JetBlue Mint, Flight 615, JFK-SFO

Flight Details:

Departure: JFK, 11:35am (scheduled) 11:47am (actual)
Date: October 2018
Duration: 5h 59m
Seat: 4F (single suite)
Class: Mint

Another standard JetBlue Mint flight.  See my other JetBlue reviews if you wish to hear about the seat, overall experiences, other meals, etc.

The only real notes were that it was far far colder than usual on this flight.  We were all bundled up in blankets, something I don't normally see.  When I asked to check on cabin temp, the FA was surprised by how cold it was, and quickly fixed it.

It also was by far the worst Mint service I've ever had ... for the first 5 hours.  The FA seemed to hate me from the start.  She was really nice with the old couple behind me, but was grumpy at me the entire time.  Rude.  Visibly annoyed by everything I ever asked for.  I felt bad the entire time.  It really ruined the experience fro me.  She didn't allow anyone to have their windows open at *ANY* point during the flight, saying it was too bright.  Not even cracked a tiny bit.  For a day flight, this meant it was dark and dreary the entire time.

And then, about an hour before landing, everything changed.  I have *no* idea what changed.  She went from truly rude and mean to me, to ... over the top friendly.  "Anything you want, enjoy!" was her enthusiastic response when I ordered another round of drinks, seemingly not snarky.  "I have an extra cookie, would you like it?" followed by a *third* cookie, "Oh, I had one more.".  And then, "Oh, I know you didn't have the fruit because you were allergic, I have extra ice cream, would you like it?", followed by ... not just the normal 3 scoops, but a bowl with 7-8 scoops of ice cream?!  #soConfused.  But, wow.

It also wasn't a very smooth flight.  It was an hour and a half into the flight before the seatbelt sign went off.

Westbound Lunch, October.

And the food? Meh.

That about sums up the entire experience.

Food & Drink

Menu & Ordering

As always with JetBlue Mint flights, it takes ... a while before the staff were ready to take orders once underway.  This was exacerbated by the fact that there was a fair amount of turbulence during takeoff, and so the crew remained seated for quite a while.  Still, economy got their drinks long before us.

Lunch / Dinner Eastbound.

The menu was as follows:

WELCOME TASTE

• PEA RICOTTA PESTO DIP WITH CROSTINI

DELISH DISHES
Choose three. Please note: The first two dishes listed below are chilled

• KALE COBB SALAD / confit chicken, tomato, avocado, bacon, blue cheese, green goddess dressing.
• CITRUS SALAD / grapefruit, oranges, heart of palm, pickled red onion, ricotta salata.
• 7 GRAIN RISOTTO / mushrooms, crispy rice, parmesan, chervil.
• PAN SEARED HALIBUT / fingerling gratin, asparagus, red pepper sauce.
• CITRUS-BRAISED PORK / red rice, spicy pickled onions, cilantro, cashews.

SWEET BITES
Enjoy both.

• ICE CREAM: Blue Marble, Brooklyn, NY
• FRESH FRUIT: watermelon, honeydew, pineapple, papaya.

WHEN YOU RE-TREAT

• COOKIE, milk bar, NYC and beyond

Not a great menu for me.  I love the welcome tastes usually, but that is because I like plantain chips and yucca chips, which are often the dipping mechanism.  Crostini were not an exciting outlook.

For my dishes, I also wasn't excited about ... any.  The first salad had avocado and chicken (allergy and dislike), the second had lots of citrus (meh).  Risotto is ... risotto, I wished for pasta.  Fish is always dried out.  Eh to pork.

I settled on the Cobb salad, the risotto, and the halibut, but, slightly half heatedly.  

We were also asked our dessert order at this time, which they've never done before.  Usually you decide that after the meal.  I hoped this meant that the ice cream would be allowed to properly soften.  It didn't.  I obviously could not have the fruit due to my melon allergy.

Drinks

Before we took off, we were offered the signature RefreshMint, but I just went for sparkling water (with mint!), since it was early, and I wasn't ready to go for alcohol.

The drink lineup featured a sparkling, two red, one white, and one rose wine, plus cider, beer, liquor, soft drinks, tea, and coffee.  The exact same lineup I had on my SEA-JFK Eastbound route the prior week.

• SPARKLING: RAVENTOS I BLANC DE NIT BRUT ROSÉ, 2016, Penedès, Spain.
• WHITE: MATTHIASSON LINDA VISTA VINEYARD CHARDONNAY, 2017, Napa Valley.
• ROSE: ROSÉ OF THE MOMINT (no details provided)
• RED: WIND GAP SOIF OLD VINE RED, 2016, North Coast, California.
• RED: TURLEY, JUVENILE ZINFANDEL, 2016, California.

Last time I tried the chardonnay (fine, but kinda acidic) and the old vine red (easy drinking, but not interesting).

So this time?  Rose and zinfandel it was.  Gotta mix it up ...

Rose of the Moment.

I asked what the rose was, and the FA was really rude, pointing me at the menu.  "It just says 'Rose of the Moment', and to ask about it," I replied.  I was presented, quickly, with the bottle.  I didn't catch the name.

I ordered it, but it didn't come with my Welcome Taste.  I reminded her, politely, that I wanted it.  "It will come with lunch", she said.  I was confused, because normally drinks come with the welcome taste, and, um, everyone else got theirs then?

When I did get it, I did like it at first.  Light, refreshing, floral.  

And then ... I stopped liking it.  Too harsh and acidic.

TURLEY, JUVENILE ZINFANDEL, 2016, California.

