Chase Sapphire Lounge, Boston Logan

Update Review, January 2026

I spent my New Year's Eve, and afternoon proceeding it, in the Chase lounge this year.  Sigh.  5 hours in fact.  Because, JetBlue, and delays NOT due to weather, just due to their operational issues in general.  Communication throughout was poor.  They kept swapping our plane, kept delaying by another 30 min, 60 mins, etc.  Grumpy.  Grumpy.  Grumpy.  Grumpy.

But I was glad I had saved my single visit to a Chase Sapphire lounge for this day, as I certainly appreciated it.  I can't imagine how much MORE grumpy I would have been stuck out in the main terminal that entire time.

The lounge was very crowded.  When I first arrived, there were no seats.  Not a single one.  I got one after a few minutes, but it was really uncomfortably full the first half hour or so I was there.  I tried to book a wellness suite for the massage chair, but the soonest appointment was 4 hours away (and little did I know I'd still be there then ...).  The lounge emptied out to a more reasonable level about mid-way through my visit, but then it quickly was bursting at the seams again.  Still, I appreciated that I was able to get in.  And as always, it seemed to have an extraordinary number of staff, some busy, but many just standing around as there were just sooo many of them.  The overabundance of staff again felt slightly uncomfortable.

Drinks

I appreciated the sparkling water tap, and others seemed very happy with the Spindriff readily available in coolers.  I don't generally drink alcohol in the lounge, as I like to have a glass on board with my meal, and don't usually have more than one drink in a day.  But ... I was there, and stuck, and did I mention, grumpy?

Wine List.

The wine list was a step above $10 grocery store wines, but not significantly.  Only two reds: one pinot, one cab.

Mas La Chevaliere, Cabernet Sauvignon 2021.

"Here's a full-bodied red wine that delivers all the blackberry and cassis richness you'd expect."

I started with a glass of cab.  $14/bottle retail, so not exactly a high end wine. I found it decent enough.  Not remarkable, but not bad, and I was happy to consume it.  3.5/5.

La Puerta.

"Ilegal Mezcal Reposado and Grand Mariner with lime, agave syrup and black lava salt."

After several hours in the lounge, I decided a second drink was in order.  This time, I went for a cocktail, excited to see a mezcal offering on the menu.  I love mezcal.

This was indeed delicious.  I adored the huge crystals of black lava salt on the rim.  It was not too sweet, and really just enjoyable, Margarita-like, but, more interesting.  4/5.

Food

If you are unfamiliar with the Chase Sapphire lounges, they always (I think?) work with a local featured chef.  For this visit, it was Chef Sarma. She hails from Oleana (and now her own place, named, Sarma), which I've reviwed before when I dined there on a business trip, and has won several awards.  Sadly, her cuisine isn't really my style in general (Mediterranean).  My previous visit was a different local chef, I'm not sure when they changed this.

You can order "made to order" dishes through their QR code ordering system, and I certainly had the time to do so, but nothing called out.  There were 3 special dishes "From Sarma": a hummus plate, chicken gyro salad, or red lentil soup.  Nothing about any of those seemed really necessary to be made to order, and I see no reason why they aren't just part of the buffet?  

In addition to those special dishes, the "Signature" made to order lineup has their signature Sapphire burger (or Impossible burger), and kid's chicken finger, that at least seem more worthy of the made to order system.  The other Signature items were their vegan GF noodles, or a kids hummus toast.  Again, none of this appealed to me, so I stuck with the buffet.  It seemed like at least 90%, maybe more, of people ordered a burger though.  The food runners were just constantly walking by with trays full of them.  People love their burgers ...

Buffet - Regular

The buffet is broken into two sections, one dishes "From Sarma", the other just ... regular, although it too was all Moroccan inspired it seemed.  Starting with the regular items, we had 3 hot dishes, 3 chilled, plus focaccia.

Guajillo chicken and rice.

The chicken dish look dry and bland, and I don't like chicken nor rice, so I didn't care.  

Tortellini en brodo.

The tortellini en brodo looked watery and bland.  I moved on.

Cauliflower Curry.

"Roasted cauliflower in Moroccan coconut curry, pickled golden raisins, shoug."

The final hot dish was a winner for me.  Really nicely roasted cauliflower (still crispy!), in what turned out to be a tomato based sauce I didn't mind too much (I'd prefer anything else, but, it was not bad, quite flavorful).  The shoug added a ton of flavor, and I even really liked the flavor of the plump pickled raisins.  Overall, an enjoyable dish, although mine was only lukewarm (a problem I've had with most dishes in the buffet every visit).   3.5/5.

Chilled Salads.

Next came a duo of chilled protein dishes, one was a bean and fennel slaw, the other tiny shrimp over beets.

Citrus Shrimp with Golden Beets.

I like shrimp, but, they were tiny, and dish was mostly just beets.  I moved on.

Shaved Brussels Sprouts and Apple Salad.

"Parmesan, sunflower seed, maple vinaigrette."

I love brussels, I love slaw, I quite enjoyed this.  Crisp, big shards of brussels, barely noticeable apple (which I preferred).  I didn't taste maple, but I didn't really mind.  It was relatively well seasoned.  3.5/5.

Shaved Brussels and Apple Salad #2.

Then I went back for another.  And this one was ... majority apple.  Just, tons of cubes of apple, minimal brussels.  It was still tasty when I got just brussels, and truly well seasoned, but, boo on this one and the apple distribution.

Buffet - By Sarma

Then there was the next section, the curated dishes from Chef Sarma.  One hot dish, one salad, two desserts.

Beef and Tomato Stew.

I wasn't interested in the beef stew.

Moroccan Caesar.

"Romaine, cabbage, kale, carrots, peppers, cucumber, dates, Parmesan, almonds, chickpea chermula, tahini Caesar dressing."

I did try the Moroccan caesar, but REALLY did not care for it.  The top was covered in what seemed to be feta, a cheese I don't like.  Boo.  Otherwise I at least liked the sound of the kale.

Dessert

The regular buffet had the requisite chocolate chip cookies and brownies, plus there were the two additional Chef Sarma desserts, both of which were pudding-like items, so I was excited to try.

Lemon Parfait.

"Blueberry, coconut graham crunch."

I don't tend to care for lemon desserts, but, still, I tried it.

The lemon flavor was fine, but the consistency wasn't great.  It was very very gloopy.  The "crunch" on top was soft and soggy.  Mine had only 2 blueberries.  Meh.  1/5.

Ashta Cannoli Cup.

"Ricotta and labneh cream with orange blossom, Aramena cherries, pistachio, crushed cannoli shell."

This one was a winner.  I may or may not have had several.  The pudding was thick and rich, nice ricotta flavor AND nice labneh flavor, somehow they didn't cancel each other out.  It was sweet from the orange blossom but not overly so.  I appreciated the generous crunchy cannoli crumble on top, it really drove home the deconstructed cannoli theme.  Yay for sweet fancy cherries (although they were quite sweet!).  The pistachio I did find a bit dominant, and a bit much, but that is because I don't love pistachio, I suspect if you get excited when a cannoli is rolled in crushed pistachio, you'd adore that element too.  It did add even more crunch. 4/5.

Update Review, January 2025

I've only visited the Chase Sapphire lounge in Boston Logan airport once before, exactly a year ago, soon after it first opened.  Since Priority Pass guests are limited to one free entrance per year (worldwide), and they frequently have space restrictions in effect, I just haven't quite had the opportunity before (waiting time was too long, or I had a very short time in airport anyway, seemed like a waste of my only visit).  But I flew on New Years Eve again this year, which is a low volume travel day, and luckily I was able to get in with no wait.

I was really pleased with my experience.

I'll skip the review of the general amenities as I've covered those before, and didn't really use them this time anyway.  I do have to note though just how pleasant of a lounge it is, the aesthetics really are upscale and relaxing.  My focus of course was the food.   For the most part, the lineup was similar in format, but all new dishes compared to a year ago.

Savory Buffet

The buffet areas are broken into two sections, some dishes are a collaboration with local chef Douglass Williams and have his name displayed on the menu cards, where others are non-branded.  All are small plates, individually plated.  Not quite your standard "buffet", even though, on paper, it sorta sounds that way: soups, salads, token chicken.  Most dishes are vegetarian, and fairly healthy.  There are still no snacky items, absolutely no pretzels, nuts, snack mix, that sorta of thing, which I really do wish they'd add in.

