Swiss Airlines First Class, LX 39

Flight Details:

• Depart: San Francisco SFO 8:00pm (local time)
• Arrival: Zürich ZRH 3:50pm (local time)
• Aircraft 777-300
• Seat: 2A

I didn't intend to fly First Class on this flight.  In fact, I had booked the flight specifically to try out one of the Swiss "privacy" seats in Business Class.  But ... a series of snafus (I blame United, as I booked through United and somehow wasn't properly ticketed, and I wound up the day of my flight without a seat, on an oversold flight.  I was offered "compensation" to downgrade to economy as business was fully sold out, or, I could upgrade to first, for an addition $959.  Sigh.

So, even though I wasn't planning it, I got to experience Swiss First Class out of San Francisco, for the first leg of my journey to Munich.

The flight itself was pleasant, and my flight attendants were very kind.  Our cabin of 8 passengers was full, but everyone did seem to get fairly customized service, which is a hallmark element of the service per Swiss's own branding.

Amenities

Waiting at our seats when we arrived were amenity kits and slippers.  Pajamas were offered as we settled in.

Amenity Kit.

The amenity kit had a few cute touches, like the Riccola (because, Swiss), but otherwise was pretty expected (toothbrush, socks, eye mask, assorted hand/face/eye cream, etc).  It, um, lacked toothpaste however, which at first I thought I had just misplaced, but when I sheepishly asked if they had another, I was told I was the second person on the flight to ask about it, and it seems to just have been missed.  

La Prairie Products.

"And if you'd like to freshen up before landing, we have an amenity kit with La Prairie products for you."

All products were La Prairie, which seems to be high quality.  They had full size La Prairie items in the bathroom as well.

Zimmerli Pajamas.

"On night flights you'll be given some pyjamas that have been specially designed for SWISS by Zimmerli."

I was glad to see they actually had size small pajamas available, although they were still pretty large.  Decent pajamas, lightweight, pockets (only side) on the pants, and a cute little pocket on the chest of the top.

A small pillow was on the seat when we arrived, but no blanket.  It was a little chilly in the cabin, so I asked if they had a small blanket or anything, and a perfect weight throw blanket was provided.  Later on, when ready for bed, a thick mattress pad, bigger pillow, and fluffy duvet were provided.  The bedding was all quite comfortable, although the pillow got super soft really fast.  From what I understand, this was all a big step up from business class were people complain about the blankets.

So, overall, the amenity kits were not extraordinary, no partnerships with well known brands for the bedding for example, but, all reasonable.

Wifi is available on board, but, for a fee, and actually quite expensive, several options available.  No unlimited option, and I blew through my 50MB (provided free for First Class only), within the first hour of my flight, with very, very minimal usage.  This felt kinda stingy, given the flight cost.

Seat

"The seats in SWISS First offer more than first-class comfort. Each one is a personal First Class compartment that adapts entirely to your wishes – from the smoothly and continuously adjustable firmness of your seat to the horizontal bed above the clouds."

Seat Area.

The seat area looked pretty simple, but did have a lot to explore.  There were many bits and pieces to it that I found myself discovering throughout the flight, all of which were quite functional.

TV & Ottoman.

First, the tv screen.  Wowzer.  It was seriously big.  I didn't watch any movies on the flight, but it made me wish I did.  Honestly, such a ridiculously huge screen.  It was bigger than my tv at home (which, isn't saying much, but still).

"Versatile, elegant and generous: there is enough room on the veneered oak table in SWISS First for you to work on, but it is also ideal for spreading out a newspaper to read in comfort or for a fine dinner à deux. The ottoman can be changed into a seat for an additional guest or can be somewhere to put your feet up."

Below that screen was an ottoman, which my feet couldn't reach, so was useless to me while sitting. It was also a companion seat if I had a friend to dine with.  I was able to store things under it as well.

Door / Closet.

"The armchairs in SWISS First are a place for you to withdraw in peace thanks to the adjustable side panels and clever cabin layout. For truly relaxing hours in a mini suite above the clouds."

And then, let's talk about the ... doors-ish.  One wall could be built by pulling out a kinda-closet.  It had hangers, two little compartments (perfect for my eye mask and stuffs for sleeping, and my glasses!), and a mirror built in.  This was kinda cool, but also, when it was open and had stuff in it, felt kinda invasive.  I didn't want to sleep inside a closet!  It did create a private space though.

Lower Door / Drawer.

The rest of the enclosure could be built by extending a panel, operated easily with a button.  There was also a storage space near that where my laptop and menus could easily fit.  Really quite handy.

Window Ledge.

The other side of the seat, alongside the window, had a built in drink table, and just plenty of space to set things down.  It also housed the controller for the entertainment, a slew of seating controls, and places to plug things in.  The HUGE dining table also came out of one of these areas.  Below this was another small cubby, that turned out to be quite useful during the flight.  The dinner table could pull in as close as I wanted, or push all the way back.  Again, very functional.

Oh, and there was a classy, dimmable, lamp and window shades that operated with a button.  