"Our favorite Zinfandel is back on board! Turley remains California’s benchmark for this grape, and the Juvenile is produced from younger vines in their top sites. It’s complex but approachable, full of vibrant berry fruit and the spiciness of black pepper and licorice."

"I'd like to try a small glass of Zinfandel" ...

Yup.  "small", lol.

Anyway, this was fine.  A fairly bold zin, and what I was ready for later in the flight.  A complete contrast with the other red, much more of a table wine.

Decaf Coffee: Dunkin' Donuts.

With my dessert, I asked for decaf coffee.  My FA, who clearly hated me, grumpily said, "Well, I'd have to brew that".  I confirmed that I did want it.  She stomped away.

When it finally came, it wasn't great.  Tasted like instant, even though I think it wasn't.  Ooph.  I thought she'd hate me if I didn't drink it, but I really didn't care for it, so I dumped it in the bathroom sink.  She scared me.

Food

The meal service also took forever to get going.

Welcome Taste: PEA RICOTTA PESTO DIP WITH CROSTINI.

 Our welcome taste was delivered eventually, an hour into the flight.

The dip was ... rich.  You could clearly taste ricotta and peas, both somehow quite prominent.  I think it would make for a fantastic ravioli filling, but it was a bit heavy to just eat.  It had a very springtime feel to it.

The crostini, 3 of them, were actually better than I expected.  Herby.  Buttery.  Toasted but not too hard.  Basically, cold garlic bread.  A decent snack actually.

I tried to save the pea dip for later, but my FA, as she said the words "are you doing with the tasting", was already taking it away.  Oh well.

Lunch: Kale Cobb Salad / 7 Grain Risotto / Halibut.

Lunch was not served until nearly 2 hours into the flight.

I was glad that I had eaten a huge breakfast, and that I had backup food.  Nothing was great.

Kale Cobb Salad.

"Confit chicken, tomato, avocado, bacon, blue cheese, green goddess dressing."

JetBlue makes some good salads.  This ... was one not one of them.

The chicken I didn't try, since I don't like chicken, but it was a strange gray color.  The bacon chunks looked promising, but, were chewy and flavorless.

The tomatoes were also flavorless, and mealy.  The kale was soggy and lost in the dressing, way too much dressing.  The avocado I avoided since I'm allergic, but it looked freshly applied at least.  I don't think there actually was blue cheese.  No idea why the egg was purple, and why it wasn't listed on the menu.

I took a few bites of this, but quickly moved on, glad I had brought a backup salad with me.  This was the worst dish, no question.

7 Grain Risotto.

"Mushrooms, crispy rice, parmesan, chervil."

The risotto was a mixed bag.  On top was a lot of herbs, I liked the micro celery.

I loved the crispy black rice on top, a really nice touch.  As was the generous shake of Parmesan.

The risotto itself was ... fine?  I mean, kinda gloopy, reheated risotto.  I didn't expect otherwise.  I was hoping for big chunks of mushroom, but, alas, there were just little bits integrated throughout.

I wasn't really into this, besides the toppings, but, I didn't expect to be.  Second best dish, for the topping only.

Pan Seared Halibut.

"Fingerling gratin, asparagus, red pepper sauce."

And lastly, the fish, which I ordered entirely for the gratin.

It came with ... a lot of garnish.  Little pea shoots?  They were a little wilty.  Too generously applied, sometimes the garnishes make the dishes look classy, this just looked sloppy.

I eagerly bit into the "gratin".  It was ... more like quiche, really.  It had a souffle-like, quiche-like, eggy top layer and layers throughout.  I was expecting a cheesy cream sauce.  The potatoes were nicely cooked though, soft but not mush.  And it was really warm.  Once I added my own ssam sauce (which, uh, I had as leftovers from Momofuku Noodle Bar that I wasn't willing to give up), it was great.

Next, the "asparagus".  If you are thinking "uh, what asparagus", that is exactly what I was thinking.  Instead, the dish came with peas and corn.  It was ... fine?  But kinda like cafeteria style veggies.

Lastly, the halibut.  It wasn't as bad as I feared, actually.  I mean, it wasn't good, but it wasn't dried out and totally hammered.  Instead it was just ... boring?

I did enjoy my gratin with my own sauce, but, overall, this wasn't particularly great either.  Still, the best because I enjoyed the thing I made from it.

Midnight Mint Ice Cream && Vanilla Ice Cream, Blue Marble, Brooklyn, NY.

 "You won't need to "scout" all year for this flavor: rich chocolate ice cream dashed with peppermint and loaded with chocolate sandwich cookies. A badge-worthy treat."

Every single person on the flight ordered the ice cream.  Wow.  I've never seen that before.  And our cabin was full.  Darn.  No extra ice cream for me (not that I DARED even mention that to my FA!).

I might frequently mention that ice cream is served hard on flights and takes a while to soften to eating temperature, but this set a new record.  ROCK SOLID.  As in, could not even get a spoon into it to chip off a piece.   It was also completely covered in ice crystals, clearly freezer burnt.  I gave up on trying it for a while, and let it set to melt ...  of course, my FA tried to take it away thinking I just sucked and didn't touch it or something.  I don't know.  "Let me take that away for you," was her wording.  I hadn't even managed to chip of a single bite!  I told her I was just waiting for it to get softer.  She stomped away.  

Even 35 (!) minutes later, it was still more solid than I'd like, but I was ready to try it.  The verdict?  Um, hello freezer burn.  Wow.  Yeah, this ice cream was ruined, clearly not handled properly.  Sadness.

