Airline Food: The good, the bad and the ugly

[gfweb]

@rotuts OGG is the Kahului, Maui airport.  I'm there almost yearly for a meeting but have never blogged it because the food is so discouraging.  The food truck scene is all tacos and barbecue. The quirky little restaurants serve plastic plates loaded with loco moco.  Luaus are steamer trays of overcooked meats.

 

Spam musubi is the lone bright spot

 

There are good restaurants of the Morimoto and Puck variety of course, but way overpriced even for HI.

 

A friend showed me a menu from a Big Island restaurant. $98 for chopped chicken in lettuce leaves and $280 for a rib eye. Somebody pays it, I guess.  Makes Manhattan look cheap.

Edited January 28 by gfweb (log)

[KennethT]

Wow - those price are even expensive for resort prices!!!

 

I haven't been to HI since the late 80s/early 90s.  Back then, there were tons of Japanese tourists (the Yen was really strong then and Japanese were buying up HI like crazy) so there was tons of awesome sashimi and sushi.  Poke wasn't really a thing, but I imagine that it would be popular nowadays.  There's a poke place practically on every corner here in NYC.

[rotuts]

@gfweb 

 

so you go every year

 

for the puzzle of airline food ?

 

 

[gfweb]

59 minutes ago, KennethT said:

Wow - those price are even expensive for resort prices!!!

 

I haven't been to HI since the late 80s/early 90s.  Back then, there were tons of Japanese tourists (the Yen was really strong then and Japanese were buying up HI like crazy) so there was tons of awesome sashimi and sushi.  Poke wasn't really a thing, but I imagine that it would be popular nowadays.  There's a poke place practically on every corner here in NYC.

 

There is indeed good sushi and there is weird sushi too (eg with gravy). Poke is all over, though probably much moreso in NYC.

 

[gfweb]

You might ask why I go to Hawaii.

 

Its business.  But it has worn very thin. I can fly to Paris much faster, cheaper and eat better.

 

Its interesting that the cuisine of poverty usually makes for good eating.  Not as far as I can see in Hawaii. Lots of starch and overcooked proteins.

[liamsaunt]

More JetBlue food to share.  Some of the menu options (I didn't take pictures of the cocktail and coffee menus): 

 

 

 

 

Welcome "snack" with an iced cappuccino for husband.  I stuck to water.

 

 

I chose the chia, strawberries, and avocado toast.  

 

 

Husband had the chia, strawberries, and crepe, plus the side of bacon

 

 

Everything was quite edible, which is about all you can ask for on a plane.  Husband said the bacon was very good.  

[gfweb]

3 hours ago, liamsaunt said:

More JetBlue food to share.  Some of the menu options (I didn't take pictures of the cocktail and coffee menus): 

 

 

 

 

Welcome "snack" with an iced cappuccino for husband.  I stuck to water.

 

 

I chose the chia, strawberries, and avocado toast.  

 

 

Husband had the chia, strawberries, and crepe, plus the side of bacon

 

 

Everything was quite edible, which is about all you can ask for on a plane.  Husband said the bacon was very good.  

 

Things that can be pre-made and that will reheat well.  Smart.

 

Thanks, Jet Blue

[liamsaunt]

I forgot to post this one from the return trip (or maybe I blocked it out haha).  American Airlines business class.  There were two choices: "golden chicken" or butternut squash with orzo.  Here's the chicken.  It was of course extremely overcooked, as were the vegetables with it.  The vegetable on the side is roasted beets with a spicy remoulade.  Those and the salad were fine.  I tasted the brownie and it was extremely sweet.  I think JetBlue wins for in flight food this trip.

 

 

[Allura]

I don't fly very often, maybe once every other month, and rarely overseas. This means that I'm in the back of the plane. Last month I had a trip to England (via Edinburgh), and this was dinner outbound in United economy. I got the pasta, the grain salad was a little weird but the lettuce was fresh, and the cookie was extremely sweet. The carb load helped me doze and I indulged in a rare glass of (not very good) wine. Overnight we got a small bottle of water, and a granola bar and something-else-I-can't recall for a breakfast snack. On the way home, we were served breakfast, which I didn't take a picture of, but was an egg scramble with cheese and something else. It was fine. By then I was getting sick; my co-worker gave myself and another team member a lovely case of bronchitis. I'll just say that even with an empty row (I paid for an extra legroom seat, which got me my own row both way), you really don't get much sleep in economy. 

I

Edited March 10 by Allura (log)