Alaska Airlines Lounge, SFO

Update Review, August 2024

In late July 2024, Alaska Airlines moved into Terminal 1 at SFO, and with that, opened up a new lounge.  I got to visit just a week or so after it opened.

Overall, it was a nice place to spend some time (which, for me, was abundant given flight delays), but besides the coffee, and the candy, the food and drink offerings weren't particularly compelling.

Setting 

The space felt fairly large, given how few people were there.  It really was quite tranquil.

Light filled high table.

It was very bright, with tons of windows and views over the tarmac.

There were a variety of styles of seating, but I appreciated the high counters along the window the most, so I could choose to sit or stand.  Every single seat had power, but regular and USB.

Seating.

Other seating types were these booths for two.  There were also large 4 person diner-style booths.

Bar.

I didn't visit the bar, but it too was an nice space.  I think they feature some local beers as well.

Bathrooms.

The bathrooms were really quite attractive, and had nice quality soap and lotion.

Food & Drink

Food and drink are mostly all self-serve, the exceptions being espresso drinks from a barista, or alcoholic drinks from the bar.

Coke Freestyle Machine.

I was happy to see the Coke Freestyle machine, with a slew of choices.  I tried 3-4 different drinks when I was there, and enjoyed them all.  Flavored diet Sprite!  Cream soda!  So happy to have this.  ****.

Coffee / Tea.

Self-serve robot machine coffee drinks and bags of tea were available, in addition to a staffed barista station.  They even had nice touches like flavored syrups, mocha sauce, and more.  I didn't try any.

Snacks.

Two kinds of snacks were available: simple pretzel twists, or a Chex-ish mix with assorted seasoned Chex-like cereal, pretzels, little breadsticks, bagel chips, and darker rye? chips.  I always love a snack mix, so this made me happy, although this wasn't a particularly remarkable mix.  ***.

Pancake Machine.

The signature pancake machine was of course available, two of them in fact, no matter what time of day.

Soup.

One soup and one vegetable broth were available.

Fried Rice.

The lounge wasn't crowded.  It was prime lunch time (12:08pm).  And ... there was no fried rice.  It took quite a while for it to be refilled.  I didn't try it anyway.

Maple Sausage.

I understand the pancakes all day, but the breakfast style sausage was a bit odd to see. I checked back even at 1:30pm to see if it was swapped out, but, nope.  Sausage all day.  It too was running low.

The sausage was ok-ish.  Not very flavorful sausage itself, but the maple glaze was decent.  **+.

"Grilled Vegetables".

I had to laugh at the veggies.  They were labelled as grilled.  They were very much not grilled.  They were warmed steamed vegetables, that were too soft, and basically like frozen grocery store mixed veg.  Not very good at all.  **.

Mystery ... Chicken?

Later in the day, around 2pm, another entree was available.  It wasn't labelled.  I think it was something like General Tso's chicken maybe?  I found it interesting that both this lounge, and the nearby also newly opened The Club, both had similar Asian chicken dishes.  I didn't try this, as I had the one in the other lounge already.

Salad / Noodle Bar.

The main buffet was a salad / noodle station.  Meager offerings for both.  Base of greens or ramen noodles (chilled), then chicken, tofu, tomatoes, mushrooms, beets, and a few other things.  All cold.  There was a quinoa salad and some dressings as well.

I had a little salad, but it wasn't particularly fresh.  Meh.  **.

Candy.

More signature Alaska lounge offerings: local chocolate (Ghirardelli, squares, both dark or mint filled), Jelly Belly beans (blue and light green, not sure the flavors), and colorful fortune cookies.

I did quite appreciate all of this. ****.

Bread & Spreads.

Later in the afternoon, two unlabeled spreads were put out next to the bread.  One looked probably avocado based, and the other spinach dip maybe?  I didn't try either.  I assume the bread was SF sourdough.

Original Review, August 2023

This was my first experience of any Alaska Airlines lounge.  I've only flown with Alaska Airlines once before, when I flew SFO-SEA, which you can read about here, and didn't qualify for lounge access then.  This time, I was flying long haul, to New York, and thus, a chance to check out the lounge.

The lounge in SF is known to be one of the nicer ones in their network, having opened only last year, and pretty restrictive about who is allowed in (no more priority pass, no domestic First Class unless flying 2100+ miles in a single flight, etc).  There were only a handful of passengers there when I visited, even though it was what I'd expect to be a fairly peak time, 12:15pm on a Tuesday.

I wouldn't say the lounge is worth going out of your way for, but it seemed much nicer than most domestic lounges, certainly many notches above the United Club or American Airlines Admiral's Club.