The vanilla tasted ... sour.  And not vanilla.  Not good ice cream.

The Midnight Mint was ... ok.  I liked the mint flavor, but disliked the mushy cookies inside.  The ice cream wasn't very creamy.  

Major meh, and I don't know if this is Blue Marble's fault for just not having good ice cream, or a handling error, or both.  First time I've ever not finished the ice cream.

Cookies & Ice Cream.

And then this happened.

"I have an extra cookie, would you like it?" followed by "Oh, I had a third, would you like?" followed by "I know you didn't have the fruit, would you like the extra ice cream?"

3 cookies.  6 (!) MORE scoops of ice cream.

I took the cookies with me, and actually enjoyed the ice cream, it was properly soft this time, lol.  And it went great with my red wine!

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Schroeder's German Restaurant - Catering

German cuisine.  Not exactly my goto, although I really truly did enjoy Zum Dürnbräu in Munich for legit German food (so much so that I went back twice, during my one week visit!).

But every year, in October, my work group (Chrome) celebrates Oktoberfest, but, dubbed, Chrometoberfest.  Normally we get some kind of German cuisine provided by our internal catering (always including soft pretzels and sausages!), plenty of beer, custom made steins with our logo on it, and perhaps a German band to put us in the mood.  Some years there are lederhosen.  It is always a fun party, but, true German cuisine it is not.

This year we were a smaller group, celebrating in just our San Francisco office, only about 75 of us.  It was a great excuse to bring in authentic German cuisine though, and picking a caterer was easy.  If you think German in San Francisco, there is one classic: Schroeder's.

Schroeder's has been around since 1893, located right downtown, your classic after-work beer hall.  Or so I hear.

I still haven't been to the restaurant in person, but once I saw they did catering, this was any easy choice.

"Chrometoberfest" Feast.

Our menu was fairly simple, just a mid-day snack not a full meal, featuring soft pretzels, sausages, veggies, and of course, since I was organizing, dessert.

Schroeder's was easy to work with, communicated promptly over e-mail, and delivered everything on time (literally, on the dot!), hot and fresh.  They made putting this party together a breeze.  If you need German catering, I certainly endorse.

Crudite & Dill Ranch. $55 (Catering only).

I didn't order veggies originally, but at the suggestion of my co-planner to at least "have something for the healthy eaters", I added this on, not even knowing, or caring, what the dip would be.  I didn't think I'd touch this.

But ... I am glad I tried it!  While all the food was good, this was honestly the highlight for me.

Ok, the celery, radishes, carrots, and cauliflower were all fairly standard (but fresh and crisp), but the cucumbers were crazy flavorful, and the tomatoes juicy and truly fantastic.  I couldn't get over how delicious the cucumbers and tomatoes were.

And the dill ranch?  I LOVED it.  Really herby, in all the right ways.

Such a surprise, but, the tomatoes, cucumbers, and ranch were really my favorite bites.

Crudite and dip is not on the regular restaurant menu, only part of the catering menu, $55 for a tray with ranch side, which was entirely reasonable for the quality vegetables. They do have a salad on the menu with this dressing.

Bavarian Pretzels.  Bourbon mustard / Bier Cheese. $12 (for 2, +$3 for bier cheese), $70 (Catering Platter, +$10 Bier Cheese).

Next, signature pretzels.

These are huge, cut in half here, which still meant for quite large pretzels.  Very generously coated in salt and sesame seeds.  I heard some guests complaining it was too salty, but I did like all the salt.

The pretzels were ... fine.  Good crust, soft enough interior.  I didn't love them though, not when warm, not when toasted, not when room temp.  They were fine, but didn't blow me away.

For catering these are normally served only with their bourbon mustard, but I asked to have the bier cheese included, even though I knew it wouldn't stay warm.  I was warned that they don't normally do this, but I still opted for it.

The mustard was ... intense.  I didn't taste bourbon, but it was really quite spicy mustard.  I'm not sure if I liked it or not, but intense it certainly was.

And the beer cheese was good, a strange consistency really, but decent flavor.  Some were concerned by "how yellow" it was.

Overall, these were just fine.  Not remarkable. 

Sausage Platter. $45 (one of each), $100 (Catering Platter).

And then ... sausages.  ALL the sausages: Bratwurst, Knackwurst, Frankfurter, Weisswurst, Nurnberger, Kasekrainer, Chicken Calvados, Spicy Beerwurst .

At the restaurant, you can order just one type of sausage, served with mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, braised cabbage, mustard, and pickles.  Or you can order a platter with all.  Which is exactly what I did, the catering version.  I thought it was supposed to also come with the pickles, kraut, and mustard, but alas, it did not.  It also came with no labels.

I like sausages, but I'm not necessarily the most well versed, and didn't really know which was which. And yes, I tried them all.  They were all quite different, many proteins used, entirely different spicing.  Some long and skinny, others short and plump, and everything in-between.  I'm glad I tried them all, and side by side, as it allowed me to really see the real variety sausages can have!

I'm going to take my best guesses at which was which.

Bratwurst
"Pork, black pepper, garlic".
Bottom right?  Not memorable.  Lots of chunks inside.  Seasoning ok. Casing a bit too thick.

Knackwurst
"Pork, beef, paprika, smoked."
Plump one, slightly redish, 4th sausage in on the bottom.  I really liked this, it had a mild flavor, and the texture was nice, no bits or chunks, just smooth.  The large girth made it super juicy.  It was like ... a grown up hot dog.  My favorite.

