Passholder Appreciation Days continues at Universal Orlando, and one of the benefits is exclusive menus and food items. Over at Lombard’s Seafood Grille at Universal Studios Florida, passholders can enjoy an AP Exclusive Prix Fixe Menu for $45+tax per person until September 30.
Prix Fixe (pronounced pre-fix) is a French term that means “fixed price” and refers to a type of menu featuring a pre-selected list of dishes at a set price. In this case, Universal is offering a 3-course meal featuring a trio of samples on each dish.
Don’t let the word sample make you think the meal wasn’t filling because it very much is. Here’s a look at the 3-courses and what we through of each sample:
Appetizer Trio
- Pan-seared blue lump crab cake with a Dijon aioli
- Sushi-grade ahi tuna in a soy garlic sauce with tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado and red onion in a crispy wonton shell
- Jumbo shrimp with classic cocktail sauce
Our favorite of the appetizers was the ahi tuna in the wonton shell. It was packed full of flavor and was a very fresh bite. The crab cake was good with the bites highlighted by the aioli but it leaned more on the breading than the crab. The shrimp cocktail is always a great app, but it is just a single shrimp so it defaulted to our “least favorite”.
Entree Trio
- Seared Angus beef tenderloin with a rich bordelaise sauce, pomme puree, roasted asparagus
- Miso-glazed salmon, edamame succotash, jasmine rice, shaved parsnips
- Deconstructed blackened Mahi taco, cabbage slaw, grilled pineapple salsa, flour tortilla, and dragon sauce
Going in, I expected to choose the beef tenderloin was my favorite but ended up loving the deconstructed Mahi taco. The fish was tasty, flaky, and moist; and paired very well with the slaw and salsa which offered a fresh, acidic contrasting flavor. The beef tenderloin ended up being the 2nd favorite, which was a classic and simple dish. The sauce was also rich and velvety. The miso-glazed salmon was our least favorite, as we found the flavor to be good but the fish a bit on the dry side.
Dessert Trio
- Key lime tartlet
- Chocolate opera torte with a dark chocolate ganache
- Raspberry sorbet over a vanilla shortbread
By this time, we were surprised to be close to being feeling full – but we powered through the most important dish of the meal. As someone who is not big on key lime desserts, I actually felt the key lime tartlet was the best of the trio. The key lime flavor wasn’t too overpowering and was closer to a key lime cheesecake than a key lime pie. On the flip side, I’m not a big chocolate fan and wasn’t big on the torte. Chocolate fans may love it though. Finally, the raspberry sorbet, which was my 2nd favorite of the trio, was refreshing and smooth but felt the vanilla shortbread was a weird pairing.
One of the best parts of the meal is the access to the often-closed 2nd floor of the restaurant, which offers some great views of Springfield and Diagon Alley. Unfortunately, by the time we went to the balcony to check the views, Florida’s skies opened up.
In the event you want to skip the prix fixe menu, passholders can also order the AP exclusive Seafood Caldo Verde, featuring Gulf shrimp, Atlantic cod, fingerling potatoes, chorizo, shaved kale, stewed with red chili.
I’ve always been a fan of Lombard’s, from the food to the decor. It also feels like it gets overlooked by guests so I have usually enjoyed quiet meals inside. The Prix Fixe menu is a nice change and a unique offering that I strongly recommend passholders to go and enjoy it.