The Space

Fireplace, Open Seating.

The lounge is pretty impressive when you walk in.  Large, spacious, well lit with large windows overlooking the planes outside.  Firepit in the center, and wing chairs all around.  A quite inviting space.

Dining Area & Bar.

There are also ample dining tables, and a bar with seating.  Again, very spacious, and sparkly populated.

Food & Drink

Candy Bar.

I was excited for one unique feature of this lounge: the candy bar!  Located right when you enter, with little bags provided to encourage you to take some sugar for the road.

Much of this was just a display however, with only the bottom row actually accessible.  The candy was mostly local: Ghirardelli chocolate squares, Jelly Belly beans, and the Oakland Fortune Cookie Factory fortune cookies.  And M&Ms.  I was slightly annoyed that the only color/flavor Jelly Beans were yellow (lemon?).  Still, this was a nice offering, better than most US domestic lounges.  ***+.

Bar Snacks.

Located up at the bar was two jars of snacks, one was just lightly salted peanuts, the other a mix, with some things I liked (rice crackers!), and lots of things I wasn't too into (cheddar goldfish-like things, pretzels, almonds), and some I was impartial to (bagel chips).  As an avid snack lover though, I was happy to see these.  ***.

Toast Cart.

Right near the front of the lounge is the other signature experience ... the toast cart.  Like the candy bar, it too features a local product, Acme Bread.  Sadly for me, it only had sourdough, and I don't care for sourdough.  Still, Acme bread is quite good bread, and this is a very unique offering.

To go with the bread was two spreads, sundried tomato hummus and lemon basil cream cheese, along with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  When it launched, they had burrata and avocado, clearly both higher end and more trendy, but alas, down to kinda meh spreads for my visit.  I did try both, and they were about as expected, nothing special.  ***.

Cold Cuts, Cheese, Salads.

The main buffet has some not very interesting cold cuts and cheese, plus more hummus, waldorf salad (that at first glance looked like potato salad and I was excited), and grapes and strawberries.  And ketchup, mustard, and mayo, that made me really wish there were hot dogs around.  Sliced bread was available to make a sandwich.

The strawberries weren't particularly flavorful, but were a surprise to see.  The waldorf salad was fine, with apples, bits of dried cranberry, creamy dressing that was not over dressed.  I didn't try anything else.  **+.

Salad Toppings.

The other side was makings for salads, although fairly meager.  Walnuts, chicken, grape tomatoes, egg, onions, cheese, and more strawberries (this time sliced), and some dressings.  The sign encouraged us to make our own "summer salad".

Salad Base.

The salad base was romaine and spinach, relatively fresh.  It looked a bit odd on a platter.  Croutons on the side.

Hot Items.

Next came the two hot items, which I thought would be soup, but actually were more exciting than that: vegetarian chili and mac and cheese.  No cheese, sour cream, or anything interesting to garnish the chili, besides the crackers on the side.  Still, better than your standard lounge soups.

Macaroni & Cheese.

The child in me went right for that mac and cheese.  It wasn't that bad, really.  Quite creamy, quite cheesy.  Not very fresh, but, pretty comforting, and far better than average domestic lounge grub.

***+.

Desserts.

The dessert lineup was your standard lounge offerings: cookies and brownies.  Two kinds of cookies, chocolate chip and oatmeal.  They looked hard and not interesting.  I tried the brownie because it had two kinds of chocolate, big chunks and disks, which was fine.  ***.

Biscoff packaged cookies were hiding up by the barista station as well.

Breakfast Leftovers.

It was afternoon when I visited, but they had breakfast leftovers on the side, with a couple banana nut muffins, a sole bagel (with cream cheese packed with it), and english muffins (with butter), along with a toaster, Smucker's jam, and Peanut Butter & Co peanut butter.  Peanut Butter & Co still makes my favorite peanut butter (the White Chocolate Wonderful flavor, which I've reviewed before), so I was happy to see that, rather than more common brands (although it was just the Smooth Operator variety).

Pancake Machine.

And of course, the pancake machine, which is operational at all times of day.  Syrup was available to go with.

Brewed coffee (regular and decaf), along with hot water and tea completed this station.  At the bar, you could also order made to order espresso drinks, which I did.  The decaf Americano was shockingly good.  

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Sugarfina Candy

Mmm, candy.  I don't often blog about candy, I'm not really sure why.  It certainly isn't because I don't eat a lot of candy.  I do.  I won't say more, in case my dentist, mother, or anyone who thinks I'm a quasi-responsible adult reads this.  But yes.  Candy.  Yum.