It really was a well designed seat, and I found every cubby and storage area very handy.  It took ages to figure out seating controls though, the pictures didn't help, nor did fussing with them.  The seat itself was very well padded, it barely even needed the thick mattress pad for sleeping.  We also didn't have any control over air, no individual nozzels, which I would have liked.

It was comfortable sitting, comfortable dining, and comfortable sleeping, very, very wide, and nicely private.  Really one of the better all around seats I've flown in.

But overall, a comfortable space, and far better than it appeared at a glance.

Food & Drinks

"Guests in SWISS First can choose their own menus. We offer a selection of several starters, main courses and desserts as well as exclusive wines and champagne. The service is as it would be in a restaurant – you decide when we may serve you your meal."

Ok, time for restaurant dining in the sky!  My flight featured both dinner and breakfast, but I could have customized differently had I preferred.

Dinner

Dinner was a fairly long drawn out experience.  It started with canapes before we even left the ground, and once air born, it took a full hour before the first row even got their starters.  I was in the second row (of only two rows), and seemingly served last (the other side and middle seats served before me).  It was 9:30pm before I got my starter, and let's just say, I was ready for it.  My neighbor seemed to have requested a faster option, opting only for a main dish (the pasta).  She had finished her pasta, and had chocolates and a pot of tea in front of her, before I got my starters.  She had already had her bed turned down before I got my main dish!  Clearly, she was on to something.

Food

I was actually kinda excited for the food, as I thought Swiss was known for decent food on board.  But maybe that is more for catering out of Zurich, not San Francisco?  Overall, nothing really impressed me, and much of it, besides the plating, didn't seem better than most international business class offerings.

Canape: Warm spiced cashews.

Nuts were provided as I settled in to my seat, along with a pre-departure drink (I just had water).  They were served warm, a nice touch.

They were good, quite savory, lots of salt & pepper(?).  ***.

Canape: Crusted tuna with cheesy breadsticks.

The other canape presented as I settled in was a bread square, topped with crusted raw tuna, and a dot of some kind of creamy component under it.  It came with some crispy cheesy cracker-sticks.

Given that I don't particularly care for raw tuna, this was a bit lost on me, but if I had been really hungry, it would have been a nice touch.  The tuna seemed fine, but, the crusting was extensive, the bread part mushy, and overall, just not my thing.

I did like the savory, crispy breadsticks.

***.

Dinner Menu.

After we settled into our seats, the dinner menu was presented.  Orders for the starter and main were taken before we got underway, our drinks not until airborn.

Main Menu.

The dinner menu had 5 options listed for first course, but you could select as many of these as you wanted.  When I originally selected just one, my flight attendant asked if I wanted anything else, and I heard her doing the same to others, "And would you like soup and salad as well?", after they ordered just 1-2 of the other starters.  I think I really could have asked for all 5!  The salmon is the signature item on Swiss, which I knew from my limited research, so I obviously had to get that, and also opted for the other seafood choice, a mixed seafood salad.  I skipped the "cold meat specialties", the salad, and the soup.

The main course section had 4 options, but I was told there was an additional off-menu item (short rib).  The lineup was a fairly standard beef, chicken, seafood, vegetarian pasta otherwise, although the choice of shrimp rather than a fish surprised me a bit. I almost selected the ravioli (cacio e pepe with Parmesan cream sauce and shimeji mushrooms and white asparagus!) as I love all the components, but I knew heavy cream sauces and asparagus were going to feature dominantly in my dining in Munich.  Thus, shrimp & grits it was.  My neighbor did get the pasta, and I'll admit, it looked pretty good (huge portion, tons of cream sauce, plenty of asparagus).

Cheese Menu.

Next up came cheeses, with their own dedicated menu page and two other desserts.  I was very pleased to see non-chocolate desserts (since I didn't want caffeine at night), and, swoon, you know how much I love puddings, and panna cotta in particular!  I was even able to look past the ice cream!

Place Setting.

Tables were set for fine dining, and I appreciated the full size salt and pepper grinders.

Did I mention, these tables are HUGE!  You really could easily have your dining companion with you and not feel crowded.

Bread Basket.

Rather than a single roll, or a bread basket where you select an item, Swiss gives each First Class passenger an entire bread basket, along with butter and olive oil.

The bread was served warm, but wasn't particularly remarkable, and got cold very fast, as it came long before my starter, and wasn't covered in any way.  There was one each of a white, dark, and seedy roll.  The olive oil was nice quality.  ***.

Starters.

My starters came presented together on a platter.  It was interesting to see how every person had customized dishware, depending on which starters the person selected.  Those who opted for soup and salad as well had those served as separate courses.  These elements of service did feel like fine dining, and delivered a customized experience to each guest.

My server even asked if I'd like more salmon when she came to clear my dishes, and asked if I had decided I did want some salad or soup too.  They really were ready to serve us plenty of food!

First Course: Fillet of Balik Salmon.

"In addition to the Sprüngli chocolates, Swiss Birchermüsli other Swiss specialities, there is another delicacy that is served in SWISS First: Balik smoked salmon from Toggenburg. Today, tender back fillets are once again prepared by hand to an old tsarist recipe."

