I now regularly fly JetBlue Mint when I visit the east coast, which I do twice a year to see my family, usually once in the summer, once over Christmas. This is a compilation of reviews of all of those flights for the past few years, as I seem to take the exact same flight every time: flight 1833, from Boston Logan to SFO.
Summary? JetBlue Mint continues to impress, particularly when you get a single suite, and particularly when they serve amazing pasta. The other food can be hit or miss, but the wine and ice cream are always winners.
May 2017 Flight
Flight Details:
Departure: BOS, 10:30am (Scheduled) 12:30pm (Actual)Duration: 6+hrs
Seat: 5D
Class: Mint
Amenities
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| Amenity Kit. |
Food & Drink
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| JetBlue Mint Feast! |
I also boarded believing that I'd be getting the brunch service, as my consultation with JetBlue over Twitter told me that all flights before 11am had brunch. So I boarded quite excited about french toast, only to find that I'd be getting lunch instead. This was more appropriate given the time, but, I hadn't researched my options!
And finally, yes, I was flying Mint, which is lovely. I wasn't able to score one of the suites though, so I had a regular Mint seat with its total lack of in-seat storage. Since we sat on the runway for nearly 2 hours, not having my laptop, purse, or anything else from my bag was quite annoying.
But I'll stop complaining now, and get on with it.
Menu & Ordering
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| Menu. |
Welcome Taste
Caramelized onion dip with taro chips.
Choose three. Please note: The first two dishes listed below are chilled.
- Yuzu caesar salad: Baby gem, haricots verts, parmesan, breadcrumbs
- Quinoa & green gram bean salad: Asparagus, carrots, parsnips, tomatoes, miso dressing
- Butter poached lobster: Poblano chili basmati rice, pickled peppers
- Braised chicken & swiss chard: Parmesan polenta, mushrooms, quince chutney, chestnuts
- Dry-aged angus burger: Bacon-onion jam, havarti cheese, brioche bun
Ice Cream, Toscanini's, Boston, MA
Cappuccino & espresso: Brooklyn Roasting Company, Brooklyn, New York
When You Re-Treat
Cookie, milk bar, NYC and beyond
There were 3 key differences from my prior flights, all related to my favorite subject: dessert! First, they removed the fruit salad dessert option, which I didn't care about in the least. Second, instead of serving NY based Blue Marble ice cream on all flights, they have switched to featuring a local ice cream based on the departure city. From Boston, this meant Toscannini's, and I was looking forward to this. And third. the treat for when you are landing was swapped out to be from milk bar (!!!!), so to say I was excited about that is an understatement.
I had a hard time picking my dishes, as always. Two of the choices I had actually seen before (the yuzu ceasar and chicken with polenta were both on my first Mint flight), but the burger also sounded great, the other chilled dish had my favorite dressing (miso) and spring asparagus, and lobster people do rave about.
On my previous flight, I declared the salad "One of the best salads I've ever had on a flight, really a nice spin on a classic.", so that one was a no brainer. I also went for the chicken, again, for the accompaniments, since last time I said "there were some excellent components of this dish and I'm glad I selected it." Finally, I went for the burger. I couldn't resist the sound of bacon-onion jam.
Drinks
The drink lineup as always featured a sparkling, two red, and two white wines, plus cider, beer, liquor, soft drinks, tea, and coffee.
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| RefreshMint (with a little Vodka). |
It was fine, but sweeter than I remembered, and not nearly as refreshing. Later on once airborne, I heard others ordering theirs less sweet, so maybe this was a common complaint?
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| 2016 Lioco Indica Rosé of Carignan, 2016, Mendocino County. |
The wine lineup was all new this flight. I had the choice of a sauvignon blanc for white (instead of chardonnay), a rosé, and two reds.
I couldn't pick between white or red, so amusingly I picked rosé. I think I was just tired.
It was ... meh. A bit harsh, a bit sweet. Not really my favorite at all. I wouldn't get it again, and didn't finish.
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| Wenzlau Drawing Board Pinot Noir, 2013, Sta. Rita Hills. |
A bit later I switched to the pinot. It was a fairly classic pinot, smooth, not too tannic, and a much better choice.
Food
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| Welcome Taste: Caramelized onion dip with taro chips. |
This was awesome. Truly awesome. The dip sorta looked like hummus, but, it tasted like .. well, caramelized onions. It was creamy, smooth, and just intensely flavorful. I have no idea what was in it besides onions, but, it was amazing. Not mayo based.
The taro chips were good, crispy, flavorful, but I had only 2 full size chips and one crushed chip, which wasn't nearly enough for the quantity of dip. The dip was so good though that I literally licked it out of the bowl. I loved it.
Best "welcome taste" I've had so far, and the highlight of my meal. I wish I could have just ordered more and more of these.
As always, the meal came with my three choices plated together, along with a roll.
The roll was warm this time, but still hard and stale. JetBlue has crazy high quality for everything else served in Mint, the bread is shockingly bad. The quality olive oil packet was appreciated, and I actually used the salt and pepper.
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| Yuzu Caesar Salad. |
This sounded exactly like the version I had on my first Mint flight, although it just said "breadcrumbs" instead of "sourdough breadcrumbs". It looked nearly identical too.
The salad didn't wow me the same way it did the first time I had it, but, execution was good. The little gems were very crispy and fresh. Seriously, JetBlue puts all other airline salads to shame. You *can* have fresh, crispy, good lettuce on a plane! You can!
The haricot verts were perfectly cooked, still a bit al dente, and I loved biting into them. I lamented that my salad only had a few pieces though.
I loved the huge shreds of cheese. It didn't actually taste like parmesan to be, but I really liked it. The breadcrumbs I would ask to have left off in the future, they were just kinda mushy/dry, and took away from the salad rather than enhanced it.