Sugarfina is a fancy candy store, or, as they call it,  "a luxury candy boutique for grown-ups".  They have locations across the US, and a few outside, about 25 in total.  They also distribute online, and through partnerships with others.  I haven't ever visited in person, but, I've tried their products from a number of different sources.

Sugarfina is known for very nice candies, including gummy candy.  Just in gummy candy alone, Sugarfina has three different categories: sweet, sour, and cocktail.  Yes, they have an entire lineup of cocktail inspired gummies, most containing high end alcohol.  These are not designed for children they are non-alcoholic.  Sugarfina doesn't actually produce any of the candy they sell, but, they do curate the collection, and draw from candy makers worldwide.   They package it in signature clear boxes, with nice labels, all packaged up into a fancy outer box.  Portions are small.  Price tags are not.  They lean into the "luxury" branding well.

Gummy Candy

I love gummy candy (probably my favorite type of candy).  But, I'm VERY particular about my gummy candy.  I want it to have a certain type of chew to it.  The chew is just as important as the flavor.

I recently received a box of Sugarfina gummy candies as a gift, and I was quite excited. 

The flavors were wonderful, but, sadly, the chew wasn't right for me.  If you aren't as ridiculously specific about how you like your gummy candy to chew, I'm sure these are great.

Aqua Box.

My box of 4 selections was beautifully presented, a lovely shade of aqua, with a lid that hinges back, and a fabric pull tab.  (Side note I will totally be re-purposing this box after I finish all the candy!)

4 Selections.

Inside, each of the 4 selections was in its own plastic cube.  And they were all celebratory booze inspired, although considered non-alcoholic.   My lineup was:

• Royal Roses
• Cheers to Us
• Peach Bellini
• Bubbly Bears

These small cubes are available for $7 each, or, as a "Bento Box" with 4 for $.

Royal Roses.

"These beautiful roses are blooming with all-natural flavors of strawberry, raspberry, cherry, and black currant."

Each flavor was a slightly different shade of pink.  They were certainly pretty gummies, but, I wasn't into the flavor, nor the chew to them.  Somehow both too soft AND too chewy at the same time, if that makes any sense ...

**+.

Cheers to Us

I'm pretty sure these are the regular Champagne Bears, just, with a different name.

They came in two flavors, both with Dom Pérignon, one a brut, one a rose.  The champagne flavor was slightly floral, slightly alcohol-y, and fairly subtle.

But they were very chewy, just like Haribo gummy bears, in the way I don't like.  My friend liked the chew to these though, but he didn't like the flavor.

**+.

Bubbly Bears.

"Champagne Bears with a sour twist. Our classic Champagne-infused gummy bears are dusted in sweet and tart sugar crystals for a sophisticated taste that really "pops." Made with Dom Pérignon Vintage Champagne."

They also make "Champagne Bears", just sans the sour component.  The two colors are indeed different flavors, made from Brut or Rose.

The flavor of these was quite lovely.  A really subtle flavor of champagne, with a hint of sour.  I liked these more than I like most champagne.

But, they were a bit too soft for me.  I pondered leaving them air exposed for a little while to get chewier. ***.

Peach Bellini.

"Peach with a pucker... These all-natural gummies are filled with a juicy peach center, then dusted in sweet & sour sugar crystals for a mouthwatering taste sensation. If you love sour peaches, you'll be totally smitten with these unique peachy hearts."

There is a totally generic brand that makes sour peach gummies that I love.  So, I was quite interested to see how Sugarfina would re-make a classic love of mine.

Like the others, the flavor was wonderful.  It tasted like peaches.  And they were cute, little hearts.  But .. again, too soft for me. ***.

Truly Hard Seltzer Passion Fruit Bears.

Not from my previous collection, but I also got to try the Truly Hard Seltzer bears.  Booze inspired gummy candy is not new for Sugarfina, so, when they decided to partner with Truly for a collab, it made complete sense to me.  Hard seltzer is definitely a fad right now, and so, hey, why not capitalize on it?  Truly bears are available in 4 flavors: mango, passion fruit, pineapple, and watermelon & kiwi.

Well, I didn't taste any booze.  Nor any seltzer-like fizz.  They were fruity, but again, the chew to them wasn't quite right for me.  Fine bears, but, the collab was kinda lost on me.

***.

Chocolates & Cordials

"Sweet indulgence is yours for the tasting.  Indulge in premium dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate & pink chocolate candies from around the world."

Since I struck out on the gummy candy, I moved on to chocolates.

Cocktail

Just like the gummy candies, there is a cocktail collection of chocolate based confections as well.  I didn't get to try the single malt scotch cordials (cask strength!), nor the maple bourbon caramels (!), but I did try the others.  These actually have enough alcohol in them that you cannot buy them under age, and, there is a warning against consumption for pregnant women.  And, uh, you can tell.

