Dominique Ansel Kitchen and Bakery, NYC

Baked goods.  Desserts.  Ice cream.  Some of my all time favorite things, and all signature items at the famous Dominique Ansel establishments in New York.

If you lived under a rock in 2013, or didn't pay attention to the baked goods scene, perhaps you missed out on the most famous item produced by Chef Dominique Ansel: the cronut.  Yup, the cronut, the croissant-donut hybrid, that took the country by storm and skyrocketed Dominique Ansel into culinary celebrity status (which, to be fair, is also due to his success as a James Beard winning, work at Michelin starred restaurants, etc).  But the cronut was his big rise to fame.

Hot off the heels of the cronut was another creation: the DKA.  Dominique's Kouign Amann.  While he didn't create the glorious kouign amann, he certainly perfected it.  Like the cronut, it quickly got a cult following, and required reservations in advance.

I had many imposter cronuts and kouign amann over the years, and in the summer of 2019, I finally got to try the later.  I had mediocre expectations, given the hype, but ... well, it lived up.  And it isn't just because a kouign amann is delicious by nature (which, it is), but, well, he really did master this namesake item.

Update Review, Dominique Ansel Bakery, August 2024

My offices have a regular donut rotation, where someone brings in donuts every week, from the place of their choice (hence why I have so many donuts!).  When I was visiting my NY office, my amazing coworker decided to up the ante and go to Dominique Ansel Bakery for cronuts, not just regular donuts from any nearby shop.  I was thrilled to say the least. 

Cronut Box.

I realized when I saw the box, that I think this was my first ever actual Dominique Ansel cronut.  I'd had the DKA, and other goodies, a few years prior (review below), but not the actual signature cronut. 

"This pastry has a short shelf-life and should not be consumed after 8 hours of pick up."

I appreciate that they don't even say, "best within 8 hours", nope, its literally, "should not be consumed" when it is more than 8 hours old.  #standards.

Guava & Coconut Cronut.
 (August Monthly Flavor).

"Filled with tropical guava jam and creamy coconut ganache."

Dominique Ansel Bakery produces only one flavor each month, and it rotates monthly.  During my visit, it was guava & coconut.  Warning: those who do not like guava need to just move on.  This isn't for you.  But if you like guava, and fruity things, this certainly delivered.  So. Much. Guava.

The cronut base itself was the least interesting part to me.  As a caveat, I will say that I had it at 7pm, so definitely not as fresh as it should be.  It was well coated in sugar, and the layers were nice, but it was soft and not flaky.  Again, I suspect this was a freshness thing, as it was end of day, and had been in the fridge.  The pastry though was really not the star of the show anyway.  The other elements were the strong players, particularly the gauva, that was clearly MVP.

Inside there was a generous amount of guava jam.  Very thick, very fruity, very intense guava jam.  It was tropical and very summer appropriate.  Fairly sweet.  And on top, a thicker-than-expected coating of guava (and coconut?) icing.  It was really quite sweet, and again, very fruity and very guava forward.  A bit too sweet for me after all that jam too.  The coconut ganache was harder to find, less of it, and less strongly flavored, but I appreciated the creamy element it added.

Overall, I was very glad to try this.  The guava was a showstopper, and I wish I'd been able to actually try it fresh.  ***+.

Original Review, Dominique Ansel Kitchen, September 2021

In SF, I've tried all the "famous" local versions of kouign amann, such as the decent but average one from Starter Bakery, the much better one from b. patisserie, and the not-so-good one from Firebrand.  I've also had several from the oldest pastry shop in Paris (Stohrer), a fantastic version turned into a formal dessert at Clio in Boston, and, a memorable take home treat from an incredible meal at the (now closed) Cyrus in Napa.  I've had great kouign amann, ones that, at the time, I declared the best ever.  But the DKA ... yup, it blew them away.

Setting

The shop has an ice cream window outside to streamline those orders, and inside is the bakery counter (with everything on display!) and seating.

Ice Cream Window.

Another one of Dominique Ansel's well known creation is the soft serve.  Yup, the ice cream.  And you know how much I love my soft serve.

I was pretty excited to try the burrata soft serve, as, well, I do love burrata, and I loved the sound of the microbasil in it (I've had fabuous basil ice cream before), and the strawberry confit ... but, alas, the other flavor was What-A-Melon, which uses real watermelon, AND is served in a carved out watermelon rind, and thus ... danger, danger, danger for me, given my life threatening watermelon allergy.  I couldn't take the risk to order the other soft serve.

On another visit, they only had a cold brew flavor, and it wasn't very good, really, quite icy.  If you want great soft serve in New York, there are plenty of other places to get it, like Big Gay Ice Cream right around the corner, or my fav for the incredible ube soft serve (with halo halo toppings no less!), Soft Swerve.

Seating.

The seating area is tastefully decorated, and I appreciated all the floral touches.

Bakery Counter

Of course, most people go to Dominique Ansel Kitchen for the stunning, and unique, pastries and desserts.  All are on full display, tempting you as you want in the generally long line to place your order.

Baked Goods.

The array of tempting looking baked goods is extensive, ranging from thick cookies, to all kinds of filled croissants (including some unexpected versions like garlic confit, Nutella, and almond lavender), to the oh-so-notoriously hard to make canelé.  I honestly wanted to try nearly all of them.

More Baked Goods.