Frankfurter
"Pork, oregano, garlic, smoked."
Pretty sure these are the long thin ones on top left.  Fairly classic higher end franks.  Mild flavor and homogenous texture inside.  My second favorite, because, um, I really like hot dogs!  Great snap to the casing.

Weisswurst
"Pork, chicken, cream, cream, cinnamon ginger."
Pale plump ones, middle bottom. These were like breakfast sausages.  I liked the flavors, but it felt like the wrong time of day to be eating it.  There were lots of bits and pieces in here too that I didn't quite love.  Third favorite, but the timing was wrong.

Nurnberger
"Pork, beef, all spice, cream, smoked."
Top right.  Thin, long, spiced.  These had bits I wasn't a huge fan of, but not as many as the spicy beerwurst.  Decent enough.  Middle of the road for me.

Kasekrainer
"Pork, emmentaler cheese, garlic."
I'm not sure which these were, I didn't find any that were cheesy ...

Chicken Calvados
"Chicken, apples, brandy."
Third from right, bottom.   No memory of this one, but I know I tried them all ...

Spicy Beerwurst 
"Pork, beef, amber ale, peppers, honey, mustard."
I think these are the ones on the bottom left.  The texture of these really didn't do it for me.  Too many chunks and bits.  Nicely grilled, good snap on the casing, but, my least favorite, no question.  I don't like the bits.  I didn't like the flavor.

Apfel Strudel . $9 (individual), $100 (catering platter)

"Rum caramel, poached grapes, whipped cream fraiche."

And finally, dessert!

Schroeder's catering does not normally offer platters of strudel, but ... you know me, I need dessert, and I knew it was something they serve at the restaurant.  A couple quick e-mails later, and platters were offered as an add-on to our menu.  Yes!

I can't say that I've ever loved apple strudel though.  Apple filling, in general, never my first choice.  Not in a pie, not in a turnover, not ever.  I tried the strudel at a famous beer hall in Munich, Augustiner Keller, hoping it could show me how amazing strudel can me.  I was still mostly only excited about the vanilla sauce and whipped cream that came with it, not the strudel itself.

This ... was about the same.

The caramel that coated the pan was pretty fabulous, and, yes, boozy!  I gladly saved all the catering pans and scooped up all the extra caramel.  I warmed some of the rum caramel up later and spooned it over vanilla ice cream and was quite a happy girl.

The poached grapes were interesting, also quite boozy, I think perhaps poached in red wine?  Others were confused by the grapes, but I remembered from my short time in Munich that this was fairly standard.  Anyway, flavorful, well done poached grapes, although the skins were a bit bitter.  I liked the boozy liquid mixed with whipped cream though.

And then, the strudel.  I did like the filo dough wrapper.  It had a nice flavor to it (yes, really, just the plain simple pastry), was thin, flaky, and crisp, just the right number of layers to hold in the filling and not break apart too easily.  One batch seemed underbaked, and a bit raw, but I actually loved that.  I could taste the flour, and, uh, I liked it?

The filling though I wasn't enamored with, but I didn't expect to be.  Very generously stuffed with chunks of apples, lots of golden raisins, and tons of spices.  Soooo many spices.  Honestly, it was too aggressively spiced for me.

It also really, really needed whipped cream, ice cream, or, the cream fraiche it is served with at the restaurant.  I expected that to be included, but alas, it was not.  Without the cream component, the rum caramel was far too sweet and the filling far too spiced.  Not balanced.

So overall this was a mixed success.  I did really enjoy the boozy caramel and grapes, warmed up and spooned over ice cream.  I did really enjoy the pastry with whipped cream (which of course I had on hand).  But the essential apple element ... not really for me.

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Old Dutch Foods

When I visit other countries, one thing I love to do is try their unique flavors of potato chips.  Australia tends to "win" in this category, but, I enjoy this hobby wherever I go, even if it isn't that far away, like, to Canada, the home of Old Dutch Foods.

Old Dutch Foods is snack maker of chips, dips, salsas, and other party snacks.  They also acquired Humpty Dumpty at some point, if you are familiar with that brand.

"Who is Old Dutch Foods today? A tasty part of your busy life, bringing you, your family and friends the snacks you love. We’re proud to say that quality lives here with each and every one of our products. Old Dutch potato chips are made using the finest potatoes, pure vegetable oil and natural flavours. Clean, simple ingredients that guarantee our potato chips have a consistent taste that’s crispy, satisfying and delicious. We at Old Dutch are dedicated to providing you top quality products that you can enjoy with your special quality moments."

The Old Dutch product line is pretty extensive, with everything from classic or ridge or dutch crunch style chips to tortillas, corn puffs, popcorn twists, even bac'n puffs (e.g. pork rinds).  But I went straight for the classic potato crisps ... in the most interesting flavor of all: ketchup.

Ketchup Potato Crisps.

"Our ketchup chip is award winning. Old Dutch won Eat North's Canadian Best Ketchup Chip because of it’s outstanding flavour and crunch. We proudly accept this award on behalf of our great customers!"

Oh wow, these are strange.  And fascinatingly good.  But oh so strange.  So very strange.

Yes, they really are ketchup chips.  They taste, remarkably, like ketchup.  Very strong ketchup.  You can't deny it.

The chips themselves are thin style, crispy, and well coated.  Fine chips.

I couldn't decide if I liked these or not, but, I certainly found them novel.

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Spot Dessert Bar, NYC

It is probably no surprise to you that I research every restaurant I visit, in advance.  I very, very rarely visit a restaurant without researching it first.  Particularly when it comes to a critical meal like dessert.