Jamaican Rum Snowballs. (Germany)

"These creamy truffles are infused with Jamaican rum, then finely dusted in powdered sugar."

Well, hello, rum!  These are indeed rum balls.  Wow.

I tried my first one around 8am, with my cup of coffee, barely awake.  Let's just say, I was not expecting so much rum!

Once I got over the punch in the face from the rum, I enjoyed it.  Creamy milk chocolate, slightly crispy shell, and, well, rum.  I'm not a big fan of milk chocolate though, so I was happy to share these with co-workers.

***+.

Limoncello Cordials. (Germany)

"A white chocolate shell holds a tiny shot of limoncello, an Italian liqueur made from fresh sweet lemons."

These were pretty tasty.  The center was sweet liquid limoncello, and the shell was crisp and sweet.  Nothing particularly complex here, but, fun.

***+.

Assorted

A few months later, I found Sugarfina at an event, offering up candy samples.

Candy Samples!

They had a number of different items, and were offering individual samples with a few pieces of a given candy in a little pill cup, or, they had big jars of candy, tongs, and cellophane bags to fill up.  "Take as much as you want!  Don't by shy!", they called out.

My Bag-o-Goodies!

You know what I did.

The selection included two items I'd had before (Champagne Bears and Royal Roses), plus a few new ones to me: Sugar Lips, Blue & White Sugarfina Pearls, and Champagne Bubbles.  I skipped the Champagne Bears since I didn't like them before, and took a few Roses to give them another try, but mostly loaded up on the new items.

Sugar Lips:
"Hey sugar lips. You'll want to pucker up to these sweet & sour gummy lips in delicious natural flavors of Watermelon, Strawberry and Bubble Gum.  Kissably-soft and chewy, these sugar lips are dusted in sweet & sour sugar crystals for a lip-smackin' mouthwatering smooch sensation."

The lips came in three colors, all hues of red/pink.  I first grabbed a pinkish one, and bit in.  I tasted watermelon immediately.  It has been a LONG time since I've tasted "watermelon", as I'm severely allergic.  Fear ran through my entire body.  Did I finish chewing?  Spit it out?  There was no way they used real watermelon extract right?

I calmed down, didn't go into anaphylaxis, and looked it up online.  "Natural and artificial flavors".  Let's go with artificial?  Phew.

Anyway.  I can't say I enjoyed the watermelon one.  It tasted like soap to me.  I also didn't have any more of the watermelon ones, just in case.  No reason to risk things like that. **+.

The most red one was strawberry I guess.  I would have guessed cherry.  But, point being, kinda fruity, sweet and sour coating.  It had a nice chew to it, and I liked the large size of the lips.  This was very enjoyable to eat.  ***.

Blue & White Sugarfina Pearls:
"Tiny milk chocolate droplets are coated in a delicate sugar shell, in dazzling Sugarfina hues.
Made exclusively for Sugarfina, these beautiful milk chocolate pearls are coated in a mix of shimmery aqua and pearlized white candy shells, so gorgeous they belong in a jewelry box."

These were just basic chocolate pearls.  They had a slightly crispy candy shell, standard milk chocolate inside.  Pretty with their shimmery colors, but, otherwise, not particularly notable.  ***.

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Z. Cioccolato

Update Review, 2022

Z.Cioccolato is a landmark to me in North Beach.  I think I discovered it during one of my first visits, and, given that it is an emporium of chocolate, candy, and, zomg, popcorn (specifically, fresh caramel corn), it just stands out in my mind.  I finally visited again after several years, and must remember to do so again, as the products really are quite good. 

Caramel Corn. (Complimentary).

As I noted in my original review, the aroma when you walk in to Z. Cioccolato is *amazing*.  And that aroma?  The caramel corn.  Sure, I didn't love it before, but I was still thrilled to discover that my order included ... a bonus bag of caramel corn.  Since I had ordered online, it was not hot and fresh however.

As before, it was decent enough caramel corn.  Well coated, deep enough caramel flavor.  Not caramel *kettle* corn, no salty component to it, just regular caramel corn. 

Basically, good enough, but not particularly notable actually, which is surprising given just how good it smells.

***.

Caramel Corn. (Complimentary).

Another day, another order, another bag of free caramel corn automatically included with my order.

This time it came in a classic paper popcorn bag.

I always find this sweet, with rich flavored caramel, nicely crispy but ... somehow lackluster.  At room temp that is.

Then I pop it in my freezer, and DEVOUR it in one sitting a few days later.  Not sure what it is, but this one gets dramatically better once frozen.