The dressing didn't have as much caesar tang as I'd like, and the salad was perhaps a bit overdressed, but, had I liked the dressing more I would have appreciated it.
Overall, a good salad, but not as mind blowing as my first time around, besides just how fresh and well plated it was. My second favorite of the savory main dishes.
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| Braised Chicken & Swiss Chard. |
"Parmesan polenta, mushrooms, quince chutney, chestnuts."
Again, nearly identical description to my past flight, except it said "mushrooms" instead of "roasted chanterelle mushrooms" and "chestnuts" instead of "crispy chestnuts" (which, I had noted, they were not). The plating was a bit different, this time topped with more fresh herbs, it had a lot more sauce (I'm not sure the other version had any?), and, the portion was much larger.
This was served hot and fresh. As in, I had to wait a bit to eat it for it to cool down, which was actually great, as I could eat my burger without worrying about it getting cold.
The polenta at the base was wonderful, loaded with parmesan, which I could see as I took each spoonful, cheese would string out visible. It wasn't the smoothest polenta, but had some chunks, which I liked. I really liked the polenta.
On top was everything else: huge chunks of chicken, swiss chard, sliced mushrooms, chestnuts, and, some kind of sauce.
The sauce might have been the "quince chutney", since I didn't find that elsewhere, but, it really seemed more tomato based. I didn't actually like the sauce very much, it reminded me of chicken cacciatore, which my mom used to make and I never liked. But the other toppings were good, I liked the bitter swiss chard, the well cooked mushrooms, and the chestnuts, although there were only two chunks of chestnut. And points for the plating with the fresh herbs on top.
This was my favorite of the savories, and, even with the chicken, I'd gladly get it again.
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| Dry-aged Angus Burger. |
"Bacon-onion jam, havarti cheese, brioche bun."
And finally, the burger. Yup, I ordered a burger on a flight, inspired by the epically good burger Ojan had on an Air New Zealand flight once.
This was a mixed success. JetBlue continued to impress on a few fronts: really well prepared food and fresh ingredients, but, this needs a little refinement.
The burger was actually a slider, which was appropriate given the fact that it was just one of three main dishes served at a time.
The brioche bun looked great, shiny on top, slightly toasted even, and, well, I love that they picked brioche. But, like the dinner roll, it was dried out and kinda stale. Sadness.
The little gem and slice of tomato were both fabulous. Sooo fresh and crispy. I mean, seriously, how do they get such fresh vegetables on these flights? I don't understand how other airlines can't do this.
The burger itself was better cooked than I imagined possible for a flight. No, it wasn't mid-rare, but it was a solid medium, and ... it was juicy. It was moist. Juices ran out as I bit in. This was very impressive.
The bacon-onion jam is where things went downhill. This "jam" seemed to just be a very thin layer of mush on top. I did not like the consistency, and I really did not like the flavor. I like bacon, I love onions, but, this did not work. I also don't care for havarti, so, the thick slice of havarti served with the burger was a disappointment, but that is just personal preference. Although, they could up the ante by melting it ...
The real refinement I want though is some kind of sauce. Even just a packet of ketchup. The "jam" didn't turn out to be saucy, so the whole thing was a bit too dry (yes, the burger itself was moist, and the veggies were fresh, but the bun was very dry).
So this was close to excellent. They need to improve the bread source. I'd prefer a different cheese, and I'd like it melted. And next time ... uh, I'll bring a packet of ketchup?
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| Toscanini's Ice Cream: Two Scoops B3 & French Vanilla. |
As I mentioned, JetBlue has changed up the ice cream offering. They used to serve Blue Marble ice cream on all flights, just a single serve little cup in a single flavor. Now they partner with a local ice cream manufacturer in each departure city, and offer ice cream from the place of departure (they still serve Blue Marble for NYC departures). Interestingly, San Francisco departures get Double Rainbow, which is an odd choice given how many amazing ice cream choices we have ...
Anyway, for my Boston departure, this meant Toscanini's, a very famous shop in Cambridge. And, unlike before, I didn't just get a little packaged cup of ice cream, I got a giant bowl of 3 (!) scoops. I did not have a choice of flavors, as they came pre-scooped, and there were no toppings offered.
On my flight, we all received a single scoop of french vanilla, plus two scoops of Toscanini's signature B3 flavor, made up of brown sugar, brown butter, and brownies.
The ice cream was served fairly hard, which was fine, as wanted to have it alongside coffee, and needed to wait for a pot of decaf to be brewed, so it melted nicely as I waited.
The ice cream was good. I didn't really care for the french vanilla, it was just plain vanilla, and without any toppings, it was a bit boring. I didn't finish the vanilla, as the 3 scoops total, after that huge meal, were just too much, but it was nice to have something to cut the very sweet B3.
The B3 was good, although very, very sweet. It was a unique, complex sweet. The base flavor reminded me somewhat of salted caramel, somewhat of brown butter, really, just a unique offering unlike anything I'd ever had before. Brown sugar and brown butter, I suppose.
I adored the chunks of brownie in it though. I had one HUGE chunk, and it was amazing. Super rich, super chocolately, dense, delicious. Little smaller pieces were throughout the rest, and I think some chocolate chip flecks as well, which added a bit of crunch.
Overall, a wonderful treat, although, I do have refinements to offer. First, the 3 scoops for everyone just seems wasteful. Most of us loved the ice cream, but just couldn't finish it all. Maybe just do 2 scoops, or, ideally, let folks pick their scoops. And of course, I want toppings! American Airlines rules in this space, with their made to order sundaes, but I'd even just take some nuts, sprinkles, or whipped cream on top. Still, this was a huge improvement over the ice cream cup, and now I want to try departures from other cities to try all the ice cream varieties!