And yet, I did just that, in New York of all places, where I have extensive notes on places I want to go, and many favorites.

The reason?  We went to Momofuku Noodle Bar for dinner (review here), and decided to move elsewhere for dessert, since the environment there just wasn't comfortable.  I was with a local though, who recommended Spot Dessert Bar, and he's been many times.

So, to Spot we went, just a few blocks away.  I shed a tear as we passed a favorite froyo shop, but, I trusted his leadership.  And ... its good for me not to be the one in control all the time, right?

And also, uh, we were going to a "dessert bar", so, it sounded promising.

"This is Spot, a dessert bar like no other, home to a whole new world of delicious flavors and tastes.
At Spot, Dessert Bar, traditional confections are re-imagined and spiked with a healthy dose of Asian Flare.
Thanks to unique ingredients like Green Tea, Kobacha, Yuzu and more. Out desserts pack innovative flavors and unexpected benefits into every bite. Spot Dessert Bar is truly one of a kind."

Ok, a dessert bar, with seasonal frequently changing items, and asian flair?  I could get behind this.

Entrance.

The entrance was located down a stairwell, and although it looked "creepy", that was just due to their early Halloween decorations.

Seating.

Spot actually does table service, even though at first glance it looks like you'd order at the register in front.  There aren't that many seats, but we got the last table.

Luckily, they recently opened another location right down the street as well, and since we got the last table, we saw others directed there instead.

Seasonal Dessert Menu.

Menus were provided, laminated style with photos.  Not exactly classy, but, practical?

The first page was the seasonal desserts, and I'll admit, they did look and sound interesting.  Nearly every dish came with ice cream or sorbet of some sort.

The problem is that we weren't really hungry after our Momofuku feast.  We just wanted somewhere to keep chatting, and a little something.  It was hard to settle on just one item for the group, but, we did (half the options were easily ruled out due to caffeine (chocolate or matcha), so, that helped.

Drinks, Cookies, Ice Cream.

The back side of the menu contained all the drinks, a large range of coffee, tea, and bubble tea (served in lightbulbs of course), asian flavors of ice cream, and some cookies.  Oh, and baked alaska.

Great Looking Cookies!

I'm not normally one drawn in by cookies, but we saw these in the case, and they looked great.  Obviously I was drawn in by the marshmallow.  My peanut butter loving companion was easily on board to get one.  It also helped make a decision, we could get one big item, and one cookie, no need to pick just one thing!

GF Peanut Butter Cookie. $3.95.

The cookie was served warm, which was nice.

I did love the toasted marshmallow on top, soft, sweet, fluffy.

But the cookie itself was ... clearly gluten-free.  The texture just left something to be desired.  Mushy.  It had ok peanut butter flavor.

There was also an unexpected layer of chocolate under the marshmallow and above the cookie, which was unfortunate, as two of us, including the person who selected it, do not eat caffeine at night.

So overall ... eh.  We all took a chunk, and the rest went unfinished.  Except the toasted marshmallow of course.  Someone took care of that.  It was great.

Golden Toast.

"Crispy honey buttered toast, condensed milk ice cream, fresh strawberries, cookie crumbs, whipped cream."

For our one main dessert, we went for the Golden Toast.  While most of the menu rotates, this is a fixture, so I assumed it would be great.  Plus, its been ages since I have had a dessert like this.

The toast arrived quickly.  Too quickly, really, for a hot item.

The toast was ... warm, toasted, but certainly not hot.  It didn't cause the ice cream to melt.  It was very crispy, but a bit fluffy inside.  Partially cut into 6 cubes, but, not cut all the way through, so it was hard to get a chunk out.  The texture and flavor weren't anything special though.

The toast also was absolutely soaked in honey.  Oops.  I should have read the menu more carefully.  I guess that is what makes it "golden"?  I was expecting sweetened condensed milk (something I love), not honey (something I rarely like).  So the toast itself?  Basically a flop for me.

The whipped cream was fairly generic, but the condensed milk ice cream was a nice surprise.  The flavor was unique, very, uh, milk forward?  And sweet, but not cloying.  I liked it, particularly with the cookie crumbs on the platter, and the decent enough strawberries.

I applaud Spot for serving both whipped cream and ice cream with the dish.  This girl loves her sides, and often is torn between ice cream or whipped cream as the "proper" choice.

So in the end, I enjoyed the ice cream, cookie bits, whip, and fruit ... just not the main attraction.  I clearly wouldn't get this again, but did leave satisfied.

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JetBlue Mint, Flight 464, SEA-JFK

October 2018 Flight

Flight Details:

Departure: SEA, 2:59pm
Arrival: BOS, 10:45pm
Seat: 2A (single suite)
Class: Mint

I've reviewed JetBlue Mint many times before, that I won't bother with any intro.  It was another Mint flight, this time out of Seattle, my first time ever from that airport.  Friendly, helpful crew, same seat and amenities as normal, and sadly disappointing menu.

Food & Drink

Menu & Ordering

October, Eastbound, Lunch/Dinner.

The menu was as follows:

WELCOME TASTE

• TOMATILLO JAM & SPICED YOGURT WITH PLANTAIN CHIPS

DELISH DISHES
Choose three. Please note: The first two dishes listed below are chilled

• FARRO, BARLEY, WILD RICE & QUINOA SALAD / roasted carrots, pickled onions, carrot-harissa purée.
• BUTTER LETTUCE SALAD / orange segments, crème-fraîche dressing, pistachios.
• GORGONZOLA & PRUNE STUFFED CHICKEN BREAST / celery root purée, broccolini.
• GRILLED SALMON / pea, carrot & onion fricassee, dill potato salad, lemon vinaigrette.
• FIVE SPICE BRAISED SHORT RIB / parmesan polenta.