There were also some simple classics, like a plain or ham & cheese croissant for the traditionalists, and the cinnamon spun roll jumped out at me too.  Even the brownies had an interesting element to them, incorporating smoked sage.

Desserts.

And then ... the even more stunning creations, the desserts.
 

This section also showed models of the made-to-order items, like the a la minute mousse, the baked to order hazelnut madelines, nad the freshly made "Ultimate" S'more.

Beautiful Creations.

Every item was stunning, expertly made, and full of little twists.  I don't even like pavlova that much, but the brown sugar orange pavlova was gorgeous, just like the grapefruit honey tart, again, tarts aren't usualy what I go for, but these looked, and sounded, fascinating.

4th of July Religieuse.

The banana cream pie looked downright incredible, and, because it was 4th of July, the religieuse took a festive slant, decked out like Uncle Sam.  Oh, and the cheesecake?  Certainly not slouch, it was made with black truffle honey.

Retail.

The packaged retail section also includes some take-home items, like housemade granola or burnt caramel popcorn (which you know I almost grabbed, given my love of popcorn!)

Food

I would gladly have ordered a savory meal, or any of the breakfast items, or grabbed a slew of things to take home, but, alas, this visit was directly after visiting Big Gay Ice Cream one last time, and I was literally on my way to the airport from there.  Thus, I had restraint, and only got the one thing: the signature DKA.  I mean, I had no other choice, right?

Brown Sugar DKA. $5.50.

“Dominique’s Kouign Amann”: Our signature pastry made with brown sugar, similar to a “caramelized croissant,” flaky and caramelized on the outside with tender layers on the inside."

I could tell just by inspection that this kouign amann was in a league of its own.  The caramelization on the exterior was noticeable from a distance.  This is *clearly* unlike any generic bakery kouign amann.  But, I have had good koiugn amann before too.

My standards were set high.

I took a tentative bite.  Yes, wow, that was crispy.  So crispy.  So rich.  This is clearly a special item.

Bottom: That caramelization!!!!

Turning it over revealed even more ridiculous caramelized goodness.  It looked like the top of a crème brûlée!

I can safely say, on the caramelization dimension alone, this is the best I've ever had. 

At this point, I expected a good, crispy kouign amann.  Nicely layered, very rich, decadent treat.  Which it was.  I also expected, a slightly more interesting flavor, from the use of brown sugar, which isn't as standard.  And, that was there as well.

This was a good kouign amann.

But I still didn't know to expect what I found ... inside.

Inside: So gooey!

Yes, inside.  Among the crispy layers, a gooey pocket of sugary goodness.  Now *this* was unique.  I've had filled kouign amann before, usually chocolate filled, sometimes with creams or fruits, but this?  Unexpected, and I loved the quality it added to the treat.

So yes, this was an excellent treat.  Far more caramel forward than most, sweeter, and richer as as result.  While I'll eat a kouign amann for breakfast sometimes, this one I wouldn't really find breakfast appropriate.  It was just *too* much.  Actually.  

****, I still enjoyed it very much, and I think it would be lovely with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to help temper the sweet richness (they do serve it as an ice cream sandwich, but with salted caramel ice cream, which I think would be just too much).

I don't feel the need to get this again though - given my limited time in New York, I have too many other things to explore.

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Brenda's Meat & Three

Ask a San Franciscan where to get good southern food, and chances are high that Brenda's name will come up.  Particularly if you are asking about southern brunch.  Brenda's is notorious in the long-lines-at-brunch scene, even given the less than ideal location in the Tenderloin.  But the masses still line up, and although I never lined up myself, I finally got to try it.

Brenda's original restaurant was so successful they are now a mini-chain in the Bay Area, with three locations: the original Brenda's French Soul Food, an outpost in Oakland, and a slightly different second concept also in San Francisco, Brenda's Meat & Three.  It is the later that I tried.

The name is a bit perplexing if you are unfamiliar with the meat & three southern concept.  Yes, the tie in to the well known Brenda's French Soul Food is clear, but, what about the "Meat & Three" part?  The answer, per their website:

"A southern culinary tradition, meat & three diners are popular with locals who choose one meat (or entrée) and three side dishes from a daily selection of down-home favorites."

This is a fairly standard concept at southern style restaurants, which I recently discovered when I went to Atlanta (although, maybe this is the economy, or more awareness of health consequences, but "meat and two" seemed more prevalent).  

The menu at Brenda's for every meal period is fairly large, at all locations.  While they differ slightly, for the most part, they offer similar items.

For lunch and dinner, you can pick from a number of comfort food sandwiches, like pulled pork, classic muffuletta, several kinds of po'boys, a signature fried bologna, and of course a fried chicken sandwich, but they also have unique items like a vegan sloppy joe or fried veggie po'boy to really cater to a larger audience.  If you prefer more substantial entrees, you can pick from everything from shrimp & grits to an interesting pasta creation loaded with seafood.  And of course, there are platters of fried chicken, fried catfish or shrimp, ribs, pulled pork, and more.  Appetizers include hush puppies, gumbo, salads, and shrimp in a cayenne butter sauce.  And then there are beignets, both sweet and savory, offered at every location, every meal.

The breakfast/brunch menu adds in specials like biscuits & gravy, a slew of egg options (benedicts - with their southern style biscuits rather than english muffins and creole hollandaise!, omelettes, etc), french toast, hash, and breakfast meats.