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| Decaf Coffee. |
It was ... meh. Not particularly good, but not awful. Good alongside my dessert, and I liked having a big full mug to drink from.
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| Confetti Cookie. |
And finally, our parting gift, handed out about 45 minutes before landing.
JetBlue recently switched to offering cookies from Momofuku Milk Bar (!!!), literally, the only cookies I really like. They rotate 3 flavors: Confetti, Cornflake-Marshmallow-Chocolate-Chip, and Compost. As my FA told me, "it's always a fun surprise what flavor we'll have!"
I was grinning from ear to ear as the FA came around with a tray with Momofuku Milk Bar boxes on it. The top of the boxes had cute pictures of snacked up pink luggage. On the back was a sweet note "Wherever you go w'ere here to make life a little sweeter. xo the milk bar team."
I still didn't know what kind of cookie awaited until I opened my box. Confetti was the cookie of the day, the sugar cookie with rainbow sprinkles and cake crumbs that I loved so much when Ojan got it in New York, and only saved me a tiny bite.
I was thrilled to get my own full size cookie. Or two. I'm not saying the FA slipped me an extra. Best parting gift ever, although, I kinda wished we had them earlier on, and I could have made an cookie ice cream sandwich ...
December 2017 Flight
Remember when I said I'm ruined by flying JetBlue Mint a few times for business purposes? Yeah, I am. And it continues to impress.
I was very happy and satisfied with my meal, all beautifully presented, with some fabulous flavors.
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| Delicious, delicious meal. |
Flight Details:
Departure: BOS, Scheduled 10:55am (scheduled boarding time 10:20am, actual boarding time 10:40am), Actual Departure time: 12:10pm. Delay due to being over weight.Arrival: SFO, pm
Duration: 6h m
Seat: 5F
Class: Mint
Amenties
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| Holiday Amenity Kit. |
I again found it adorable, with the fingerless gloves inside (along with matching socks and eye mask, ear plugs, lip balm, lotion).
For my seat, I wasn't able to snag a coveted single suite, which I always prefer. In fact, I was stuck in the back row, row 5, adjacent to the main cabin bathroom, with the sound of the door constantly opening and closing. But, still a Mint seat at least.
I opted for an aisle seat so I wouldn't be climbing over a stranger, and went for 5F so that my cocktail table was on the right, as I'm right handed. It turns out, I'm getting very opinionated about my seat selection!
I lucked out though and didn't have a neighbor, so once underway, I moved to the window seat, even though now I had the cocktail table on the left. I just preferred to have a bit more privacy, and not stick out into the aisle.
I still really, really prefer the single suites, as they have much better in seat storage, and I like the big shelf next to the window. And the door. Ok, I missed the suite!
Food & Drink
Menu & Ordering
As always, menus were presented once I sat down, and we ordered once underway, a selection of 3 small plates from a list of 5, plus a "Welcome Taste."
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| Sparkling Water with Lime & Mint. |
Hydration, first.
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| Westbound Lunch/Dinner Menu - December 2017. |
WELCOME TASTE
- Caramelized onion dip with plantain chips
Choose three. Please note: The first two dishes listed below are chilled
- HERBY LENTIL SALAD baby romaine, haricots verts, avocado, pecans*, pomegranate-molasses vinaigrette
- ROASTED CAULIFLOWER pickled carrots & onions, sumac yogurt, tahini-cashew dressing
- FONTINA GNOCCHI truffles, béchamel sauce
- PAN-SEARED SEABASS fregola sarda, squash, cherry tomatoes, saffron cream sauce
- MEATBALLS marinara sauce, provolone, basil feta pesto
- ICE CREAM, Toscanini's, Boston
WHEN YOU RE-TREAT
"This estate property in the hills north of Santa Barbara, run by winemaker Sashi Moorman and top sommelier Rajat Parr, is producing some of the nation’s most sought-after Pinot Noir. We’re proud to feature this bottling of several hillside parcels, pitch perfect in its ripe plum flavors and a savory mineral intensity."
The pinot sounded so promising, as I am familiar with the sommelier that was name dropped, but it wasn't actually particularly complex. Drinkable, sure, but, a bit too light and boring ,with a bit of an acidic finish.
My generous pour came in a rather stained and dirty looking glass, I think just water spots, but, still, not very appealing.
"What better treat for the holidays than a glass of some of California’s most renowned Zinfandel? Turley crafts Juvenile from their younger vines to be fruit-forward and fun—but also plenty serious, with layered black pepper and licorice spiciness adding complexity to the vibrant berry flavors."
I moved on to the Zinfandel, but it was far too harsh for me.
The red wines on this flight really weren't for me.
"Harvested from the east side of Seneca Lake, this brisk, fully dry Riesling is made by one of New York State’s rising-star producers. Its mouthwatering green apple flavors and mineral accents offer a great window into the aromatic charms of this renowned grape—and are a perfect match with our lighter Mint menu items."
Since I liked the dry riesling before, I went back for it, after being so disappointed by the red wines.
I again really liked it. Slightly sweet, really smooth, just a really enjoyable wine.
- COOKIE, milk bar, NYC and beyond
For my meal, one selection was easy: cheesy gnocchi with truffle? Um, yes. The others were harder. I'm allergic to avocado, and don't like lentils, but the rest of the salad sounded good. The cauliflower had elements of interest, but, eh, cold cooked cauliflower? And the sea bass, sooo promising with a saffron cream sauce, but I really didn't like the sea bass when I tried it before.
In retrospect, I wonder if I could have doubled up on the gnocchi?
In retrospect, I wonder if I could have doubled up on the gnocchi?
Drinks
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| Drink Menu. |
The drink lineup as always featured a sparkling, two red, and two white wines, plus cider, beer, liquor, soft drinks, tea, and coffee. On my previous flight, I had the same wine selection, and really enjoyed the dry riesling, but this time I opted to try something different. I was again tempted by nearly every option.