The Balik salmon is the Swiss Airlines signature starter.  Not caviar, sadly, but good quality salmon.  Always on the menu, and always recommended.  It seemed like nearly everyone got it.  

It was presented simply, with just a lemon to drizzle over and a scoop of what I think was creme fraiche (or maybe just sour cream?).  It was good though, clearly quality seafood, nice and firm texture.  I did enjoy it, although yes, I wished it was caviar (can you tell I was spoiled by Cathay Pacific, that serves both Balik salmon and caviar together in First?)!

***+.

First Course: Seafood Salad with lemon vinaigrette.

"Steamed purple potato and carrot shavings."

I had no idea what seafood would be in this, but, I like seafood, so, of course I wanted to try the "seafood salad" too.  It wasn't quite what I was picturing, as it had no greens.  It was light and refreshing though.  A single shrimp was on top, but underneath was bits of octopus and a single mussel.  The carrot curls on top gave it an elegant look.

The shrimp was nicely poached, but entirely uncleaned, and, um, this guy had a bit of a big poo, if you know what I mean.  Besides that off-putting section, good enough.

First Course: More seafood.

The rest was kinda ... eh.  The octopus bits were quite chewy.  The mussel was nicely briny.  The very light lemon vinaigrette worked well.  But, yeah, octopus not great, kinda exactly the kind of octopus people don't like.

**.

Main Course: Pan-fried shrimps with smoked tomato ragout.

"Stone-ground grits with cheese."

I almost didn't actually get a main, as it was a very late very big meal already, but ... you only get to fly in First rarely, right?  Go big.

When it arrived, the aroma was strong.  Smoky, as described.  It smelt really, really good.

I'll admit I was expecting something more classic shrimp & grits ... a bowl of creamy grits topped with shrimp.  This, instead, was more of a polenta cake, although made with white grains, and thus I guess grits?

The grit cake was fine, but I didn't taste the cheese.  It was under-seasoned, but I had my own salt and pepper shakers to fix that.  I really wanted a bowl of creamy, cheesy, rich grits!

The shrimp were actually pretty good.  The portion of 5 was just right.  They were well cooked, not rubbery, and all but one were properly cleaned.  They did have a nice flavor to them, and I liked that they were served tail on. 

I don't really care for cooked tomato, so, while cute, the small roasted tomato was lost on me, and the smoky tomato ragout I didn't particularly like.  It was flavorful, and went well with the shrimp and grits, but just wasn't a flavor I'm particularly fond of.  I really just wanted some remoulade or aioli to drag my shrimp through.

Overall, this was a solid "fine".  Shrimp were good, rest was kinda eh, and seemed more like a business class dish really.  It didn't feel very premium.  Yes, I wished I had gotten the ravioli.

***.

Dessert: Mango panna cotta with fresh berries.

I was thrilled to see panna cotta on the dessert menu. You know how much I love a good pudding, and in particular, panna cotta.

Um ... calling this a "panna cotta" definitely used a bit of creative license.  I was happy to see the ridiculous mound of whipped cream alongside though, as big as the main dessert itself, and some fresh berries.

The berries were pretty flavorless, but appreciated nonetheless, particularly with the whipped cream (which seemed fresh and fluffy, but not sweetened much, which was fine).

The "panna cotta"  actually had 3 layers, all about equal: a crumble base, the pudding layer, and a mango topping.  I ... did not care for the top layer, sorta mango like, but just kinda fake tasting mush.  I removed it.

The base too was rather unremarkable, sweet, crumbly, fine, good enough when combined with whipped cream and berries, but not actually very good.

And finally, the middle layer, the pudding layer, definitely the best element.  Creamy, smooth, lightly mango flavored.  I would have liked more of this.

Overall, this was also kinda "eh".  It didn't feel like a first class dessert - British Airways even wins on this front, and the lack of warm dessert option was notable.  

**+.

I actually had a considerably better panna cotta style dessert on my 40 min Swiss Airlines business class flight from Zurich to Munich (review coming soon!)

Sprüngli Chocolates: Round 1.

After the meal I was presented with a box of chocolates (Sprüngli), and I could take a few of my picking.  Several were missing already.  I picked one white, one milk, and one dark, but secretly really wanted them all.  I'll review these separately.

Drinks

The drink menu, separate, was 5-6 pages long.  We had options, lots of options.

Drinks Part 1.

The drink menu offered standard soft drinks, sparkling water, beer, aperitifs, tea (Sirocco), coffee (Nespresso), and spirits. 

White Wine List.

The wine list, in addition to the necessary Laurent-Perrier "Grand Siècle", contained 3 whites (one each from Switzerland, France, and Italy), 3 reds (same lineup), and a dessert wine.

Red Wine List.

I focused on the red wines, all seemed to be around the $100 price point per bottle (except the Swiss wine, which was cheaper, but, kudos to them for including a Swiss wine?).