SWEET BITES
Enjoy both.

• ICE CREAM: Molly Moon's, Seattle, WA
• FRESH FRUIT: pineapple, mango, papaya, strawberry

WHEN YOU RE-TREAT

• COOKIE, milk bar, NYC and beyond

This was one of the least exciting Mint menus I had ever seen, for my tastes.  I don't like chicken, short ribs, or cooked salmon.  I don't care for grains, oranges, yogurt, or pistachios.  Nothing here sounded like it was really up my alley, and, alas, none of it was.  In retrospect, I wished I had opted for one of the special menus, to finally get a chance to try the Plane Eats perhaps (mac and cheese! burger!).

Drinks

Pre-Takeoff: Sparkling Water with Mint.

Before we took off, we were offered the signature RefreshMint, but I wasn't quite ready for alcohol, and didn't want sweet, so I just opted for sparkling water.  With mint to make it a bit more fun.

October 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.

• SPARKLING: RAVENTOS I BLANC DE NIT BRUT ROSÉ, 2016, Penedès, Spain.
• WHITE: MATTHIASSON LINDA VISTA VINEYARD CHARDONNAY, 2017, Napa Valley.
• ROSE: ROSÉ OF THE MOMINT (no details provided)
• RED: WIND GAP SOIF OLD VINE RED, 2016, North Coast, California.
• RED: TURLEY, JUVENILE ZINFANDEL, 2016, California.

I wasn't familiar with any, so asked for a half glass each of the single white offering, and the first red, since I knew the Zin would likely be a bit bolder than I wanted

MATTHIASSON LINDA VISTA VINEYARD CHARDONNAY, 2017, Napa Valley.

 "A classic California Chardonnay from acclaimed winemakers Steve and Jill Matthiasson, grown in a vineyard right behind their house in southern Napa Valley. Lemon and ripe peach fruit flavors, rather than oak, define this irresistible example of a much-loved wine."

The chardonnay was ... ok.  A bit too harsh and acidic, not very buttery.  My half glass was fine, but I didn't want more.

WIND GAP SOIF OLD VINE RED, 2016, North Coast, California

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"This easy-drinking red is a blend of Valdiguié, Carignan and other heritage varieties from some of northern California’s most interesting vineyards. It’s floral and fruit-forward—perfect with a slight chill and just right to pair with most of the Mint menu."

Yup, "easy-drinking red" sums this one up.   Not complex, but not offensive.  Not tanic, just, easy drinking.

Food

As always, welcome tastes were brought out along with beverages about 45 minutes after takeoff, and the meal followed about 20 minutes later.

Sadly, the meal was one of the least enjoyable for me on a JetBlue Mint flight.

Welcome Taste: TOMATILLO JAM & SPICED YOGURT WITH PLANTAIN CHIPS.

The "Welcome Tastes" are often my favorite part (besides the ice cream) of flying with JetBlue.  And this was my first time finally getting plantain chips!  They had been on the menu before, but never actually provided.  I was excited for them, not for the jam and yogurt though.

The tomatillo jam topped with a dollop of spiced yogurt was actually worse than I feared.  I didn't necessarily mind the jam, the texture was interesting, and flavor unique, but the yogurt had a horrible sour flavor that I truly did not like. At all.  My original thoughts of "gee, that isn't nearly enough plantain chips for that amount of dip" and "Uh, this is really hard to scoop the thick jam onto the tiny chip"  didn't matter, as I didn't want the dip.

The plantain chips were fine though, salty, crunchy, enjoyable enough.  Good plantain flavor.  Better than the crostini or blanched veggies JetBlue sometimes offers, but not as good as the other chips that are often available.

Dinner: FARRO, BARLEY, WILD RICE & QUINOA SALAD  / BUTTER LETTUCE SALAD / GRILLED SALMON.

My dinner arrived 1 hour and 15 min into the flight, at 4:15pm.  I can't say I was hungry, given that I had lunch at 1pm.  Oops.  I forgot the timing of things.

I forgot to say no to horrible roll, so, I had one of those on the plate that I ignored entirely.  I'm still shocked JetBlue hasn't replaced those horrible rolls.

FARRO, BARLEY, WILD RICE & QUINOA SALAD .

"Roasted carrots, pickled onions, carrot-harissa purée."

First up, one of my two salads, the grain based salad, with a mix of wild rice, barley, quinoa, and farro.  The barley, farro, and wild rice were all nicely cooked, crunchy, and I almost appreciated them.  I somehow didn't actually see that this had quinoa in it when I read the menu, and I was a bit sad at how dominant the quinoa was.  I just don't like quinoa very much.  The grains were mixed with plenty of herbs, fresh and vibrant.  If you like grain salads, I think you'd like this.

I did like the tart pickled onions perched on top, very very tart though, aggressive flavor.

The roasted carrots were kinda like the blanched veggies JetBlue serves.  Limp.  Cooked carrots.  Oh, and spiced in a way I didn't care for.  Not my thing.  There was another layer of them under the grains and above the puree.

Oh yeah, the puree.

Carrot-harissa purée.

The carrot-harissa purée was hiding at the base of the dish.  It was a mash, chilled obviously since this was a chilled dish.  Cold mushy carrots with a flavor I don't like?  Yeah.