I ordered for delivery, so I can't comment on the restaurant experience, but my delivery experience was reasonable - well packaged, timely arrival.

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Beignets

Beignets at Brenda's are signature items.  Available at brunch, lunch, and dinner, and in a variety of flavors, mostly sweet (chocolate or granny smith filled are their classics, but they now also have a trendy ube version!), or plain.  The sweet options definitely appeal to me, but, I actually was looking for something savory, and the idea of the savory beignet intrigued me. 

Beignet Bag.

I was a little surprised when I opened my large takeout bag to find my beignet in a smaller paper bag (but still quite sizable), with a "crawfish" stamp on it.  I suspect if you order more than one kind, this makes sense, and the bag was absolutely fine for packaging in a way that didn't make it get soggy (although it didn't really keep it warm).  It looked a little silly to have the single beignet in the big bag though.

Crawfish Beignet. $4.50.

"Spiced with cayenne, scallions & cheddar."

The beignet was covered in a messy coating (cayenne and other blackening spices I think?), much like you'd find powdered sugar coating a sweet beignet.  This is the kind of item you eat with your hands, but, yes, you'll get messy fingers, in a Cheetos kind of way (just, not quite as artificially orange).  I actually didn't care for the coating, as it made the beignet eat a bit dry.  I did appreciate the flavor, but, I'd actually prefer it without.

The beignet itself was crispy on the outside, and fluffy inside.  It didn't taste oily nor fried.  Good dough.  It was fairly dense, and ate pretty heavy.  And, as I mentioned, a bit dry.

The beignet was quite sizable, and if you want one a an appetizer before a more substantial meal, I recommend sharing.  Beignets are mostly available only in sets of 3 (of a kind), or as a flight (of all kinds), but the crawfish beignet is also available on its own at diner time for a reasonable $4.50.

Crawfish Beignet: Inside.

The beignet was very, very generously stuffed with crawfish filling.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect besides bits of crawfish, and the answer seemed to be a creamy sauce, likely much like the roux used as the base of their étouffée.  It was really well seasoned, full of classic southern flavors.  The creamy filling helped balance out the more dry exterior.  It was rich and screamed southern comfort, but didn't over power the beignet.  The crawfish were perfectly cooked, with a slight chew.  The menu mentions cheddar, which I didn't actually detect, but perhaps it was in there adding to the creaminess.

The filling really was quite tasty, and it worked amazingly well with the beignet dough.  I did end up stuffing some cole slaw and pickles into mine to make what I considered pretty perfect bites (slightly less dry this way), but it was quite enjoyable on its own too.

This was a unique and tasty dish, and I recommend it if you are up for trying something different (and aren't crawfish nor carb averse).

***+.

Sides

Given the concept, it is no surprise that Brenda's Meat & Three offers a slew of sides (at least 20 of them!), mostly all your traditional southern sides: cole slaw, potato salad, grits, cheesy grits, mashed potatoes, collard greens, red beans & rice, mac & cheese, corn succotash, okra & tomato maque choux, fries, etc, etc.  Many vegan, most vegetarian, some gluten-free.  These are available a la carte as well. 

Cole Slaw. $3.50.

To go with my beignet I got the slaw.

Ok, this looks like just any old cole slaw.  Shredded cabbage, mostly green, a little carrot, dressed in mayo based dressing.  It didn't look particularly interesting, no extra special ingredients, no interesting size chunks, not even any noticeable seasoning.

But this was excellent cole slaw.  At least, totally the kind of slaw that I like.  It was fairly fresh and crisp, although certainly a bit soft, likely was made that morning.  It was well dressed, every piece covered in dressing, but not over dressed nor soggy.  The dressing I suspect is what made it for me, besides mayo, I'm not entirely sure what was in it, but, it was creamy and flavorful.

It is hard to really pinpoint what made this so good, as there isn't anything obvious, but I really enjoyed it.  The portion was quite large (that was a large container!), and for $3.50 it was a great value.  Definitely the best cole slaw I've had in recent years, and I'd get it again in a heartbeat.

****+.

Retail Items

Brenda's offers a line of retail packaged jams, pickles, and sauces, including pepper jelly and the jams they serve at breakfast (peach cobbler or spiced strawberry), along with several kinds of pickles, and even a tomato bacon relish.

I come from a family of canners, and grew up eating homemade pickled things of all kinds, and of course, always homemade jams, so I was thrilled to see this lineup.  Grocery store pickles, even fancier ones, just don't compare.

Pepper Jelly. $1.25.

Pepper jelly is normally served with the cornbread, or chicken meals, but you can also add it on to your order for $1.25 (or get a full size retail jar if you really want to stock up).

The pepper jelly was a different style than I've had other places, no chunks, just a smooth sauce.  It was slightly sweet, not particularly spicy, and nicely pepper flavored.  I found it went well with my crawfish beignet, it went well with the slaw, and I'm sure it would go great with the cornbread or biscuit too.  Very versatile and a nice add-on.  I'd get it again.

****. 

Bread & Butter Pickles. $10.50.

First up, I opted for the bread & butter pickles, always a classic in my house.  

The top few slices were slightly mushy, but they got a bit more firm as I dug deeper.  All were a touch softer than I prefer.  Moderately thinly sliced, so less bite to them than a thicker slice.  Good level of acid.  Considerably more tart than most bread and butter pickles, which can trend overly sweet.  I had hoped for slices of onions and/or peppers in the mix, as my family has always included those in bread and butter pickles, but these were cucumber only.