Lentil Rice Soup.

"Caramelized onion, carrot, cumin."

Most airline lounges have a soup or two, but, usually they come in big vats.  Not here.  Here the soups are dished up individually.  There were two on offer, one was a collab with the local chef, a lentil rice soup, that I didn't want anything to do with, as I don't like lentils nor rice, and it frankly didn't look good.  I also question how well it would hold heat served this way?

Clam Chowder.

"Cream, potato, bacon, croutons."

The other soup was clam chowder.  Clam chowder is found in nearly every airline lounge on the east coast.  Its usually awful - watery, barely any clams (and what clams there are are chewy), no seasoning, etc.  I read so many rave reviews of this chowder though that I gave it a try.

It was shockingly good.  One of the best clam chowders I've ever had.  It was thick, rich, well seasoned.  It was loaded with clams that were NOT chewy, tons of bacon (small pieces, NOT flabby), plenty of potato cubes (not mushy).  No watery soup with barely any mix-ins here.  Every bite was loaded with goodies.  So, the base chowder, just, really nicely done.  Probably low **** even.

What really pushed it over the top however was the croutons.  Yes, the croutons.  They were soft in a good way, not abrasive, and soaked up the delicious chowder so well once I submerged them.  They were super buttery and garlicy.  So very very good, and I'm not really a croutons/bread person.  They really made the dish. ****+.

I finished my bowl of chowder in record time, and nearly went back for another, even though I had also grabbed a few other small plates, had ordered a made to order item, AND was looking forward to my meal on my flight not that far away.  I still sorta wish I had another.  It was that good.  Best dish of the lounge, no question.

Chermula Eggplant.

"Tabbouleh, lemon yogurt, mint."

As I mentioned, most dishes were pretty healthy, and vegetarian.  Like this grain bowl, one of the branded chef items.  I do like eggplant, but don't care for tabbouleh, and frankly, this looked pretty half-heartedly plated up anyway.  

Farro Salad.

"Maple butternut, kale, dried fruit, pumpkin seeds, citrus dressing."

And, more grains, this one not branded by the chef.  As I'm not into grains, I did not try the farro salad either, but it looked like a well composed dish with sweet elements, crunchy elements, etc. 

Kale Bowl.

"Hot honey sweet potato, chickpeas, pepitas, feta, miso vinaigrette."

Moving on to more healthy chilled things ... the salad.  Or, a dish called the "kale bowl", even though it was served on a plate, and looked like any other salad.  It had shredded kale, chickpeas, pepitas, feta, and very small cubes of hot honey sweet potato. 

I love kale, so I still got this, even though I would prefer no feta.  The kale was good, shredded lascinado kale, nicely hearty.  I didn't taste the hot honey that was supposed to be coating the sweet potato, and found the potato cubes a bit mushy, but, they were a good seasonal match.  Pepitas were good for crunch.  I don't care for chickpeas, but I hoped these would be the crunchy roasted/fried kind.  They were fairly soft.  The miso vinaigrette was minimal at best, I didn't taste miso, but since I don't really like most vinaigrettes, this was an ok thing.

Overall, a good seasonal offering, well composed, but with some ingredients I just don't care for.  ***.

Summer Succotash.

The final chilled vegetable, succotash.

This dish was a complete miss for me, and I love corn.  Now, why was summer succotash on the menu at the end of December?  Good question.  It tasted like unseasoned canned corn.  It wasn't bad exactly, but, um, why would I want to eat bland cold canned corn?  *+.

Charred Cauliflower.

"Tahini Vinaigrette, lemon zest."

The most substantial slightly hot dish, instead of the brussels sprouts I had last time, this year, charred cauliflower (that wasn't really all that charred ... I would have preferred much more char!).

Lack of char aside, this was very good.  Exactly the style of cauliflower I prefer, not too soft.  A variety of sizes of pieces, and plenty of stem left on.  I didn't taste tahini specifically, but it had a pleasant seasoning and flavor.  I truly enjoyed this dish, second favorite of the day.  ****+.

Hot Honey Chicken.

And finally, the single non-vegetarian option, the only real protein.  Very trendy, hot honey chicken.  I am not a chicken person, but I did remember thinking the chicken was the best savory dish last time (although slightly different, it was a hot ginger sesame chicken then) and people raved about this, so, I tried it.

The pieces were remarkably crisp, and well coated in sauce.  The chicken was mostly white meat, and real chicken, not like processed nuggets.  But the pieces were really quite chewy, hard, and some had just way too much coating (that sadly wasn't particularly tasty).  The sauce had an odd flavor to it, it didn't taste like honey, or spice, to me at all, it was more ... sour?  Sorta sweet-sour.  I was sad, because it looked great, but the experience of eating it was really subpar.  Chewy dry chicken with bad aftertaste. **.

Sweets

Moving on to sweets, again, one dish was a special branded chef items.  

Fudge Brownie Bite / Blondie / Oatmeal Raisin Cookie.

I did not try any of the token cookies or brownies, but I did grab a blondie for the road.

Blondie

"Butterscotch, walnuts, chocolate chips."

A blondie is the rare bar style dessert that I sometimes really like.  One that is deeply buttery, with sophisticated sweetness, and plenty of mix-ins ...

This was not that.  It wasn't stale, and it was soft enough.  And it was loaded with chocolate bits and walnuts.  But the base bar just had no real flavor.  I wanted more butter, more sugar (ideally brown sugar, or, um, the butterscotch listed in the description).  Basically, it was generic and average, and I guess good if you are a generic cookie/brownie/bar type, but I ditched it quickly (particularly given that they had nice other options).  **.

Apple Cobbler.

"Cinnamon oat topping."

I was thrilled to see the apple crisp (which, they called a cobbler, but this was really a crisp), particularly as recent reviews raved about it.  Those same folks were so right about the chowder, and I was actually really craving apple crisp, so this was a very welcome offering.

The apple crisp was served warm, and each bowl had plenty of the crisp topping.  And the topping?  Actually crisp!  The (oat based) topping had a high sugar (maybe brown sugar?) content, but I quite liked it.  The spicing in the topping and apples was strong, but I was glad there was no nutmeg overkill. The cinnamon really was quite strong though, so beware if you don't love cinnamon. The apples were soft but not mushy, large slices, in some goo but not too much.  Really, just a nicely done apple crisp.  Big points for serving it warm.  Above average, high  ***.

I do wish they had whipped cream (or even better, ice cream!) available to go with it, but the crispy really was quite good.

Pineapple Parfait.

"Coconut, pepitas, lychee."

And the final dish, the branded chef item.  During my previous visit, I adored the pudding/mousse/parfait thing, so I was thrilled to see they had one again, although totally different.

This time, it was a pineapple pudding base, with topped with toasted coconut.  And pepitas and lychee ... or so the menu said.  I didn't find any pepitas in mine (or any that I saw, not on top, and not within).  I didn't mind, but more of a crunchy element would have been nice.

The flavor was really quite tropical.  However, if you gave me this without telling me what flavor it was, I would have told you it was passionfruit probably.  I did detect the pineapple once I tried to, but I never tasted lychee (and there were no bits of fruit in it either).  Do pineapple + lychee combine together to sorta taste like passionfruit?  I'm not sure.  Anyway, it was sweet, bright, fruity, and tropical for sure.

I liked this, but felt it would benefit from more crunch, and some actual fresh fruit component, or at least bits of fruit within.  Really, it was just pudding with a sprinkle of coconut on top, not really what I'd consider a "parfait" as the menu called it.  ***.

Made to Order

You can also order from your table, by scanning a QR code.  I did (before hitting the buffet) and my food arrived within 10 minutes.

Made To Order Menu.

The made to order menu was far less changed from my previous visit.  Still burgers (regular or impossible) with fries, chicken fingers for the kids, the meatball parm sandwich (chef collab), and a noodle dish.  

The majority of guests were definitely getting burgers, they were constantly flowing out of the kitchen.

Chef Williams Branded Made to Order.

There was also a chef branded pork Milanese, and a salad.  I opted for the later, having ordered before checking out the buffet (I know, rookie move!).  It came relatively quickly, delivered to my table.

Squash Winter Salad.

"Pomegranate molasses, fig, arugula."

