Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food – Page 4

From Quebec City to Montreal

September 16, 2017 mmm-yoso Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, Beer, Canada, Montreal, Travel

We finished up dinner at Le Lapin Saute and took another nice stroll around the Lower Town before heading back to our hotel room.

Eglise Notre-Dame-des-Victoires looked quite stunning at night.

Back at the room, while the Missus drew Herself a bath; I decided to relax and enjoy this last night in QC a bit. Based on what my phone told me, I'd earned it.

I did 53 floors? I really did earn it.

I slept like a baby…..

It was our last morning in Quebec City. We'd had a blast; from walking the streets of the Upper and Lower Town, to visiting the oldest existing grocery in North America, to having a wonderful lunch and getting to use my very limited Japanese, and of course, there's the "Red Door". While we felt like we did quite a bit, there was still much more to do. Seems like QC had become a favorite travel destination for us. While life is full of those "once in a lifetime places", like Easter Island, it's places like Quebec City that we return to.

We had time until check-out and our train wasn't leaving until 1pm, so we took one last walk.

For some reason, I really like this photo.

The horse drawn carriage leading the tour bus down the street.

We stopped for a croissant and espresso at Paillard.

On the way back to our room; the Missus saw another locale She had read about when trying to find out what the "Red Door" was all about.

According to the KorCan Blog, this is the "Christmas Shop" in the series. We stopped in at the little shop where it's Christmas every day. Very cute.

La Boutique de Noël de Québec
47 Rue De Buade
Quebec City, Canada

Speaking of the KDrama; SJP sent me this link to the Chateau Frontenac website; where they actually have something called the "Ultimate Golbin Experience". You can stay in the actual suite where Goblin was filmed….for only $1129 CAN a night! Sheesh….

And then strolled back down Côte de la Montagne, which is the oldest remaining street in the city.

It was once the only street which connected the Lower and Upper Towns of the city.

After a brief respite, we packed and went to check-out. We really enjoyed staying at the Auberge Saint-Antoine. The hotel was so comfortable, the staff and amenities wonderful. There's also a good bit of history here. The property was once both a wharf house and a cannon battery. When the hotel was being constructed, items dating back to the 17th century were being uncovered. So it became sort of a dual construction – archaeological site. Many of the items excavated can be found restored and on display in the hotel.

And then was what I could say was the "crowning moment", the "cherry on the top", that totally sold the Missus on the hotel. I went ahead and settled our bill at the counter. As we walked out the door; the desk clerk, a very nice gentleman, walked after us, calling to the Missus, "madam….madam". We stopped and turned around. He handed the Missus a bag of still warm cookies saying, "Madam, these cookies just came out of the kitchen and this is for you." You gotta love it! As we walked to the train station, the Missus looked at me and said, "we're definitely staying here again….." It's the small things that count.

We took the short walk to the train station and because we had Business Class tickets were able to use the lounge; which was really small, and rather tight. As we walked in and tried to find some seats, the Missus tapped me on the shoulder and said, "aren't you going to say hello to your new friends?" It was the group of Japanese women I translated the menu for at Le Saint-Armour. The were all smiling and waving. I waved back, laughing.

Our ride back to Montreal was uneventful…..other than listening to the woman with the drink cart trying to explain what the different cocktails were to the women….. This one, I had no idea about; so I hung back.

We got back to bustling Montreal. It seems the weather had cleared up and it was getting to be kind of warm. This time around, we stayed at an AirBnB in the Plateau Mont-Royal area. I wanted to stay in the area because….well, the food of course. There aren't many hotels, but I found what turned out to be a huge apartment on Avenue du Parc.

So, we were back in Montreal…..time to start eating!

Montreal – Mamie Clafoutis and VIA Rail to QC

July 15, 2017 mmm-yoso Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, Bakery, Caffeine Fix, Canada, Montreal, Travel

While we had really enjoyed Montreal, the Missus was ready for our next stop; Quebec City. We'd be going by rail, which I really enjoy.

Since our train wouldn't be leaving until 1245 and we were literally 3 blocks from Gare Centrale, we decided to take a morning walk and grab some breakfast. The Missus decided on a place up Rue Saint Denis.

Of course we passed several churches on the way and really enjoyed walking up Saint Denis as it was full of semi-hipster, trendy, and plain funky businesses.

