Late July Snacks

Another day, another random snack food to try?  That is what my current working from home life feels like - try all the things!  Which brings us to Late July, a snack maker of slightly higher end, organic, non-GMO, etc, etc snacks.

"Our snacks stand out in a crowded snack aisle, not just because of their delicious taste, but also because of our commitment to sourcing the highest quality organic and non-GMO ingredients. 

We offer a snack for everyone at the table with a variety of gluten-free, vegan, and kosher offerings."

Late July mostly produces chips, a wide range of tortilla chips (all different bases like chia/quinoa, styles like restaurant style or dippers, flavors, whole grains, different shapes, etc) and a few basic flavors of potato chips (bbq, salt & vinegar, sour cream & onion), but they also carry a few kinds of popcorn and crackers.  I've somehow never tried their popcorn, which is kinda shocking given how much I adore popcorn.  I've only tried ... the crackers.  Yup, the crackers.

Crackers

"Our classic crackers were first born in 2003, and while the original recipe stays the same, we now have five delicious flavors. "

Crackers are Late July's first products, and I think I actually had them way back then.  They make 5 kinds of crackers: their version of "Classic Crackers", aka, Ritz style buttery round ones, "Cheddar Cheese Crackers", aka, Cheez-Its, and Saltines (strangely round, that isn't right!), plus two kinds of mini stuffed ones, clearly the most interesting varieties.

Cheddar Cheese Sandwich Crackers (Mini).

"Cheddar cheese sandwich crackers made with real organic cheddar cheese."

These were actually pretty tasty.  The crackers were buttery and reminded me of (tiny) Ritz, and the filling was pleasantly cheesy.  Yes, it was weird cheese "paste", but it had had a nice flavor, and, it was nicely salty.  There was far more cracker than cheese however, so the cheese flavor wasn't quite strong enough for me.  I really wanted "double stuffs", like double stuff Oreos!  I resorted to removing one cracker from each and making my own doubles, or at least eating them open faced, which I really preferred, as I liked to taste the cheese!

They also make these in a peanut butter filled version, which I certainly have tried, and I think liked, but alas, I lost my notes on those.

Cheddar Cheese Crackers (Bite Size).

"Cheddar cheese crackers made with real organic cheddar cheese."

Next up was their version of Cheez-It.  I don't care for Cheez-It but I thought I might like this cheddar flavor since they use legit cheese.

They were ... yeah, Cheez-Its.   Or my memory of them.  I had no interest.

They also make these in a full size.

Read More...

St. John, London

St. John.  An institution in London.  It isn't a new trendy place.  It isn't a scene.  But it is iconic, for good reason.

St. John is the restaurant(s) by Chef Fergus Henderson, arguably one of the most influential British chefs, although, if you aren't into culinary things, you likely haven't heard of him.  Gordon Ramsey? Jamie Oliver? Sure, you know them.  But Fergus?  He might be off your radar.

Fergus is said to have really pioneered nose to tail eating in England, that is, using whole animals, lots of offal, and cuts generally ignored.  He isn't a trained chef, and never even worked as one before opening his first restaurant with his wife.  And yet, has earned great acclaim, oh yeah, and some Michelin stars.  For British food.  Very simple British food.

St. John opened in 1994, and was awarded its first Michelin star in 2009.  A second location, St. John Bread & Wine, opened in 2003, and a third, now closed, location in a hotel also earned a star.  The current lineup also includes a bakery and 3rd restaurant.

A lovely meal for one.

I went for a simple meal, in the bar area, at the main St. John outpost in Smithfield, to try two iconic dishes: Welsh rarebit and Eccles cake.  I was blown away.

I really wished I hadn't discovered it on my final night in London, as I am certain I would have returned many more times.  The experience, the food, was just incredible.  But not in the way you would expect from "michelin dining".

St. John is a Michelin star like no other.

Setting

My visit was to the original St. John, on St. John street, although, that is not what I intended.

St. John Bread & Wine, Spitalfields.

I need to start with a sad story.  You can skip this if you don't care about my woe.

I had wanted to visit St. John on the trip, but kept not finding the right time to do so.  I almost went so many nights, but, on my final night, I was determined to make it happen.

I eagerly checked the menus when they were posted online at 5pm to find that the closer location to my hotel, St. John Restaurant, was closed for a private event.  Undeterred, I made the longer trek, via the tube, to the Spitalfields location, which was listed as open, with the nightly menu posted, complete with the dishes I sought out.

It took a while to get there, but I rounded the corner, and went bounding up.  But there was a paper sign on the door.  It said they closed at 3pm for a private event.  What?!

I double checked online.  It definitely said that St. John Bread & Wine was open, and the other location was closed.  But there were no diners inside.  Tables were set identically, clearly laid out for a multiple course meal.  The staff were all having a pre-service meeting in the bar area, where I planed to dine.  It was not open.

Still ... someone saw me out front, and so I asked if they really were closed.  I was told, as expected, that yes, they were closed.

I was devastated.  It was my final night, I really wanted this, and, it was starting to get late, and I still needed to get back to the hotel and pack.  Devastated.  I explained what I had seen online, and they were confused, but welcomed me inside while they investigated.  Yup, the site was backwards.  The host quickly called a manager somewhere to fix it.  And then he called over to the open location, and confirmed that they were open.  And that they were fully booked, but, had plenty of space in the bar.  I didn't ask him to do any of this!