- SPARKLING: RAVENTOS I BLANC DE NIT BRUT ROSÉ, 2015, Penedès, Spain
- WHITE: BELLWETHER “S” DRY RIESLING, 2015, Finger Lakes
- WHITE: LEO STEEN, CHENIN BLANC, 2014, Dry Creek Valley
- RED: TURLEY, Juvenile Zinfandel, 2015, California
- RED: DOMAINE DE LA CÔTE, Pinot Noir, 2014, Sta. Rita Hills
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| DOMAINE DE LA CÔTE, Pinot Noir, 2014, Sta. Rita Hills. |
The pinot sounded so promising, as I am familiar with the sommelier that was name dropped, but it wasn't actually particularly complex. Drinkable, sure, but, a bit too light and boring ,with a bit of an acidic finish.
My generous pour came in a rather stained and dirty looking glass, I think just water spots, but, still, not very appealing.
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| TURLEY, Juvenile Zinfandel, 2015, California | . |
I moved on to the Zinfandel, but it was far too harsh for me.
The red wines on this flight really weren't for me.
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| BELLWETHER “S” DRY RIESLING, 2015, Finger Lakes. |
Since I liked the dry riesling before, I went back for it, after being so disappointed by the red wines.
I again really liked it. Slightly sweet, really smooth, just a really enjoyable wine.
Food
In the end, I decided on an all vegetarian menu, just due to previous bad experience with that sea bass. I did question my decision, but, alas, decision made.
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| Welcome Taste: Caramelized onion dip with plantain chips. |
My "plantain chips" sure looked like taro chips to me, a slight disappointment since I wanted to try them, but liked the taro chips so much before that I wasn't too sad.
This was FANTASTIC. Seriously, I adored it.
The taro chips were good as always, salty, crispy, although the serving was only 4-5 chips. I know its my "Welcome Taste", but I wanted to make a meal of it! My FA gave me the extra portion though, since I had no seat mate. Score!
The caramelized onion dip though ... oh man, that stuff is delicious. Chunky, great onion flavor, bits of onion, just oh so good. I literally licked my little bowl clean.
So, so, so good.
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| Lunch Platter: Fontina Gnocchi / Herby Lentil Salad / Roasted Cauliflower / Bread & Butter. |
I did try the roll, a hearty roll with texture from grains, quasi warm, but it was soggy and stale as always. The bread is where JetBlue Mint just never does well.
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| HERBY LENTIL SALAD / baby romaine, haricots verts, avocado, pecans, pomegranate-molasses vinaigrette. |
I know this was a strange pick for me, as I'm allergic to avocado and I dislike lentils, but ... with the heavy gnocchi as one of my choices, I wanted something light.
I did ask if the avocado was already mixed in, hoping to just have it left out, but the FA said it was. I asked if it was "pick-around-able", and he confirmed that yes it was, so, I went for it. My avocado allergy isn't nearly as extreme as my melon allergy, so I wasn't worried about picking around it, as long as I didn't eat it.
I'm glad I picked this one, as the flavors were really quite good.
Pomegranate-molasses is a very familiar flavor to me, as it is a core component to the Persian dish fesenjoon that I eat whenever visiting Persian friends, and it was excellent here. Complex flavors, a bit sweet, a bit fruity, just really enjoyable. It coated the ingredients well, and the salad wasn't overdressed.
I avoided the avocado, but I was a bit shocked to see two decent chunks of fresh avocado, not at all browned. I wonder if my FA was incorrect? How else could that have not turned brown at all?
I also avoided the lentils, which was a bit annoying, but, do-able.
The pecans were just pecans, perhaps slightly toasted, but added a good crunch and flavor. I wanted some cheese in the dish to pair them with, perhaps feta, given the Mediterranean theme?
The green beans, er, hericot verts, were fresh and snappy, and just as plentiful as the lentils, so I was able to basically get a decent sized side salad of green beans in super tasty dressing, with crunchy pecans on the side.
It was served on top of a large piece of lettuce, not soggy, yet coated in the flavorful dressing.
Overall, even though I avoided the avocado and lentils, I really enjoyed this. My favorite dish, although very closely tied for first.
I did ask if the avocado was already mixed in, hoping to just have it left out, but the FA said it was. I asked if it was "pick-around-able", and he confirmed that yes it was, so, I went for it. My avocado allergy isn't nearly as extreme as my melon allergy, so I wasn't worried about picking around it, as long as I didn't eat it.
I'm glad I picked this one, as the flavors were really quite good.
Pomegranate-molasses is a very familiar flavor to me, as it is a core component to the Persian dish fesenjoon that I eat whenever visiting Persian friends, and it was excellent here. Complex flavors, a bit sweet, a bit fruity, just really enjoyable. It coated the ingredients well, and the salad wasn't overdressed.
I avoided the avocado, but I was a bit shocked to see two decent chunks of fresh avocado, not at all browned. I wonder if my FA was incorrect? How else could that have not turned brown at all?
I also avoided the lentils, which was a bit annoying, but, do-able.
The pecans were just pecans, perhaps slightly toasted, but added a good crunch and flavor. I wanted some cheese in the dish to pair them with, perhaps feta, given the Mediterranean theme?
The green beans, er, hericot verts, were fresh and snappy, and just as plentiful as the lentils, so I was able to basically get a decent sized side salad of green beans in super tasty dressing, with crunchy pecans on the side.
It was served on top of a large piece of lettuce, not soggy, yet coated in the flavorful dressing.
Overall, even though I avoided the avocado and lentils, I really enjoyed this. My favorite dish, although very closely tied for first.