Hmmm….maybe Elvis does live?

Mamie Clafoutis is a bit of a walk up Saint Denis, which I read the street goes all the way to the North side of the island.

While the namesake of he place is the Clafouti; the Missus had read that the Pistachio Croissant here was very good. I saw a sign for a special Ficelle celebrating Montreal's 375 Anniversary (May 17, 2017) and while it was already the end of May, it was still being made and sold. So, I decided on that.

We both got some espresso for our caffeine fix. When our tray was ready, we headed upstairs to the comfortable lounge area.

The ficelle was ice cold, really chewy….I expected a bit more "crunch", but it was more hard. We really enjoyed the combination of flavors from the cornichons, mustard, and for the Missus, especially the smoked meat. This really set the stage for our return trip, where I'd been looking forward to getting some smoked meat.

The croissant was a bit drier than we prefer and lacked that touch of salt that would balance out the very sweet pistachio paste which was too sweet for me. Of course, I'm not much of a dessert person, but there didn't seem to be much pistachio flavor.

Still, the espresso was good and we enjoyed the vibe of the place. We'd notice that folks in this area seemed to speak much more French than on the west side.

Mamie Clafoutis
3660 Rue Saint-Denis
Montreal, Canada

We headed back to the hotel, going down Saint Laurent, then over to Rue Jeanne-Mance. It had started to drizzle. Even though we had umbrellas, it was also getting a bit windy. Luckily, just as it was getting particularly blustery, we reached the Complexe Desjardins. In Montreal, there's a 32 kilometer network of tunnels, passageways, shopping centers, and buildings called RESO, but it's most commonly known as the Underground City. The name evokes a bit of mystery……but for us; it looked basically like a bunch of malls which were, thankfully, interconnected.

I can imagine being able to move along downtown Montreal without being exposed to the elements must be a godsend during the dead of winter. For us wimpy San Diegans…well, we enjoyed being able to cross the street.

We got back to the hotel, freshened up, and checked out of the Courtyard. We headed over a couple of blocks to where I thought Gare Centrale was….because of all the construction, we had a difficult time finding the entrances, but finally made it.

Since we had business class tickets, we were able to use the VIA lounge in the train station. Nothing fancy, but comfortable enough….drinks and coffee provided.

Having easy access to the restrooms, a nice place to sit, and some coffee was worth paying a few bucks more. I got our fares during some kind of "special" where I paid like only $40 more for round trip tickets in business.

And while our train was not nearly as comfortable as riding the Shinkansen, it was fine.

One thing I did enjoy was the service, which was very friendly, and at times oddly funny. They also really pushed the booze! By the time the lunch cart got to us, they'd run out of everything but the vegetarian dish….shells stuffed with portabello mushroom. Which turned out to be perfectly fine.

Notice the white wine? So, I wasn't going to have any wine or drinks with lunch…but the really funny woman; with that wonderful French-Canadian accent told me, "you must…you must have some. It's from Wayne Gretzky Estates!" How could I turn that down? Wayne Gretzky Estates…… Yep this is Canada….and you don't mess with Wayne Gretzky……

Thanks for reading!

Montreal – (Finally) Getting There and a Late Night Dinner at Cadet

June 5, 2017 mmm-yoso Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, Canada, Canada Food and Restaurants, Montreal, Travel

I had taken a couple days off during the Memorial Day week. We'd planned a couple of trips in fits and starts. One of the basic limiting factors for us was that we both had $200 credit that we needed to use from the Great Delta Debacle of 2016 that left us stranded in Seattle overnight. In the end, the Missus's only request was; "I want to feel like I'm on a real vacation…..I don't want it to be like I'm in the US". So, in the end, Montreal and Quebec City sounded like the place.

Getting there, on the other hand was interesting. We used our credit to upgrade to Delta One, which came with lounge access…..in regards to bells and whistles, Delta's lounges aren't great, but they allow you space (most of the time) and a rather low stress environment….a decent place to grab some coffee and sparkling water.

Our flight left at 640am, pretty early in the morning. Breakfast was served on the flight….which was pretty good for airline food…maybe the best airline breakfast we've ever had.

We originally had a two hour lay over in Minneapolis; but by the time we disembarked, I received a message from Delta telling me there was a delay of an hour. Luckily, we had access to the lounge; which was rather dated, but comfortable.