But yes, very sweet, sooooo much caramel, and not caramel corn. **** when frozen.

Chocolates

The caramel corn however is not actually the focus of the shop.  They carry a wide range of candy, including tons of homemade taffy and fudge, along with chocolates, and chocolate dipped things.  Only some of the chocolate items are made in-house.

Dark Chocolate Creamy PB Cup $4.25.

I was seriously impressed when I saw the peanut butter cups.  Yes, huge.  Enrobed in what looked like quality shiny dark chocolate.  And all that sea salt on top?  YES.

Dark Chocolate Creamy PB Cup (Side View).

"HUGE Hand-Dipped, not machine packaged Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups."

They are not joking when they say this is HUGE.  My photo isn't great, but, um, this the the deepest peanut butter cup I've ever seen.  Like, 1/2 cup of peanut butter.  No joke.

The chocolate shell was good.  Very thick, smooth, dark chocolate.  A slightly sweeter style.  The touch of salt accented the peanut butter inside quite well.

I couldn't wait to get into it.

Dark Chocolate Creamy PB Cup: Inside.

"Hand Made with our own secret PB Filling recipe in our shop in North Beach."

The inside was ... well, peanut butter.  Sooo much peanut butter.

It was fairly thick peanut butter, smooth not chunky, but didn't seem particularly creamy.  It was fine, it was peanut butter after all, but, it didn't really compare to my favorite peanut butters.

On their own, these were all "fine" components, not extraordinary, but the end result was really pretty tasty, and fun to eat just due to its sheer size.

****, and I'd get this again.

Strawberry Truffle. $3.50.

"Summer fields of strawberries warmed by the sun. Nothing is better than fresh fruit picked off the vine. We’ve taken our favorite flavor, blended it with white chocolate ganache and wrapped it in a dazzling dark shell. Temptation is great and there is not a soul that can resist the abundance of a summer harvest. This combination of freshness and silkiness is a morsel of sunshine."

I actually pre-ordered a cherries jubilee truffle, but ... apparently they were out of those, so the guy substituted a strawberry truffle.  Not what I would have picked, at all.  Many of the other truffles sounded great, but strawberry?  Eh.  Oh well.  He also gave me some cherry cordials to make up for it.

This turned out to be pretty awesome, but not at all what I expected.  And not actually made by Z. Cioccolato. A little quick internet research led me to Le Grand Confectionary, in Sacramento, as the source.

Inside was smooth, creamy, white chocolate ganache, with subtle strawberry flavor, layered with some swirls of chocolate.  The shell, dark chocolate, was glossy, had a great snap, high quality.

The strawberry flavor wasn't particularly strong, and there was no obvious strawberry, no goo, no gel, etc, but, it did have a fruity sweetness to it, and the texture of the ganache was fabulous.

This is a fairly massive piece, hard to see in this photo, but certainly not just a few bites.  I liked it, but would really love to try a flavor I picked instead.

***+.

Cherry Cordials (Complimentary).

Inside my box was also bonus cherry cordials, one each, dark and milk.

It turns out, the cherry cordials are exactly what I was hoping for from the sold out Cherries Jubilee truffle, so, I was quite pleased when I (cautiously) bit in.

Dark Chocolate:

Inside was a juicy maraschino cherry, in a sweet cherry syrup.  Intense cherry flavor, intense sweetness.  The dark chocolate shell was a bit thicker than I expected, but likely necessary insurance against the insides pouring out too easily.  A sweeter dark chocolate style.

Overall, well, just a classic cherry cordial, and I enjoyed it. ***.

Milk Chocolate:

Very similar to the dark chocolate, although there seemed to be far less syrup inside, less of a flow of sweetness as I bit in.  Milk chocolate was average, not particularly notable.

Overall, kinda boring really.  **+.

Original Review, August 2016

If you've walked through North Beach, you've likely passed by Z.Cioccolato.  And if you were me, you'd obviously be drawn in.  Why?  Well, for one, the smell of fresh caramel corn floats out onto the side.  Second, also out on that sidewalk is a big sign saying "Free Fudge Samples!"  And third, if you peak inside, all you see is candy and sweets.  Oh yes.

Z. Cioccolato is a candy shop, self proclaimed "The Sweetest Spot in North Beach", which is likely true.  They have a vast array of candy, bins and bins of candy, mostly priced by the pound.  They also have bins and bins of taffy, that they make in house, in more varieties than you can imagine.  The front counter also includes an assortment of chocolate items, like giant peanut butter cups and many varieties of chocolate bark, and of course, the fudge with samples.  Oh, and gelato.