So, he gave me directions to the other restaurant, told me who to ask for when I got there if there was any problem getting me a seat, and assured me that even if the items I wanted weren't on the bar menu, that they'd be able to get them for me.  It was really quite generous of him to go out of his way to do all this, and he clearly realized that I had trekked all the way there for these two dishes.

St. John Bar & Restaurant.

So I made the trek. 

Back to the tube where I had come from.  Back several stops.  Back out on the street.  And finally, arriving at a location that looked pretty similar to the previous one, same St. John sign out front.

Entry Bar.

The entry was really strange though, a long wide hallway, with bar seating.  It was vacant, but later did fill up with a few people.  It was not heated, and not where I'd want to spend any time.  I wonder if smoking was allowed out there?

Bar.

I made my way inside to the bar area.

It was a small bar, with a couple seats possible, and handful of small wooden tables around the room.  Very, very simple decor.  Whitewashed walls.  No artwork.  The white walls matched the white aprons of the servers, in a fairly stark way.

All food and drinks for this area are ordered from the bartender.  Food comes from the main kitchen,  brought out by kitchen staff when ready.  Beyond that though, you are on your own.  No actual table service.

And I loved it.  Everyone was just minding their own business.  One neighboring tables was a couple who had just stopped by for a drink and snack on their way home, clearly regulars.  Another table was a big group of friends, catching up over wine and eating basically everything on the menu.  Everyone was relaxed, happy, and really just there to enjoy the food.  My kind of place.

People were dressed casually, they had bags with them, and no one cared.  It is the kind of place I want in my neighborhood.  Like the regulars I saw, I'd gladly stop by often.

The main restaurant is an entirely separate room, noise isolated from the bar entirely.  I didn't get a glimpse into that room, but I can't imagine it was that fancy, although, it does have regular table service.

Bakery.

On the side inside the bar area is also a small bakery window, where you can purchase bread loaves to go, and also retail wine.  I only saw one customer get bread while I was there, but I imagine that is more of a daytime draw.

The food menu is written on a chalkboard here, and you order from the bartender directly.

Food & Drink

"At St. John our menu changes daily except for two items which always remain – the Bone Marrow & Parsley Salad and of course our Welsh Rarebit. 2014 marked not only our 20th birthday, but also the point at which we reached a quarter of a million rarebits sold."

The menu at each location is different, and changes daily, and often between meals.

The St. John Smithfield Bar & Restaurant is open daily, serving lunch every day but Saturday, and dinner nightly.  The bar area is in continuous operation throughout the day.  Other locations are also open for breakfast.

The menu is, well, offal based.  And yet, what I sought out was vegetarian.  The St. John menu is always changing, yet there are two savory dishes that always remain: welsh rarebit and bone marrow.  It is the former that I was on a mission to have.  Why?  Well, partially because I don't think I've ever really had it before.  Also, um, they've sold a quarter million of these things?!  They must be doing *something* right with the dish.

That all said, I wished I was able to dine with a group, and share more items.  The entire menu is designed to be casual style, sharing.  The table next to me was a group of 4, who ordered many, many dishes, so I at least got to peek at theirs, and see what I was missing.  I really want to go back.

The restaurant has a slightly different menu from the bar, but there is lots of overlap. 

Wine.

I started by ordering a glass of wine, asking for a recommendation for something that would pair well with the Welsh rarebit.  I assume this is a common question, but the bartender acted thoughtful, suggested one (I missed the name), and poured me a taste before I had a second to even ask for further info.

It was light yet bold enough to stand up to what I expected to be strong flavors in the cheese topping, and slightly jammy, which I thought would pair well with the dessert I planned to order as well.  I quickly agreed to a glass of it.

I was given a very generous pour, and enjoyed it, as expected, with both dishes.

Welsh Rarebit. £6.

I had to get the welsh rarebit.  There really was no choice, right?  I'm not sure I've ever actually *had* welsh rarebit before, and by all counts this is supposed to be the best in the world.

Welsh rarebit is a simple dish: a slice of bread toasted, topped with rarebit mix, then placed under a grill for just a minute, until golden brown.  How good could that be?  I was about to find out.  This rarebit is such a thing in the UK, that you can even buy the St. John rarebit mixture at the supermarket.

It arrived quickly, and was placed down ceremoniously in front of me.  It was huge!  I was expecting a standard size slice of bread, but this was a lofty monster.  I'm curious what the loaf they cut it from looks like?

The top looked beautiful: shiny, perfectly toasted, glistening.  The cheese mixture oozed down the sides slightly.

Oh, man.

I was nervous to dig in.  This was a first for me, and I had no one around to teach me!

Welsh Rarebit: Scored and Sauced!

"At St. JOHN we always suggest that our diners eat the Rarebit with Worcestershire Sauce. Score the surface of the toasted rarebit to make criss-cross irrigation channels, then liberally drip with sauce".

As soon as I ordered it, I was brought a bottle of Worcestershire sauce.  I would not have known what to do with this, if I hadn't done way too much research.  I knew what to do: score it, and sauce it.