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| ROASTED CAULIFLOWER / pickled carrots & onions, sumac yogurt, tahini-cashew dressing. |
The colors were vibrant, and I eagerly dug in. The garnish was impressive, fresh herbs!
The base of the dish, not pictured as it was under everything else, was what I think was both the sumac yogurt and the tahini-cashew dressing. It was a thick substance, almost resembling hummus, but tasting nothing like it. I really, really liked it, and it wasn't tart like yogurt at all. Super flavorful.
The cauliflower was fine, roasted decently, and I liked the sizes of the chunks, but cauliflower just isn't that exciting to me.
The pickled shredded carrot and red onions though were great, crisp, and again, great flavor, the tartness and crunchy nature going well with the creamy tahini-cashew-yogurt in the base.
I didn't finish all the cauliflower, but I was really thrilled with how delicious the carrots and onions were, dredged through the flavorful base.
My second favorite dish, but just barely.
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| FONTINA GNOCCHI / truffles, béchamel sauce. |
Unfortunately, it was not great. It wasn't bad, but, it wasn't nearly as good as the pasta dishes I've had before, and wasn't quite as described.
The serving was a good size, about 9 gnocchi. They were soft, but not mushy, and not dried out. But the gnocchi exterior was not particularly notable. I really loved seared gnocchi, and these clearly couldn't be that on a flight, so I guess they were as good as could be expected. The filling was the less than stellar part, I guess fontina, but they were stuffed with a rather grainy substance that wasn't really cheesy at all. I'm still not sure it was the fontina, I was expecting something more cheesy.
The sauce was a cream sauce, but it was mostly just a coating on the bottom of the dish. I dragged my gnocchi through it to get some, but there wasn't nearly enough for my taste.
I tasted no truffle. I saw no truffle. Instead, under the layer of shredded parmesan cheese and chives, was leeks. Nicely cooked down, but, leeks are not truffle. Far less exciting.
I did really like the parmesan cheese on top, just like on my ravioli on the flight to Boston {LINK}, flavorful, large shreds, and they melted against the warm gnocchi. And points for the chive garnish.
My least favorite dish, surprisingly.
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| Dessert Happiness. |
I also had saved half a large Dunkin' Donuts coffee from the terminal in my amazing mug, so I could enjoy it with dessert, as I've never really cared for the coffee served on board (even though it too is Dunkin' Donuts, and should be fresher ...), so I pulled the mug out, poured it into my cup, and, well, had quite the dessert course.
I loved it all.
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| Toscanini's Ice Cream: Cocoa Pudding, French Vanilla. |
JetBlue always caters the ice cream from a local producer in the port of departure, so I've had Blue Marble from NY and Double Rainbow from SF, but Toscanini's from Boston is hands down the best.
The serving was 3 mini scoops, as always one was vanilla, and the other two were the flavor of the day, this time, "Cocoa Pudding" (last time I had the B3, their signature flavor with Brown sugar, Brown butter, and Brownies).
It was served quite hard, but I had patience, and waited for it to melt a bit.
It. Was. Fabulous. Clearly high quality ice cream.
The cocoa pudding flavor was incredible, so rich and chocolately, the most chocolately of all of Toscanini's multiple chocolate offerings. It was like the most amazing chocolate mousse made into ice cream. Such a deep flavor. I'm not generally one for chocolate ice cream, but, wow, this delivered. I adored it.
The french vanilla was good, smooth, creamy, rich vanilla, but it couldn't match up to the incredible cocoa pudding.
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| Milk Bar Confetti Cookie. |
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| Eat Up Cafe: Spicy Soba & Korean-Style Chicken. $9. |
By the end of my flight, I wanted something more, and, snacks weren't really it. I knew that in Mint you can order anything free of charge from the main cabin, so I tried to order the kale salad, but alas, they were sold out. Since everything else was sandwiches, cheese, or snack boxes, I decided to try the soba noodle salad, normally $9.
Since it came from main cabin, it just came in a plastic box, with a plastic fork packaged alongside.
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| Spicy Soba & Korean-Style Chicken: Inside. |
The carrot was shredded, large shreds, with some chives in the mix, clearly pickled with something ... Korean. Crisp, fine, but not flavors I really enjoyed. Same with the cucumber, although a softer item, but again long shreds, Korean flavored, with sesame seeds too. The veggies were ... fine, but not really what I wanted, sorta kimchee-like.
The soba was decent, a bit mushy, but at least not clumpy nor stuck together.
The chicken was a fairly small portion, cubes, more Korean spice, served over a tiny, tiny portion of shredded purple cabbage. The egg too, just a tiny chunk, hard boiled, but no discoloration of the yolk.
The sauce was delicious, served in a tiny pot on the side. I wanted to drink it! A spicy shoyu, sesame oil, sesame seed, rice wine vinegar sauce with plenty of sesame seeds.
The bit of garnish on top was slightly wilted. Clearly, these meals are not the same quality as Mint.
Worth $9? Nah. But at least the sauce was good?
August 2018
Flight Details:
Departure: BOS, 3:45pm (scheduled), 4:10ish (actual)Duration: 6h ??m
Seat: 4A (single suite)
Class: Mint
Nothing remarkable about the flight, slightly delayed takeoff even though we were all boarded, pushed back from gate, etc, we just didn't go anywhere and sat ready for takeoff on the tarmac for a long time.
My FA's were amazing though, and definitely deserve a shout out. Amazingly friendly and attentive, and, um, they indulged my every whim.
Amenities
Everything about the amenities this flight were identical to my flight to Boston, even the same color socks, and I was in a single suite both times, so, nothing to say here.
Food & Drink
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| Lunch. |
Well ... this was not a great JetBlue Mint meal. Sometimes the food is excellent, but this ... was not. At least the wine and ice cream were great.