The Swiss wine (Brunner Weinmanufaktur, Pinot - Merlot, 2020) was the most appropriate for my seafood based meal, but I opted for the others.

Laurent-Perrier "Grand Siècle".

Ok, ok, so even though I don't really care for champagne, I got a small pour to go along with my starters.  Delicate seafood needed something light, and, it *is* pretty decent champagne.  It did pair nicely with my seafood, and I enjoyed my small pour.

I'd get it again, actually.  ***+.

France: Chateau Pontet-Canet, 2014.

65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot

Even though only recommended with meat (or cheese), I opted for the French red.  I hoped it wouldn't over power my delicate seafood.

It was a nice wine.  Not much tannin, no acid, smooth, kinda floral, but it did have some rich tones to it as well.  A very easy drinking wine, again, not super complex, but, good, and I enjoyed it.

***+.

Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos Hetzolo 2008

To go along with my dessert, I did have a little of the dessert wine.  It was a pretty classic tokaji, very sweet, and mostly made me crave some foie gras alongside, not the sweet fruity mango dessert.  Still, a solid offering.  ***.

Breakfast

Business class guests are given a breakfast card before dinner, and they fill out what they'd like, and it is delivered as they wake up in the morning.  In First, we were provided no such thing, nor even a menu of what was to come.  I really wanted to know what was in store for me next!

Before I went to bed I was asked if I'd like to be woken for breakfast, which I said yes to.  It turns out I didn't need to be intentionally woken, because, even with only 5 hours of sleep-ish, I was awake due to the clamor of clanking glassware about 2 hours before landing.

As I pulled myself together, my flight attendant asked if I'd like coffee or juice, and breakfast.  Again, no menu provided, and I inquired what the options were.  It was a big awkward, as she just rattled off some things .... "I have cereal, yogurts, and fruits, bircher muesli.  I can make eggs, or an omelette.  There is bacon and sausage too, some breads ... cheese ...".  I really wished to see a menu, but alas.  I guess this was considered more personal?

I asked for bircher muesli as I really enjoy it and it is far less common in the US, some fruit (if there was anything without melon due to my allergy), and asked if there were any pastries (not something she mentioned).  She told me she'd make up a fruit platter for me, and see what she could find for pastries.  I also asked what kind of yogurt, and was given the option of plain, and two fruity flavors, and I asked what brand it was, knowing it was likely Ciobanni, which I don't care for.  "Let me check, I know it is a US brand," she said.  I told her I'd like yogurt if it was not Ciobanni, and she came back sorta sympathetic and amused, confirming it was Ciobanni, and sharing her dislike of American yogurt too.  The cereal option seemed to be Corn Flakes.

Bircher Muesli.

The bircher muesli was fine, mushy, loaded with shredded apple and coconut, a few berries.  Fairly bitter, and I found myself wishing I had some jam, syrup, or fresh berries to add in.  It was fine, but, not particularly great. ***.

Pain Chocolate.

The pastries she came up with were two very sad pain chocolate.  They were served warm, but were totally shriveled up, gummy, and lacking in much chocolate.  Sorry Swiss Airlines, but these were kinda a disgrace!  I wonder if she took these from business class leftovers?

*.

Fruit Platter: No Melons.

Finally, my fruit platter, which was freshly sliced apple, pear, banana, and some red grapes.  Not really what I wanted, but, I appreciated the effort to make me fruit that was without melons, as the fruit bowl, part of the breakfast lineup normally, looked vibrant and lovely and loaded with berries and citrus, but also had plenty of melon. **+.

Overall, the breakfast was kinda "eh", but, it was just 5.5 hours after my dinner, long before I normally eat breakfast, and I was headed for the lounges anyway.  My neighbor got an omelette that didn't look particularly interesting, and most others seemed to just get cheeses, fruit, and bircher muesli.

Nespresso.

To go with my breakfast, I certainly wanted (needed?) a jolt of caffeine.  I got a black coffee, which was really just a Nespresso lungo, quite strong.  Fine, not great.  

I moved on to a decaf, which was better than most airline decaf as it too was Nespresso, not instant, and it too was quite strong.

****.

Sprüngli Chocolates: Round 2.

I may or may not have asked for more chocolates to pair with my coffee too, which made up for the lack of good chocolate in my pastry.

Parting Gift: Sprüngli Chocolates.

After we finished our breakfast, my flight attendant, who clearly saw how much I liked the chocolates, brought me a little bag to take with me (clearly just using up the end of the box, but a really thoughtful touch).  Swiss really does nail the personalized service.

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Jina Bakes

It isn't all that often that San Francisco gets a new bakery, and it can be hard for a new place to hold its own in a city of so many heavy hitters.  But in late 2021, Jina Bakes burst onto the scene, and in true SF bakery style, did so with some signature items that you cannot find anywhere else.  Oh, and a collab, of course.

Sure, the menu at Jima Bakes has a couple items you'll find at other bakeries, like croissants (plain or chocolate), kouign-amann, a scone (garlic chive), a morning bun (chocolate orange), even cheesecake (but, basque style) and panna cotta, but the signature items are the creme puffs (known to be very generously stuffed wtih cream filling, and more like a pineapple bun with a cookie crust, and fun fillings like matcha, black sesame, and hojicha) and two special croissants, one sweet, one savory.