I tried one bite plain first to taste the mix, and then, did as instructed.

So, what is in the mix?  Its aged cheddar, beer (in this case, I think Guinness), mustard (they use English mustard powder), a bit of flour, and uh, butter.  Oh and a "very long splash" of Worcestershire sauce.

The topping wasn't quite what I expected.  I think I thought it would be more like grilled cheese, or a croque monsieur, ooey-ooey cheese.  But instead, it was a thick paste, with deep cheese flavor from the cheddar, but, not gooey cheese at all.  So cheese, but not cheesy.  If that makes any sense.

The cheese topping had a bit of spice from the mustard, and depth from the beer.  That said, it was a bit bland.  Until ... you add Worcestershire sauce.  I thought I put on a reasonable amount, kinda splashing it all over (and yup, it does pool up nicely in the cracks as suggested!), but I found it even better once I added more and more.  It really boosted up the other flavors.

Very savory, intense in its own way, very comforting.  Warm comfort food for sure.  I particularly liked the bits where it dripped down the side.

Now, for the other component, as it wasn't *just* rarebit mix all alone after all: the toast!

The toast was good, perfectly toasted, thick sliced, white bread of some sort.  I really liked the crusty edges.  They make the bread in-house, along with actually a full bakery, where you can purchase all sorts of breads, so I expected no less.  Very good quality bread, but, the slice was really large for me to want *that* much bread myself.  That much cheese?  Hah, no problem, so I just scraped off the remainder of the rarebit mix when I grew sick of the bread.

I enjoyed the experience of eating it.  I'm really glad I got to try it.  And it did go nicely with the wine the bartender selected.  That said, I'm not sure I'd really seek out rarebit again though ... I'm just not a bread/toast eater, but, I claim this is really the origin of "artisan toast"!

I'd love to have the rarebit mixture incorporated into other dishes though ... like as a spread on a burger, or perhaps served like a fondue with some fruit?  I'm sure the masses are already doing these things anyway.

Eccles Cake and Lancashire Cheese. £8.50.

"Our eccles cakes do use butter!  Three little slits on top, traditionally, representing The Holy Trinity. there are two sizes, regular and mini. Full of lovely spices and fruit mix, nothing from a jar here, a great restorative and lovely with Lancashire cheese which is how we serve it at St JOHN. "

And then it was time for dessert.  The other iconic dish I was there for. 

Another new item for me: Eccles cake.  While I had heard of Welsh Rarebit before, I don't think I had even heard of this one.  And I don't know why.  The rest of the world is missing out on Eccles cake.

What is Eccles cake?  Well, to start, not a cake.  Just like, uh, "pudding" isn't what I think of as pudding in England.  Not a cake.  At all.  Which is good, because, I don't like cake very much.

Eccles cake is more like a pie than a cake, as it is a pastry, stuffed with seasoned currents, named after the town of Eccles.  It was not invented by St. John, but their version is pretty famous.  It is nearly always on the menu, available at most locations after 11am.  You can find the recipe in Nose to Tail Eating, by Fergus Henderson.

I had read up on it, so I knew basically what to expect, but still wasn't quite sure about it.  It sounded like mincemeat basically, just, inside a pastry rather than on a pie crust.  That didn't seem particularly good, and perhaps there is a reason we don't have it in the US?  I almost went for the bread pudding with butterscotch sauce and ice cream instead.  But I stuck with my plan, and ordered it.

Like many dishes at St. John, this is pretty rustic.  Served cold, just on a plate, no garnish.  The top had the three slashes, with a bit of filling spilling out.  It looked hard and crispy. 

I took a bite, and my fear that I made the wrong dessert choice subsided.  

I was blown away by the pastry.  It was incredibly buttery, incredibly flaky, incredibly crispy.  It was fantastic.  I loved how crisp it was, but also, how layered it was.  This was killer pastry, such rich flavor.  The top was brushed with egg wash and sugar, which added a bit of a caramelized top too.  Incredible.

At St. John, the Eccles cake comes served with a wedge of Lancashire cheese, which seemed totally reasonable to me, as I grew up eating apple pie with a slice of cheese on the side.  Fruity spiced pie and cheese, not strange.

The cheese was fine, a decently matured cheese, flaky, and it did go with the sweet pie nicely, it helped cut the sweetness.  That said, I didn't love it, and really might have just been a bit sick of cheese from the rarebit.

But back to the main attraction, the "cake".  Much like the Welsh rarebit, I had a moment of not quite knowing what to do with it.

Eccles Cake: Inside.

I cut it in half.  I was surprised by what I found, again, even though I had read all about it before.  So much filling!  Much more filling than pastry.

The filling is spiced, sweetened currants, blended with brown sugar and butter, and seasoned with allspice and nutmeg.  It sounds pretty simple, really.  But it wasn't really what I expected ...

It sounds kinda like non-boozy mincemeat right?  But it wasn't anything like mincemeat, partially because it was *just* currant, no other dried fruit, no nuts, just currants, and because it had only minimal spicing.

