Universal's Epic Universe Wish List & Speculation

[Casper Gutman]

OK, let's break this down.

Everyone knows that Dracula is from Transylvania, which is part of present day Romania.

Frankenstein literally means German Castle. The Franks were a Germanic tribe, Stein is Germanic for stone, but common in names of landscapes, places, and CASTLES.

Wolfman is from Wales, which is in central Great Britain.
Moor is a distinctly British word for "uncultivated land including hunting areas and low-lying wetlands", but the word is not used in Wales. The Welsh word for a moor is "Gweiadur". So I guess Darkmoor is better than "Darkgweiadur" (you know UC probably actually had this discussion, no proof, but logic says...).

So Darkmoor must be a generic "European" village on the edge of a moor where you could possibly encounter an angry dogman, a random German Castle/Manor, and a blood thirsty international Casanova. Oh, and a Windmill with a Tavern.

Sounds good to me.

The village they're presumably invoking, the one that has always been on the USH tour and (in reconstructed form, I believe) still is, is Frank's vaguely continental village.

The one thing the village really can't be is British. Without endorsing what is clearly a xenophobic notion, in these stories (both as written and as filmed) Britain is the familiar and "civilized." The point of "the village" is that, like most of the monstrous threats, it is "alien," "exotic," "foreign" - in short, continental. This is clearest in Dracula, in which an (eastern) continental threat invades the sanctity of the Emerald Isles. It's also very present in Wolf Man. The primary Wolf Man has to be British, to highlight the full horror of the "civilized" man becoming a beast (again, I'm certainly not endorsing these views, but it can also be seen in non-Uni monster story Jeckyll and Hyde as well), Significantly, the curse comes from an "outsider," a Romani gentleman played by Bela Lugosi (significantly, the character is ALSO named Bela - there's a reason the accented Lugosi was such a prominent part of these films).

While understanding how problematic some of this subtext is, we can still acknowledge that these stories and films - and the tropes within them, like "the village" - rely upon a key distinction between Britain as the safe and familiar and (generally Eastern) Europe as the unfamiliar and unsettling.

I'll still buy lots of merchandise, of course.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

My question is the name "Stakehouse". Your average tourist is going to expect an actual steakhouse. And that doesn't appear to be what that restaurant will be. Not to mention not what I would want in a pseudo-European Monster's Land. Pork Schnitzel? Yes. Cowboy Ribeye? Not so much.

The Stakehouse is a steak house.

 

[Mad Dog]

Monsters works for Germany....as you have France & UK in Potter, Japan/Italy in Nintendo, and Scandanavia in Dragons. Nice and balanced, geographically. 'Epic' and 'Universal' to a T. ...

 

[belloq87]

The Stakehouse is a steak house.

I believe you, but is it not still expected to be a counter service?

Steak would seem like an... odd menu basis for that sort of restaurant, but I guess we'll see how they try to pull it off.

 

[Loki]

Cheese Stake House

 

[SkiBum]

Printing on a t-shirt, TBH

Yes but it will never be in stock.

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

I believe you, but is it not still expected to be a counter service?

Steak would seem like an... odd menu basis for that sort of restaurant, but I guess we'll see how they try to pull it off.

Tritips maybe. Anyone ever been to Buckhorn?

 

[Parkscope Joe]

I believe you, but is it not still expected to be a counter service?

Steak would seem like an... odd menu basis for that sort of restaurant, but I guess we'll see how they try to pull it off.

I mean the Potter system could work - order then sit down and someone brings it out.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

I mean the Potter system could work - order then sit down and someone brings it out.

More in terms of how you cook the steak properly is likely the issue.

 

[belloq87]

I mean the Potter system could work - order then sit down and someone brings it out.

More in terms of how you cook the steak properly is likely the issue.

Yeah, I guess it just depends on what the set-up is.

I would think that people who want to eat in a steakhouse would also want their steaks prepared fresh and to their preferred temperature. I'm just not sure how much flexibility even the Potter dining methodologies would allow for.

 

[Alicia]

I mean the Potter system could work - order then sit down and someone brings it out.

That’s the plan. Every land will have one upscale quick service location. We already know Toad’s Cafe is like that, for example.

 

[Mad Dog]

I love both Potter restaurants. The system works great and there's no wasted time, and tips, like a regular sit down.

 

[belloq87]

I don't think anybody would dispute that the Potter restaurants work well and have solid food.

It's just a question of whether or not steak is well-suited to that system. Perhaps it will be, I don't know!

 

[Jake S]

It's just a question of whether or not steak is well-suited to that system. Perhaps it will be, I don't know!

I suppose it depends on what they mean by steak! yet another menu drop I will anticipate almost as much as the rest of the in-land attractions.

 

[Killer Klown]

So will Darkmoor Tattoo be a sub-shop type thing in Oddities and Monstrosities or will the land have more than the one shop after all?

 

[Parkscope Joe]

I suppose it depends on what they mean by steak! yet another menu drop I will anticipate almost as much as the rest of the in-land attractions.

Items they could offer that stay in theme but don't require crazy prep:

• steakhouse burgers (specialty steak cuts of beef in burger patties)
• cheesesteak sandwiches
• grilled marinated flat iron steak (marinade tenderizes this cut and can be cooked to done)
• beef medallions (offered at other uni restaurants already)

Also like, steak isn't that hard to cook. The preparation isn't going to be the biggest hurdle for a counter service location, it's the meat's cost that's the main issue.

That being said, I'd prefer if this was a full service location with this concept. But we'll see how it turns out.

 

[MagdolHauntsMe]

People can relax about Darkmoor sounding too English. My sources tell me it was a typo in the trademark documentation. The real name is more Eastern European-y:
Darkmöör

 

[belloq87]

So will Darkmoor Tattoo be a sub-shop type thing in Oddities and Monstrosities or will the land have more than the one shop after all?

Perhaps a cart/stand adjacent to the windmill/coaster area?

Would merch carts (or the like) need permits at some point?

Items they could offer that stay in theme but don't require crazy prep:

• steakhouse burgers (specialty steak cuts of beef in burger patties)
• cheesesteak sandwiches
• grilled marinated flat iron steak (marinade tenderizes this cut and can be cooked to done)
• beef medallions (offered at other uni restaurants already)

Also like, steak isn't that hard to cook. The preparation isn't going to be the biggest hurdle for a counter service location, it's the meat's cost that's the main issue.

That being said, I'd prefer if this was a full service location with this concept. But we'll see how it turns out.

I think all those options sound good (great, even)... but I also wouldn't categorize a menu like that as necessarily a steakhouse, though.

When I think steakhouse, I'm thinking a menu offering several cuts of various qualities and price ranges, where the beef is the star, cooked to whatever temperature I want. So just from an expectations standpoint, if I were Universal, I'd be leery of calling it an actual steakhouse even if it's beef-centric.

Again, not a big deal. I'd be happy with a proper steakhouse, and I'd also be happy with a menu along the lines of what you just brainstormed.

Still hoping some Germanic influence appears at some point, too.

 

[Alicia]

People can relax about Darkmoor sounding too English. My sources tell me it was a typo in the trademark documentation. The real name is more Eastern European-y:
Darkmöör

That tracks with the other stuff not trademarked yet actually.

 

[fryoj]

idk about a steakhouse in a park. Unless they are going for lower quality, it needs to be full service. But a proper full service steakhouse is going to be out of a lot of people's price range. I think by calling it stakehouse, they can pull off your cheese steaks, medallions and similar steak based foods.

Or maybe they serve you shish-kabob on a stake. That would work for park food and fit the theme.