By the time we got settled in, another message from Delta, this time an additional 30minute delay. I'd end up getting two more emails; for a total of a two-hours-and-change in delays. And while the food in this lounge isn't great; some soup, quinoa salad, and some cheese keeps those hunger pangs at bay.

To add insult to injury, the window over-looked our flight's gate. So, it was easy enough to see when the plane was(n't) arriving. Finally, we saw an actual aircraft rolling to the gate.

So, with evidence that there actually was an aircraft for our flight, we headed off to the gate. Meanwhile, I modified our 945pm dinner reservations; first to 1030, then to 1045….then I just gave up because I really didn't know if we'd actually make it. Back at the gate, we were delayed even longer, another 45 minutes because the flight crew and the gate staff could not agree on the correct security protocol……like they don't actually fly this route daily? And then of course, there's the D-Bag passenger….who kept asking for delay compensation, making sarcastic comments….he kept taking photos of the gate crew as they worked to get us out. He kept telling the gate staff out loud about the "Tweets" he was sending out…sheeesh…really? When we got into the queue, he boarded with Premier and First Class, saying out loud "I don't give a f@(k what seat I'm in, I'm boarding now!" Of course, when they handed out the snack boxes he took two. We had dinner plans; so we weren't going to be wasting calories. Oh, and he made the bad move of standing behind the Missus and kept pushing her with his bag, until She turned around and told him to "back off"! I turned around expecting some lip, but he just kind of shrunk away.

In the end we did make it to Montreal. The 747 Express Bus from the airport is a breeze. Get the ticket from the machine; it's a $10, 24 hour pass which allows you free access to buses and the metro as well. I had planned on staying close to the stop on our initial stay; at the Courtyard which less than a block from the Jeanne-Mance stop. I had left over CA$, enough to cover dinner in case we had problems with credit cards, so I didn't need to hit the ATM or currency exchange.

And after checking in, it was a short walk to this little restaurant, cum wine bar, like it's sister restaurant Bouillon Bilk (which would be tomorrow night's dinner) the place had no signage. This is Cadet.

We'd arrived just 5 minutes late; the Hostess was super nice and we ended up requesting to sit at the bar. Being a Sunday night, the place was fairly quiet. We loved our bartender, a sweet and very nice young lady. The Missus started with….well, I forgot what cocktail. I got an Old Fashioned.

It took thirteen hours; but we had made it……. We started to relax and let the whole day fade away.

We loved the set-up, under-stated, yet fairly sleek, and the menu; made up of small plates to share, with modern, fresh ingredients. The Missus was in Her element as there seemed to be a good selection of vegetable based dishes.

We started with the "Watercress". Basically a watercress salad, which was perfectly dressed with a nice, not too salty, blue cheese based dressing.

This was excellent. The watercress crisp and almost refreshing, the usual bitterness toned down, allowing for a mild sweetness to come through. What seemed to be preserved lemon and rind and delicious endives made up the rest of the salad. The watercress though, was the star.

The Veal Terrine was very nice.

The terrine was matched nicely with the not too sweet compote, which took the edge off. The texture was surprisingly creamy and the pickled vegetables added the acid and crunch, providing a nice contrast to things.

I actual chose Cadet because of a photo of a single dish I saw……it turned out to be the Missus's favorite dish of the night. An interesting combination of Broccoli, Labneh, and Spaetzle.

What sounds like a strange combination went so well together; the creamy, slightly salty labneh; the wonderfully toothsome sautéed spaetzle, broccoli, the crunchy sunchokes. Fanastic textures and you could taste every item in the dish….no ingredient overwhelmed the other.

The Oyster Mushrooms were decent, if not great.

I actually enjoyed the arugula the most; the flavors of vegetables here seems to "pop". The Caciotta, a mild, I believe Tuscan style cheese, went well with the greens, though I didn't care for it combined with the earthy flavors of the very meaty mushrooms.

The dish the Missus and I enjoyed the least was the Veal Skirt Steak.

We both loved the chorizo and the sauce, while on the mild side, had a decent tangy-bright flavor to it; the veal skirt was pretty tough and brought nothing to this dish. Strangely, both the Missus and I thought the cilantro tasted really good……as in the citrusy-anise flavors seemed amplified…perhaps the flight did something to our tastebuds?