The filling was sweet and jammy, yet a hint savory.   But very sweet.  I know that doesn't make sense.  I loved the slightly chewy nature to it.  But wow, it was sweet.  I love my sweets, but this was a lot.  And there was a lot of it.

I found myself loving this, but also being overwhelmed by sweetness.  I understand that the cheese should help with that, but, I really wasn't wanting more cheese.  My wine was a good pairing, and it did help too, but still, I found myself wanting something like a scoop of ice cream (oooh, and it served warm?) or some whipped cream.

This might sound funny, as this was crazy sweet, but I actually think it wasn't an ideal dessert.  It was far too sweet to be a breakfast pastry though, so, I think the ideal would be afternoon tea?  I saved a chunk and enjoyed it alongside a cup of tea the next afternoon on my flight home, and, even a day old, it was fantastic.

I'd certainly get one again, although I would prefer to just get one at the bakery to go, for only £3, without the cheese.  And I'd try warming it, and serving with ice cream ...

This made me question why mincemeat pies exist though, as Eccles Cake is clearly so superior.

Read More...

United Club, London Heathrow Airport

Normally when i travel, I fly with OneWorld airlines, as long ago, my friend Emil gifted me Gold Status.  I got to enjoy the finer things in life, like the British Airways lounges when traveling through Heathrow - including both the First Class lounge (see prior reviews) and even Concorde Room (which I've reviewed for both breakfast and lunch).  But I lost that status, as I don’t fly nearly enough to maintain it. I still generally fly with One World, although now, I’ve been relegated to the Business class lounge (reviews).

But on my recent business trip through London, flying One World was far too pricey, so I flew with Virgin Atlantic from SFO to LHR (where I got to enjoy the pretty excellent Clubhouse at SFO and a decent flight).  My final destination however was Lisbon, and to get there, I flew with TAP, a Portuguese airline that I didn’t know existed until booking this trip.

I was flying economy on TAP, and had no status, so, I knew I’d have no lounge access for my 4 hour layover, a prospect I wasn’t exactly looking forward to.  Somewhere along the way, I remembered that I had 2 United Club lounge passes as part of my hotel status, so, I brought them along and cashed them in for my traveling companion and I.

And thus, we found ourselves in the United Club for a few hours.  My research showed that most folks feel it is one of the best United Club lounges out there.  Given its level of mediocracy, perhaps I’m glad that I don’t normally fly with United.  It was certainly better than being in the main terminal, and you could tell that they tried to do a few nice things, but, overall, not anything rave worthy.

The Setting

Assorted Seating.

The lounge is medium-sized, certainly nowhere near as large as the British Airways business lounge, but also, not nearly as busy.  Assorted types of seating were available, including round dining tables, smaller square dining tables, 1 token couch, and a few arm chairs.

High Tables.

There were also high tables.

Power outlets were plentiful, and we really appreciated that they had US power jacks, as my companion and I both forgot adaptors.

Bar Area.

The final area housed the bar, with more seating along the bar.

The bathrooms were kinda ridiculously nice, individual little rooms, very large, with an attendant standing by to fold the toilet paper back into a triangle after every use.  This seemed like a waste of both space and staffing.  Interestingly, they had only hand soap, no lotion, which my very dry airplane hands really wanted.

They did have showers, but I didn’t check them out.

The Drinks

Juices.

One side of the space was a drink station, with fairly standard self-serve soft drinks.  More interesting was the juices in dispensers, and a station with cordials you could add to make flavored water.

Sparkling water was available in large bottles.  I took a whole bottle back to my seat and my companion looked surprised, but, uh, I easily drank the whole thing.  I appreciated not needing to get up to get more.

Still water was available on tap.

Tea / Hot Water.

There was also a Twining tea selection with hot water, standard black tea, green tea, mint tea, and a fruity one. No rooibos.

Coffee Station.

A automatic coffee machine made decent enough decaf.

Coffee Condiments.

This station confused me.  

It contained syrups to add to coffee (vanilla, hazelnut, cinnamon, and chocolate cookie), but also little jars of cookie crumbs (ginger nut biscuits, amaretti, and double chocolate cookies).  I was excited to make some sort of decadent dessert-y coffee, and added  the chocolate cookie syrup and some cookie crumbs. 

And then I realized how little sense this made.  Soggy cookie crumbs in coffee?  I really don’t get it.  What were they for?  I could see adding cookie crumbs on top if there was whipped cream or something, but there wasn't.

Negroni.

Alcoholic selections came from the bar, where they were made/poured to order.  A few wines, beer, and basic spirits.  I asked if they had a cocktail menu, as some lounges do have fun cocktail menus, and the bartender kinda looked at me like I was asking a crazy question, and said he could make a classic cocktail.

So I asked for a negroni, and his attitude all changed.  I think he thought I was asking for something fruity and ridiculous?

Anyway, the negroni was fine, and nice to sip on slowly alongside my food.

The Food

Food all comes from a poorly stocked, not labelled, and totally non-hygienic buffet on the other side of the room.

Cold Cuts, Cheese, Sandwiches.

First up was a cold well with sandwiches, cold cuts, and cheeses.  They very helpfully labelled only the meat platter: “Continental sliced meat platter”.  I had no idea what any of the sandwiches were.

Salads.