When I ordered, there was an option for no dressing, so I clicked that, assuming it was a vinaigrette (I dislike vinaigrette).  As such, I got a very, um, well, undressed salad.

I also expected that this was actually going to be large cubes of roasted squash, mostly squash, and the arugula more of a garnish, given the way the ingredients were listed, but this was actually just an arugula salad with squash and dried figs as equal toppings.  The arugula was fine, but, it was just arugula.  I was hoping for fresh figs, but, alas, these were dried.  The cubes of squash were fine.

Really, just a kinda boring, average salad.  It really needed a cheese element, a crunchy element, and, well, yes, some kind of dressing.  **.

Original Review, January 2024

Boston Logan Airport, assuming you aren't flying out of terminal A (Delta), is a decent place to be a Priority Pass member.  In terminal C there is a pretty lackluster and generic option, The Lounge, and in terminal E is the Air France lounge that always surprises me in how tasty some of the offerings are.  Both are fairly small, subject to access restrictions due to capacity, and aren't gorgeous showstopper spaces, but they get the job done, and I've always been happy enough with these options for a short stay. Since terminals B, C, and E are all connected airside, so it is easy to access them no matter which airline and terminal you are actually flying out of.

But in the summer of 2023 a new lounge opened up, and it kinda changed everything.  The Chase Sapphire lounge, a partnership between Chase Sapphire and Priority Pass, located in the B to C connector.  It makes the others look like Motel 6 compared to The Ritz Carlton.  It is also considerably more exclusive; Priority Pass members are only allowed a single visit per calendar year, to any of the worldwide Chase Sapphire lounge locations.  They aren't allowed guests.  The access rules are more extensive than that, so if you are interested in a visit, I recommend looking them up in full.

The lounge really is remarkable for a US domestic lounge.  It is fairly large.  The space is stunning, both the interior design and the views over the active tarmac.  It is brand new, so designed for the modern traveler, e.g. power outlets, usb ports, etc abound.  It has some extra amenities like wellness rooms, shower suites, and the like that aren't as common in domestic lounges.  

In terms of food and drink, this is not a standard buffet, packaged snacks sort of place.  Everything about it is many notches above average (although, there are certainly some issues, as you'll see below).  It is overly well staffed, to the point where it nearly seems like there are more staff than guests, and many seem to be just milling around looking for something, anything to do.  During my visit, there were 4 behind the bar, several behind each section of the plated food, and at least 2-4 circulating every small seating area ready to take away any dirty dishes.  The over staffing was borderline over bearing, and sorta took away from feeling relaxed and private, as it felt like I was being watched and hovered over at all times.  That said, they were friendly and efficient, professional, just, clearly lacking much to do.

Overall, I did enjoy my visit, and it would be easy to hang out there for a few hours and forget you were at an airport, but, it was far from perfect, and the hard product definitely outshined the soft product.

Setting

I didn't check out any of the reservable amenities, such as massage chairs, shower suites, or relaxation areas.  The regular bathrooms seemed a bit small (only 3 stalls), but were well appointed and clean.  I did peek in at the kid's room, but somehow failed to get a photo.  The lounge was fairly kid-friendly, with a confined, walled in play space, high chairs available, and kid's menu items.

The lounge is moderately large, bigger than the lounges I've visited in Logan (Air France, The Lounge), but is much smaller than most international lounges, or even bigger domestic ones.  It is broken up into many different small zones.

Taproom.

There was a lot of media fanfare around the "Taproom" section of the lounge when it first opened, a nod to Boston's bar culture, etc.  It was intended to have bartenders behind the tap bar here, and offer up local beers, but at least during my visit, it was not staffed, this area was used as just general seating by anyone (including myself) for dining, and beer was just ordered at the regular bar, or via the app.

Also note that the area is quite small, this is literally all of it - a couple high tables with stools, a couple small bench side tables, and that is it.  If you try really hard, you can pretend you are in a bar venue, but really, it is just a slightly different decorated tiny section of the lounge.

Bar.

The main bar is definitely a center of attraction, and is pretty elegant, with marble (ish?) bar top, velvet (ish?) bar stools, and bottles on display.  Note the power and USB outlets at every seat too.  This area was well staffed, and quite active, even if no one was actually seated there.  Guests walked up to order, or ordered via QR code from their seats and had drinks delivered.  The cocktail and local spirits lineup is a big focus of the lounge.

Window Seating.

There were many types of soft seating throughout the lounge, some along windows, some interior.  Again, all had dedicated power outlets.  The views over the tarmac were pretty great, for those who are into it, great plane spotting to be had.  I appreciated the abundance of natural light.

If you prefer dining tables, there was also a sizable dining area adjacent to the buffets.

Food & Drink

The concept of the lounge is unlike most others.  There is a buffet, two different buffets actually, but both feature individually plated small dishes.  There is no salad bar, no grab and go snacks, no steam trays.  No token bar snack.  It certainly feels classier.  In addition, you can order "made to order" dishes from your table by just scanning your table's personal QR code, and these items will be brought to you by servers when ready.  Not quite a la carte dining like some lounges, but certainly more efficient.  You can also order any alcoholic beverages that way, or go up to the bar.

That said, I have really mixed feelings about the food and drink offerings.  On one hand, the quality is clearly higher than your average airline lounge, the menu reasonably varied, and the fact that all buffet items are individually plated rather than large vats that everyone serves from is certainly better for sanitary purposes, food safety, and quality control.  But ... every item I got from the buffet that was supposed to be hot was lukewarm at best, I did miss being able to take as much or little as I wanted, and the made to order dishes really didn't seem any different from the buffet items, except that someone had to fetch them.  They were ready near instantly, and didn't seem to truly be made to order.

Self-Serve Beverages.

Soft drinks are located in a couple beverage coolers for you to grab yourself, along with dispensers for still or sparkling water.  The lineup here had the usual suspects of Coke, Diet Coke, and Sprite, but also three flavors of more pricey Spindriff, two flavors of Ollipop, and apple juice boxes.

I mostly stuck to regular sparkling water, and was happy to be able to fill my own bottles with it too.

Cold Beverages Tap.

Also on tap was cold brew coffee, seasonal cold brew ice tea, and unspecified spa water.

Hot Beverages.

Hot beverages round out the self-serve drinks, with coffee, nice quality tea bags or hot chocolate, and an espresso machine that makes both regular and decaf drinks.  Good variety of milks, both regular dairy and alternative, are provided.  There are two of these hot beverages stations on opposite ends of the lounge.

Raats Red Jaspar Stellenbosch.

The wine lineup had 3 each of reds and whites, along with a single sparkling and rose.  Other options included several beer options on tap (yes, local Sam Adams of course), juices, fairly premium spirits from local distributors (gin, vodka, brandy), and some pretty tempting sounded cocktails, which seemed to be the primary draw for most folks.

I went for a red blend from South Africa (retail is about $25/bottle).  It was fine, but not something I'd care to get another glass of.

Full Menu (December).

The buffet has 4 cold plates, plus 2 regular hot plates, and 2 additional chef curated hot plates, along with 3 standard desserts, and one special chef curated dessert.  The special chef call outs are from local chef Douglass Williams.

You can also order 4 made to order dishes (one is a kid's meal, and one is just fries, so really, two main dishes), or 3 additional chef curated made to order dishes.  These are ordered via a QR code you scan at your specific table, and then brought to you by a server.

The menu seems to have very recently changed (and had been fixed since opening), as every review I had read of the lounge had slight different offerings, e.g they had burrata instead of roasted beets and carrots, clam chowder instead of bourguignon stew, veggie lasagna instead of cassoulet, crispy chicken croquettes instead of the honey ginger chicken, a kid's grilled cheese instead of nuggets, and a raspberry lintzer bar instead of lemon bar.  A few dishes seemed unchanged, namely, the ricotta, the K-town bowl, the brussels sprouts, the made to order noodles, burger, and meatball parm, and the rest of the desserts.

I had read really positive reviews of the clam chowder and croquettes, and loved the looks of the lasagna, so I was fairly disappointed by the changes, but that is just personal preference.  The current menu is a bit more hearty winter fare.

Everything was well labelled with allergens and dietary constraints.  The vegetarian offerings are numerous, and many are vegan.