The Missus had Her dessert.

I had a 12 year old Calvados as a disgestif.

This was a wonderful way to start this trip. We enjoyed the service, the price for everything was under $100 CA – think about $74-75 US! A bargain to us. We'd gladly return.

Cadet
1431 Boulevard Saint-Laurent
Montreal, Canada
Hours
Mon – Fri 1130am – 230pm, 430pm – 1am
Sat – Sun 430pm – 1am

We'd finally made it to Montreal. In spite of the upcoming forecasts of rain, I was sure we'd make the best of it.

Lima – Revisiting El Veridico de Fidel and Heading Home

April 15, 2017 mmm-yoso Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, Lima, Peru, Peruvian Restaurants, Seafood, Travel

I'm not sure why I take so long doing "last" posts on places we visit. Perhaps it's because I really didn't want our trip to end….or maybe I'm just too darn lazy? Go figure. Anyway, since I just posted on our last meal in Madrid, I figure I need to get Lima done as well.

The Missus's favorite eating spot on this trip was El Veridico de Fidel. She enjoyed Her meal so much, that before we left, we made reservations for dinner on our last evening in Lima here.

In contrast to our previous visit, which was during an early lunch, the place was humming!

When we arrived; the really nice young lady….the only one who we noticed that spoke English saw us, waved, and immediately came over….dropping off our menus, canchita, and even aji limo! I guess She remembered we enjoyed things "picante"! Great service.

As I mentioned earlier; our last visit was for a pretty early lunch. This time though…..we had no qualms about getting some beer and a pisco sour of course!

The Missus requested Her Pisco easy on the sugar and She really enjoyed it.

The Missus went straight for the Cebiche Lenguado; basically sole, and She really enjoyed the bracing, yet, not too sour leche de tigre.

The fish had been marinated well; it wasn't too "cooked" by the citrus and still had a nice tender, yet toothsome texture. Nice flavors all around. The Missus enjoyed a touch of the aji limo, which added a decent amount of fragrant heat to the dish.

Much had changed since our last trip to Lima all those years ago; I hadn't remembered seeing the interesting, creamy "leche de tigre" type dishes on menus before. Like a chilled, creamy, citrusy, savory cold soup. I had enjoyed the version eaten on my previous visit. So this time went with the version with chicharron de calamari. Basically, fried calamari….something I'd usually avoid in most restaurants.

Of course the Missus poached the camote (simmered sweet potato). The fried calamari was quite tender, the crunch of the batter and the texture of the squid really set a nice contrast to the refreshing; tongue coating, slightly tangy-sour leche de tigre. It was so refreshing and satisfying.

One of the "new dishes", that is, something I don't recall seeing during our first trip to Peru back in 2007 is Tacu Tacu con Lomo Saltado. Our Driver, Benjamin, introduced this dish to us on the way back from checking out the Nazca Lines. I saw that on the menu here and just had to try it.

First off, the beef was really tender and we loved the flavor of the peppers, nicely sweet. The flavor of the tacu tacu was quite mild and not very "beany" and the sauce could have had a bit more umami and saltiness for our taste. It was very filling and we were done after this dish.

We really enjoyed El Veridico de Fidel and will definitely return if/when we're back in Peru. Hopefully, it won't take another ten years!

El Veridico de Fidel
Calle Colon 246
Lima 18, Peru

We took a very roundabout way back to our hotel. I think there was a football game going on that day; this group of folks seemed to be celebrating something.

Strangely, at least for us, our flight didn't depart Lima until 1255 am. Luckily, we were flying Business, so we were able to take advantage of the Sumaq Lounge at Jorge Chavez International Airport. Based on how crowded the lounge was at 10pm; I'm guessing there are quite a few flights that depart at that rather late time.

The spread at the lounge was ok, but good golly, after being to a couple of these, I'm amazed at the feeding frenzy. It seems that folks are so focused on getting what they assume to be their money's worth I guess? I mean, really, do you actually need to have six mini-hamburguesas? Well whatever….to each their own……

I got a fair Pisco Sour as my "goodbye to Peru" gift…..for now!

Thanks for reading!

