When I first arrived I parked in the lot in the self parking area and walked through the main atrium of the Pacifica Ballroom of the Royal Pacific Hotel. I was a short distance from the restaurant and I decided to opt out of the complimentary valet parking, I never turn away a little extra cardio. When you turn right out of the main atrium you see the sign for the restaurant and it really gives you that flashy feel that is definitely a Emeril trademark. I entered the restaurant and really loved the atmosphere and decor of the location, all the tables and chairs were dark wood, bamboo stalks, blue and baby blue tiles, with a gold scheme around the main areas, and really pretty flower chandeliers. I do feel the music could have been a little different since I just didn’t really feel like any of the songs really went with what you would expect from the theme. Had a pop, techno kind of feel instead of a laid back island feel. I loved the open kitchen in the middle of the back wall of the restaurant being the first thing you see, and just the whole layout of the place made you feel like they really took there time when they laid out the plans with the space they had.

I decided to go ahead and take a table at the cocktail area since I was riding solo and it was happy hour, which is from 5-8 daily and had a nice little assortments of appetizer and basic drink selections. I was greeted immediately and received happy hour menu, napkin and water and was told that my server Ann would be with me shortly. I did have to ask for the magical dining menu and did receive it right away, the main website does remind you to ask if not given to you at the beginning of service. It took a little time for Ann to get to me, I think it was because I was working on recipes and she didn’t want to disturb me since I looked so focus, and I appreciated her patience. I ordered a house Sangria and put in my order. Now there was a total of 9 options, 3 appetizers, 3 entrees, and 3 desserts, and then at the bottom of the menu is some wine recommendations. The appetizer options were Seared Ahi Poke Nachos, Asian Style Ratatouille Potstickers, and Fried Green Tomato grilled cheese. The entrees are Pulehu Bistro Steak, Baked Seafood Cobbler, and Petite Veal Osso Buco. The Desserts were Baked Hawaii in Ajar, Hazelnut Liqueur-Chocolate Candy Crunch, and Tonight’s Cobbler. Looking over the menu I decided to go with the Potstickers, Osso Buco, and Candy Crunch, these were the three options that really interested me.

The Sangria came first, I am not sure who poured it but when it arrived there was Sangria on the outside of the glass, but mainly the top of the glass base was coated. Being that this was the first thing I received other then water, I was definitely nervous about how the rest of the night was going to go. Also on the happy hour menu it said it was House Sangria and was still 6. dollars a glass. it tasted like Cabernet with bubbles. There was no sweetness, no real fruit or citruses flavors. It honestly tasted like they put it in the glass, hit it with soda water and that’s why it spilled all over the place. Unfortunately this is not the only sloppy presentation I would receive.

The first course then came out, I really liked the presentation, the china choice, how the sauce already had a complementing spot, and the watermelon and regular radish garnishes. My only complaint with what I received was that the sauce came up and out of the designated area and onto the side of the plate. But the flavor of the Potstickers was really good, all three were well seared and had a nice crunchy texture on the outside and then a nice mushy center, which is what you would expect from a ratatouille filling. The accompanying sauce was a creamy roasted garlic tofu dressing, I can’t say I got all those flavors, but I can say that the sauce was really colorful, with a smooth almost creamy texture that did not overpower the potstickers and accompanied them very well.

The second came after, the Petite Osso Bucco with a Kani Kama Krab Risotto with Lomi Lomi Tomatoes and Taro “Poi” Sauce. This was absolutely phenomenal, the presentation in the bowl, the colors, the creaminess in the risotto, the strands of crab, this beautiful piece of Osso Buco in the center, and all topped with a cocktail fork right in the middle of the bone for me to enjoy the best part, which of course was the bone marrow. The Osso Buco was so tender that it fell apart as soon as I took the picture, with only that little bit of fat around the center holding it all together. The bone marrow was flavored so wonderfully that it almost tasted like a really soft and creamy cheese with a hint of beef flavoring. But the risotto and the sauce was really where it all hit home. I really like a creamy risotto that is right at that just past al dente, and the flavor of the sauce in combination with it all was exactly what I would expect to get from such a place. Honestly I was full at this point, but that fat kid inside of me could have put down another plate with ease and then thrown in the towel. My only problem with this dish was once again a lack of detail and a little of the sauce was on the inside rim of the bowl. When you are just out and enjoying, these little details don’t really make or break a place. But this is no ordinary place, this has Emeril’s name and face everywhere, the price point is high for the average Jo and culinarian, and when you have been waiting to go to a place and you see these miss details you kind of have to shake your head and sigh.  