I went for one made to order dish, and a few from the buffet, both hot and chilled.  From what I could see, the made to order burger and the meatball Parmesan sandwich both seemed very popular, and I saw quite a few adults also ordering the kid's chicken nuggets.  I never got a glimpse of the other two made to order items, the chicken piccata with egg noodles, nor the Sapphire noodles.

Buffet Dishes.

The dishes were all mostly small plate size, not full size entrees, but also not really standard appetizers nor side dishes for the most part.  This made it easy to try a few things I guess.  I did expect the made to order dishes to be more like entrees, but at least the one I got was not, and the meatball parm sub looked about half size too.

Overall, the dishes seemed well though out, and quality was reasonable, but this plated buffet style doesn't seem to work well, at least the way they are doing it.  My biggest issue was the hot dishes, which were lukewarm at best.  Each station was completely full of small plates, all just sitting there for extended periods of time.  The turnover wasn't high, so these really did not hold temp well at all.  It seems like scaling back quantity, and putting out fewer dishes that get replenished more frequently, would greatly improve things.

(Chilled) Roasted Beets & Carrots.

"Quinoa, Dijon viniagrette, arugula, pepitas."

I didn't try the roasted beets and carrots chilled dish, which seems to have replaced the burrata that I was looking forward to.  Both those dishes used a quinoa base.  

(Chilled) Fresh Ricotta.

"Cherry peppers, sage."

I did try the fresh ricotta, which has been on the menu since opening.  It was good, creamy, nice light curd to it.  It indeed tasted nicely fresh.

It came with a very large hunk of roasted red pepper draped over it that was a decent pairing, although not one that I was crazy about, and a hard piece of bread (but not quite a crostini) that I didn't eat.

Overall, a fine dish, but not particularly special.  My second favorite of the savory dishes. ***+.

(Chilled) K-Town Grain Bowl.

"Brown rice, tofu, cucumber, diakon, kimchee."

I didn't expect the k-town grain bowl to be chilled, but later saw it listed that way on the menu.  I didn't have the brown rice at the base, but the pickled diakon and cucumber were fine, the kimchi average, the hunk of tofu large.  A decent vegan offering.  ***.

(Chilled) Charcuterie Plate.

"Proscuitto, fig jam, aged gouda, olives, dill, crackers."

The final cold dish was a simple charcuterie plate, with cubes of gouda, a trio of olives, slices of proscuitto, crackers, and dollop of fig jam.  Oh, and a tiny random sprig of dill.  Proscuitto and gouda are a step above generic salami and cheddar found in many airline lounges, but are still pretty basic and approachable.  This is the closest thing on offer to a traditional lounge offering or snack.

(Hot) Roasted Brussels Sprouts.

"Lemon zest, crispy Parmesan."

I love brussels sprouts.  I was very excited to see this dish remained on the menu, so clearly, it must be doing well?

I found it underwhelming.  The sprouts were all small sized, cut in half.  They were fairly soft, not quite mushy, but pretty close.  Kinda the type of cooked cabbage that makes people turn their noises up and declare they don't like them.  I prefer either bigger, juicer, more al dente sprouts, or crispy fried ones.  They seemed to be cooked in some kind of Asian-ish sauce.  Seasoning was ok.

The crispy Parmesan was tasty enough, but a rather odd pairing at least for me.  I think those crispy cheese bits would have been a better garnish for the roasted carrots and beets perhaps.  Some of the plates were >50% parmesan bits.

I was glad to see the brussels, but, execution was off on these, and, like the other hot dishes, they were actually lukewarm.  **+.

(Hot) Ginger Sesame Chicken.

"Crispy chicken, sweet spicy glaze, scallions."

I don't generally go for chicken, but the ginger sesame chicken really did look rather delicious.  It replaced the Korean chicken croquettes from the original opening menu.

I liked it.  The chicken was super crispy and flavorful, well battered and fried.  A mix of slightly dark meat and white meat.  I didn't taste ginger nor sesame exactly, but, the glaze was sweet (not really spicy as described), and vaguely Asian-ish.  It sorta tasted like a lot of generic Americanized Chinese food, which really can be tasty from time to time, and I hadn't had in ages.  The quality was no better than mall food court Chinese, and it was lukewarm, but again, crispy and flavorful, and that was appealing.  The scallion on top was fresh too.  

My favorite of the savory dishes. ***+.

(Hot) Braised bourguignon stew.
(From Chef Douglass Williams)

"Braised beef, carrots, pearl onions, potatoes."

I did not try the braised bourguignon stew, which frankly looked very unappealing.  The top was congealed, and it was just a murky brown color.  It did not look fresh, nor comforting.  I didn't see anyone take one of these.

This replaced the well regarded clam chowder, sadly.

(Hot) Veggie Cassoulet.
(From Chef Douglass Williams)

"White cannellini beans baked with winter vegetables and roasted peppers."

Another fairly congealed top, brown, unappealing pot, this one, a vegetarian cassoulet.  This replaced the veggie lasagna that I was excited to try, and as I don't really care for beans, this was a big downgrade to me.

Made to order: Seafood Bouillabaisse
(From Chef Douglass Williams)

"Fennel, onion, tomato, seafood stew with mussels, shrimp and clams."

From the made to order menu, I ordered the bouillabaisse.  This was the only seafood dish available in the lounge.  I placed my order via the QR code app from my table, went to the buffet to get a few items, and it was delivered within a minute of my sitting back down, probably about 4 minutes total.  I'm not really sure what was "made to order" about it, as it seems like they probably just had a big pot of it in the kitchen, and dished out a bowl?  I had somewhat expected it would be a bigger size (compared to the little bowls of the hot cassoulet or bourguignon) or that it would have some kind of garnish or other flair, perhaps served with a hunk of crusty bread with rouille.  But ... it was just a little pot of soup.

In my serving was three very small shrimp, two mussels, and some chopped clams.  The clams were quite chewy, the shrimp dry and rubbery.  The mussels were fine, juicy and plump, no grit.  The base to the stew also wasn't particularly impressive, thin, not much flavor nor depth.  I didn't taste any fennel.

Overall, not particularly successful, and I'm not sure why it was on the made to order menu.  **+.

Sweet Treats: Chocolate Chip Cookies, Brownies, Lemon Bars.

The main buffet desserts weren't particularly special: pretty average looking chocolate chip cookies, fudge brownie bites, and lemon bars.  Unlike the savory dishes, or the special chef curated single dessert offering, these really didn't seem premium in any way.

That said, I couldn't resist trying a brownie.  It was decent, moist, rich, deeply chocoately.  ***.

Sweet Treats: Whipped lemon-mascarpone parfait.
(From Chef Douglass Williams)

"Whole berry jam, honey granola."

The final dish in the buffet was the special dessert, one that was on the opening menu, and people seem to adore.  I was thrilled to see it still available, seemingly unchanged.

I took one bite, and any grumpiness I had about lukewarm previous dishes, or kinda lame other desserts, was gone.  This was just as delightful as others said it would be.  It was however *very* rich.  Thick and creamy.  Lightly lemony ... if you wanted strong lemon flavor, this wasn't it, but I didn't mind the lack of lemon.  Grown up pudding.  Delicious base.  ****.

The berry jam was a good compliment, but I would have preferred fresh berries (blackberries or blueberries would go really well with it).  At least my jam didn't really seem "whole berry" either, I couldn't tell what kind of berries made up the fruity jam.  ***.

The granola crumble made it eat a bit like a brunch or breakfast dish, rather than a true dessert, and I would have preferred something a touch less wholesome for the crunchy element, particularly with all the seeds (but I definitely applaud including a crunchy element).  The granola was a bit soft, as again, many of these had been sitting there a while (although the turnover on these was much higher than any other dish, I was not the only one to turn right back around for a second one!).  ***.

Hands down the best dish in the lounge, and I really enjoyed it.  ****.

Read More...

Evangeline's Original Caramel Corn

New Hampshire, where I grew up, has plenty of small, local artisans and small batch gourmet food brands, such as Van Otis Chocolates.

Van Otis was started in 1935-ish by a woman, Evangeline Hasiotis, in Manchester, NH.  Her first real storefront didn't show up until 1958, when the company was also given its official name, Van Otis (which comes from a few letters of her first and last names).  Fudge is their specialty.  And while I do like chocolates, that alone wouldn't cause me to take any note of this company.  But they also have a second product line: Evangeline's Popcorn.  As you may know, I'm an avid snacker, and in particular, have a weakness for popcorn.