Next was another cold well, with salads.  Again, only one item was labelled, the coleslaw.

The back row had fruit salad (I avoided due to melon), potato salad (cubes of potato, way over dressed), and the slaw (also ridiculously overdressed).  I love mayo based things, but both the slow and potato salad were just so over the top that I couldn’t enjoy them.  They also had no seasoning.

In front was a mixed bean salad, cous cous, and a cold pasta salad with corkscrew pasta and tomato sauce.  I tried the pasta, it was too tangy.

Random Stuffs.

Next was a very interesting section.  Keeping in theme, only one item was labelled … the butter. Thanks, United.

The back row had chips, dressings and other condiments, and sunflower seeds.  There was no serving tongs for the chips, or even a spoon for the seeds.  Gross. (There are tongs in this photo, they were not there when I actually went to get them).

Once I didn’t find anything else in the lounge I wanted to eat, I went back to try the chips, and hoped that somehow others hadn’t touched them all.  The chips were really strange, not chips exactly, more like fried tortillas, but not like tortilla chips as we know them.  They were crispy yet soggy if that makes any sense.  Chewy.  Oily.  They weren’t good, but, honestly, everything else was so bad that I asked my companion to get me more, and he brought me a big platter, which I somehow finished, dunking in all sorts of things.

The dressings and condiments were in bottles, and, you guessed it, not labelled.  I was thrilled to find sweet chili sauce though, which I used for my chips (and wedges), and my companion used for his chicken.  There was also an herby oil that wasn’t bad.

The front row was breadsticks, butter, and crackers.

Taco Toppings, Condiments.

Next was another condiment station.  It had tomato sauce and brown sauce, tabasco, salt and pepper, salsa, shredded cheese, pickled jalapeños, diced red onion, brown wilted lettuce, and what I think was sour cream.  The sour cream like substance was chunky and super strange, but we still tried it with the sweet chili sauce and wedges, pretending to be in Australia.

There were also … croutons?  Note that there was not any salad ingredients, besides the wilted lettuce which was intended for tacos, and the croutons and dressing. It made no sense.

Hot Foods: Taco Bar.

Finally, the hot foods.  Yes, as you may have guessed, it was … a taco bar.  Taco shells and tortillas, and two types of chili to fill them with, along with the condiments from the toppings bar.  At least those items made sense once I saw this section.

The other hot foods bar, which I somehow didn’t get a photo of, had rice, steamed veggies, potato wedges, and crispy chicken.  While I was there, another guest wanted some wedges, and noted that there was nothing to serve them with.  The staff member just grabbed tongs from the chicken, and said to use those instead.  Awesome cross contamination!  But, that certainly explains how the tongs wound up in the chips later on too.

Bread.

There was a very picked over selection of rolls, I guess to go along with the meat and cheese?

Desserts.

The dessert selection made me quite sad: cookies, brownies, some kind of bar, and muffins that were likely left over from breakfast.  As you know, I don’t really like cookies and brownies, and barely consider them desserts.  Couldn’t they have thrown in a least a token cake or pie?

Anyway, of course I had to try things.

I skipped the cookies and brownies entirely, as they just didn’t look good at all.  Ok, not that the other things looked good, but, my sweet tooth needed *something*.

I started with a muffin.  The muffins were all what looked like banana nut (boo), except for one hiding in the back that looked like a crumb topped blueberry muffin.  I quickly snagged that.

It was awful.  Yes, a little crumb on top, and yes some tiny little blueberry bits inside, but it was dry and the flavor was horrible.  The berries didn’t even add moisture, they were dry and hard too.  I gave it to my companion, Mr. Blueberry Muffin, and he took a single bite and threw it out.  Not a winner.

The random bar thing however wasn’t bad.  I have no idea what it was though.  It was … sweet.  It looked like a plain granola bar or something, but it certainly wasn’t.  It was soft, it was sweet, it was buttery, but it wasn’t a blondie.  I think likely a flapjack, now that I am familiar with those.  Anyway, it wasn’t earth shattering or anything, but, it was tasty enough.

Bar Snack: Wasabi Peas.

At some point, I saw others at the bar with little bowls of wasabi peas and pretzels.  Yes!  Snack foods!  Finally!

So I marched up to the bar to ask for some wasabi peas.  I have no idea how you were supposed to know they existed, I'm guessing they normally just give them as bar snacks for those who choose to dine at the bar.  Given the lack of any self-serve snack mixes, or bags of chips, or anything, this was most welcome, although the wasabi peas weren't actually very good.

Read More...

Protein Bakeshop

I'll cut to the chase: I found some really, truly, delicious protein bars.  My years, literally, of sampling every random bar on the market has finally paid off.  I discovered Protein Bakeshop. 

"All our ingredients are locally sourced with no added preservatives or artificial sugar. We know that the lesser the ingredients in your food, the easier it is for your body to digest and absorb it's nutrients. Not only is each of our product freshly baked but also contains no more than 4-6"

Protein Bakeshop sounds much like any other protein bar on the market.  But unlike most healthy, vegan, gluten-free, yadda yadda bars, these ones really, truly taste like dessert.  That said, uh, these aren't really protein bars.  They are chocolate truffles.  With protein hiding in them.  