The bowl was clean with only a fork and a piece of the bone in the middle to signify the fact that there was food ever there, and now it was time for the dessert course. When this chocolaty crunch bar hit the table and I saw that beautiful Orange sorbet on the end of the plate I knew I had made the right choice. The colors, the design of the plate, that slight clash from the top of the strawberry, absolutely a work of art. I like the fact that the garnish on top of the crunch bar was corn flakes, but the supposed crunch bar actually wasn’t very crunchy, except for the flakes. It almost tasted like a cakey brownie with layers of wafers, which I will have to imagine they dipped or drizzled the liqueur on and that is why it wasn’t very crunchy. Honestly though I think I would have been okay if I received a big bowl of the orange sorbet with a mountain of the cream underneath it. I am not sure if the cream underneath the sorbet was different then the one under the crunch bar, but they sure tasted different. The cream under the sorbet mixed with the sorbet honestly tasted like the greatest frozen creamsicle I have ever enjoyed. I of course tried everything with everything, but I thing I should have ordered the Baked Hawaii and then a side of the sorbet.

Overall I would have to rate my experience at a 7.5 out of 10 scale. I think I would have like a little more salt on the potsticker filling and it would have been nice to have a little sear texture on the Osso Buco, but even with that said I would definitely still order those items again just the way they are. They definitely need to have a talk with there front staff about the attention to details, and if there was a expo involved in the presentations then he needs to be apart of it. Happy Hour or not, Busy or Slow you can’t fall short on these things because these will kill you when it comes to dealing with people in the profession. 

Ann was great though and a big thank you for her service this evening, and they do validate parking for anyone interested in attending just make sure to ask. Round 2 on Saturday, When I take on the Bohemian Bar and Grill in Celebration. 

Recently I got to get a chance to go to a tasting of all of Tijuana Flats new menu items that they are rolling out. Majority of these menu items are their new Hemptation Burrito line where the tortilla is made from Hemp seeds, easy 420 lovers :). No you wont have to take a drug test after, actually the hemp plant is a viral weed to the marijuana plant and needs to be kept away from the government issued legal stock so it doesn’t effect production. It does however have a lot of protein, it isn’t really a healthier option but can help with your daily fiber and protein intake.

For those who don’t know me that well I would just like to say that I love Tijuana Flats just the way they are. A friend of mine used to be a manager at one of their many locations and he told me about the process they go through on a daily basis and I was highly impressed. I already love Spanish-american food, but when he told me that all of their items were made in house and fresh daily, I knew there was a reason I have always loved them. So am I a little bias? No. As always my reviews will be my blunt, honest, and professional opinion.

Now the Burritos themselves are actually recipes created by their staff and were chosen from a recipe contest. The top three are now on the menu and then there is also a new appetizer and dessert option.

The first option on the menu tasting was called the Atom Bomb. it is a tortilla stuffed with cream cheese, jalapeno, and a sweet sauce, that is lightly fried and served with sour cream. All I can say was I absolutely loved it, you get hit with a pop of heat at different times while eating it, but it isn’t to greasy and the flavor contexts is really nice. If you like a little heat and love a fried tortilla as much as I do then you will love it to. definitely try it next time you walk into one of their many locations.

The next item they introduced to us was my least favorite item of the evening, and honestly there is no way I would ever pay for it. It is called the Pie Roller and it was the first of the Hemptation burritos, and luckily not the last.it was a tortilla stuffed with there skinny cheese, red sauce, pepperoni, then rolled up and topped with more of the same ingredients. I personally believe it was awful and none of the flavors came together, while I appreciate the fact the company offered a recipe contest to its employees I don’t understand how this was a winner and makes me scarred to see the losers. I think if they used a regular, fatty pizza cheese and a thicker, more flavored red sauce it would have had more potential. It is possible that this is more intended for the stoner populace, but sober I don’t see it.

Item number three was another Hemp Burrito, the Tree Hugger.   Now I really liked this Burrito. It was a bunch of veggies, a cilantro cream cheese sauce and a white cheese. All together I would definitely order this one next time I go in and can afford the calories. If you get a chance to go and try these burritos then this is the one to pick. Ver nice and clean flavor, with a refreshing flavor from the cream cheese and just enough white cheese to fill you up and not leaving you with that question of what did I just do to my self.

The last burrito on the docket is called the sweet Hemptation, and sweet is a understatement. This was a really good burrito, all the flavors came together really well, but unless I was splitting this with someone who loves chicken and waffles just as much as I do then I couldn’t bear to order it. It is a lot of food and it gives savory and sweet a new definition in Escoffier’s cook book. It is a burrito, stuffed with nacho cheese, fried Tyson all white meat tenders, churros in cinnamon sugar, and syrup. Like I said it is good, and I definitely say take a friend and split it and a tree hugger, but don’t order desert.

Now the last course on the meal was the new dessert and it was a banana empanada. nothing really special about this but it was really good and I would recommend it if you are looking for that dessert that is a little different from the everyday norm of chocolate cake and ice cream.

Overall my experience was extremely pleasant, I had a great time, and I greatly appreciate the opportunity to see all these new items. A personal thank you to Tijuana flats for including the blogging community on this new menu change and as always I am a huge fan of the company and what you guys do on the daily.