Seattle – Walks, breakfast, some familiar places, and Icelandair

November 12, 2016 mmm-yoso Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, Breakfast/Brunch, Markets & Grocers, Seattle, Washington, Travel

So you might be wondering; what's up with Seattle again? I mean the last over night visit was an involuntary overnight stay.

Well, here's the abridged version. One of my projects….a really huge project, was delayed. All trips had been put on hold. As soon as I got official word of the dates being pushed back, I pinged the Missus and went to work, first requesting time off, then doing the logistics. It came together in an instant. You see, a few months earlier, one of the folks I occasionally work with mentioned the Icelandair free stopover program. Basically, you fly out of one of the airlines hub and you get up to a 7 night stopover in Iceland at no extra charge (there's even a "Stopover Buddy" program that's offered on occasion). I started quickly checking prices and found that Business Class from SEA to ORY was really affordable and we could easily fit in a 3 night stopover on the way back.

Sold!

This meant we'd have 1 night in Seattle on our way to and from Paris.

We've been here so many times, way back to pre-blogging days, and I used to visit regularly while living in HNL….in fact, before I met the Missus, I was considering a move here.

But that's ancient history now and here we were….staring at this!

I had just been mentioning what a clear night it was when we came upon Fernando Botero's "Adam". (Click the link – It's a great article). So perhaps the night was a bit too clear for us?

We had a perfect night of rest and since breakfast was included in our room rate, we ended up having a satisfying breakfast at the Renaissance.

Pretty standard stuff. What made this for us was the awesome service. Friendly, efficient, just really perfect. Before we left one of the Servers brought us more coffee….in take out cups….a "little something for the morning". The Missus whispered to me, "increase your tip". Now that's a new one! I know it doesn't cost the Servers anything to do these little things, but they make all the difference to us; the customers.

So while we hadn't stayed at the Renaissance in ages, I think this is where we'll be when we return.

Renaissance Seattle Hotel
515 Madison St
Seattle, WA 98104

Plus, check out time isn't until noon, so we took another nice little walk.

It had drizzled in the morning, but things had cleared up……but not everyone was enjoying their walk…..

Though by the time we headed down the Waterfront Steps, things were under control.

We headed up Post Alley to another "landmark", the Seattle Gum Wall, which is kinda neat or pretty gross, depending on your point of view.

Regardless, it seems to be here to stay. You can watch video of a ton of gum being washed off the wall in 2015….and a year later…well…IT'S baaaack!

I've done posts on Pike Place Market a couple of times over the years and honestly, I still love the place. There's always something new….like what part of Rachel, the Pike Place Pig are these kids checking out?

Much of it is so familiar….which is part of the charm.

The Missus loves watching the tanks at Beecher's……

Stopped and had some refreshment at Pear Delicatessen.

Pear Delicatessen & Shoppe
1926 Pike Pl
Seattle, WA 98101

And were shocked at the line at Piroshky Piroshky

Which was once a favorite of ours, but during our last visit things seemed to have gone downhill a bit. Still, it seems more popular than ever.

Still, there's always something interesting to see or experience at Pike Place.

Our flight wasn't until almost 5 pm; as I mentioned earlier check-out time at the Renaissance is at noon, I'm sure I could have requested a late check-out, but we decided to just catch the Link out to Sea-Tac. Icelandair flies out of the 'S' terminal at Sea-Tac, which is our least favorite, but since we were flying Business we got to use the "Club at SEA"…….even though there wasn't anything special in terms of food or drink, the comfort and low stress vibe is a welcome change from the usual cattle call.

Flying Business Class on Icelandair was a mixed bag. The seating is like domestic first, which means nothing lies flat….the movie selection is dated…..however, the service is fantastic, and in all honesty, the food was not bad.

All of which made our flight that much easier….

Thanks for reading!

Airport Food – Eat at Joe’s (Philadelphia International Airport) and Shake Shack (JFK International Airport )

July 20, 2016 mmm-yoso Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, Burgers, Chains, Cheesesteaks, Hot Dogs

Since we travel a few times a year, we do spend quite a bit of time in airports……though not as much as in my consulting days. During most trips we plan rather well with regards to bring something to eat (i.e. Jamon Bellota Sandwiches in Spain, nuts are always good) to the airport. But there are those times we do grab something. And then we get to relax and people, or even puppy watch.

So here are a couple of places we've tried at Airports.