The only problem?  Uh, you can only get them in a few countries, all of which are far, far from where I reside: Kuwait, Oman, UAE, Bahrain, India, or, where I found them, Singapore.  In those countries, you can find them in gyms, cafes, etc.  But in the US?  Uh ... sadly, no, I can't find anywhere that has them.

If you do find them, these things are DELICIOUS.  They are designed as pre-workout snacks, or "indulgent" treats for those who are super conscious of macros and health, but for me?   I decided they were a perfect little bite alongside my morning coffee while prepping the rest of breakfast.  A small extra boost of protein, a dose of chocolate, no better way to start the day off right!

Packaging.

Each one is individually packaged, perfect for grab-n-go.

They come in 6 flavors, all of which sound pretty good: cashew, caramel, hazelnut, peanut butter, almond butter, dark chocolate, and coconut.  After adoring the first one I tried (peanut butter FTW!) I tried all that I could get my hands on, which was half the range.

Oh, and they *do* contain a little whey protein, which my body really, really doesn't like, but I think the amount is super minimal, or perhaps less processed in some way, as I felt *slight* effects from it, but not enough to deter me from having more of these, although I did limit myself to one at a time.

Peanut Butter Truffle.

"When we use peanut butter, it's always going to be the crunchy version to get more healthy fats from the whole nut. Just 2 tbsp gives you almost 8 grams of protein. If you have high cholesterol levels, peanuts or organic peanut butter is a complete must have."

"4 of these protein loaded truffles are ideal for a pre or post workout snack. The macros of this truffle work beautifully as a pre-workout snack or a low carb snack between meals. Just one of them has about 4 grams of whey and as low as 2 grams of carbs making it a low carb dieters dream come true."

Um, yeah.  I don't care about macros.  I don't care about low carbs.  I don't care about any of that.  I tried this because it was in the fitness center in my office in Singapore, and it blew me away.

This thing is *delicious*.

It is a chocolate shell, with a peanut butter filling.  It doesn't taste fake, too healthy, or anything strange, and it doesn't have the cloying processed taste of a standard peanut butter cup either.  Just a dark chocolate shell, with a kinda crumbly, lightly sweet, strongly peanut flavored filling.

I really loved it, and couldn't believe I was picking a healthy treat.

The ingredient list is pretty wholesome, the shell really is made of 70% dark chocolate, and inside is peanut butter, lightly sweetened as I expected with dates rather than sugar.  Almond powder and whey protein isolate are mixed in with the peanut butter, which is definitely what gave it the slightly crumbly chalky texture, and I think coconut oil is mixed with the dark chocolate to create the shell, but, that is all that there is to it.

Fairly simple, not too fake, and totally delicious.  I do wish the whey protein isolate wasn't in there, as sadly, my stomach reacts to it, and even in just one of these I felt it a bit.  I certainly couldn't have more than one in a sitting, and if they weren't so delicious I really wouldn't have more, but, I really like them!

Almond Truffle.

"Enjoy this delicious blend of crushed almonds and dark chocolate between lunch and dinner. Just 3 of these truffles with your evening coffee will give your snack a healthy kick of protein and super low carbs."

The almond one is made from the standard lineup of dark chocolate (70%), date syrup for sweetness, coconut, whey protein isolate, and, obviously, almonds.  It looks like a regular chocolate truffle, but clocks in 2 grams of protein per ball (75 cal, 5g fat).

It really does, mostly, taste like a fairly regular chocolate truffle, although it has a chew to it that is definitely trending in the protein bar direction.  The flavor was good, the texture a bit off, but, still, fairly enjoyable, although I don't really like date flavors, and almond isn't my top choice.

Unfortunately, the whey protein isolate, even the little in here, upset my stomach pretty badly.  My least favorite, but I still would eat another, sans stomach complications.

Coconut Truffle.

"Our coconut truffles are heart-healthy. Indulge in 4 delicious truffles for breakfast or have 2 as a snack any time in the day. This nut-free combination helps you heal your gut and give you sustained energy."

The last variety I tried is the coconut, again the standard base of 70% dark chocolate, date syrup for sweetness,  whey protein isolate (sigh, but, they *are* protein balls after all), and coconut oil for the shell, this time with coconut flakes and coconut milk powder mixed in.  No nuts at all.

The texture was much different in this one, as the filling was entirely different.  The shell was the same dark, rich good chocolate, and yes, dark chocolate and coconut is a very pleasing combo.  (The shell here has gotten a bit white, as I did expose it to heat - Singapore is HOT! - and I think it caused that effect).

Coconut Truffle: Inside.

Inside this one was entirely different.  It wasn't crumbly and chalky like the nut based ones, but rather a bit chewy, and, yes, very coconut forward.  Lots of coconut flakes, slightly odd flavor/texture from whey protein I think, but mostly, just chocolately-coconuty-chew.

Trended *slightly* in the protein bar/healthy item category, but mostly was just a tasty candy bar (er, ball).

My second favorite, I enjoyed it quite a bit, and didn't actually feel any adverse whey protein effects from it.  I still limit myself to one per serving, alongside a cup of coffee, just to be careful.

Read More...