Overall, good pickles, better than your average store brand, but I wanted a bit more from them.  ***+.

The pickles went really well with the slaw and savory beignet, and are a great compliment to any southern meal.

Pickled Okra. $10.50.

I couldn't resist trying a jar of the pickled okra as well.  My family pickled many things other than just cucumbers, and in particular, the dilly beans and asparagus were always favorites of mine, but I can safely say we never had pickled okra.  However, just like green beans and asparagus, it seemed like a totally reasonable crunchy green vegetable to pickle to me, so I couldn't wait to try it.  I hoped it would be crisp and not slimy though ...

I really, really, really did not like this product.  The okra sliminess was not the issue (although that was kinda there).  The issue was the taste.  It was bitter.  It was sour.  It just tasted bad.  Like, potentially unsafe to eat, not properly sealed and pickled bad.  I wonder if I got a bad batch? Yikes.

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Chase Sapphire Lounge, Boston Logan

Update Review, January 2025

I've only visited the Chase Sapphire lounge in Boston Logan airport once before, exactly a year ago, soon after it first opened.  Since Priority Pass guests are limited to one free entrance per year (worldwide), and they frequently have space restrictions in effect, I just haven't quite had the opportunity before (waiting time was too long, or I had a very short time in airport anyway, seemed like a waste of my only visit).  But I flew on New Years Eve again this year, which is a low volume travel day, and luckily I was able to get in with no wait.

I was really pleased with my experience.

I'll skip the review of the general amenities as I've covered those before, and didn't really use them this time anyway.  I do have to note though just how pleasant of a lounge it is, the aesthetics really are upscale and relaxing.  My focus of course was the food.   For the most part, the lineup was similar in format, but all new dishes compared to a year ago.

Savory Buffet

The buffet areas are broken into two sections, some dishes are a collaboration with local chef Douglass Williams and have his name displayed on the menu cards, where others are non-branded.  All are small plates, individually plated.  Not quite your standard "buffet", even though, on paper, it sorta sounds that way: soups, salads, token chicken.  Most dishes are vegetarian, and fairly healthy.  There are still no snacky items, absolutely no pretzels, nuts, snack mix, that sorta of thing, which I really do wish they'd add in.

Lentil Rice Soup.

"Caramelized onion, carrot, cumin."

Most airline lounges have a soup or two, but, usually they come in big vats.  Not here.  Here the soups are dished up individually.  There were two on offer, one was a collab with the local chef, a lentil rice soup, that I didn't want anything to do with, as I don't like lentils nor rice, and it frankly didn't look good.  I also question how well it would hold heat served this way?

Clam Chowder.

"Cream, potato, bacon, croutons."

The other soup was clam chowder.  Clam chowder is found in nearly every airline lounge on the east coast.  Its usually awful - watery, barely any clams (and what clams there are are chewy), no seasoning, etc.  I read so many rave reviews of this chowder though that I gave it a try.

It was shockingly good.  One of the best clam chowders I've ever had.  It was thick, rich, well seasoned.  It was loaded with clams that were NOT chewy, tons of bacon (small pieces, NOT flabby), plenty of potato cubes (not mushy).  No watery soup with barely any mix-ins here.  Every bite was loaded with goodies.  So, the base chowder, just, really nicely done.  Probably low **** even.

What really pushed it over the top however was the croutons.  Yes, the croutons.  They were soft in a good way, not abrasive, and soaked up the delicious chowder so well once I submerged them.  They were super buttery and garlicy.  So very very good, and I'm not really a croutons/bread person.  They really made the dish. ****+.

I finished my bowl of chowder in record time, and nearly went back for another, even though I had also grabbed a few other small plates, had ordered a made to order item, AND was looking forward to my meal on my flight not that far away.  I still sorta wish I had another.  It was that good.  Best dish of the lounge, no question.

Chermula Eggplant.

"Tabbouleh, lemon yogurt, mint."

As I mentioned, most dishes were pretty healthy, and vegetarian.  Like this grain bowl, one of the branded chef items.  I do like eggplant, but don't care for tabbouleh, and frankly, this looked pretty half-heartedly plated up anyway.  

Farro Salad.

"Maple butternut, kale, dried fruit, pumpkin seeds, citrus dressing."

And, more grains, this one not branded by the chef.  As I'm not into grains, I did not try the farro salad either, but it looked like a well composed dish with sweet elements, crunchy elements, etc. 

Kale Bowl.

"Hot honey sweet potato, chickpeas, pepitas, feta, miso vinaigrette."

Moving on to more healthy chilled things ... the salad.  Or, a dish called the "kale bowl", even though it was served on a plate, and looked like any other salad.  It had shredded kale, chickpeas, pepitas, feta, and very small cubes of hot honey sweet potato. 

I love kale, so I still got this, even though I would prefer no feta.  The kale was good, shredded lascinado kale, nicely hearty.  I didn't taste the hot honey that was supposed to be coating the sweet potato, and found the potato cubes a bit mushy, but, they were a good seasonal match.  Pepitas were good for crunch.  I don't care for chickpeas, but I hoped these would be the crunchy roasted/fried kind.  They were fairly soft.  The miso vinaigrette was minimal at best, I didn't taste miso, but since I don't really like most vinaigrettes, this was an ok thing.