I've visited many times to pick up candy, and to uh, try some fudge samples (I mean, how do you not?)  They also used to encourage you to try all the taffy you wanted while in the store, a very dangerous offer given how long I'd spend browsing.  I always left with a ridiculous sugar high.

Anyway, the fudge is all fine, as is the taffy, but, I don't think I ever took notes on that stuff.  Its just candy.  But ... the caramel corn, that is another story.  You know how much I love snacks, and, popcorn in particular!

Caramel Corn.  Free!

When you enter Z. Cioccolato, there is an amazing aroma.  It is what drew me in the first time, as it wafted down the street outside.  Caramel corn.  Fresh popped caramel corn.  ZOMG.

I was really tempted to purchase a bag of it, as they had sealed bags of caramel corn displayed all around the shop, $3 each.  But I know that I'm a complete caramel corn snob, and I figured it wouldn't live up to my desires, and there were too many other sweets that I wanted instead.

But, luckily for me, it turns out, they give you a free small bag of fresh popped caramel corn with a $5 purchase.  Yes!

It was totally hot and fresh, literally right out of the popper.  Which, wasn't just lucky timing on my part, they actually pop it fresh every 15 minutes.  Clearly they realized the smell draws people in, and whatever isn't purchased immediately, they bag up, forming the bags I saw all over the place.  So, protip, don't ever get one of the pre-bagged ones, you can always get it fresher if you want it.

Anyway, it was decent caramel corn.  The caramel was a bit more on the burnt tasting side than I prefer, and it didn't have that strong of a buttery flavor, but the kernels were well coated, and it was hot, fresh, and free.  Hard to disagree with that.  I'm glad I decided not to splurge and get the $3 bag though, I would have been disappointed.  I won't buy it again, but if I'm offered a free bag again in the future, I'd obviously take it.

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Swiss Airlines First Class Lounge, A Gates, Zurich

Um, wow.

So that happened.  You can start with my post on my First Class flight from San Francisco to Zurich to understand how it is that I wound up in the First Class lounge at Zurich Airport.  

Normally, before I travel, I do plentiful research.  I know what every lounge will have to offer, I have my lounge hoping plans all laid out.  But for this trip, I thought I was flying business class, which gave me access to only one lounge.  But then I flew First Class instead, which gave me access to a large variety of lounges.  

"Experience SWISS First before take-off, during the transfer and on arrival. Enjoy comfort, peace and relaxation far from the bustle of the airport. You'll find Swiss hospitality, a pre-flight dinner, quiet and meeting rooms and the shuttle service to the gate in the First Lounge. Let us spoil you."

But let's back up.  We landed in Zurich, in Terminal E where international flights are, and First Class passengers were met by staff at the door of the aircraft, who led us down a staircase to a waiting escort car.  They zipped us right over to Terminal A, where I'd be departing next.  We did quick passport check in our own dedicated counter, and ... that was that.  I could proceed to the adjacent First Class lounge.  

The gate-to-lounge experience was unlike anything I've ever done before, and set the stage for what a unique experience this would be.

The Space

The lounge is not huge, but, given that I was the only guest a majority of my stay, was plenty big enough.  There are decent shower suites available, all kinds of seating, individual work areas, conference rooms, a bar, and a formal dining restaurant.

Comfortable Seating.

The lounge offers several styles of seating.  In my excitement, I forgot to take a photo of the other seats, but I camped out in a corner with plush couches.

Work Stations.

There were also individual cubbies for isolated work and privacy, with their own little doors.

Bar.

In the center of the space is a bar with a feature of special brandy.  There is bar seating along several sides of this area.

Candy Jars!

Perhaps the most exciting thing to me was a large candy table.  Only downside?  The little bowls provided were too small!

I sampled everything here, and honestly wished I'd taken more.  I wish I knew what brand some of it was.  I loved it all.

The lineup:

• Pink marshmallows with white centers: Fairly standard sweet fluffy marshmallows, and, uh, I loved them with a glass of red wine.  ***+.
• Gummy peach rings: I adored these. I've had many peach gummy rings before, but these were the best I've had.  Great chew, very intense peach flavor, sweet and sour.  Loved these.  ****+.
• Gummy snakes? Not really sure what to call this shape, but, wide snakes is the best I can coem up with.  Each one was two colors/flavors, and they came in a variety of flavors.  Again, great chew, great sweet/sour ratio due to the sugary sour coating.  I liked slightly less than peaches, but still fabulous.  ****+
• Candied walnuts: These were good!  Nice for a little protein, something to munch, and bit of sweetness.  I bet would go great with a cheese platter. ****+.  
• Seasoned cashews: Also good.  Savory seasoning.  Good for something not sweet, but interesting.  ***+.
• Lindt truffles: Just classic Lindor milk chocolate truffles. 
• Swiss Airlines mini chocolate bars: Same as you get on board.  Decent creamy milk chocolate.
• White, Dark, and Milk chocolate thin chunks - Probably the least good thing on the table.   These were all wafer thin.  The dark chocolate was still quite sweet, the milk not particularly creamy. *** for those.  I did really like the white chocolate though, particularly when combined with gummy candy and red wine.  ****. Just trust me.  It worked great! 