JetBlue Mint, Flight 1833, (May 2017, Dec 2017, August 2018)

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

This flight was a mixed bag.  The food was impressive, but, I was kinda grumpy throughout.

Amenities

Amenity Kit.

While we were hanging out on the runway, the new-ish Hayward amenity kits were distributed, same as last time.  Eye mask, ear plugs, chapstick, mint, scented wipe were inside.  I used the lemon scented wipe but nothing else.  The old Birch Boxes were more interesting.

Food & Drink

JetBlue Mint Feast!

The scheduled departure time was 10:30am, but early in the morning we got a notice that we'd be delayed until 12:30pm.  About an hour later, that changed to 11:30am.  We decided to just head to the airport early, given the changes, and were shocked to find the flight boarding at just after 10am.  But then we sat at the gate waiting for the 12 passengers who didn't really get the memo with the new flight time.  Since they had issued the delay, the airline decided to wait.  We finally had everyone on board, and SFO (our destination) issued a ground stop due to construction.  Sigh.  We didn't take off until long after 12, which was actually a nicer time, but, given that I woke up for the original flight time, I was a bit grumpy.

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

Menu.

As my prior flights, the menu included a welcome taste, choice of 3 of 5 main dishes (2 chilled), and dessert.

Welcome Taste
Caramelized onion dip with taro chips.

Delish Dishes
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

Sweet Bites
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.

RefreshMint (with a little Vodka).

As always, pre-departure, we were offered the signature RefreshMint drink, with or without vodka.  Given that it was 10:10am when I boarded, I asked for just a little vodka, and ... I got ID'ed!  I was amused, but, then again, I was dressed comfortable for my flight.

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?

2016 Lioco Indica Rosé of Carignan, 2016, Mendocino County.

"The team at lioco made the first pink wine we served in mint. And this brand new release of their rosé, one of california’s most sought-after, might be even better! Crafted from old dry-farmed vines in sunny mendocino, this wine brims with strawberry and tangerine flavors, and the subtle scent of hibiscus."

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.

Wenzlau Drawing Board Pinot Noir, 2013, Sta. Rita Hills.

"The valleys north of Santa Barbara provide an intense place for wine grapes: constant wind, shale-spiked soils. That helps to produce some of the country’s best Pinot Noir, including this one from the Wenzlau family. They make subtle, classic Pinot—full of generous raspberry fruit, spicy with cumin and cardamom, opulent on the finish. an elegant, spicy, fruit-packed glassful."

A bit later I switched to the pinot.  It was a fairly classic pinot, smooth, not too tannic, and a much better choice.

Food

Welcome Taste: Caramelized onion dip with taro chips.

I was quite happy to see taro chips from my first flight make their return, instead of toast points, as I had on my last flight.  And this time they came with a tempting sounding caramelized onion dip.

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.

Yuzu Caesar Salad.

"Baby gem, haricots verts, parmesan, breadcrumbs."

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.

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.

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?

Toscanini's Ice Cream: Two Scoops B3 & French Vanilla.

"B3: Brown sugar, brown butter, brownies."

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!

Decaf Coffee.

To go with dessert, espresso beverages are offered, as, yes, they have an espresso machine on board.  However, only regular is available, so for decaf, I had to go with coffee, Dunkin' Donuts.  They did brew me a fresh pot.

It was ... meh.  Not particularly good, but not awful.  Good alongside my dessert, and I liked having a big full mug to drink from.

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.

Delicious, delicious meal.

I was very happy and satisfied with my meal, all beautifully presented, with some fabulous flavors.

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

Holiday Amenity Kit.

The amenity kit was exactly the same as my SFO-BOS holiday flight, just with a dark blue case rather than green.

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."

Sparkling Water with Lime & Mint.

We were also offered the signature RefreshMint drink once seated, but I wasn't ready for something sweet, so opted for sparkling water ... with lime and a sprig of mint, since I knew they had it.

Hydration, first.

Westbound Lunch/Dinner Menu - December 2017.

The menu was as follows:

WELCOME TASTE

• Caramelized onion dip with plantain chips

DELISH DISHES
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

SWEET BITES

• ICE CREAM, Toscanini's, Boston

WHEN YOU RE-TREAT

• 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?

Drinks

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

DOMAINE DE LA CÔTE, Pinot Noir, 2014, Sta. Rita Hills.

 "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.

TURLEY, Juvenile Zinfandel, 2015, California

.

"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.

BELLWETHER “S” DRY RIESLING, 2015, Finger Lakes.

"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.

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.

Welcome Taste: Caramelized onion dip with plantain chips.

I adore the Mint "Welcome Tastes".  I'm such a snacker and sauce/dip girl, that they really appeal to me, far more than general appetizers.  This was no exception, I couldn't wait to try the plantain chips, and I had previously really loved the caramelized onion dip.

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. 

Lunch Platter: Fontina Gnocchi / Herby Lentil Salad / Roasted Cauliflower / Bread & Butter. 

My lunch came as always with all three dishes I had selected at once, along with the bread I always mean to tell them to not include.

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.

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.

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER / pickled carrots & onions, sumac yogurt, tahini-cashew dressing.

Next up, the dish I was most skeptical of, the other chilled dish, roasted cauliflower.  Another Mediterranean inspired dish, another lighter option, which I appreciated.