The savory croissant is where Jina Bakes really rose to fame.  The item is based on a collab with  Daeho, crazy well known for their Kalbijjim & Beef Soup.  Yes, this is short rib soup turned into a croissant.  And yes, people lined up for it.  For the first several months, they waited for an hour or more to snatch up these croissants.  They sold out regularly.

And I'll tell you why.  Because, well, they are good.  Really, really, really good.  And I know my baked goods.

The first item I tried from Jina Bakes was actually their sweet croissant, and I didn't know where it came from when I had it, and it was so unique, and so good, that I sought out the answer.  Once I learned about Jina Bakes, I vowed to score some items again sometime, so I was beyond thrilled when a group at work announced they'd be featuring pastries from there.

Injeolmi Croissant. $6.25.

"Korean rice cake (made in-house) with roasted soy bean powder on a croissant."

Several months ago, I got to try one of these, when a friend was gifted multiple items from Jina Bakes, didn't know what they were, and thought this might have caffeine in it, which, he cannot have.  And thus, I got it.

At the time, neither of knew which bakery it came from, and, after having it, I set about doing copious research to track it down.  It was so crazy unique, and eventually, I did figure it out.  

When I saw that a group at work brought these in, and had plenty, I obviously went running to grab another, remembering just how unique it was.  And this time, I knew that it would be even better heated up.  But of course, I still tried a bite at room temperature first.

The pastry really is many notches above average.  So ridiculously crisp, wafer thin layers, just, well, croissant perfection.  The center is soft squishy mochi, not what you ever expect to have in a croissant, and the combination of textures of chewy and soft mochi and crisp and flaky pastry makes it quite memorable.  The roasted soy bean powder is a bit of an acquired taste, and I never quite love it when served on injeolmi in the first place, and I felt no different here.  The flavor just doesn't quite do it for me, nor does the mouthfeel.  It adds a bit of "blah" to an otherwise remarkable item.

Of course, I did heat most of it up as they recommend, and the mochi part in particular really transforms, it gets even softer and stretchier.

I still think this is a very unique product, and the pastry is top notch, but, it isn't all that flavorful, and I like it best when I add fresh fruit or syrup, and whipped cream.

****+ for the pastry, **** overall.

Kalbijjim Croissant. $8.

"Collab w/ Daeho. Korean spicy braised short ribs and vegetables topped with mozzarella cheese on a square croissant (Spicy level 2)."

I thought the injeolmi croissant was unique, but this was another level beyond that.  The kalbijjim croissant is certainly the most famous of the Jina Bakes creations, and I know people go nuts for it, but, I did kinda think it was just hype due to the Daeho collab.    I took the time to heat this as instructed, 350* for about 7 minutes.  I'm so glad I did, although I suspect it would be great at room temp too.

Even reading reviews of people proclaiming this to be awesome did not prepare me for how good it was.  Like the injeolmi croissant, the pastry element was standout.  Again, so crispy, such amazingly thin layers, serious quality pastry.  This is what all croissants want to be when they grow up.

And then, the topping/filling.  Zomg.  Talk about flavorful.  Yes, it had a bit of spice, but really, it was just an amazing flavor sensation all around.  And then the short ribs.  Zomg.  So tender.  So remarkably tender.  Such great flavor from whatever they are braised in, and the vegetables (onions?) in the mix.  I'm not a huge meat eater in general, but, wow, that was some fantastic beef.  And then ... the cheese.  That sounded really odd to me - short ribs and cheese? - but actually, it worked quite well.  Since I took the time to heat mine up, the cheese was perfectly melty, and creamy (maybe there was a creamy component too? I'm not sure).  It almost gave this a slight pizza-vibe, but, not really, as the rest of the flavors were nothing like pizza.  

Overall, this was just fantastic.  It was unique, it was fascinating, but also, it was just damn delicious.  One of the best savory pastries I've ever had, no question.

****+.

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Perry's, SF

Perry's is one of those places that I've never really cared about, but, seems to be a bit of a SF institution, as it has been around since 1969, and has multiple locations.

"Perry’s is known for classic American comfort food, with something for everyone. Our signature dishes include the Cobb Salad, French Onion Soup, Petrale Sole, and of course the Perry's Hamburger."

The menu at Perry's, while perhaps "something for everyone" is mostly ... boring?  Fairly generic "American" food.  I've attended multiple events hosted there, and always found the food to be, well, generic, boring, and lower end of mediocre.  But I finally decided to give Perry's a real try, not as part of a catered event, to see if there was a reason it has stuck around so long.  I ordered takeout, which took a bit longer than I expected to be ready.

Setting

Perry's has two locations in San Francisco, plus several others across the bay, but the one I have always visited is on the Embarcadero, near my office.  It is located in a hotel.  The original is the other SF location, on Union Street.