Menu & Ordering
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| Dinner Menu. |
The menu was as follows:
WELCOME TASTE
Choose three. Please note: The first two dishes listed below are chilled
Enjoy both.
WELCOME TASTE
- ASIAN SESAME DIP WITH FRIED WONTONS
Choose three. Please note: The first two dishes listed below are chilled
- HEIRLOOM TOMATO & PEACH SALAD / sautéed corn, cucumbers, arugula, chardonnay vinaigrette
- PIRI PIRI SCALLOPS / baby spinach, grilled pineapple, micro greens
- MUSHROOM COBBLER / sautéed mushroom stew, tarragon cheddar scones, chives
- CHICKEN RIBOLITA / cannellini beans, tuscan kale, butternut squash, parmesan broth
- PORK BELLY / apple puree, citrus segments, port wine
Enjoy both.
- ICE CREAM: Vienna Finger Cookie, Vanilla. Toscanini's, Boston, MA
- FRESH FRUIT: watermelon, honeydew, pineapple, papaya
- COOKIE, milk bar, NYC and beyond
Two of my selections were easy. Um, scallops? Yes, please! I have a blog label for it for a reason, an item I adore. The other easy one? "Mushroom cobbler"! I really love mushrooms, the idea of the savory mushroom cobbler sounded perfect, and, yes to cheesy biscuits too!
The third selection was harder though. I do love pork belly, but ... uh, airplane pork belly? And I do love heirloom tomatoes and peaches, but I'm spoiled by amazing stone fruit in California and I knew the peaches wouldn't be that good, and, the tomatoes would be ruined from being refrigerated. I decided on it anyway in the end, as I had some tasty sauces I could use alongside, if all else failed.
Drinks
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| Drink Menu. |
The drink lineup as always featured a sparkling and two red wines, plus cider, beer, liquor, soft drinks, tea, and coffee. This time, a single white rather than two, plus a rose! #summer
- SPARKLING: ROEDERER ESTATE BRUT, MV, 2015, Anderson Valley
- WHITE: LIOCO CHARDONNAY, 2017, Sonoma County
- ROSE: THE WITHERS ROSÉ, 2017, El Dorado
- RED: FAILLA PINOT NOIR, 2016, Sonoma Coast
- RED: SYNCLINE SUBDUCTION RED, 2016, Columbia Valley
These were exactly the same wines I had on my flight to the East Coast, where I enjoyed both the chardonnay, and the pinot. I looked forward to trying my final options, the tempting sounding "seduction red", and the rose, just for completeness. (I wasn't interested in the brut)
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| RefreshMint. |
I wasn't that into it though, the mint is nice, but it was too sweet for me.
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| THE WITHERS ROSÉ, 2017, El Dorado. |
I don't normally drink rosé, but, it was 94* in Boston when I left, and I wanted to try the entire wine list, so, rosé it was to get started. I knew it would go great with my lighter options, the scallops and salad. I asked for a half pour so I could move on to red later with the mushroom cobbler and dessert, but I did get a pretty full glass.
It was a lovely wine actually, very aromatic.
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| SYNCLINE SUBDUCTION RED, 2016, Columbia Valley. |
I liked the pinot last time, but, I wanted to try all the wines, so, "Subduction Red" it was, to pair with my mushroom cobbler. A half glass of this one too.
It was ... boring? Let's just say, it didn't seduce me :) But it wasn't bad, I just expecting something bigger and bolder, with the Rhône-style in the description. It wasn't acidic, it wasn't tannic, it just ... was.
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| FAILLA PINOT NOIR, 2016, Sonoma Coast. |
Later on in the flight, I decided to swap over to the pinot, even though I had it before, just to compare. It was again fine, not remarkable. I think I might have preferred the seduction actually, as it was a bit smoother.
Food
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| Welcome Taste: Asian sesame dip with fried wontons. |
While the taro chips remain my very top choice for the chips that I've tried on JetBlue flights, the fried wontons are a fairly close second. This was a good batch, not too fried.
And yes, I told my FA that I loved them, and yes, she brought me ALL the extra. #winning. She did the same for the folks behind me, which made me feel better. I didn't want to be the only one getting extras! Benefits of a not fully loaded cabin.
The dip was good, creamy, mayo based, and better than my memory of it from before, but I still didn't quite like the spicing on it, it was generously topped with togarashi. I do like togarashi, but there is something else, kinda sriracha-like, in the mix that I don't care for. And I didn't taste sesame.
Still, it was mayo sauce, and it went great with the wonton chips, so I liked it. I just wished it was more of a miso sesame, or simple soy sesame (with mayo of course).
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| Lunch: Heirloom tomato & peach salad / Piri piri scallops / Mushroom cobbler / Bread & Oil. |
I didn't try the roll, but it was warm. These are always awful.
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| Heirloom tomato & peach salad. |
"Sautéed corn, cucumbers, arugula, chardonnay vinaigrette."
I went for this dish as my third choice, not really wanting it, but not thinking there was anything better.
It was as expected. The tomatoes, chunks of what looked like lovely heirlooms in assorted colors, mealy and mushy from being refrigerated. Boo, hiss. The peaches, equally soggy and mushy. So sad, as I do love those fruits.
The corn really didn't seem sautéed, it was just ... cooked corn. And totally lost in the mix. The fresh arugula was fine. I didn't taste any dressing.
This wasn't a good dish, but it was my second favorite, as I absolutely hated another one.
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| Piri piri scallops. |
"Baby spinach, grilled pineapple, micro greens."
Yup, scallops, on a plane. In a chilled dish.
This was ... fine.
I didn't care for the piri piri sauce, and I wished I had asked to have it left off if possible. I know that I don't normally like piri piri. I scraped it off as best I could, and used an alternate sauce I brought with me.