Not a winning dish for me, my least favorite of the trio.

BUTTER LETTUCE SALAD

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"Orange segments, crème-fraîche dressing, pistachios."

Next, salad.  Fresh crispy butter lettuce.  I was impressed with how fresh the lettuce was, really.  The mandarin orange segments were juicy, lacking any pith (how do they do that!), and fresh too, just not something I really love, so not very exciting to me.  They went well with the flavors of the dish though.

I loved the crunch from the pistachios, but would have preferred a different nut.  Again though, a nice match with the other ingredients, just, not ones I was eager for.

The dressing was ok, tangy crème-fraîche and chives, perfectly dressed, not too much, not too little.  The FA did a great job there.

Overall, a well designed salad, full of quality fresh lettuce, juicy citrus, crunchy nuts, creamy dressing ... just not elements I'd necessarily pick.  My favorite dish though, which might give you a hint of what was to come.

GRILLED SALMON

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"Pea, carrot & onion fricassee, dill potato salad, lemon vinaigrette."

Ok, so the good news?  The dill potato salad was quiet tasty.  Very herby, fresh tasting, and a nice mix of chunks and mash.  It was a bit strange to have chilled potato salad on top of warm fish though.  And I prefer mayo based potato salad of course, this was a dressing-less version.  I did mix it in with the herbed creme fraiche from the butter lettuce salad, and that was excellent.

About that fish.  Oh wow, it was NOT good.  Cold in the center.  Soooo over cooked, filled with white like when salmon is poorly prepared, and it tasted like catfood.  Seriously.  Not trying to be dramatic, but it was really not good.  The lemon vinaigrette on top was worse, it didn't mask the poor fish, it made it taste even more foul.  I resisted spitting it out, but wow, this was not the dish for me.

Under the fish was the fricasse, a mix of mostly cubes of carrots and peas, I'm not quite sure where the onions were.  It was ... fine?  But did get a lot of the vinaigrette on it.

I quickly, very quickly, scooped off my tasty portion of dill potato salad, and got rid of the salmon.  Wow, not a winner.

The potato salad was my favorite part of the meal though, so for that alone, I make this my second choice dish.

Sweet Bites: Fruit & Ice Cream.

I opted for both the fruit and ice cream as my sweets a while later.  I did ask to wait though as I was incredibly not hungry.

Both were decent, the fruit the best I've had on a Mint flight.

ICE CREAM: Scout Mint & Vanilla, Molly Moon's, Seattle, WA

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"Every year we buy thousands of Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies directly from local scouts! The cookies get crushed and folded into mint ice cream made with extract from Washington-grown organic peppermint."

I eat a lot of ice cream in general, at least 5 days a week (although usually paired with a warm dessert), but ice cream on a flight is still fairly novel, and awesome, to me.

When we ordered dinner I asked which ice cream we'd have, and my FA told me that it was the "Melted Chocolate" flavor, commenting that it was a new one, and that the previous one had been this Girl Scout's offering.  So I was a bit confused when chocolate ice cream did not show up, and instead, something minty did.  Clearly, we still had the September offering, two scoops of Scout Mint, plus a single scoop of vanilla.

It was fine, decently mint, nice texture from the thin mints mashed inside.  Kinda like a minty version of cookies & cream.  The vanilla was ... vanilla.

Overall though, it was served too hard (as always, but that just takes a little time to soften), it was icy, and just not very creamy.  Toscannini's, served out of Boston, is still my favorite Mint ice cream.

FRESH FRUIT: pineapple, mango, papaya, strawberry.

The fruit was all good, one of the better selections I've had (partially because it had no melon, so I actually *could* get it).

The strawberry was a single berry, cut in half, decently ripe and flavorful. No pale berries here.

The mango was the real surprise, a generous portion, perfectly ripe, juicy, flavorful.  The highlight of the bunch, although the papaya (just one slice, buried) was also very flavorful and juicy.  They managed to get really nice, fresh, ripe, flavorful fruit this time!

Sundae!

While JetBlue always has ice cream, they still have not caught on to the sundae offering that most other airlines serve in premium service (e.g. made to order sundae carts or at least with some pre-defined toppings).  So I always bring my own sprinkles (and usually other toppings), and ideally use some of the fruit from the fruit salad as well.

Ice cream, sprinkles, and a strawberry was just so much more fun.

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Doughnut Plant, NYC

Donuts.  One of my favorite subjects.  I truly do find great satisfaction in an excellent donut.  You can read all my reviews on the subject obviously, but, to sum it up, I am not one who requires Instagram worthy, crazy topped, decadent donuts.  A simple, well executed, classic (hello, Stan's glazed raised!) will do just fine.  But of course, I do enjoy fun flavors and innovative concepts.

Enter Doughnut Plant, now a NYC chain.  I remember being introduced to Doughnut Plant by some locals during one of my first visits to New York.  I'm pretty sure only one location existed at the time, and it was a trek.  That I remember.  I remember my hosts being so excited to share this donut shop with me.  But ... I honestly don't really remember the donuts. 

Flash forward a few years.  Doughnut Plant has expanded, with several Manhattan locations, one in Brooklyn, one in Queens, and a partnership in Tokyo.   The focus of the shop remains strong on quality and uniqueness.

"Our passion is providing our customers with the best doughnuts in the world, handcrafted every day using the finest ingredients available. Our doughnuts are made fresh throughout the day at our bakery in New York City. All of our jams, fillings and glazes are made in house and our dough is rolled and cut by hand. We never use eggs, preservatives or anything artificial and our doughnuts contain no trans fat."