The Embarcadero location is an odd mix of two crowds - random tourists, who are either staying at the hotel attached to it or who wander in given the location and Bay Bridge views, and neighborhood folks, who treat it like their corner bar.  Unlike most other places in the neighborhood, no one is dressed up, no one is on a date, no one is really ... trying?  This includes both patrons and staff.  It actually does make it feel like a kinda neighborhood place, a transplant in time.

Always Reserved Tables.

The entrance is actually through the hotel lobby, off to the side.

Right near the host stand are a pair of tables, that are literally always reserved, and never have anyone at them.  But they are always set as if they will be occupied, sometime.  In my head, there is some story here about them reserved for the ghosts of regulars past, but, really, maybe my timing is just that off?

Bar Seating.

Most guests who sit indoors do so at the bar.  The Perry's non-tourist culture is definitely after-work bar crowd, and the TVs are always on.  The tourists sit outside on the patio, taking in the bay bridge views, and pretending not to freeze.

Savory

The Perry's menu is very "American".  Burgers.  Wings.  Grilled chicken.  Potato skins.  Fried chicken.  Spaghetti & meatballs.  Soup and salads.  Like I said, generic American.

The sides menu at Perry's is actually what I was most interested in.  All comfort foods.  Mac & cheese.  Cornbread.  Creamed spinach.  Fries (regular and sweet).  Mashed potatoes.  House made chips.  Etc, etc.  I didn't want to order items that requires some kitchen skill or quality ingredients to be good, both of which I suspected would be lacking here, the sides are what I opted for.  I was happy enough with my items actually, and maybe, just maybe, would consider returing.

Side: Mashed Potatoes. $5.50.

First up, mashed potatoes.

Yup, mashed potatoes from what I already knew to be a mediocre restaurant ... not something I'd normally decide to order, particularly as that is generally a recipe for gloopy or gummy mashed potatoes, or ones that are far too runny, or clearly instant, or, mounted with way too much butter and cream (yes, that is possible), but, although Yelpers "meh" nearly everything on the dinner menu, they do frequently mention that the mashed potatoes aren't bad.  And, um, I love mashed potatoes.  I had some roast shrimp, caramelized brussels sprouts, and other odds and ends to finish up at home, and I knew mashed potatoes would go great with them.  So mashed potatoes, takeout to bring home, it was.

The potatoes really weren't bad.  No strange lumps.  No gummy nature.  Just, pretty decent, normal mashed potatoes.  Not particularly seasoned, but I could add salt and pepper myself.  I certainly wouldn't go out of my way for these, but, really, they were fine.

***+.

Side: Mac & Cheese. $8.

The child in me also wanted some mac and cheese.  Another item people didn't seem to hate, and, well, I have some pretty low brow mac and cheese tastes (I still adore the mac and cheese from Krispy Krunchy Chicken, fast food style all the way!).

I opened the box and was quite pleased.  The aroma was incredible - garlic!  It looked extremely creamy, cheesy, and loaded with breadcrumbs and herbs.  Far better than I expected.  

I took a bite.  It was hot.  It was as creamy as it looked.  It was quite cheesy, but in a balanced way.  I have no idea what blend of cheese was in here, but, it worked really well.  The pasta, once I found it, was corkscrews, which I knew to expect having seen photos/reviews in advance.  I loved the pasta shape, as it really was just more fun to eat that way.  The herby breadcrumbs added a ton of flavor and texture.

I really enjoyed this, far better than I expected.  Mac and cheese is also available with bacon added for $2 more, which I'd consider in the future.

****.

Sweet

You know me, even if I think a place is awful, I still can't resist dessert.

Dessert Menu.

The dessert menu at Perry's is much like the savory menu.  Generic American. It has a requisite chocolate item (brownie with ice cream),  basic cheesecake (likely mass produced), a lemon cake, and, the one item that people do tend to get excited about, apple brown betty, which the menu even warns takes 15 minutes.  Served hot and fresh.

Apple Brown Betty w/ Vanilla Ice Cream. $9.

First, a refresher if you need one.  What is a brown betty, exactly?  Well, it is like a crisp, except that a crisp has oats in the topping and this does not.  So more like a crumble, in that it is oatless in the topping, but the topping is also integrated throughout, not just on top (but not as much as a buckle, which is more cake like).  Got it?  Ok, back to this version.

It did indeed take 15 minutes (actually, longer).  I wish I could say it was worth the wait.  Or that it was hot and fresh when I got it.  It was barely lukewarm, really, it seemed room temp to me.

The portion was large, and, the crumble top was generous.  But it was also very oily.  You can kinda tell from the photo, the crumble top itself was quite oily, which was odd.  I liked how crisp it was, but, it wasn't actually very tasty, and bordered on burnt.  Also, um, I don't think this was really a betty, as the topping really seemed to be just that, a topping.  A thick layer, but, just a topping (which is fine, just, call it a crumble?).