But Evangeline's Popcorn isn't actually their creation.  They purchased Hutchinson’s Candy in 2020, who was known for their popcorn line, and just rebranded it.  Anyway.

"Evangeline's Popcorn is a sweet treat sure to make life a little sweeter for kids of all ages!"

They make two styles of kettle corn (white chocolate covered or regular salted "seaside"), and two styles of caramel corn (original or maple).  I had only the original caramel corn, when it was in my Christmas stocking this year (thanks, Santa!).

Original Caramel Corn.

"Popped fresh in-house in New Hampshire at Van Otis Chocolates, this caramel popcorn features light, airy popcorn coated in sweet, buttery caramel. A classic treat made for easy snacking and sharing."

The popcorn pieces themselves were large, fluffy, and well popped.  No duds.

The popcorn is very classic butter toffee style caramel corn.  Incredibly sweet, and each piece is very well coated, so there is no escaping the sweet.  No partially coated pieces to give you a slight sweet break, should you want that.  The flavor is intensely buttery (in addition to the sweetness).  It tastes rich and decadent.

I liked it, but this is not a popcorn that I could accidentally devour the whole bag in just a few minutes, as it got to be too sweet for me.  I found myself wanting to mix it with some plain, salted, or even cheesy corn, or to at least have some peanuts in it, or even use it as an ice cream topping.  Good, but just a bit too much, although I don't necessarily consider it a bad thing that a bag lasted more than one sitting for me.

For this style of popcorn, it was quite good, but this isn't what I generally would pick as a top choice.  3/5 for me, although I can acknowledge that quality wise it is a 4/5.

Read More...

Alf Bakery, NYC

New York City obviously has a lot of bakeries.  Many are known for a signature thing, e.g. the cronut from Dominique Ansel Bakery, the cupcake (or banana pudding) from Magnolia, the Milk Bar Pie (née Crack Pie) from Milk Bar, etc.  Sure, these places have plenty of other great things, but, there is one item that is a bit unique, and really put them on the map.

And such is the case for Alf Bakery, a small bakery located in Chelsea Market.  They make breads, viennoiserie, pastries, babka, and sandwiches, but if you ask anyone if they've heard of Alf, they'll probably say, "oh, yeah, the laminated baguette place!"  Because, as far as I know, they are the only ones making this hybrid bread.  I've had soooo many people tell me to seek it out, particularly given that our office is close by.

But I never prioritized it.  Sure, I like croissants, but in a city filled with so many epic baked goods, this seemed hard to prioritize.  And then, just like that, in early December 2025, Alf announced that they were closing at the end of the month (possibly relocating?).  Oh noes.  Well, now I had FOMO, and HAD to prioritize it when I was in town for a week for a summit.

But a co-worker beat me to it.  He went and picked up a loaf, and bought it back to the office to share.  Excellent!

Seeded Laminated Baguette. $10.50.

He selected the seeded laminated baguette, a great choice.  It came wrapped in a traditional baguette bag.

Alf Bakery also makes a non-seeded version, and regular baguettes as well, but the seeded laminated one is probably the most famous.  You can also get simple French sandwiches on them, e.g. ham and cheese.  We had just the baguette, all that as needed, really.

Seeded Laminated Baguette.

I ripped off a hunk.  My reaction was immediate.

Wow, this really was as unique and interesting as people say it is.

It was flaky and messy like a croissant (and even more so with the seeds), had all the deep butteriness of a croissant, but then ... woah, had the exterior and chew of a baguette?  So fascinating.  And it worked.  It really, really worked.

It was delicious to just eat a hunk like this, but I think it would be great with cream cheese, or stuffed with smoked salmon and creme fraiche ...

I don't understand why these aren't a thing at more places.  I'm glad I finally got to try this, and now mourn the fact that it will be my last (at least for a while).

4/5.

Read More...

Alaska Airlines, Flight 20, SFO-JFK

Update Review, December 2025 Flight

I know this by now, but, it does still always slightly surprise me.  The Alaska first class experience really is ... nothing like any of the competition.  And I don't mean that in a good way.  It just is lackluster on nearly every dimension - seat comfort (horrible!), layout (2-2), amenities (super thin blanket, nothing else), wine selection (just one red, one white, one sparkling), attentiveness and service ... communication ... but, it is sooo much cheaper than everyone else, and thus, I'm stuck with it.

Our flight did disconnect from the jet bridge on time, so technically pushback on time, but we spent quite a while waiting around, and eventually joined the queue of planes in line for takeoff.  No proactive communication nor information provided, unlike other airlines that well tell you "Well, we've pushed back, but we are waiting on X" or even "We are number Y for takeoff".  Just, nothing.  

In fact there was just no communication from the flight deck at all.  The seatbelt sign was literally never turned off the entire flight, and no mention of this was made.  We hit some fairly significant turbulence, and no warning given.

The FAs served us our meal, cleaned it up, and vanished.  So, service-wise, eh.  Comfort? Miserable, my back hurt within 15 minutes.  But they got me, and my bags, there, relatively on time, and it was cheap (comparatively).

Menu.

The menu had 5 options: 1 meat, 1 chicken, 1 seafood, 1 vegetarian, or the standard fruit/cheese platter.  It was filled with things that were all almost tempting.  I didn't want the short rib or broccolini, but wanted the chow-fun rice noodles and roasted butternut squash that came with that dish.  I read so many great reviews of the shrimp option, and I like shrimp, but I wasn't excited about the risotto, the favas, nor the lime sauce that completed the dish.  People love the vegetarian curry, and I like cauliflower, but I'm not thrilled about turmeric or cumin spices, nor the rice and edamame sides.  And a cheese platter isn't a meal to me.  And thus, a crazy choice on my part: chicken ravioli.

"Red Wine" & Seltzer.

Drink orders were taken once underway, and our pre-orders for meal confirmed.  I asked for the red wine; the FA didn't know what varietal it was.  I also had sparkling water, just standard Polar brand.  The red wine was inoffensive, but also quite boring.  As is standard with Alaska.  No nuts were provided, which I had forgotten they don't do.  Not that I necessarily wanted them, but it did feel like yet another bit of lesser service, a missing element.

Meal.

Our meals were served about an hour after takeoff, row by row.  On the tray was my main dish I expected, plus a small side salad, roll, and ... wow, and appetizer too?  I wasn't expecting that.  The menu online and in the app didn't give any details on these other elements, so the salad toppings and existence of an appetizer were a surprise to me.  Also included were salt & pepper, Sysco butter, and balsamic vinaigrette.  I didn't particularly like the meal, but much of that was my own preferences, not a fault of the catering.

Carrots.

The appetizer was chilled cooked and spiced carrots, sprinkled with I think feta, and sliced almonds.  I guess they were fine, but I mostly only like raw carrots, I dislike feta, and wasn't into the spicing.  If this was listed on the menu, I would have asked to skip it.  I used the almonds and the springs of whatever the green were on my own creation of a dish using bits and pieces from all of the others.  I can't really judge this, as it just isn't something I like, but I don't think there was anything wrong with it.

Roll.

The roll was warm, soft, and loaded with seeds.  It was decent.  It didn't taste stale nor dried out.  Good to soak up sauce. 3/5.

Salad.

The salad was pretty small, and not exciting to me: arugula (fresh enough, crisp), with sunflower seeds and tons of dried cranberries.  I picked off the toppings the best I could as I didn't want them, and added my own salad ingredients and some components from the other dishes to at least utilize the arugula.  I don't like balsamic vinaigrette so I didn't try that, but I had my own condiments bag with me. 2.5/5, there was nothing wrong with this, just not toppings/dressing I care for.

Smoked Chicken Ravioli.

"Smoked chicken ravioli in a caramelized onion cream, paired with roasted kabocha squash and garlic shallots, finished with aromatic dukkah spices."

And finally, the main dish, the ravioli.

This was a mixed bag for me, as expected.  I got this because 1) I love kabocha squash, 2) I loved the idea of garlic shallots, 3) caramelized onion cream sounded great, and 4) I have had some great pasta on Alaska flights before.  I choose to look past the fast that, well, I hate chicken, and didn't really want dukkah spice.

The highlight?  100% that squash.  It was super flavorful, well cooked (not mushy), and there were two good size pieces of it.  I was very happy with that squash.  4.5/5 squash.  The garlic shallots really seemed to just be soft cooked shallots (I didn't detect garlic) but they were pretty delightful too. 4/5.

