The Emporium’s name includes ‘& Savory Feast Kitchen’ for a reason: as outrageously luscious as their sweet offerings are (like, an 11 on a scale of 1-10), the savoury options are equally delicious, making it a fantastic choice for a meal as well as dessert.
Come with us on a mini tour of Toothsome’s non-dessert menu to see what else is in store when you enter this futuristic-style restaurant that raises the bar for experiential dining, featuring dishes that make lunch or dinner here compulsory:
Flash fried and chocolate stout glazed, the Coffee and Chocolate Stout Chicken Wings are a stand-out highlight when you want something bar-foody. Sprinkled with black and white sesame seeds, we’re pretty sure these wings would be some sort of Nirvana event (the place, not the band) when paired with a Brownie milkshake, so utterly rich and chocolately and filled with brownie bits that the only possible decision when creating this thing was to plunk a gigantic ultra-moist brownie on top, with a hole in the middle to stick the straw through. Try it (you’re welcome).
If you’re a salad person, or if you’re just trying to counteract all those burgers and fries you’ve been eating in the parks, go for the spectacular Super Foods Quinoa Salad, an assemblage of spinach and arugula, creamy sliced avocado, crisp sprigs of asparagus, sundried roasted tomatoes, red onion, pine nuts, and feta cheese in a summery citrus vinaigrette, appropriate for its Floridian location. We’re pretty sure every vitamin and mineral necessary to sustain life is in this thing, and it’ll give you all the stamina you need to keep pounding the parks without weighing you down. Plus, you’ll probably come away from it feeling virtuous enough that you’ll allow yourself to get one of those Brownie milkshakes we mentioned earlier, and eat the entire thing all by yourself.
Looking for American comfort food? Look no further than the Brisket and Wild Mushroom Meatloaf, topped with corn and crispy fried onions on a dollop of Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, all of it covered in rich bordelaise sauce. Most moms in the U.S. didn’t make it like this, but we’ll always say they should have.
We tried two of the restaurant’s flatbreads and while we admit we’re big fans of this pizza-but-not-pizza addition to the culinary scene, Toothsome does them especially well. Their Forest Mushroom flatbread has all the subtle earthiness you’d want from a mushroom, goat cheese, caramelized onions and arugula combo, but the drizzle of white truffle oil takes it to a new level, and one we’re happy to ascend to. Then again, we sometimes eat truffle butter on a spoon, so maybe we’re not the best ones to give an unbiased opinion.
Packed with flavour, the Duck Confit flatbread is an utterly scrumptious convergence of mushroom puree, roasted brussel sprouts, dark sweet cherries, fontina cheese and scallions threatened by just enough heat to make the cheese go all gooey. This one might just be our favourite (although Simon also thought the Steak & Bleu Cheese flatbread was equally flavourful).
If our Brit Guide reader feedback is anything to go by—and we’re certain it is—steak is probably going to be on your radar at some point during your stay. In that case, opt for the superb Cedar Plank New York Strip steak, served with grilled asparagus and Lyonnaise potatoes (we could make a meal of just the potatoes). You can order it either with rich bordelaise (red wine) or béarnaise (creamy egg and butter) sauce. Better yet, come back twice and have it both ways.
If you’ve had a classic French Niҫoise salad, you’ve got an inkling of what’s in store, but Toothsome’s Niҫoise is definitely something a bit special. Gone are the chunks of tinned fish, replaced by succulent slices of fresh citrus crusted tuna, butter-soft inside with a light crunch outside. Add some creamy fingerling potatoes, pitted Kalamata olives, a soft boiled egg, asparagus spears, tomatoes, red onion, and a creamy citrus vinaigrette on a bed of tender young greens and you’ve got a meal you can feel good about. What about the traditional haricots verts? They’re not here, but cold green beans on salad are kind of weird anyway.
There are an additional 4 salads—Waldorf Chicken Salad (grilled chicken breast, grapes, tart Granny Smith apples, sundried cranberries, celery and candied walnuts on shredded romaine, dressed in Dijon vinaigrette with an accent of crunchy apple chips); Asian Inspired Shrimp Salad (Soy marinated and grilled shrimp with roots, shoots, leaves, crunchy wasabi cashews and ginger soy vinaigrette), and Sedona Barbecue Chicken (smoky Chipotle grilled chicken, roasted corn, black beans, avocado, spicy pepper jack cheese, tomatoes, spiced pumpkin seeds and honey-lime vinaigrette on a mound of romaine lettuce),all of them firmly in the ‘healthy dining’ range.
Toothsome being a premier restaurant, the Red Reuben sandwich couldn’t be made from just any old corned beef. Instead it uses Boar’s Head corned beef, Alpine Lace Swiss cheese, braised red cabbage, and 1000 Island dressing slathered on grilled artisan rye bread. The only thing that might make it just that bit better is if the juices dripped down your arm, but we’re not complaining. It’s a nice change from the standard sauerkraut version and, happily, not heaped so high it could feed a family of four. We consider that a plus in crazy-portion-size Orlando.
We’re not sure how the egg-on-a-burger craze got started, but we are sure the Tour De France burger—half a pound of minced beef topped with soft bibb lettuce, roasted tomatoes, avocado slices, crispy fried onions, melted French Brie and a sunny side up egg on toast brioche—is an excellent example of the species. It’s a mess when you eat it, there’s no doubt about that, but you’re on holiday and there is such a thing as napkins. So go ahead—dig in!
What happens when Italian food meets Chinese cuisine? Grilled Chicken Gnocchi with sweet peppers and rapini (broccoli’s skinny cousin) in a mole cream sauce, that’s what. It wouldn’t have occurred to us to pair potatoey gnocchi with rich chilli-and-chocolate mole, but we’re so glad Toothsome’s chefs are more creative than we are. The flavour is surprisingly delicate while still packing enough punch to make you take notice, and this is a dish we’ll happily have again, once the heat of Florida’s summer turns to a bone-chilling 15C.
There are another 49 savoury items to choose from, including quiche, soup, savoury crepes and truffle fries (*swoon*). Save room for dessert, though, and remember: at 24 ounces, the milkshakes are generous enough to share!
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If you'd love to try these tasty treats for yourself, view our Universal Orlando Resort tickets.
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