And what lay beneath?  Sweet, mushy apples.  In mushy apple-sauce like goo.  I don't mind goo, some apple pie/crisp/cobbler/crumble with generic from a can goo does it for me, but, this was too far in the applesauce direction for my tastes.  And, while I don't want al dente apples, or necessarily need them to be big slices, this was certainly too far in the mush direction for me.  It was also really really sweet, and didn't seemed spiced in any way (no cinnamon, nutmeg, etc).

So ... yeah, not sure why its such a signature item, nor why people are excited by it.  It is on the lower end of mediocre, but, kudos for having a hot (or, supposed to be?) dessert?

The ice cream was a scoop of generic vanilla ice cream, with, um, what looked like a bit of powder on top.  Powdered ... sugar?  Really not sure about that.  No complains really on the ice cream, besides that it was pretty average and generic.

**+, not worth the wait, and I wouldn't get again.

Update: Since the portion was large, and, well, I don't waste dessert, I had another serving the next night.  I heated it up properly, added fresh blueberries, and basically doubled the amount of ice cream (and used higher quality vanilla ice cream).  And whipped cream.  When it was piping hot, and had the blueberries to mellow out the sweetness from the apple filling and give it more texture in the fruit portion, and paired literally 50/50 with ice cream or whipped cream, I actually quite enjoyed it.  But, it definitely needed the equal parts ice cream, and was far better when served really warm.  ***+ my way.

Decaf Coffee. $3.

To pair with my dessert I got coffee, decaf since it was afternoon.  

I was told they weren't sure if they had coffee, something about a broken machine, but, then it did turn up.  I'm hoping it was decaf.  It was nicely hot, and didn't taste stale, nor funky.  It wasn't amazing decaf, but it certainly wasn't bad, and the $3 price was quite reasonable for the large size.

***.

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Dining at the Westin San Diego Bayview

I recently stayed at the Westin in San Diego, downtown.  Note, that there are two Westins in San Diego,  just a few blocks apart from each other, the other one closer to the more vibrant Gaslamp District.  The later is much more highly regarded.  There are slew of other notable Marriott properties nearby too, basically the entire portfolio is well represented.  I had my eye on some of the Autograph or Design Collection properties, but I was traveling for business purposes, and had very strict spend limits, and given crazy high rates ~everywhere right now, the Westin San Diego Downtown was the only Marriott property I could really pick that met those guidelines.

The property is ... dated.  Clearly showing its age, clearly could use a facelift (and will be getting one, next year).   But the staff were lovely, it was clean, and, my needs were all met.  The neighborhood though ... not very nice, and I say this coming from dirty, smelly, fairly unsafe San Francisco.  I can't say I recommend this location, at all.

The location also meant I was a pretty captive audience when it came to meals, there were no places to venture right nearby, and thus, I ended up eating breakfast at the hotel.  Sadly, the breakfast buffet was pretty much the worst I've had in years, anywhere, as even Residence Inn and other lower tier hotels have been considerably better.

Restaurant Setting

The restaurant doesn't even have a name, and is open only for breakfast.  In the evening, they serve some food at the bar, or via Room Service.  I suspect at one point, the restaurant actually operated in the evenings?

Dining Area.

The dining room matches the style of the rest of the hotel.  It is older, but clean.  I think at one time it would have been considered elegant or appealing.

Breakfast Buffet.

The restaurant is open only for breakfast, buffet style.   The entire buffet is laid out along one row.  

Breakfast Buffet

It is on the lower end of average for a US based hotel, and certainly not worth the $25 price.  Unlike most European hotel buffets, there is no charcuterie and cheeses, no muesli.  Definitely no Asian specialties.  Just the basic "American" fixings: bacon, scrambled eggs, sausage.  There are only packaged, flavored yogurts.  No eggs made to order.  

There are a few things not noted anywhere that you *can* order and are included - toast and cereal for example, which is a bit odd that those basics aren't part of the actual buffet.  Coffee, tea, and juice are included, and served by the waitstaff.  Sparkling water is not included. 

I stayed for 4 days, and the buffet never changed at all.

Fruit.

The buffet started off pretty lackluster, as this was the fruit section.  Just cut melon (I'm allergic) and pineapple (I tried it, not very ripe), and whole apples and oranges.  Sigh.  No berries, no interesting fruit of any kind. 

Pastries.

My favorite part of any breakfast buffet is often the baked goods.  Now, they are never that great, but, I loved my baked goods.  I could tell just from inspection however that this lineup was not necessarily going to please me.

Croissants, chocolate croissants, danishes, loaf cake, mini muffins.   Not a bad lineup, but ... these were worse than average hotel pastries.

The first item I grabbed was a chocolate croissant.  It was spongy and the chocolate inside was strangely moist. I couldn't even steal chocolate out to enjoy that! *.

The banana bread was ... well, banana bread. There was no cream cheese available to put on it (my favorite way to eat it), and no toaster, so, yeah.  Just, very banana tasting, with I think 1-2 walnuts in my entire slice. **.

I also tried a mini bran muffin, as I'm someone who actually likes bran muffins.  It was pretty average, and I think if it was warm, with butter and jam, I'd enjoy it. ***.

Overall, much worse than average pastries.