Then there was the sauce ... I wanted to love it, but the first few bites, I was really displeased with it.  I'm not quite sure why, but I just wasn't into it.  It was a orangey color that made my brain think squash, and it was a mushy puree like baby food, so nothing like what I was picturing as a caramelized onion cream.  I wanted it to be less puree-like, more cream forward, and, well, just something different.  But once I adjusted to it, I did appreciate the sorta oniony taste to it.  I used it as a sauce on my salad and stuffed pieces of bread with it, and did lap it all up.  3/5 sauce.

Ravioli: Inside.

And then of course the ravioli.  4 very large size pieces, much larger than standard ravioli.  They were kinda over cooked, pretty soft.  However edges where there was no sauce were a bit dried out in a way that was almost like al dente, so I amusingly liked those bits more than the parts that were what I assume was "properly" cooked.  The ravioli was stuffed very full of a ricotta? mixture, that had bits of chicken in it.  No big hunks of chicken or anything.  Kinda standard ricotta filling.  I'm pretty lukewarm on ricotta soft ravioli to begin with, so this was all pretty "meh" to me, but other than being kinda too soft/mushy, it was likely fine.  Low 2/5 for me, but, again partially due to preferences.

So overall, I'll give this a low 3/5: I was happy to use the sauce, veggies, and edges of the ravioli with my bread, almonds, arugula, and my own additional vegetables, but I can't say it was something I'd get again.

Dessert: Salt & Straw ice cream.

A while after our meals were cleared, ice cream was offered.  A seasonal Salt & Straw Alaska exclusive as always, this time, Peppermint Cookies & Cream.  I believe this was rotated in on Dec 1, after the Pumpkin Spice Latte I had in September that stuck around all fall.  It was served at a decent eating temperature, not rock solid.  No bowl provided, just the mini tub.

Salt & Straw Peppermint Cookies & Cream.

It was ... ok.  Mine wasn't properly sealed, and it was a bit freezer burnt.  I wanted more peppermint flavor.  I feel like a broken record here, but, I don't really like cookies & cream in general (really, I don't care for Oreos), so I wished it was something more like mint chip, but I think this is likely a crowd pleaser.  Low 3/5.

About an hour or so before landing a snack basket was passed with Lesser Evil cheddar popcorn, Community All Dressed chips, Kind granola bar (blueberry I think?), and lemon Skinny Dipped almonds.  I grabbed the popcorn and almonds, as always.

Update Review, August 2024 Flight

I don't fly with Alaska Airlines much (in fact, I hadn't flown with them at all until 2 years ago), so I am not yet well calibrated to the service and food standards.  Overall, it seems to me like a good compromise airline: the prices are generally lower, the food is decent, the service and amenities minimal, the comfort mediocre.  So, depending on your priorities, a compromise on something at least.

Flight Details:

• Flight #: 20
• Departure: 1:25pm (scheduled) 3:12pm (actual)
• Arrival: 9:25pm (scheduled) 
• Route: SFO to JFK
• Seat 3C

Service & Amenities

There is not much to say about Alaska amenities as there isn't much to them.  

Seatback.

Standard domestic first class seat, that at least has under seat storage, and a small cocktail table with cup holder, but little else.  Not a very comfortable seat, no adjustments other than recline.  Yay for a foot rest.  Thin blanket provided.  No pillow.  No seatback tvs.  Pay for wifi. It is fine for short flights, but definitely leaves much to be desired for transcon.

A pre-departure beverage of water, orange juice, or a can of sparkling wine was offered.  I selected the sparkling wine, and was handed the can.  Before takeoff, orders for drinks to have post departure were taken, and our pre-orders confirmed.  Those who didn't pre-order really did not fare well.  The first person got the chicken (only 1 loaded), the next two had a choice of salmon or pasta, the 4th person had only salmon option, and the rest ... sorry there is nothing.  No main dishes left.  This seems like a mis-cater? They were offered a snack box from the back.  Wow.

Service was not particularly friendly, and remarkably not proactive.  Empty drink glasses were never collected.  Refills never offered.  I saw every passenger need to lightly aggressively get attention to take their empty glasses away.  I was particularly amazed when I asked for two more drinks (water and wine), and was handed them, and the two empties I had on my tiny cocktail table were not taken as they were delivered.  He just gave me two more, even with no where to put them.  

Food & Drink

PDB: Waterbrook Brut Bubbles.

The pre-departure offering of sparkling wine was Waterbrook Brut.  The can was handed to me unopened, but chilled.  It wasn't bad really. I don't gravitate towards bubbles, but it had a nice balance of dryness and sweetness.  ***.

I'd get it again.

Wine & Sparkling Water.

Once underway, I started with red wine.  No choice of reds, and no explanation given of what varietal, let alone winemaker.  Served in what I think of as a water glass, tall and thin.  Not really what you want for red wine.  Anyway, it was fine, average, table wine though, very fruit forward, no real structure to it.  At least low acid and tanin. Bo-ring.  Low ***.

I also asked for sparkling water.  I was not given the option to decline ice.  It came with more ice than water, and I needed a refill nearly immediately.

Tip Top Old Fashioned.

Later on I moved on to an old fashioned, as I've enjoyed them before on Alaska flights (they are the canned Tip Top brand).  It was served with more ice than cocktail, and got watered down far too fast.  But otherwise was great, very boozy, very classic old fashioned. ***+.

Nuts.

Awhile after, not with our beverages, nuts were brought.  Lightly warm.  Good mix of almonds, cashews, and pecans.  Very low (if any?) salt level.  ***.

Finished beverages were not proactively cleared when the nuts were brought (a theme throughout the meal).

Menu.

Alaska does have a fair amount of variety in their meal choices, even for a domestic flight, I had 5 options, including fish (salmon), white meat (chicken), red meat (well, just sausage in a pasta), vegetarian, or, a cheese plate.  Pre-order was available.  

As I don't like cooked salmon, chicken, or quinoa/rice, my decision was easy.  Pasta it was, and the dish did sound pretty interesting, better than the standard ravioli choices so many airlines tend to do for pasta.  Shells, creamy cheese sauce, now we are talking!

All dishes are served with salad, bread, and dessert, although not listed on the menu.  Tray tables were not pre-set with table clothes prior to meals being delivered.

Tray.

My meal tray arrived unceremoniously and was served without a word, e.g. no "here we have the pasta" or anything.  My drinks were empty, but no refills were offered.  The tray included a salad, bread with pat of butter, and salt/pepper packet, along with napkin and cutlery. 

Roll.

The roll was warm, and not bad actually.   Simply white roll, but soft, good chew to it, and most importantly, not stale.  Better than average airline bread.  It was perfect for soaking up the chili crisp from the pasta, and the pesto from the salad. ***+.

Appetizer: Salad.

The salad was meager in the greens department, just some very sad compressed spinach that really didn't seem fresh.  The body of the salad was 3 balls of mozzarella, 4 juicy sundried tomatoes, and pesto.  The sundried tomatoes and pesto were both really quite flavorful, and I enjoyed them with the bread.

* greens, ** as a salad, but *** for those two components.   

Pasta Primavera with Italian Sausage.

"Pasta shells tossed in a creamy white cheddar cream sauce, served with summer squash, sun-dried tomatoes, edamame beans, and savory Italian sausage. Topped lightly with a chili crisp."

The main attraction, the pasta.

Well ... this was a very mixed bag.  As you can likely see, the "creamy white cheddar cream sauce" was ... not there.  At all.  It wasn't on the bottom of the dish.  It wasn't anywhere.  I was looking forward to that creamy cheese sauce, but alas, I had plain pasta.  That said, the shells were well cooked, not mushy, not totally dried out.  The chili crisp oil was flavorful, and added something to it at least.  The edamame were tender and tasted fresh if that makes sense, the sausage was actually very good, classic Italian sausage.  The tomatoes in here were different from the sundried tomato in the salad, they seemed just like roasted tomatoes, although the menu said they were sundried.  Juicy.  The squash I didn't care for at all, patty pans, that were just strangely bitter.

So, meh to the squash, yay to the sausage and chili crisp in particular, and better than average pasta, but a shame I didn't actually have any cheese sauce ... *** overall despite the lacking sauce.

