The Taco Bell of the future is…. fine dining? That’s right, for the 25th anniversary of Demolition Man, in which Taco Bell has “won the franchise wars,” Taco Bell popped up their first fine dining concept in the Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego, California yesterday. Taco Bell took over Greystone Prime Steakhouse & Seafood for Comic Con weekend serving up a 4 course meal, served by suited waiters and accompanied by the soft sounds of a pianist.
And the cost for this dining experience? Completely free! Of course, you must be willing to stand in a ridiculously long line for the honor of sampling Taco Bell’s finest. For the debut yesterday, diners started lining up at 9am for the 6pm opening.
*Joy Joy Hors D’oeuvre*
Masa Geometrics / Corn4/ Legumes / Funghi / Tomato Aspic / Onion Soubise / Avocado / Cilantro & Capsicum
*Crunchwrap Supreme Leader*
Cheese & Masa Polygon / Seared Outlawed Aminos* / Green / Tomato Aspic / Nacho Cheese Crunch / Sour Cream Spheres
*Franchise Freedom Fries*
Nacho Cheese Potato Vessels w/ Bold Mexican Spices* / Cryo-Capsicum
*Cinnamon Helix Confection*
Oxygenated Twists / Cryo-Berry / 160 C Sugar
The menu started out incredibly innovative, with the Joy Joy Hors D’oeuvre being a complete departure from their standard menu. The dish was replicated almost perfectly from the movie! On one side, a corn fritter played a balancing act between sweet and salty. Moving across the plate, tortilla chips presented futuristic (and often unidentifiable) toppings.
Next up, the Crunchweap Supreme Leader was a bit greasy for the fine dining concept but brought some great texture and flavor, upcoming the tortilla game with a layer of crunchy cheese. The sous vide steak was seared and a nice upgrade to ground beef, though overcooked. What, on first glance, appeared to be tomato was actually tomato aspic, a jellied tomato that did the most to lend a futuristic feel to the dish. The Franchise Freedom Fries are in celebration of a re-launch of Nacho Fries for Taco Bell, and got a “futuristic” feel with some smoking dry ice presented table side. For dessert, the Cinnamon Helix Confection was a take on their popular cinnamon twists dessert.
Will Taco Bell return the concept before 2032? I certainly hope so!
