Near King’s Cross Station in Universal Studios Florida, two Mardi Gras food tents provide seasonal food options until April 24^th, 2022, when the Mardi Gras celebration ends. At the food tent located closer to the lagoon area, you find two versions of a light dessert treat. Universal calls them shortcakes. Both versions cost $4.99 before discounts.

Guests may select between:

• Buttermilk Strawberry Shortcakes: Marinated strawberries, basil mascarpone cream, orange blossom honey on a buttermilk biscuit
• Buttermilk Lemon Blueberry Shortcakes: Blueberry compote, basil mascarpone cream, orange blossom honey on a buttermilk biscuit

Both shortcakes consist of a tasty biscuit drizzled with some honey. These biscuits work much better than the ones at the nearby food truck. For this type of item, the portion size of biscuit meets reasonable expectations. The overall presentation of the shortcakes helps people taste with their eyes first. Both shortcakes meet vegetarian standards but not vegan for those interested.

Several guests voiced that the basil mascarpone cream served as the best part of this dessert. They expressed wishing they could buy just that. In my opinion, the cream adds to the dessert but did not see it as that significant. However, the blending of the cream with the fruit component creates a solid taste adventure. Please be prepared for a bit of basil flavor. Like many other Mardi Gras items, the combination of cream, fruit, honey, and biscuits shows off Universal chefs’ creativity and skill. Each individual part remains good but less than all together.

Both fruit elements tasted fresh, especially for a theme park item. Both groups of people I polled about these two shortcakes were divided about which one they preferred. Since I got to break the tie, I vastly preferred the lemon blueberry version. I thought the blueberry component mixed better with the other parts of the shortcake. However, in my unscientific polling, lemon blueberry wins by a slim majority. I thought the strawberries tasted good but failed to shine as much as needed for a shortcake. The slightly tarter flavor of the blueberries fits this of shortcake better.

Should you buy this? If you are looking for a budget friendly treat, then yes you should. Will this dessert change your perspective about life, fruit, and sugar? No! Still, a theme park item costing less than $5 should not be expected to do that. If you order this, you will have a pleasant dining experience. You might even save enough money and stomach space for some other food adventures at Mardi Gras this year. Let the good times roll!