Ok, so good sourcing, house made jams/creams, this all sounds good, and isn't really "normal" for a donut shop.

The other thing that sets Doughnut Plant aside is the innovations they have made in the donut space.  They say they invented the world’s first Crème Brûlée doughnut.  They say they were the first to use seasonal fresh fruit and nuts in doughnut glazes ... a claim I find rather ridiculous (how would they verify it? And really, they didn't start until the 2000s, I don't believe that no one had ever used seasonal fresh fruit in a donut glaze before then ...).  They also invented a square-shaped jelly doughnut, "so you get jam with every bite".  They have seasonal donuts, beyond just "pumpkin spice".  These innovations, as unverified as they may be, don't sound all for show, and really are about delivering a quality donut eating experience.  And that is something I can get behind.

So now, 2018, I tried Doughnut Plant again.  At an event, where we got boxes of assorted doughnuts.

Not a Pink Box.

Doughnut Plant doughnuts come in a decorative box, nothing like a standard "pink box" shop.

Dozen Donuts. $58.05.

Inside we had a dozen assorted doughnuts, all with paper sorta separating them.

They are not cheap donuts.  A box of a dozen was $58, with prices ranging from $3.50-$4.25.

I tried ... most of them, some from nearly every category on the menu.

Cake Doughnuts

"Near the intersection of a classic birthday cake and a buttery pound cake. No eggs!"

Cake doughnuts are rarely my thing, but the event had so many left over, and people cut them up, so I was able to take just little chunks and not waste.  I'm glad I gave them a chance.

Spoiler: I ended up loving one!

Wild Blueberry. $3.75.

"Full of imported wild blueberries, in the dough and the glaze."

This one was delicious.  I'm not generally excited for cake donuts, but I loved the intense blueberry flavor, with bits of berries inside, and a strong blueberry glaze on top.  Very, very "blueberry forward!"

My second favorite overall, and I'd gladly have another.

Filled Cake Doughnuts

"Filled with housemade creams."

Filled cake doughnuts aren't something I've ever seen before (usually filled doughnuts are yeast donuts), but Doughnut Plant offers a slew of filled cake doughnuts.  I tried several.  They left me just wanting real cake.

Carrot Cake. $3.95.

"Traditional carrot cake with lots of fresh carrots, raisins, walnuts & spices in the dough and a cream cheese filling and glaze and sprinkled with carrots and walnuts." 

After the success of the blueberry cake, I tried a filled cake: carrot cake.  It was ... carrot cake, just not as moist and tasty as a slice of regular carrot cake, and, although filled with cream cheese filling, not nearly as much as you'd get on a real slice of carrot cake.

So, yes, it was carrot cake in doughnut form, but, why?  Have a slice of carrot cake.  My 5th pick.

Brroklyn Blackout. $3.95.

"Rich chocolate cake doughnut dipped in Valrhona chocolate, with a chocolate pudding filling and then sprinkled with chocolate cake crumbs. Doughnut Plant's tribute to Brooklyn's Ebinger's bakery."

I felt similarly about the Brooklyn Blackout.  It was just a chocolate cake that wasn't as moist as a real slice, without enough frosting.  Eh.  Last place pick.

Filled Square Donuts

"Filled with housemade jams & creams—"Filling in every bite." The world's first square-filled doughnut."

I didn't try any basic yeast donuts, but moved straight into the filled yeast donuts, available in several formats, including square - another fairly non-standard offering, that they claim to have invented.

Coconut Cream Square. $4.25.

"Square doughnut filled with fresh coconut milk cream and a fresh coconut glaze. We break open fresh coconuts daily." 


The most expensive doughnut we got, the filled coconut cream square.

A large, lofty yeast doughnut, with plenty of coconut cream filling, glaze, and coconut on top.  Which is all fine, but, for some reason, it didn't come together into anything magical for me.  Eh.  4th place, I wouldn't want another.

Doughseeds

"Our mini, round filled doughnuts, including the world's first Créme Brûlée doughnut."

Next, round filled yeast doughnuts, dubbed "doughseeds".  I appreciated their smaller size, particularly as I was having multiple donuts.

Creme Brulee $4.

"Our signature doughnut: filled with our own vanilla bean custard and individually torched to caramelize the sugar topping for a true brulee crunch."

Ok, I obviously had to try the creme brulee doughnut, not just because it is their "signature", but because I love creme brulee, and was very curious to see it in doughnut form.

The result was another decent yeast doughnut, with a kinda bruleed top.  Now, it was 80 degrees out, and our doughnuts were delivered, so it is possible that this just suffered in transit, as it certainly did not have a "true brulee crunch".  It had a kinda caramelized torched flavor, that I enjoyed, but, certainly no crunch.  The custard filling was good.

A decent doughnut, but not more special than any other custard filled doughnut.  My third pick.

Seasonal: Concord Grape and Peanut Butter. $3.50

"Limited edition pop-up flavor: Housemade Concord Grape Jam filled doughseeds— dipped in a Peanut Butter glaze. Made with fresh Concord grapes from the Greenmarket."

I saved the best for last.  This was awesome.

Peanut butter glaze.  Chopped peanuts.  So much peanut butter flavor.  Great crunch.

Concord Grape & Peanut Butter: Inside.

And inside?  Tons of grape jelly.  Not the jelly I'd normally pick, but it was fruity and sweet and delicious.

First pick.  No question.  PB & J is a classic for a reason.

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