Dessert: Salt & Straw Strawberry Rhubarb with Cinnamon Crumble.

We all finished our meals.  All trays were cleared.  No refills were offered.  No empty drink cups collected.  I thought ... dessert must be coming next right?  I waited and waited.  No sign of dessert.  An hour passed.  I finally asked if there was a dessert.  I was told there should have been.  The FA who I asked seemed as confused as me that it hadn't happened.  About 10 minutes later, it came out.  Served directly in the tiny tubs, with a far too big spoon to go with it.

It was Salt & Straw ice cream, as per usual with Alaska.  For the summer, they introduced two new flavors on flights, and I was quite happy to see that we had the strawberry rhubarb with cinnamon crumble flavor.  I don't think this is sold directly by Salt & Straw to consumers, I think it is a special collaboration with Alaska.  The ice cream featured swirls of strawberry rhubarb jam and cinnamon snickerdoodle cookie pieces.

It was served quite hard, but it did melt nicely eventually.  It was fabulous ice cream, smooth, rich, creamy, and the fruity swirls of jam were quite flavorful.  I liked the texture from the softened snickerdoodle bits.  It was a flavor I could enjoy on its own without adding too much to it (although, of course, I did add some fresh strawberries too).

****.

Original Review, August 2023 Flight

Flight Details

Flight: AS 20

Aircraft: 737-9 Max

Departure: SFO, 2:25pm

Arrival: JFK, 10:25 pm

Seat: 3D

Service

This was my second ever flight with Alaska Airlines, and my first longer flight (previously I had only flown SFO-SEA, which you can read about here).  We were slightly delayed boarding because the plane was deemed too hot to be safe (!), and then slightly delayed pushing back because bags were still being loaded, but, the delays were minor, we took off only 15 minutes late.  We had significant tailwinds helping us still arrive early.

No PDB, although there was boxed water at our seats.  No amenity kits, no pillow, but a thin blanket was waiting at our seat.  It was really quite cold on board, and the little blanket didn't do much to help.   The flight attendant was efficient, but barely spoke to us.  She wasn't unfriendly, she just ... didn't really talk to us.  No hello, meal trays dropped off without a word, no offers of refills, that sort of thing.

Food & Drink

The main meal served is ... linner.  The timing of the meal on this flight is definitely awkward, 3:40pm in SF time, 6:40pm in New York time.  Too late for lunch where we came from, too early for dinner, but, at what will be dinner time where we are headed.  When there was exactly 2 hours remaining, a snack basket was passed with Border Canyon chips, Lesser Evil popcorn, Kind bars, beef jerky, and Karma toasted coconut cashews.  I was pretty happy to see the popcorn, as it is definitely my snack of choice, and the flavored nuts definitely called out.  I've had many of Lesser Evil's popcorns before, but had never tried their basic Himalayan Gold, which is what the snack basket contained.  Drink refills were also offered.

Drink Menu.

Orders for our drinks were taken once underway. There was only one choice for red wine, even though the menu listed two. 

Seltzer, Nuts.

Our drinks were served with a small thing of nuts (almonds, cashews, tiny bits of pecans). Not warm.  The sparkling water was Polar seltzer.  I was given a (mini) can and ice, it wasn't poured for me.  No offer of lemon nor lime garnish.

Ste Chapelle Winery Red Blend.

I went for the red wine, which turned out to be Ste Chapelle Winery Red Blend.  This is a cheap $12 bottle, definitely not as premium of wine offerings as the competitors on this route.

It was non-offensive.  No complexity at all, but, not too much tanin nor acid, so it was fine.  ***.

Straightaway Oregon Old Fashioned.

"The Old Fashioned is revered for its versatility and simplicity. This variation on the classic speaks to wistful days spent in Milton-Freewater, OR, and we’ve transposed our fondness for the Pacific Northwest bouquet into our own bitters. Whether consumed around a mountain-top campfire or from the safety of your drawing room, tradition has it that one’s first Old Fashioned should be served by a friend."

Later on, I moved on to the Old Fashioned, which I'd had before.  I was handed a can, and glass of ice.  Not poured for me, no garnish.  I still thought it was a nice cocktail though, same as my previous review.  ***+.

Menu.

The menu was available online to pre-order, which I did.  Pre-order gave 5 options, 2 of which were pre-order exclusives (the fruit & cheese plate and vegetarian white bean chili).  I nearly went for the chicken dish, not for the chicken obviously, as I'm extremely chicken adverse, but, for the grits, asparagus, and lemon caper sauce, all things I quite like!  But I opted for the lemon fennel manicotti instead.  

For those who didn't pre-order, they could select from the 3 onboard choices.  Well, technically they could.  The steak ran out in row 1, seat A.  Um, yeah.  They loaded 1 for the entire non-preorder cabin!  The chicken ran out in row 3.  I was surprised how few people had pre-ordered, perhaps lots of upgrades?

Meal service was pretty quick, with the first row getting served at exactly the 1 hour post-takeoff mark, mine arrived within 10 more minutes.

Linner.

So at 3:40pm, my meal showed up.  I had eaten a fair amount in the lounge (mac and cheese!), and definitely wasn't particularly interested in food at this point.  Which turned out to be fine, as the meal was pretty lackluster.

Meals come all one one tray, with a roll, salad, the entree you ordered, along with butter, and packet of salt and pepper.

Bread, Butter, Dressing.

The roll was lightly warm.  Pretty average airline quality.  Not stale, but, not particularly good, no real crust to it, just, soft. 

Salad dressing was fairly solid, seemed to be lemon vinaigrette.  Butter also very solid, impossible to spread. 

**.

Salad.

The menu didn't provide any details on the salad, and everyone got the same.  It was just mixed greens, with a few bites of cooked beets, a few pickled red onions, and goat cheese.  Given that I loathe goat cheese, and don't really care for beets, this was a miss for me, but, I suspect if you liked those things, and liked the lemon vinaigrette, this was a decent salad.  The greens were fresh and crisp.  **+.

It was also served in a bowl that was kinda too small, it was hard to eat without bits falling out.

Lemon Fennel Manicotti.

"Lemon ricotta stuffed pasta | grilled baby fennel | tomato basil ragout."

The main dish was served moderately warm.  I certainly wanted it hotter.  The portion was three large manicotti, plus a decent amount of fennel and the chunky tomato ragout.  

The pasta was microwave dinner quality.  The pasta itself was not dried out or overcooked at least, but was as boring as it gets.  The filling was, well, ricotta.  Some minor lemon flavor.  Very, very boring, and essentially cafeteria/frozen dinner quality.  I gave up on it after eating one of the three tubes. *+ pasta.

I did like the fennel, it was well cooked and flavorful, and the chunks of tomato and onion in the ragout were tasty as well.  *** toppings.

I combined the salad + fennel + tomatoes + onions to make a quasi-ok dish, but I certainly wouldn't get this again.  I wish I had gone for the chicken, just for the grits, asparagus, and tasty sauce.

Salt & Straw Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons.

"Our reimagination of the classic. We spike our cream with just enough Guatemalan fleur de sel to bring out its nuances, then drizzle in ribbons of our hand-burned caramel."

After our trays were cleared, the flight attendant came through offering ice cream.  Just as I was shocked by how many people didn't pre-order, I was even more shocked by how many turned down the ice cream.  Yes, timing was odd, but ... Salt & Straw is good ice cream!  The flavor was Salt & Straw's most famous, sea salt with caramel ribbons, which I've had before, and loved.

It was served quite solid, so it took a while to become possible to eat it.  But once it softened, I dug right in.  It matched my memory of the flavor - nice quality base ice cream, and TONS of very gooey, very sweet, caramel.  I added my own fresh strawberries and sprinkles, and quite enjoyed.  And then I enjoyed an extra, which I volunteered to take off the flight attendants hands (so generous of me, right?).  She happily obliged, given how many extra there were.  ****.

Read More...

Fliptz

Sometimes, a girl just wants a sweet and salty snack to munch on.  When I passed by the Flipz fudge coated pretzels, I couldn't resist.  Why am I on such a snack food kick these days?

Update Review, January 2026

Milk Chocolate.

"The OG of snack time and the Flipz® squad. Rich milk chocolate combined with salty, crunchy pretzels makes Flipz® Milk Chocolate Covered Pretzels a snacking staple and favorite for all occasions."