Overall, a good seasonal offering, well composed, but with some ingredients I just don't care for.  ***.

Summer Succotash.

The final chilled vegetable, succotash.

This dish was a complete miss for me, and I love corn.  Now, why was summer succotash on the menu at the end of December?  Good question.  It tasted like unseasoned canned corn.  It wasn't bad exactly, but, um, why would I want to eat bland cold canned corn?  *+.

Charred Cauliflower.

"Tahini Vinaigrette, lemon zest."

The most substantial slightly hot dish, instead of the brussels sprouts I had last time, this year, charred cauliflower (that wasn't really all that charred ... I would have preferred much more char!).

Lack of char aside, this was very good.  Exactly the style of cauliflower I prefer, not too soft.  A variety of sizes of pieces, and plenty of stem left on.  I didn't taste tahini specifically, but it had a pleasant seasoning and flavor.  I truly enjoyed this dish, second favorite of the day.  ****+.

Hot Honey Chicken.

And finally, the single non-vegetarian option, the only real protein.  Very trendy, hot honey chicken.  I am not a chicken person, but I did remember thinking the chicken was the best savory dish last time (although slightly different, it was a hot ginger sesame chicken then) and people raved about this, so, I tried it.

The pieces were remarkably crisp, and well coated in sauce.  The chicken was mostly white meat, and real chicken, not like processed nuggets.  But the pieces were really quite chewy, hard, and some had just way too much coating (that sadly wasn't particularly tasty).  The sauce had an odd flavor to it, it didn't taste like honey, or spice, to me at all, it was more ... sour?  Sorta sweet-sour.  I was sad, because it looked great, but the experience of eating it was really subpar.  Chewy dry chicken with bad aftertaste. **.

Sweets

Moving on to sweets, again, one dish was a special branded chef items.  

Fudge Brownie Bite / Blondie / Oatmeal Raisin Cookie.

I did not try any of the token cookies or brownies, but I did grab a blondie for the road.

Blondie

"Butterscotch, walnuts, chocolate chips."

A blondie is the rare bar style dessert that I sometimes really like.  One that is deeply buttery, with sophisticated sweetness, and plenty of mix-ins ...

This was not that.  It wasn't stale, and it was soft enough.  And it was loaded with chocolate bits and walnuts.  But the base bar just had no real flavor.  I wanted more butter, more sugar (ideally brown sugar, or, um, the butterscotch listed in the description).  Basically, it was generic and average, and I guess good if you are a generic cookie/brownie/bar type, but I ditched it quickly (particularly given that they had nice other options).  **.

Apple Cobbler.

"Cinnamon oat topping."

I was thrilled to see the apple crisp (which, they called a cobbler, but this was really a crisp), particularly as recent reviews raved about it.  Those same folks were so right about the chowder, and I was actually really craving apple crisp, so this was a very welcome offering.

The apple crisp was served warm, and each bowl had plenty of the crisp topping.  And the topping?  Actually crisp!  The (oat based) topping had a high sugar (maybe brown sugar?) content, but I quite liked it.  The spicing in the topping and apples was strong, but I was glad there was no nutmeg overkill. The cinnamon really was quite strong though, so beware if you don't love cinnamon. The apples were soft but not mushy, large slices, in some goo but not too much.  Really, just a nicely done apple crisp.  Big points for serving it warm.  Above average, high  ***.

I do wish they had whipped cream (or even better, ice cream!) available to go with it, but the crispy really was quite good.

Pineapple Parfait.

"Coconut, pepitas, lychee."

And the final dish, the branded chef item.  During my previous visit, I adored the pudding/mousse/parfait thing, so I was thrilled to see they had one again, although totally different.

This time, it was a pineapple pudding base, with topped with toasted coconut.  And pepitas and lychee ... or so the menu said.  I didn't find any pepitas in mine (or any that I saw, not on top, and not within).  I didn't mind, but more of a crunchy element would have been nice.

The flavor was really quite tropical.  However, if you gave me this without telling me what flavor it was, I would have told you it was passionfruit probably.  I did detect the pineapple once I tried to, but I never tasted lychee (and there were no bits of fruit in it either).  Do pineapple + lychee combine together to sorta taste like passionfruit?  I'm not sure.  Anyway, it was sweet, bright, fruity, and tropical for sure.

I liked this, but felt it would benefit from more crunch, and some actual fresh fruit component, or at least bits of fruit within.  Really, it was just pudding with a sprinkle of coconut on top, not really what I'd consider a "parfait" as the menu called it.  ***.

Made to Order

You can also order from your table, by scanning a QR code.  I did (before hitting the buffet) and my food arrived within 10 minutes.

Made To Order Menu.

The made to order menu was far less changed from my previous visit.  Still burgers (regular or impossible) with fries, chicken fingers for the kids, the meatball parm sandwich (chef collab), and a noodle dish.  

The majority of guests were definitely getting burgers, they were constantly flowing out of the kitchen.

Chef Williams Branded Made to Order.

There was also a chef branded pork Milanese, and a salad.  I opted for the later, having ordered before checking out the buffet (I know, rookie move!).  It came relatively quickly, delivered to my table.

Squash Winter Salad.

"Pomegranate molasses, fig, arugula."

When I ordered, there was an option for no dressing, so I clicked that, assuming it was a vinaigrette (I dislike vinaigrette).  As such, I got a very, um, well, undressed salad.