Food & Drink

Now for the good stuff, the actual food & drink (candy doesn't count, right?)

Casual

There is no buffet in the First Class lounge, but soft drinks, juices, smoothies, and a few appetizers are available for you to grab on your own.  The main attraction is the fine dining experience.

Drinks.

Bottled drinks were available to grab right as you walked in, basic juices, soft drinks, beer, and both still and sparkling water.

The bar up ahead had a large selection of additional drinks you could order, I think this was really just for those who wanted to grab right as they came in (which, I did, a cold sparkling water was exactly what I wanted!).

Juice, Smoothies, Muesli, Cheese, Appetizers.

For those who just wanted to easily grab a little something, and were likely feeling as time zone confused as me, the lounge had a tiny little station to help yourself to juices and smoothies, two kinds of muesli, fruit salad, two types of cheese, and little appetizer nibbles (cream cheese stuffed smoked ham or peppers).

This was as close to a "buffet" as you got in the First Class lounge.

Cheeses.

I did try the Tête de Moine cheese which was really unique, kinda ruffled, strong uh, Swiss-like flavor.

Fruity Bircher Muesli.

When I first arrived, I wasn't hungry (very late big dinner on the flight, and very early decent breakfast on the flight) and it was still pre-breakfast time for me, but I wanted to try ... something.  So I grabbed a fruity bircher muesli, even though I had literally just had bircher muesli for breakfast on the flight.

It wasn't actually very good.  Mushy, sweet.  I liked the version on the flight more, and my hotel had a much better version every morning in Munich.

**+.

Plum cake, chocolate cake, apple pie.

Behind the counter were also 3 different cakes, that I didn't discover until nearly the end of my stay.  They weren't with the self-serve items, and weren't on the dining menu, but, if you came around one side of the bar, they were visible.  Staff served these to you if you knew to ask for them.

The chocolate cake looked a bit dry (but I think they added the berry sauce on top?), the plum cake looked kinda interesting (or maybe the sauce was for that?) but not likely my style, and the apple pie wasn't quite exciting because I knew I'd have lots of apple desserts in Munich and it looked more like an apple tart than American style apple pie.  So I ignored them ... at first.

After a glorious, glorious dessert from the fine dining section (keep reading!), I went to go check out the other nearby lounges (the Alpine lounge, Senator, and Business lounges, all right next door), and came back to finish my last 20 minutes or so in the First Class lounge.  I was so pleased with my meal in the dining room, not hungry (it was about 9am in my head at that point), but ... I couldn't resist at least trying one of the other desserts.

Apple Pie.

The apple pie was served just as a massive slice.  I'm all for "Parent family slices" and usually scoff at the tiny slivers people consider slices, but this really was a big one, particularly given how dense it was, and, well, the fact that I just had a cheesecake and meal right before.  Heh.

I think it was supposed to be served with an additional apple sauce, as it was in the bowl beside it, but mine came ungarnished.

It was more of an apple torte than traditional American apple pie, or maybe just a Bavarian style apple pie?  I guess it wasn't as cake-like as a torte, but it certainly didn't have the pie-like crust.  Anyway.  It was more of a soft tarte crust, and the apples were very dense, layered, and had some kind of goo in there and a little mild spicing.  The top was also not a pie crust, but more of a almond layer maybe?  Very different from things I've had before, but not altogether unfamiliar.

It was served at room temperature, and was ... fine.  It didn't taste fresh or homemade, but was perfectly fine.  However, I desperately wanted it warm and with some ice cream (or at least whipped cream).  I had to go get on my next flight, otherwise I would have asked for ice cream, as they had it on the dessert menu in the restaurant area, so I know they had it on hand.

I saved the rest, and may or may not have had it in my hotel room when jetlag hit and apple pie at 6am seemed like a great idea.

***.

Fine Dining

The real feature of the lounge is the fine dining experience, available in the dining area or bar.  Given that I was the only guest, I, uh, had my choice of seats.

"Our SWISS First Lounge is also an à la carte restaurant. Guests in SWISS First can be served from an extensive range of salads, fine sandwiches or a multi-course pre-flight dinner. A team of head chefs is constantly at your disposal."