These are fine, basic, milk chocolate pretzels.  The chocolate is creamy and just a notch above mediocre, sorta Hershey quality.  The pretzels are crunchy and well salted.  All pieces are evenly coated, none broken in my bag.  Basically, absolutely fine, but not notable in any way.  3/5, higher side.

Original Review: March 2013

White Fudge Coated Pretzels.

"The darling of the Flipz® squad, the one who wears white after Labor Day (and makes it look good). Salty, crunchy pretzels layered in creamy white fudge are the perfect snack to celebrate a sweet victory over deadlines, traffic, or even a long day."

My initial review of these was not good: the pretzels were pretty generic, a bit of salt on them.  The white fudge coating was kinda waxy and uninteresting, just sweet.  They met my desire to have something munchy, but not really the sweet and salty combo I was looking for.  I would not get again.

But since I had a full bag, I tried to find interesting uses for them.  One that I came up with, in a stroke of pure randomness, was dunking them into my butterscotch Snack Pack.  I didn't really like the butterscotch pudding.   I didn't really like the Flipz.  I wanted to like them both far more than I did.  But ... they actually combined in a way that made them greater than the sum of their parts.  Not that I really would get either again, but, it really worked.  So uh, if you have mediocre pudding and strange sweet pretzels, I recommend trying to combine them.  If nothing else, it is fun to at least dunk the pretzels in the pudding, and eat with your hands :)

Read More...

LeLeCha New York

Update Review, December 2025

Last summer, a friend checked out Lelecha soon after they first opened, and brought me day-old pieces of everything she got.  I was impressed then, even with day-olds, so I was excited to try more items.

This time, I got to try all three of the danish tarts they make: the butter caramel egg tart I had previously, plus the chocolate and tiramisu versions.  I remain impressed, and can't wait to try even more of the menu.

Butter Caramel Egg Tart. $6.30.

"Crafted with a rich 1:1.8 egg-to-milk ratio, the custard center is exceptionally silky and smooth. Hand-laminated pastry ensures long-lasting crispness, while the caramel sauce is slow-cooked by hand for deep, layered flavor."

This is the item I'd had before, but was more than happy to have again.

The custard really is what sets it apart.  Sooo silky smooth.  Barely eggy.  Beautifully burnt on top.  The large tart size means you get tons of custard filling, it is like eating an entire crème brûlée (... along with a nice pastry).  No notes really.  The flaky pastry shell is a nice vessel for it.

4/5, higher end.

Chocolate Tart. $7.25.

"Dusted with a thick layer of cocoa powder, this tart features a crisp, airy crust and a pudding-like custard center. Topped with rich dark chocolate and handcrafted chocolate crisps, it delivers deep, satisfying indulgence in every bite."

Next up, the chocolate sibling to the fantastic butter caramel egg tart I've enjoyed before.  Same flaky crust surrounding an oversized custard filling, this time a chocolate version, with plenty of cocoa powder and dark chocolate curls on top.  (Beware of the cocoa powder and accidentally inhaling, lol.)

I wasn't sure how I'd feel about this as I do like chocolate desserts, but tend to not care for chocolate cheesecakes and similar things.

Except ... well, this wasn't a chocolate custard as I expected.  The filling was just the same egg custard, just smothered in cocoa powder.  I did love the chocolate curls, but, this wasn't really a dessert that delivered in the chocolate indulgence department, if that is what you are looking for.  For a "chocolate tart", really this gets a 3/5 or lower, but, that custard really is so good I didn't mind once I reset my expectations, so still a 4/5 overall.

Tiramisu Tart. $7.25.

"Infused with a signature coffee aroma, this tart offers a rich, multi-layered flavor experience. The handmade pastry is paired with a velvety cheese and egg custard center—together creating an indulgent, lava-like burst of creamy richness in every bite."

And finally, the tiramisu version.  

And ... yeah, this too was the same base egg custard (so good, but not tiramisu infused or anything), but then it did come topped with thick, rich, presumably mascarpone cream AND ladyfingers AND yes, tons of cocoa powder.  I didn't taste any coffee though, so not very tiramisu forward, but it was definitely the most unique of the tarts, and had so much at play: flaky pastry, silky egg custard, thick rich cream, light ladyfingers.

I really enjoyed this, even higher 4/5.  

Original Review, August 2025

I have wonderful friends.  Like ones who scope out new Asian bakeries, get more goodies than they can possibly eat, and bring me some to try.  In this case, from LeLeCha, a Taiwanese bubble tea and baked goods shop that recently opened in the US, with its first location in New York in July.

"Get ready for an extraordinary tea & pastry experience, where East meets West in every bite and sip.  From iconic Dirty Buns to artisan tea creations — we’re bringing something truly special to the streets of New York."

LeLeCha does focus on the tea side of things, as you'd probably guess from their name, but both my friend and I were drawn to their Asian baked goods.  The lineup includes sweet and savory breads, loaves, buns, a few other danish style pastries.  I got to try one item from each of the Toasts, Breads & Buns, and Danishes sections of the menu.  I did try them a day old, so, I try to take that into account, but they were still fantastic, and I'm sure even better a day sooner.  I'd gladly have more goodies from this place anytime.

Branding.

The goodies came in a Wonder branded box, which I'm not entirely sure I understand.  The brand is LeLeCha, but they have "Wonder" scattered about their materials too.  And no clue what the dog thing is about.  But it was a distinctive box!

Buttery Cloud Loaf, Dirty Bun,
Butter Caramel Egg Tart (all pieces).

My friend brought me a sampler box of hunks of each of the items she got.  These are just the small pieces that she saved me, which still filled up a full box!  Most of the items are quite large in full form.

Buttery Cloud Loaf.  $8.49.

"Wheat flour and butter are thoroughly mixed and kneaded for a soft, fluffy texture. The homemade milk custard filling adds creamy sweetness, making every bite tender and rich."

The one right in front is the buttery cloud loaf.  Such a soft and fluffy loaf!  It was lightly sweet in the way that most Asian sweet breads are, and the custard filling was just the right amount of creamy goodness inside.  I really enjoyed it just as a snack, ripping off pieces of the soft fluffy bread, and I think it would be great for breakfast too.  I imagine you could toast or warm it, but I didn't find that necessary.  Very simple, but very enjoyable.  High 4/5.

They also make a loaf in a chocolate version (with cocoa-hazelnut filling and dark chocolate glaze), one with azuki red beans and pork floss (!), another one with coconut milk filling and coffee crumble topping, and a more plain one.

Dirty Bun. $8.49.

"Flaky pastry filled with rich chocolate cream, topped with a layer of green matcha powder."

Next is the dark one, the dirty bun. 

The bread itself had reasonable cocoa flavor, not super dark, but definitely chocolatey, and was standard Asian style slightly sweet bread.  As a day-old, it was a touch stale, but I can't blame them for that.  The chocolate cream filling was fantastic, great chocolate pudding flavor, and it added the strong hit of chocolate I was looking for.  The shards of dark chocolate that flaked off the top were high quality and delightful too.  4/5, good execution of a chocolate cream bun.

They also make a matcha version of this.

Butter Caramel Egg Tart. $4.99.

"Crafted with a rich 1:1.8 egg-to-milk ratio, the custard center is exceptionally silky and smooth. Hand-laminated pastry ensures long-lasting crispness, while the caramel sauce is slow-cooked by hand for deep, layered flavor."

And finally, hiding in the back, a hunk of the egg tart, which is nothing like any egg tart I've ever had before.  In fact, I had to search through the menu, and ask my friend who got it what this was, as it didn't seem possible it was the egg tart.  But it was.  And, she said it was massive, this was just a tiny hunk.  But if you had asked me what it was, I would have told you a creme brulee inside a croissant/danish crust.  

So yeah, what we had was a thick laminated pastry base, formed into a shell.  It wasn't flaky exactly, perhaps as it was a day old, but it was very well laminated, and clearly high butter.  The flavor was fabulous.  A very good pastry, just on its own.

But that filling!  Zomg.  Such a rich custard.  I guess, yes, an 1:1.8 egg to milk ratio does it as they say.  It was so thick and rich.  But not eggy at all. Sweet but not too sweet.  Really, really fantastic.  

Put it all together, and this one just hit all the high marks.  I think my favorite of the items I tried, and definitely the most dessert-like, 4.5/5.

Read More...