I also expected that this was actually going to be large cubes of roasted squash, mostly squash, and the arugula more of a garnish, given the way the ingredients were listed, but this was actually just an arugula salad with squash and dried figs as equal toppings.  The arugula was fine, but, it was just arugula.  I was hoping for fresh figs, but, alas, these were dried.  The cubes of squash were fine.

Really, just a kinda boring, average salad.  It really needed a cheese element, a crunchy element, and, well, yes, some kind of dressing.  **.

Original Review, January 2024

Boston Logan Airport, assuming you aren't flying out of terminal A (Delta), is a decent place to be a Priority Pass member.  In terminal C there is a pretty lackluster and generic option, The Lounge, and in terminal E is the Air France lounge that always surprises me in how tasty some of the offerings are.  Both are fairly small, subject to access restrictions due to capacity, and aren't gorgeous showstopper spaces, but they get the job done, and I've always been happy enough with these options for a short stay. Since terminals B, C, and E are all connected airside, so it is easy to access them no matter which airline and terminal you are actually flying out of.

But in the summer of 2023 a new lounge opened up, and it kinda changed everything.  The Chase Sapphire lounge, a partnership between Chase Sapphire and Priority Pass, located in the B to C connector.  It makes the others look like Motel 6 compared to The Ritz Carlton.  It is also considerably more exclusive; Priority Pass members are only allowed a single visit per calendar year, to any of the worldwide Chase Sapphire lounge locations.  They aren't allowed guests.  The access rules are more extensive than that, so if you are interested in a visit, I recommend looking them up in full.

The lounge really is remarkable for a US domestic lounge.  It is fairly large.  The space is stunning, both the interior design and the views over the active tarmac.  It is brand new, so designed for the modern traveler, e.g. power outlets, usb ports, etc abound.  It has some extra amenities like wellness rooms, shower suites, and the like that aren't as common in domestic lounges.  

In terms of food and drink, this is not a standard buffet, packaged snacks sort of place.  Everything about it is many notches above average (although, there are certainly some issues, as you'll see below).  It is overly well staffed, to the point where it nearly seems like there are more staff than guests, and many seem to be just milling around looking for something, anything to do.  During my visit, there were 4 behind the bar, several behind each section of the plated food, and at least 2-4 circulating every small seating area ready to take away any dirty dishes.  The over staffing was borderline over bearing, and sorta took away from feeling relaxed and private, as it felt like I was being watched and hovered over at all times.  That said, they were friendly and efficient, professional, just, clearly lacking much to do.

Overall, I did enjoy my visit, and it would be easy to hang out there for a few hours and forget you were at an airport, but, it was far from perfect, and the hard product definitely outshined the soft product.

Setting

I didn't check out any of the reservable amenities, such as massage chairs, shower suites, or relaxation areas.  The regular bathrooms seemed a bit small (only 3 stalls), but were well appointed and clean.  I did peek in at the kid's room, but somehow failed to get a photo.  The lounge was fairly kid-friendly, with a confined, walled in play space, high chairs available, and kid's menu items.

The lounge is moderately large, bigger than the lounges I've visited in Logan (Air France, The Lounge), but is much smaller than most international lounges, or even bigger domestic ones.  It is broken up into many different small zones.

Taproom.

There was a lot of media fanfare around the "Taproom" section of the lounge when it first opened, a nod to Boston's bar culture, etc.  It was intended to have bartenders behind the tap bar here, and offer up local beers, but at least during my visit, it was not staffed, this area was used as just general seating by anyone (including myself) for dining, and beer was just ordered at the regular bar, or via the app.

Also note that the area is quite small, this is literally all of it - a couple high tables with stools, a couple small bench side tables, and that is it.  If you try really hard, you can pretend you are in a bar venue, but really, it is just a slightly different decorated tiny section of the lounge.

Bar.

The main bar is definitely a center of attraction, and is pretty elegant, with marble (ish?) bar top, velvet (ish?) bar stools, and bottles on display.  Note the power and USB outlets at every seat too.  This area was well staffed, and quite active, even if no one was actually seated there.  Guests walked up to order, or ordered via QR code from their seats and had drinks delivered.  The cocktail and local spirits lineup is a big focus of the lounge.

Window Seating.

There were many types of soft seating throughout the lounge, some along windows, some interior.  Again, all had dedicated power outlets.  The views over the tarmac were pretty great, for those who are into it, great plane spotting to be had.  I appreciated the abundance of natural light.

If you prefer dining tables, there was also a sizable dining area adjacent to the buffets.

Food & Drink

The concept of the lounge is unlike most others.  There is a buffet, two different buffets actually, but both feature individually plated small dishes.  There is no salad bar, no grab and go snacks, no steam trays.  No token bar snack.  It certainly feels classier.  In addition, you can order "made to order" dishes from your table by just scanning your table's personal QR code, and these items will be brought to you by servers when ready.  Not quite a la carte dining like some lounges, but certainly more efficient.  You can also order any alcoholic beverages that way, or go up to the bar.

That said, I have really mixed feelings about the food and drink offerings.  On one hand, the quality is clearly higher than your average airline lounge, the menu reasonably varied, and the fact that all buffet items are individually plated rather than large vats that everyone serves from is certainly better for sanitary purposes, food safety, and quality control.  But ... every item I got from the buffet that was supposed to be hot was lukewarm at best, I did miss being able to take as much or little as I wanted, and the made to order dishes really didn't seem any different from the buffet items, except that someone had to fetch them.  They were ready near instantly, and didn't seem to truly be made to order.