Blueberry Cheese Danish.

I'm not sure why I kept trying baked goods.  Ok, I am sure - I love baked goods, and somehow thought I just needed to discover the hidden gem.  There was no hidden gem.

The pastry layers were soft and not flaky, the filling minimal.  Spongy.  Not good.

**.

Cinnamon Roll.

Last morning. Feeling FOMO.  Grabbed one last pastry ...

Of course it was not better than the others.  Soggy and kinda stale, at least it had decent cinnamon between the layers?

**.

Jam, Syrup, Ketchup, Butter.

There was a reasonable lineup of jam, but, no toast, so this was a bit odd to me.  What did people use the jam on?  I guess they didn't want to deal with a toaster, so no toast, but, then why jam?  And really, what, no toast?  It seems like a breakfast buffet easy staple ...

There was also individual maple syrup (and sugar free syrup), plus hot sauce tiny bottles, and ketchup that was squeezed out into little bowls.  Odd that the others were in individual things, but the ketchup was like that.  Regular butter only.

Oatmeal.

Just like no toast, there was also no regular cereal.  When I asked about cereal, I was told there was oatmeal.  I tried it, but it was not good.  Thick, gloopy, mushy.  

Oatmeal Toppings.

To top the oatmeal, there were chia seeds, coconut flakes, cranberries, brown sugar, walnuts, and granola.  I think this is part of the Westin brand, the healthy toppings.

So, yes, technically, I guess there was cereal (the granola) but there was just a little there, intended as a topping, and no milk.  It was pretty generic, likely Kellogg's, granola.  I liked the walnuts.

Special K, Apple Jacks.

After 3 days, I saw someone else with cereal.  I again asked about cereal, and was told they did have cereal.  I just needed to ask for it.  But it might not be included in the buffet, they weren't sure.  Sigh.  

So, one staff member told me they had none, another said I could have it but might need to pay more than the $25 I was already paying ... by then, I was pretty over everything else, so I said I'd like cereal anyway.  They offered the standard Kellogg's lineup: raisin bran, corn flakes, frosted mini wheats, apple jacks, and special k with red berries.  Milk came on the side and was warm.

Breakfast Potatoes.

The potatoes looked greasy and soggy, I did't try.

Scrambled Eggs (with veg).

The scrambled eggs, available with veggies/cheese or plain, were extremely dried out lumps, kinda floating in liquid.  Super scary looking, yes, worse than average hotel buffet eggs.

French Toast.

I tried the french toast one day - always french toast, I was hoping they'd rotate through several different breakfast carbs like pancakes or waffles too, but alas, the same french toast.  It didn't really seem battered or coated, wasn't spiced.  Just kinda soft soggy bread.  *.

Moving on ...

Pork Sausage Patties / Chicken Sausage Links.

I tried both sausages (with maple syrup, as I like them!).  WOW they were bad. The textures were just all weird. Both were oddly spongy.  And super oily.  NO NO NO.

No stars, really.

Yogurt.

The yogurt was Chobani, greek yogurt, fruit flavors only.  No plain.  Full fat.  I dislike Chobani, so this was a bummer.

Greek Yogurt Parfait.

Ok, there was one other yogurt option, sorta.  Pre-made mini (and I mean mini) parfaits.

Basically a thimble of yogurt, topped with few bits granola, <1 strawberry each, and 2 blueberries.  The yogurt was plain, the granola was the same as with the oatmeal, and literally this was the only berries available.  Boo his.  **.

Breakfast Special: Tostada Chorizo.

I got a bit interested when I saw that there was a special!  Except, it was the same every day.  Not so special, after all.

It was a tostada with chorizo, fried egg, cheese, and salsa.  The egg was actually decently fried (runny yolk!), but I don't really like salsa in the morning.  I ended up having one of these most mornings, just, removing the salsa, and just taking the fried egg, although some mornings it was quite cold (the heat lamp didn't really hold it to temp well).

No made to order eggs.

Breakfast Special: Chorizo Toastada, underside.

Under the egg was greasy chorizo that I didn't care for, and a greasy tortilla.  

At least the egg was good enough, really, the best part of the buffet. *** egg, ** the rest.

Other Dining

The restaurant isn't open at other times of day, but the bar area has an all day dining menu of fairly pricey uninspired cuisine.  Think burgers, basic pasta, steak, etc.  I was only interested in the dessert menu, as, after all, I'm a dessert girl, and it had exactly three items: cheesecake, chocolate cake, ice cream.  That's it.  Still, the day I arrived I really wanted something sweet, and, well, I was there.  I should have known better ...

Chocolate Cake. $12.

This ... was not good chocolate cake.  It didn't have frosting, just a chocolate glaze.  When I have cake, I'm all about the frosting, and this, literally, had none.  So, they lose a point for that.

But ok, what about the cake?  It was extremely dry.  Not very much chocolate flavor.  This is not a rich, moist cake that can stand up without ice cream.  I did like the piece of chocolate on top.

The fruit was fresh and tasty though, definitely the highlight.

**.

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