The scallop serving was generous, 3 large size scallops, all cut in half. All fully cooked, and, chilled.
One of mine was really quite good, it had a nice sweetness to it (which I believe means it was a female?). The other two were unremarkable. Basically, they were cooked through, not fishy, good texture, but not particularly interesting.
I didn't care for the grilled pineapple at the base, but that is just because I don't really like pineapple that much.
I did salvage this, removing the piri piri sauce and pineapple, and adding a bunch fo Wahlsauce that I had from Wahlburgers in the airport, and that worked. My favorite of the dishes, but, not really that strong of an offering.
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| Mushroom cobbler. |
"Sautéed mushroom stew, tarragon cheddar scones, chives."
This was the dish I was looking forward two second most, but ... I hated it. Like, really hated it. One of the worst JetBlue dishes I've ever had.
The trio of biscuits was part of the problem. They were horribly soggy on the bottom. I didn't taste the promised cheese. They had a really, really odd flavor that I did not like. They fell apart fairly instantly, and not due to a nice crumbly nature. No buttermilk tang, just, awful biscuits.
The chives garnish was fine?
My least favorite of the trio, obviously.
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| Mushroom cobbler: Watery! |
And then ... the cobbler.
Oh, wow. This was equally bad. Just normal button mushrooms, not exotic meaty mushrooms as I hoped. There was decent garlic flavor, and some wilted spinach (I think), but besides that, nothing else in the "stew". It was horribly watery. Just a watery mess.
I'm not quite sure what I expected, but it certainly wasn't this. I guess I hoped for something creamy, and filled with fancy mushrooms.
Everything about this was just bad.
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| Ice Cream: Vienna Finger Cookie & Vanilla. Toscanini's, Boston. |
It actually was really good. I may have actually gotten a second serving, encouraged by my FA when I polished mine off in record time. She would have gladly given me another, she said on the routes to San Francisco, people never order ice cream, and she had tons. Sigh, you SF folks! Toscanini's is the best! Great for me though!
I was seriously impressed with the chunks of cookie. At first they looked small, and I thought, "great, mushy cookie chunks", but they actually had some seriously large chunks in there, and it turns out, I did always like Vienna cookies when I snuck them from my grandmother's pantry. (Yes, my house never had them, but she had these, and the vanilla wafer cookies, and they were novel and different, and I always managed to find myself unattended back there ...). I loved being able to really taste the cream filling, and although some of the smaller cookie bits were soggy, the majority was large and not soggy.
And the ice cream base was clearly high quality, Toscaninni's is my favorite, no question, of the JetBlue ice cream providers.
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| Ice Cream: With Sprinkles! |
I planned to add the peaches and pineapple from my earlier dishes to make an ice cream sundae, but they had too much savory sauce on them for that to make any sense. And since the ice cream was so cookie filled anyway, it didn't actually need anything else (although I wished I had whipped cream!) Still, I had my sprinkles, and I wanted to put them to use.
They did help jazz it up a bit, but again, not even necessary, this ice cream could stand alone fine.
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| Confetti Cookie, Milk Bar, NYC. |
And our parting gift, a Milk Bar cookie, this time, Confetti. No box provided as usual, a bit odd, but not really a problem.
June 2018 Flight
Flight Details
Departure: BOS, 11:00am
Arrival: SFO, 2:43 pmSeat: 4K
Class: Mint
Experience
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| Best Jetblue Mint Meal to Date! |
I really liked every single one of my main dishes - burrata in one, grilled mushrooms in another, and creamy pot pie in another. The wine was good. The ice cream was the best yet. ZOMG.
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| Lunch Menu. |
WELCOME TASTE
- ASIAN SESAME DIP WITH WONTON CHIPS
Choose three. Please note: The first two dishes listed below are chilled
- HEIRLOOM TOMATO SALAD / burrata, watercress, radish, sherry vinaigrette, sourdough croutons
- BABY GREENS / grilled eringi mushrooms, grapes, toasted almond dressing
- VEGETABLE POT PIE / carrots, celery root, parsnips, mushrooms, onions, puff pastry
- LOBSTER RISOTTO / bread crumbs, parmesan, lemon zest
- PORK TENDERLOIN PORCHETTA / spicy peach ragout, arugula, radish
- ICE CREAM: Toscanini's, Boston, MA
- COOKIE, milk bar, NYC and beyond
The wine list was the exact same as my SFO-BOS flight a few weeks earlier.
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| RefreshMINT (with Vodka). |
Seriously, such a perfect welcome cocktail. I'm always thirsty when I board a flight, and this is refreshing, yet a bit sweet, and, uh, boozy. At 10:45am. Don't judge. I asked for him to "go light on the vodka" at least?
Dessert was ice cream from Toscanini's, a local Boston ice cream shop. As standard, 2 scoops of a featured flavor, plus one scoop of vanilla.
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| Asian Sesame Dip with Wonton Chips. |
The Welcome Taste is often one of my favorite parts of the JetBlue Mint experience. I've really enjoyed some of the chip & dip pairings before, like the green aioli with taro chips, or my all time favorite caramelized onion dip with taro chips. My flight to Boston had blanched veggies instead of chips (wah!), so I was happy to see a fried crispy thing return. Also, um, I love wonton chips!
The chips were served in a little bag, with the dip on the side. I had no idea what to expect from "sesame dip", but it was loaded up with plenty of shichimi togarashi on top, which made me pretty excited.
The wonton chips were ok, a bit soggy, but, still, oily fried wontons are not a bad thing. The dip was incredibly spicy! I'm still not entirely sure what it was, but it was creamy. I couldn't taste much sesame, since the intense spicy mix on top overwhelmed.
I neither liked nor disliked this.