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.

FONTINA GNOCCHI / truffles, béchamel sauce.

My final selection was the hot vegetarian dish, the one I was most excited for.  The pasta on my previous flights has always been a highlight, and I adore cream sauce and cheese, so, yeah, this was right up my alley.

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.

Dessert Happiness.

When the dessert offering was made, I asked, as I always do, to have my parting gift (cookie) as well, so that I could make an ice cream sandwich, if the ice cream itself was a bit boring (not needed in this case).

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.

Toscanini's Ice Cream: Cocoa Pudding, French Vanilla.

Dessert, as always, was ice cream.  It was delicious. 

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.

Milk Bar Confetti Cookie.

The parting gift was a Milk Bar cookie, this time, a confetti cookie, which I've had before.

Eat Up Cafe: Spicy Soba & Korean-Style Chicken.  $9.

"Korean-style grilled chicken and buckwheat soba noodles with sesame-seasoned carrot and cucumber slaw, a hard-boiled egg and spicy chili glaze."

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.

Spicy Soba & Korean-Style Chicken: Inside.

I mostly ordered it because I just wanted some veggies and flavor, and, well, didn't want a sandwich.  I didn't want the chicken or egg really, and wasn't totally sure about the soba itself.

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

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

Dinner Menu.

The menu was as follows:

WELCOME TASTE

• ASIAN SESAME DIP WITH FRIED WONTONS

DELISH DISHES
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 

SWEET BITES
Enjoy both.

• ICE CREAM: Vienna Finger Cookie, Vanilla. Toscanini's, Boston, MA
• FRESH FRUIT: watermelon, honeydew, pineapple, papaya

WHEN YOU RE-TREAT

• 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

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)

RefreshMint.

I don't for the pre-takeoff signature drink all that often these days, because JetBlue's wine line up is so good, but I decided to ask for a half-size one this time, as the summer weather I was leaving really did encourage it.

I wasn't that into it though, the mint is nice, but it was too sweet for me.

THE WITHERS ROSÉ, 2017, El Dorado.

"This refreshing rosé hails from vineyards at nearly 2,000 feet in California’s Sierra Foothills, where the granite soils and sunshine are perfect for classic Rhône grapes like Mourvèdre and Grenache. Full of peach and blood-orange flavors, plus a tang."

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.

SYNCLINE SUBDUCTION RED, 2016, Columbia Valley.

"With Mint service now available to Seattle, we’re proud to feature our first Washington State wine! Poppy and James Mantone make some of the state’s most rewarding Rhône-style reds, including this Syrah-focused blend that brims with heady blackberry fruit, cocoa and dried roses. Hearty enough for meat dishes, yet bright enough for summer."

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.

FAILLA PINOT NOIR, 2016, Sonoma Coast.

"Winemaker Ehren Jordan combines grapes from vineyards in Sonoma’s remote coastal region for a rich but subtle glassful. It’s full of bright berry fruit, tea-like spice and a foresty note that’s always a marker for great Pinot, and explains why this remains one of California’s most sought-after Pinot Noirs."

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

Welcome Taste: Asian sesame dip with fried wontons.

Oh, JetBlue welcome tastes.  I adore these things.  Chips and dip, one of my favorite things, as I love crunchy snacks, and I love flavorful dips.

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).

Lunch: Heirloom tomato & peach salad / Piri piri scallops / Mushroom cobbler / Bread & Oil.

This, sadly, was one of the worst JetBlue meals I've ever had.   And it sounded so promising.

I didn't try the roll, but it was warm.  These are always awful.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Ice Cream: Vienna Finger Cookie & Vanilla. Toscanini's, Boston.

My heart kinda sank when I was told the flavor of the day: Vienna Finger Cookie.  Eh.  That didn't exactly sound exciting.  Two scoops of that, plus a scoop of vanilla, pre-plated.

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.

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.

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 pm
Seat: 4K
Class: Mint

Experience

Best Jetblue Mint Meal to Date!

Spoiler: This was the best JetBlue Mint meal I've had!

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.

Lunch Menu.

Menus were distributed as we settled into our seats, orders taken once underway.  The menu followed the familiar format - appetizer, choice of 3 of 5 small plates (2 chilled, 3 veggie, 1 seafood), and local ice cream.

WELCOME TASTE

• ASIAN SESAME DIP WITH WONTON CHIPS

DELISH DISHES
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

SWEET BITES

• ICE CREAM: Toscanini's, Boston, MA

WHEN YOU RE-TREAT

• COOKIE, milk bar, NYC and beyond

The wine list was the exact same as my SFO-BOS flight a few weeks earlier.

RefreshMINT (with Vodka).

I'm in love with the RefreshMINT.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Dunkin' Donuts Decaf Coffee.

To go along with my dessert, I ordered decaf coffee, from Dunkin' Donuts.

It was good, freshly brewed.

Toscanini's Ice Cream: 2 Scoops B3, 1 Scoop Vanilla.

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.

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.

Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookie.

Our parting gift was again a cookie from Momofuku Milk Bar, and, a different flavor from my previous few flights.  Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow this time (which I had before from the store).

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.

Read More...