Eat at Joe's (Philadelphia International Airport):

I'm not sure why we ate at Joe's. I do remember that for some reason I was starving….and hey, in spite of this being the airport; it's still Philly, right?

So why not get a Cheesesteak?

I've had some nice Cheesesteak's in Philly….the last time back in 90's, having tried both Pat's and Geno's, though my favorite was Rick's in Reading Terminal Market. This one, won't make me forget any of those.

A bit on the dry side. For some reason the texture reminded me of shipped beef. The flavor was nice; the Amoroso roll was ice cold. The fries, hot, but routine.

The dining area was a mess. First off, shame on the customers for not cleaning up after themselves. But there were also four airport employees who were just standing around goofing off, until their supervisor came along. They'd start cleaning. When the boss left; it was back to monkey business.

Eat At Joe's
Terminal B, Philadelphia International Airport

Shake Shack (JFK International Airport ):

During a long layover at JFK, I just couldn't help myself.

In spite of the line; I just had to try it; even though I had misgivings about it being "airportified" as in "really, Gordon Ramsey signed off on this"? But I had to try the legendary burger.

Other than the bun, which seemed a bit past its due date; this was quite a nice burger; great char, good seasoning…very moist, and a nice beefiness.

The Missus also enjoyed the burger and said basically what I was afraid to say out loud; "if they come to San Diego; In N Out might be in trouble". Of course, I'm not sure what the price point on that would be, but still, blasphemy! And then of course, I read about the possibility of Shake Shack opening in San Diego on Eater. Check out the comment; it says that they've signed with UTC Redevelopment; which I believe is in charge of Westfield UTC……now those will be some major lines!

Shake Shack
JFK International Airport Terminal 4

Hope you're having a great week!

Sapporo – Breakfast and the Wonderfulness of New Chitose Airport

July 1, 2016 mmm-yoso Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, Breakfast/Brunch, Hokkaido, Travel

After dinner at Hyousetsu no Mon, we decided to take our time walking back to our hotel. There was a wonderful, crisp chill in the air, and for some reason, a holiday feeling that just kind of resonated. Folks were out and about enjoying the Christmas lights and displays in Odori Park. I guess this is why we decided to visit Sapporo. It was just joyfully chill; both figuratively and literally.

Odori Park sure was lit up brightly with a number of displays. There's just something about this place that felt right.

On an interesting note; we really enjoyed the snacks in Sapporo….man, all the shops and samples really lured us in. We bought so many snacks for my MIL, that we had them shipped to her from the Post Office here in Sapporo!

We slept well and awoke the next morning refreshed; though not quite ready to leave.

The Missus had what She has deemed Her favorite breakfast buffet. No kidding…..look at what She ate!

She had always said that shiokara was one of the worst things She's ever eaten. And yet, do you see it on one of Her plates! Apparently things have changed!

I was going to miss the black bean natto, which I loved.

Man, what a breakfast.

We checked out and left a bit early for New Chitose Airport. For some reason, it's one of our favorite airports. It's not super huge, but there are a ton of shops.

With tons of food!

Just in case you needed to pick up some seafood for that person you forgot about……

I think one of the reasons we loved the airport were the easily accessible lockers and all the samples.

There's this one chocolate corn snack that I just loved……melon flavor….I know…me…mister I-don't-really-like-sweets. But man, that was so good. We'd arrived early so we could check out Hokkaido Ramen Dojo in the airport. But ended up stuffed by all the samples folks kept handing to us, that we were too full.

That will have to wait for the next time we're here.

I'm thinking it will be a matter of when; not if.

Before we knew it; we were on our flight, on JetStar Airlines.

Next stop: Tokyo!

Seattle: Brunch at The London Plane

December 27, 2014 mmm-yoso Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, Breakfast/Brunch, Seattle, Washington, Travel

**** The London Plane has closed

I don't sleep in much. Remember what they say about needing less sleep as you get older? I'm not sure I buy into that, but I usually wake at 5am on work days and by 6:30 or so on weekends. But there's something about the weather and coziness of Seattle that just makes you want to sleep in. Or perhaps it was that wonderful dinner and the rather long walk we had the night before. Regardless, by the time I threw back the curtains on our hotel room, it looked like a glorious day.

Our flight wasn't leaving until 5pm, so I had arranged for a late check-out. We'd just loaf around until then. But first, we needed sustenance.