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| Matthiasson Linda Vista Vineyard Chardonnay, 2016, Napa Valley. |
"Top California talents Steve and Jill Matthiasson are back with their irresistible Chardonnay, grown on a historic property right behind their house in the cooler southern end of Napa. This latest vintage is fruit-forward, with lots of fresh, sunny peach and apple flavors but the complexity to match
nearly any dish."
With my meal, I opted for another glass of the Chardonnay, since I enjoyed it on my last flight.
I again liked it. Smooth, buttery, not too acidic. Really, a lovely wine.
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| Heirloom Tomato Salad / Baby Greens / Vegetable Pot Pie / Bread & Oil. |
I opted for the three vegetarian dishes: two salads and a pot pie, ruling out the pork tenderloin since I tend to only like certain pork products (bacon, pork belly, slow roasted shoulder with a nice fat cap ...), and the risotto, just because the others sounded better. If I could order one more, I would have been happy to try the cheesy lobster risotto, it seems like something that would likely heat up well on on a plane.
As always, my trio came plated together, with stale bread (at least served warm now) and a personal packet of olive oil, salt, and pepper on the side.
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| Heirloom Tomato Salad. |
"Burrata, watercress, radish, sherry vinaigrette, sourdough croutons."
Burrata. Burrata, burrata, burrata. One of my favorite ingredients, and to say I was excited to see it on a plane is an under statement.
The burrata was very good. A generous serving, creamy, ripe. Loved it. It wasn't seasoned, but I was able to add salt and pepper myself.
The watercress on top was a nice touch, and the croutons were shockingly good, really well seasoned. They were sourdough, but I didn't taste the sourdough (which is good, since, I don't like sourdough). The sliced radishes added crunch and freshness.
The tomatoes though, not good. "Heirloom tomato salad" was the name of the dish, and the tomatoes were the primary component (there are tons of chunks of tomatoes under the burrata), but, they just weren't great. Some were not really ripe, and those that were were lacking in flavor.
The other elements were so good though that I didn't really care about the tomatoes. I think this was my third favorite dish, just because the tomatoes were so lackluster, but, honestly, I liked all my dishes, and I'd gladly get it again, just for the burrata.
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| Baby Greens. |
"Grilled eringi mushrooms, grapes, toasted almond dressing."
The baby greens didn't necessarily sound that exciting, but, I wanted some veggies and something lighter, and I do like fun mushrooms.
The mushrooms were awesome. They were grilled, smoky, and meaty. Only two, but, large, and totally delicious.
The baby greens was baby arugula, bitter, spicy, fresh enough. There was also sliced celery, a bit dried out and lackluster.
The grapes were red grapes, served whole, a bit hard to eat. Sliced in half would have been easier.
On top was green puree, which I guess was the toasted almond dressing? It was really flavorful and tasty, some balsamic in there perhaps, but I didn't taste almond. I liked it though. There were sliced almonds in the mix as well.
Overall, this was actually really good, I think my favorite dish. So much great flavor, and, swoon, those mushrooms. It was a bit hard to eat though, the bowl was kinda small for the portion.
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| Vegetable Pot Pie. |
"Carrots, celery root, parsnips, mushrooms, onions, puff pastry."
And finally, my hot dish, the pot pie.
I'll admit it - I ordered this for the puff pastry. I mean, pot pie is fine, but, puff pastry is what I'm all about.
The puff pastry wasn't great though. It was crispy, but, it was kinda oily, and not really flaky nor fresh tasting.
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| Vegetable Pot Pie : Inside. |
Under the pastry was the pot pie filling. It was shockingly good.
Served hot and fresh. The mix was cubes of carrots, parsnips, and celery root, plus chunks of mushroom and onions. No potatoes, which I preferred.
The veggies were cooked perfectly, a bit crisp, not mushy. The parsnips and celery root were both very flavorful. The sauce was creamy and well seasoned.
While the puff pastry didn't impress, everything else about this did, and I really enjoyed it too. My second favorite, losing points only because the puff pastry wasn't great.
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| Dunkin' Donuts Decaf Coffee. |
To go along with my dessert, I ordered decaf coffee, from Dunkin' Donuts.
It was good, freshly brewed.
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| Toscanini's Ice Cream: 2 Scoops B3, 1 Scoop Vanilla. |
The flavor was the same as my last flight from Boston, the signature "B3", aka, Brown Sugar, Brown Butter, and Brownies. Oh yes.
It was fantastic. Super caramelized flavor, far more complex and intense than a regular caramel ice cream, from the brown sugar and brown butter. I would have been happy with just a scoop of the base, but the brownie chunks amped it up another few notches, chocolately, soft, very good.
Toscanin's makes two types of vanilla, french vanilla or malted vanilla. I think this was the french vanilla? It was good, creamy, quality vanilla ice cream. I poured my coffee over it, afogado style.
The ice cream was served at perfect eating temperature. I'm used to waiting up to 20 minutes or so to eat the ice cream on flights since it is served rock solid, but this was soft and creamy, slightly melted, from the start.
I brought my own toppings this time (sprinkles, cookie crumble) since I expected that I'd need to jazz up the ice cream, but it was so good on its own that was entirely unnecessary.
Besides a decadent sundae I once had on American Airlines, this was hands down the best ice cream I've had on a plane.
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| Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookie. |
I liked it, for a cookie.
It was soft, and very decadent. So much butter, so much sugar. You could tell how unhealthy it was, and, that was actually the appeal of it.
I liked the softness and sweetness from the marshmallow. The cornflakes, which I didn't like when I had it before, as I thought they were soggy and a bad texture, I liked this time, and appreciated the crunch they added.
So, for a cookie, good. But cookies still aren't high on my list of treats.
Fantastic guide on connecting with a real person at JetBlue! The provided contact number is a game-changer, making travel planning a breeze. Thanks for the helpful tips!
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