Disney4me Posted April 20 Report Share Posted April 20 We’re SO close to booking another trip back to Epic Universe, we can taste it…literally. Das Stakehouse We’ve attended a media event to check out the new park, plus we’ve been back for early previews of this EPIC new park. So speaking of taste, that means we’ve been trying out EVERY SINGLE restaurant we can get into at Universal Orlando’s new theme park. However, we may have just visited one restaurant that was so DARK, EERIE, and even a little GROSS that we may not return. Atmosphere So the idea is that this restaurant is an old inn-type place that’s been built over catacombs. Nope, not creepy at all. Das Stakehaus The concept is that this is a vampire hangout, giving you the perspective of the vampires themselves through paintings and architecture. Once you step inside, you’ll be greeted by one of the many familiars (yep, vampire servants) who will also serve you. Check with the familiar here Once you step inside Das Stakehaus, you’ve stepped into a very dark world. No, really, like it’s SUPER dark in here and we can’t see anything. But, hey, that’s the vibe, right? Our reporter actually said, “Das Stakehaus is the darkest restaurant I’ve ever done a review in.” It’s dark — figuratively and literally Of course, it’s not just physically dark, but the theme is pretty dark, too. Let’s just say the gang from What We Do In Do In The Shadows would feel very comfortable here. Everything is classic gothic vampire, including the artwork. Creepy art There are a lot of macabre details that you’ll want to check out if you’re into those horrifying details. BAT You’ll find plenty of seating inside with tables and chairs. Lots of seating The tables and chairs literally make you feel like you’re having dinner with Dracula (you know, like in that movie with Keanu Reeves and Gary Oldman? SO ON POINT). As far as theming goes, Das Stakehaus has nailed the vibe. THEMING, y’all By the way, everything here is mobile order. You sit at your table, scan the QR code there, order your food, and that’s it. Your food and drinks are brought out to you. BOOM. Easier than convincing a vampire to visit a blood bank (yes, sorry, but you’re just going to have to expect a lot of vampiric humor with this review). But enough about the restaurant — what’s on the menu here?! Menu The menu features burgers, kebabs, sandwiches, and more. But the food here is anything but boring because it all has a nice vampiric twist (what else would you expect?) So you’ll find dishes like Stakes, a Blood Orange Chicken Sandwich, Our Favorite Vegan Familiar’s Stuffed Cabbage, and Carved Staked Steak. So let’s sink our fangs into some food! Eats We started with the Darkmoor Black Wings for $15.99. These are Darkmoor spicy chili-dusted fried wings with smoked cheddar, charred scallions, pimento cornbread skull, and soy chili garlic sauce, served with a familiar slaw. Again, DEAD (or should we say UNDEAD?) on with the theming. Our reporter is not a big fan of wings, but knows a good wing regardless. These are NOT THAT. Darkmoor Black Wings These wings are fatty and lacking in meat, and then the meat you get doesn’t taste juicy or fresh. The sauce is pretty good, though, so we’ll give it that. Maybe if the wings were coated in it, they would’ve been better. The cornbread was interesting, sort of like a pimento cornbread with some peppers in it. The slaw was fresh, but weirdly enough, it didn’t have any dressing. Need more flavor The Carved Staked Steak for $23.99 comes with stakes in it…okay, they’re skewers, but you get the POINT, right? You get a carved strip steak, charred green onion mashed potatoes, roasted baby carrots, acorn squash, crispy maitake mushrooms with a bloody jus. At this point, we think maybe vampires shouldn’t be allowed near a restaurant because this wasn’t a great steak. It had very little flavor. Maybe it needed a touch of garlic? (Well, okay, we get why it didn’t have that.) As you can see, though, it’s served VERY red. Oh, the skewers say, “nostro arbitrio solous,” which translates to “at our discretion alone.” Um…okay? Carved Staked Steak The mashed potatoes tasted like something from the school cafeteria, and the veggies were overcooked and mushy. So, yeah, maybe these vampires need to give up their dreams of being restaurateurs. It’s practically bleeding We also tried Our Favorite Vegan Familiar’s Stuffed Cabbage for $16.99, made with Impossible stuffed cabbage, beet bucatini, in a bell pepper tomato sauce. Okay, so this is a nice combo of stuffed cabbage combined with pasta and mushrooms, some of our favorite things. However, it looks like a brain. No, really. Our Vegan Familiar’s Favorite Stuffed Cabbage This was a better dish, though, flavor-wise. The pasta tasted homemade and fresh. The tomato sauce offered a rich tomato flavor, but it could have used some