We'd passed by The London Plane, a wine bar, cum bakery, cum specialty food shop, cum cafe the day before. I'd heard of the place, so we stopped in and looked at the brunch menu. The menu looked interesting, so we decided on yet another Matt Dillon shop for Saturday brunch.

Though the rest of the "in transition" Pioneer Square area looked pretty empty, the London Plane was almost half full.

Much like The Walrus and the Carpenter we just got some really nice seats….upstairs…overlooking the open kitchen.

Our Server told us, "I think you got the best seats in the house…." And I don't doubt him. I love watching the timing and coordination of the different stations. An open kitchen means you've got to work really clean….which this place totally did.

Wanna make a food blogger's day? Give them seats at the counter or open kitchen.

We started with the Smashed Avocado and local Albacore Toast ($12).

I believe the albacore was oil poached…still, it was rather dry, and a bit "fishy" to my tastebuds. Guacamole on toast….why didn't I think of that before? I actually enjoyed the avocado – olive oil…the sourdough, which I think is one of the shop's hallmarks is very good and the red pepper…well, not flakes, but crumbs brought a nice mild smoky, pungent, heat to the whole deal.

Take a look at some of my coolking posts over the last couple of years and you'll notice how various vegetables have started to really take up a bigger part in our diet. So there's no wonder that the Missus decided She wanted brunch here after seeing different assortments of vegetables available for brunch.

By far, my favorite were the Roasted Baby Carrots and Red Emporer Onions with pistachios and mint (far left). I really enjoyed the levels of savory sweetness….it never went too far, the light touch of mint really added a nice touch. The Missus loved the roasted delicata squash (duh…) and kale (double duh…) with tahini and pumpkin seed. Nice balance here as folks tend to be rather heavy handed with tahini.

The raw beet, apple, fennel, and celery slaw with walnuts was definitely no shrinking violet, but was a bit too tart for my taste.

One bad thing about having several enjoyable dishes is that as the meal goes on, the higher the expectations. Since I make gravlax at home, the Missus expected the lox in the Salmon lox, potato, pickled peppers, and creme fraiche was going to be something sublime. I guess simply being "lox" was not good enough……

Of course the Missus loved the romanesco……..but was less than impressed with the rest of it. Deconstructed; the potato is the "bagel", the pickled peppers the red onion and capers, and the creme fraiche….well, creme fraiche. I would love a bit more dill and something more herbaceous to set this off. Not a bad dish by any means….but while carried out well, quite mundane.

As we left, the dining room was packed, and the shop quite busy. We'd enjoyed our meal here and the service(and the coffee) was quite good as well.

The London Plane
300 Occidental Ave S
Seattle, WA 98104

This was a bit more than we'd usually have for breakfast….which left us ready to roll back in bed. Having a late check-out, that's exactly what we did. After all of the walking the last two days, the extra rest was welcomed.

After our nap, we walked around a bit, then checked-out and headed off to SeaTac. Man, the light rail makes everything so easy.

We managed to grab a beer at the airport since we got there early.

And even a grilled cheese and some cheese curds from Beecher's near Concourse C.

Like I learned in Madison; those cheese curds will hold you for a good long time……they were really good; garlic and herb flavor. We didn't get to the grilled cheese until getting home!

Anyway, we had a blast in Seattle; it remains one of my favorite cities. And we surely won't wait another 7 years to return!

COMC – Never made the cut, the travel edition

March 28, 2014 mmm-yoso Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, Burgers, Food Trucks, Hawai'i - The Big Island, Honolulu, Madison, Wisconsin, Oahu, Poke, Travel, Tunisia, Tunisian Food

Not everything makes it into a post, I've deleted many photos for posts that never got started….that Mariscos place where I got ill, that very good fine meal with no lighting….though unless we're travelling, I usually don't even break out the camera for those type of meals. And the one's I just never got around to…. I've done these "Never Made the Cut" posts before. Here's another batch…..

Recently, "Kha" sent me an email for some Hawaii recommendations, which included some requests for the North Shore…….

One of the places was Mackey's Shrimp Truck…….I sent him a photo and realized I never posted on the place.

Which made me realize that I had photos from meals during our travels that I never posted on. Too much time had passed…..