Self-Serve Beverages.

Soft drinks are located in a couple beverage coolers for you to grab yourself, along with dispensers for still or sparkling water.  The lineup here had the usual suspects of Coke, Diet Coke, and Sprite, but also three flavors of more pricey Spindriff, two flavors of Ollipop, and apple juice boxes.

I mostly stuck to regular sparkling water, and was happy to be able to fill my own bottles with it too.

Cold Beverages Tap.

Also on tap was cold brew coffee, seasonal cold brew ice tea, and unspecified spa water.

Hot Beverages.

Hot beverages round out the self-serve drinks, with coffee, nice quality tea bags or hot chocolate, and an espresso machine that makes both regular and decaf drinks.  Good variety of milks, both regular dairy and alternative, are provided.  There are two of these hot beverages stations on opposite ends of the lounge.

Raats Red Jaspar Stellenbosch.

The wine lineup had 3 each of reds and whites, along with a single sparkling and rose.  Other options included several beer options on tap (yes, local Sam Adams of course), juices, fairly premium spirits from local distributors (gin, vodka, brandy), and some pretty tempting sounded cocktails, which seemed to be the primary draw for most folks.

I went for a red blend from South Africa (retail is about $25/bottle).  It was fine, but not something I'd care to get another glass of.

Full Menu (December).

The buffet has 4 cold plates, plus 2 regular hot plates, and 2 additional chef curated hot plates, along with 3 standard desserts, and one special chef curated dessert.  The special chef call outs are from local chef Douglass Williams.

You can also order 4 made to order dishes (one is a kid's meal, and one is just fries, so really, two main dishes), or 3 additional chef curated made to order dishes.  These are ordered via a QR code you scan at your specific table, and then brought to you by a server.

The menu seems to have very recently changed (and had been fixed since opening), as every review I had read of the lounge had slight different offerings, e.g they had burrata instead of roasted beets and carrots, clam chowder instead of bourguignon stew, veggie lasagna instead of cassoulet, crispy chicken croquettes instead of the honey ginger chicken, a kid's grilled cheese instead of nuggets, and a raspberry lintzer bar instead of lemon bar.  A few dishes seemed unchanged, namely, the ricotta, the K-town bowl, the brussels sprouts, the made to order noodles, burger, and meatball parm, and the rest of the desserts.

I had read really positive reviews of the clam chowder and croquettes, and loved the looks of the lasagna, so I was fairly disappointed by the changes, but that is just personal preference.  The current menu is a bit more hearty winter fare.

Everything was well labelled with allergens and dietary constraints.  The vegetarian offerings are numerous, and many are vegan.

I went for one made to order dish, and a few from the buffet, both hot and chilled.  From what I could see, the made to order burger and the meatball Parmesan sandwich both seemed very popular, and I saw quite a few adults also ordering the kid's chicken nuggets.  I never got a glimpse of the other two made to order items, the chicken piccata with egg noodles, nor the Sapphire noodles.

Buffet Dishes.

The dishes were all mostly small plate size, not full size entrees, but also not really standard appetizers nor side dishes for the most part.  This made it easy to try a few things I guess.  I did expect the made to order dishes to be more like entrees, but at least the one I got was not, and the meatball parm sub looked about half size too.

Overall, the dishes seemed well though out, and quality was reasonable, but this plated buffet style doesn't seem to work well, at least the way they are doing it.  My biggest issue was the hot dishes, which were lukewarm at best.  Each station was completely full of small plates, all just sitting there for extended periods of time.  The turnover wasn't high, so these really did not hold temp well at all.  It seems like scaling back quantity, and putting out fewer dishes that get replenished more frequently, would greatly improve things.

(Chilled) Roasted Beets & Carrots.

"Quinoa, Dijon viniagrette, arugula, pepitas."

I didn't try the roasted beets and carrots chilled dish, which seems to have replaced the burrata that I was looking forward to.  Both those dishes used a quinoa base.  

(Chilled) Fresh Ricotta.

"Cherry peppers, sage."

I did try the fresh ricotta, which has been on the menu since opening.  It was good, creamy, nice light curd to it.  It indeed tasted nicely fresh.

It came with a very large hunk of roasted red pepper draped over it that was a decent pairing, although not one that I was crazy about, and a hard piece of bread (but not quite a crostini) that I didn't eat.

Overall, a fine dish, but not particularly special.  My second favorite of the savory dishes. ***+.

(Chilled) K-Town Grain Bowl.

"Brown rice, tofu, cucumber, diakon, kimchee."

I didn't expect the k-town grain bowl to be chilled, but later saw it listed that way on the menu.  I didn't have the brown rice at the base, but the pickled diakon and cucumber were fine, the kimchi average, the hunk of tofu large.  A decent vegan offering.  ***.

(Chilled) Charcuterie Plate.

"Proscuitto, fig jam, aged gouda, olives, dill, crackers."

The final cold dish was a simple charcuterie plate, with cubes of gouda, a trio of olives, slices of proscuitto, crackers, and dollop of fig jam.  Oh, and a tiny random sprig of dill.  Proscuitto and gouda are a step above generic salami and cheddar found in many airline lounges, but are still pretty basic and approachable.  This is the closest thing on offer to a traditional lounge offering or snack.

