Mangia! My Review of Universal's New CommissaryCan Uni win the Great Entertainment War with Korean fried chicken? Plus: I grill the MPA's new piracy cop endorse all but one nepo baby and worry about co-CEOs
Welcome to the Jamboree, my weekly series of quick(ish) takes on the industry’s passing parade.This Week’s Jamboree Listening Companion:(Enjoy to one song with each item as you read)
On the Menu: Universal Debuts its Cafeteria of TomorrowHollywood has given so many gifts to the world: the big-screen musical, Peak TV, the Paul Lynde Halloween Special. And yet, a century in, no tradition stands taller than that of the studio commissary. That common space where Jimmy Stewart and Rita Hayworth enjoyed their Cobb salads and bowls of chili alongside extras dressed as extraterrestrials and bobby soxers. In recent years, however, the great cafeterias of our studio lots — like much else about our business — have fallen into disrepair and neglect, conveying as much excitement as the basement takeout counter of a half-abandoned Mid-Wilshire office tower. It was with great excitement then that I learned that the Universal lot was unveiling a new common dining space, part of a massive renovation of its central office area. While Hollywood’s magic on the big screen has been hit and miss this summer, there was some hope that the razzle-dazzle could be restored on the office lunch front; that the slog of overcooked burgers, stale supermarket sushi and the endless litany of foodstuffs glopped into bowls could be stanched and joy could be returned to the phrase “Let’s do lunch!” in the town that pioneered it. So, with the kind forbearance of the Comcast authorities, I ventured to Universal’s new Marketplace to see what the future held. Rising up on the edge of the lot, the Marketplace is located on the bottom floor of one of the shiny new towers that are still getting their finishing touches and will make up the new central work area of the campus, complete with conference center, screening room, a new theater, offices as well as new state-of-the-art stages. An impressive upgrading of the studio’s home — something we haven’t seen much of in recent years as our lots can look like the abandoned outposts of a retreating empire rather than the vital, vibrant heart of the world’s entertainment capital. So hats off to Comcast for investing in its space, a sign that it’s here to stay. But noble as those intentions may be, they are for naught if they can’t serve employees and visitors a lunch experience worthy of the Dream Factory. And so I stepped into the spacious, airy dining commons to find out whether Universal had a hit on its hands.
I was greeted by the lot’s Executive Chef Estevan Bautista and Executive Sous Chef Jacob Holland, who oversees the Marketplace. The pair’s detailed knowledge of each item served at the half-dozen stations demonstrated immediately that we weren’t in lunch counter land anymore. (“Jacob has tasted every single thing we serve and can tell you about the flavor profiles of every one of them,” I was told.) Before we even entered the cafeteria, however, guests are greeted with the instant showstopper: a dozen gleaming stainless steel taps, serving at a pull a stream of moderne flavored beverages, free to all. The offerings available on this day included Watermelon, Mango and Lemon-Lime Spa Water, Green Tea (brewed with spearmint and lemongrass), Lemon Mint and Strawberry Kiwi waters, lemonade, black tea and plain old sparkling water.
The flavored water tanks, I learned, are serviced by a nitrous system that fills the empty space in the tanks to maintain a even level of pressure, and they’re housed on mechanical plates to keep the tanks in a constant spinning motion to maintain effervescence. I sampled the Lemon-Lime Spa water and found it both fresh and uplifting. We moved inside to the service area which is divided into six counters: Classic Comfort, Taqueria, Field and Greens, Fire and Grate, Hearth and Stone and Global. Each station varies its items daily while maintaining a few recurring favorites — although they hope to mix up even these staples to prevent any piece of the experience from stagnating. The goal is keep the lunch offering exciting, while maintaining basic comfort items for the busy employees on their lunch break. Old standbys like cheeseburgers, pepperoni pizza, and tacos were definitely available, but they were second-billed underneath the special headliners at each station. Subscribe to The Ankler. to unlock the rest.Become a paying subscriber of The Ankler. to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content. A subscription gets you:
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Mangia! My Review of Universal's New Commissary
July 03, 2024
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