A La Carte Menu.

The a la carte menu had plenty to pick from, much of it fairly tempting, but a bit all over the place.  For starters, a seasonal salad (with asparagus!) or Caesar salad, beef tartar, or smoked salmon, along with a seasonal asparagus cream soup.

Next came main dishes sausages with proper sides, or "veal Zurich style", both of which made sense, but then ... falafel with hummus/eggplant/pita, or how about tiger prawns in a kaffir lime sauce? Or, the real main dish of champions: fondue.

And finally, desserts.  A refreshing light lemon elderflower sorbet with Limoncello, cheeses, or a very interesting sounding "variations of milk and honey".

It was however just 8am in my world, and I already had breakfast on my flight, and a very late dinner, so, I wasn't entirely sure what made sense.  I was drawn in by the asparagus offerings, but ... there was more to come.

Tasting Menu with Wine Pairings.

The next page was a many course tasting menu, none of which came from the previous menu pages, all of which came with recommended wine pairings.  If you wanted to sit down and have a long, leisurely, five course, fine dining experience, this is for you.

I certainly didn't want 5 courses, but the  first course of marinated char sounded better than the other starters, and I loved the sound of the sides that came with the steak.   So, um, that is what I ordered.  The first course from the tasting menu, and the sides from the fourth course.  I was curious about the jellied champagne soup dessert as well, but, the previous page cheesecake-ish called out stronger.

Wine List.

And finally, the wine list.  Was it 8am for me?  Yes!  Did I drink plenty on my flight there?  Yes!  Did I still order a small pour of wine?  Yes!

The list was reasonably long, 4 champagnes, 6 whites, 1 rose, 6 reds. 

Marinated char, blinis, sour cream, dill, sunflower seeds.

I started with the first course from the tasting menu.  I knew the lounge called itself fine dining, but, I wasn't quite expecting this.  Plating alone, this was Michelin level cuisine!

The fish was fine, but I am not quite sure what the marinade was, as I didn't detect it.  I preferred the baltic salmon on my flight actually.  But the accompaniments with this were what really shined. Tiny cubes of well seasoned cucumber, high quality olive oil, delicate baby chives, little dollops of sour cream, and elaborately placed pumpkin seeds.  I mean, really.

This was a beautiful dish, and a nice choice for quasi breakfast, quasi lunch, random fine dining.

***+.

Asparagus.

And then, my requested asparagus, normally a component with the steak dish.

I actually loved this.  It was freshly cooked, well seasoned, tender, juicy, and just 100% what I wanted at the time.  Delicious as it was, given how well seasoned it was, but also fantastic with the bearnaise.

****.

Bearnaise.

My sauce was presented in a little bowl, and it was flawless.  I loved how fluffy it was, and, like everything, just well seasoned.  Gordon Ramsey would be proud.

****.

Variation of milk & honey, cheesecake, glace, dried milk foam, dulce de leche.

The meal just kept getting better and better.

This was one of the best desserts I've had in years, truly.  And yes, I eat a lot of dessert!  Like the first course, visually, it was stunning.

Every component of this was interesting.  Every component was quite tasty on its own.  Together they were glorious.

So what did we have?

The main bar shaped item was the cheesecake, perfectly smooth, sweet but not too sweet, lovely vanilla bean and honey notes.  The cream cheese flavor was not strong, I suspect they used something other than American style cream cheese.  It sat on a thin base, not mushy nor cardboardlike, just, a compressed cookie bit.  This bar alone was a truly great dessert.

But on top of it were so many goodies, each of which accented the cheesecake in a different way.  A strawberry or raspberry added a beautiful fruity note.  I found the grape to be refreshing, and not something I've ever paired with cheesecake before.  The thin wafer disks were sooo sweet, I think perhaps the dulce de leche in thin crispy form?  They added a fun crisp texture, and were just crazy delicious.

But wait, what else was on that plate?  On the other side was a pile of crumble, that didn't look like it would be good, but, was.  It wasn't just graham cracker.  On top of that was my favorite part.  I think this was the dried milk foam?  It was a fluffy and airy and cold milk like substance, that seemed almost like ice cream, but not quite.  I suspect it came out of a whipped cream charger.  I loved the cold quality, and the texture and flavor of this too.  It was great with the base it was sitting on, and of course went well with the cheesecake bar too.  And finally, a meringue like disk on top of that.  Another fun complimentary texture.

This just delivered on all fronts, and I was blown away by what a well composed, flawlessly executed, gorgeous dish it was.  Top 3 desserts I've had in several years, really.

*****.

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