salt, but the big bites of mushroom made up for the lack of flavor (again, vampires just don’t understand seasonings, y’all). But it still looks like we’re eating a brain in a bowl of blood, and we’re hoping we’re not going to start craving brains and end up like something from The Walking Dead. Pretty tasty for brains Okay, things are about to get WEIRD. For dessert, we had the Red Velvet Death for $6.99. We’ll just let you chew on the description: red velvet heart “beet” coffin cake with chocolate crumbs and puffed rice maggots. Yes, they thought that fake maggots would somehow make this appetizing. But we still took a BITE and we swear the cake tasted like something you might get at a grocery store when you’re craving red velvet cake and can’t get a good homemade one. It’s moist, but almost TOO much so. And the cream cheese frosting in the middle? Just…no. Red Velvet Death The “maggots” are Rice Krispies…but they were old and stale and they look entirely too much like maggots, and GROSS, y’all! This dessert seriously messed with our heads and not in a good way. Okay, now we’re grossed out a little And although we wanted to run away screaming at that point, we still had to try some drinks. Drinks To drink, we picked up the Reapers Reserve for $13. Okay, so this beer wasn’t bad. You can taste the cinnamon and the clove in it, but the clove is very strong and it overpowers it. However, when paired with the steak (stake?), it made the meat taste better. So it’s a good pairing with that meal. Reapers Reserve We also ordered the Monocane Mocktail for $7. Now, apparently, Monocane is a chemical name that was created for the 1933 The Invisible Man movie. It’s supposed to make you go mad — OH, GREAT. Instead, it’s like a tasty craft soda that reminded us of a Baja Blast from Taco Bell. Monocane Mocktail It’s sweet, syrupy, and it glows…we’re sure it’s fine to drink the whole thing. It’s not like it’s going to turn us invisible…we hope. Nosh or Not This Disney World restaurant is a must-visit if… You love theming. We have to give this restaurant a 10 out of 10 for theming because the gothic vibe is SO strong here. Universal really put its love for its monster universe in this restaurant. You’re okay with bland food. Hey, we get it. Some people require bland diets, and we feel like this is a spot that could meet those requirements. You want a quick and easy meal. One thing we loved was how easy it was to order here by using mobile order and having it brought right to our table. You should skip this Disney World spot if… You have picky eaters in your party. We’re going to say that although the food here is bland, the presentation could put off some kids and picky eaters. We’re STILL not over the whole “maggot” thing. You want a table service restaurant experience. This is quick service, meaning you won’t get the kind of service you would get at a fancier table service establishment. You don’t like eating in the dark. The theme here is dark, as is the restaurant. Some folks don’t like eating in super dark restaurants, so you’ll want to stay away. Overall We’ll be honest, we are a little torn about Das Stakehouse. The monster and horror lover in us absolutely loved the theming of the restaurant and even the (sometimes gross) presentation of the food. Universal didn’t pull any punches with this one. HOWEVER, the lack of seasoning on so much of what we ate was disappointing, but then again, vampires can’t eat, so it makes sense? Full Spread Who knows, maybe the vampires in Darkmoor got bored and opened a restaurant just because. ©FX In the meantime, we’ll be on the lookout for more restaurant updates from Disney World and beyond. Make sure you stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog for the latest Disney news and more! REVIEW: We Tried the NEW Burning Blade Tavern at Universal’s Epic Universe Need Disney Restaurant Advice? We’ve Got EVERYTHING You Need to Know The ONLY Disney Dining Planning Tool You’ll Need Is Here – Get the DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining! See Our Complete Disney World Restaurants Guide The Best Magic Kingdom Restaurants The Best EPCOT Restaurant Restaurants The Best Hollywood Studios Restaurants The Best Animal Kingdom Restaurants The Best Disney Springs Restaurants Check Out Dozens of Disney Dining Tips and Tools Learn All About Tipping at Disney Restaurants How to Use Mobile Order in Disney World Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the latest Disney food news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Have you eaten at this restaurant before? Tell us in the comments!The post REVIEW: We Tried the NEW Das Stakehaus at Universal’s Epic Universe first appeared on the disney food blog.View the full article Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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