(Hot) Roasted Brussels Sprouts.

"Lemon zest, crispy Parmesan."

I love brussels sprouts.  I was very excited to see this dish remained on the menu, so clearly, it must be doing well?

I found it underwhelming.  The sprouts were all small sized, cut in half.  They were fairly soft, not quite mushy, but pretty close.  Kinda the type of cooked cabbage that makes people turn their noises up and declare they don't like them.  I prefer either bigger, juicer, more al dente sprouts, or crispy fried ones.  They seemed to be cooked in some kind of Asian-ish sauce.  Seasoning was ok.

The crispy Parmesan was tasty enough, but a rather odd pairing at least for me.  I think those crispy cheese bits would have been a better garnish for the roasted carrots and beets perhaps.  Some of the plates were >50% parmesan bits.

I was glad to see the brussels, but, execution was off on these, and, like the other hot dishes, they were actually lukewarm.  **+.

(Hot) Ginger Sesame Chicken.

"Crispy chicken, sweet spicy glaze, scallions."

I don't generally go for chicken, but the ginger sesame chicken really did look rather delicious.  It replaced the Korean chicken croquettes from the original opening menu.

I liked it.  The chicken was super crispy and flavorful, well battered and fried.  A mix of slightly dark meat and white meat.  I didn't taste ginger nor sesame exactly, but, the glaze was sweet (not really spicy as described), and vaguely Asian-ish.  It sorta tasted like a lot of generic Americanized Chinese food, which really can be tasty from time to time, and I hadn't had in ages.  The quality was no better than mall food court Chinese, and it was lukewarm, but again, crispy and flavorful, and that was appealing.  The scallion on top was fresh too.  

My favorite of the savory dishes. ***+.

(Hot) Braised bourguignon stew.
(From Chef Douglass Williams)

"Braised beef, carrots, pearl onions, potatoes."

I did not try the braised bourguignon stew, which frankly looked very unappealing.  The top was congealed, and it was just a murky brown color.  It did not look fresh, nor comforting.  I didn't see anyone take one of these.

This replaced the well regarded clam chowder, sadly.

(Hot) Veggie Cassoulet.
(From Chef Douglass Williams)

"White cannellini beans baked with winter vegetables and roasted peppers."

Another fairly congealed top, brown, unappealing pot, this one, a vegetarian cassoulet.  This replaced the veggie lasagna that I was excited to try, and as I don't really care for beans, this was a big downgrade to me.

Made to order: Seafood Bouillabaisse
(From Chef Douglass Williams)

"Fennel, onion, tomato, seafood stew with mussels, shrimp and clams."

From the made to order menu, I ordered the bouillabaisse.  This was the only seafood dish available in the lounge.  I placed my order via the QR code app from my table, went to the buffet to get a few items, and it was delivered within a minute of my sitting back down, probably about 4 minutes total.  I'm not really sure what was "made to order" about it, as it seems like they probably just had a big pot of it in the kitchen, and dished out a bowl?  I had somewhat expected it would be a bigger size (compared to the little bowls of the hot cassoulet or bourguignon) or that it would have some kind of garnish or other flair, perhaps served with a hunk of crusty bread with rouille.  But ... it was just a little pot of soup.

In my serving was three very small shrimp, two mussels, and some chopped clams.  The clams were quite chewy, the shrimp dry and rubbery.  The mussels were fine, juicy and plump, no grit.  The base to the stew also wasn't particularly impressive, thin, not much flavor nor depth.  I didn't taste any fennel.

Overall, not particularly successful, and I'm not sure why it was on the made to order menu.  **+.

Sweet Treats: Chocolate Chip Cookies, Brownies, Lemon Bars.

The main buffet desserts weren't particularly special: pretty average looking chocolate chip cookies, fudge brownie bites, and lemon bars.  Unlike the savory dishes, or the special chef curated single dessert offering, these really didn't seem premium in any way.

That said, I couldn't resist trying a brownie.  It was decent, moist, rich, deeply chocoately.  ***.

Sweet Treats: Whipped lemon-mascarpone parfait.
(From Chef Douglass Williams)

"Whole berry jam, honey granola."

The final dish in the buffet was the special dessert, one that was on the opening menu, and people seem to adore.  I was thrilled to see it still available, seemingly unchanged.

I took one bite, and any grumpiness I had about lukewarm previous dishes, or kinda lame other desserts, was gone.  This was just as delightful as others said it would be.  It was however *very* rich.  Thick and creamy.  Lightly lemony ... if you wanted strong lemon flavor, this wasn't it, but I didn't mind the lack of lemon.  Grown up pudding.  Delicious base.  ****.

The berry jam was a good compliment, but I would have preferred fresh berries (blackberries or blueberries would go really well with it).  At least my jam didn't really seem "whole berry" either, I couldn't tell what kind of berries made up the fruity jam.  ***.

The granola crumble made it eat a bit like a brunch or breakfast dish, rather than a true dessert, and I would have preferred something a touch less wholesome for the crunchy element, particularly with all the seeds (but I definitely applaud including a crunchy element).  The granola was a bit soft, as again, many of these had been sitting there a while (although the turnover on these was much higher than any other dish, I was not the only one to turn right back around for a second one!).  ***.

Hands down the best dish in the lounge, and I really enjoyed it.  ****.

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