Sometimes I even had a very good meal, but the lighting was just too bad……like this revisit to The Old Fashioned.

Pickled Pork Hock…pickled egg…..

Nice burger…..and cheese curds of course….

And an adorable Server…….

But that lighting….ick……

I just plumb forgot about our revisit to Fresh Catch….

We enjoyed the poke much more this time around….

The Missus loved the really aged poi…..which was a surprise…..it was really funky.

This last one is from Tunis. It was a surprisingly decent meal……

This was pretty inexpensive as well…. in the Airport in Tunis! Airport staff and flight crew were on the other tables….so I guess this is the place!

So that's it….another Clearing Out the Memory Card post! Have a great weekend!

Airport Food – The Great Dane (Madison), Gordon Ramsay’s Plane Food (London-Heathrow), and Cousin’s BBQ (Dallas-Forth Worth)

June 16, 2012 mmm-yoso Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, BBQ, Dallas, London, Madison, Wisconsin, Texas, Travel

Getting something to eat during long layovers is a necessary evil. Waiting for flights or connecting flights you're often left with a choice of fast-food joints, pre-packaged foods at high mark-ups. Over the last couple of years airports have started featuring more popular local chains and greater variety. And while I'm still convinced that something is lost in the transition (most notably a nasty Superdawg at Midway Airport) it still makes things interesting. Also, for more interesting posts check out Dennis's posts on airport meals.

Great Dane Pub & Brewing Company – Dane County Regional Airport:

**** The Great Dane Pub in the airport has closed

In spite of all my trips to Madison, I'd only flown into the local regional airport once. Mainly because I'd be able to justify a rental car if driving from Chicago, which turns out to be a fairly relaxing drive for me. But I quickly banished the thought of driving from Chicago in February…..moi….the guy from Hawaii who lives in San Diego, dealing with the possibility of snow, sleet, ice, or worse? So there I was at the airport at 1230 for a 430pm flight because that's when the airport shuttle ran. I even skipped lunch so I go thru security and looked for something to eat…..and lo' and behold……there was a branch of the Great Dane right in front of me.

I took this as a sign of sorts…….because of scheduling and transportation issues, I hadn't been able to complete my usual rendezvous with deep fried cheese curds on this trip. During my first visit to Madison, I'd had my first dose of those at the Fitchburg location of the Great Dane.

So even though prices were anywhere from $3 – $5 higher then the non-airport locations, how could I ignore the divine placement of the Great Dane, right?

I must say that these were rather disappointing. The curds were quite hard instead of having a nice gooey texture. These were also on the salty side, not anything like versions I'd had previously.

If you've read my previous post on the Great Dane, you realize that this ain't food for the calorie or fat conscious. With that in mind I went all in and ordered the Brat and Bacon Burger….something I also ate before.

Man, this was greasy, even more greasy than expected and I'd had this before! The grease saturated the roll cuasing it to be a mushy mess. The burger was tough and overcooked, though the brat was decent. Not particularly good eats overall.

The Great Dane Pub and Brewing Company
Dane County Regional Airport

Gordon Ramsay's Plane Food:

Finding out that we'd be flying through Heathrow an acquaintance of mine told me that Gordon Ramsay had a restaurant in terminal 5. He told me that the place has changed the game with regards to airport food. I was indeed a bit curious….we'd seen the brash and bombastic Ramsay on his Kitchen Nightmare show and really wondered……"he talks a good talk, but does he walk the walk?" Since we had four hour layovers in both directions, we thought we'd try something small on our way to Istanbul, if it showed promise, we'd have more on our way back. This seemed prudent, because the prices ain't cheap folks! Personally, I'm not a big fan of Heathrow for a couple of reasons….the signage sucks, this is coming from a guy who has travelled to five continents. They make you sit around in terminal five, which lacks sufficient seating until anywhere from 1 hour to 30 minutes before your flight. Then you have to find your gates. They make you go through additional checks even though you're connecting and charge a rather exorbitant amount for wi-fi. I will say that I find the British accent and slangquite entertaining though. When the security guy wanted a red head who had just gone through the detector to stop you shouted, "hey, you there, GINGER-Girl, please move about to the side please!" Ginger-girl?

The actually entrance to the restaurant can be hard to find initially, but once down that alleyway, everything opens up to a large, wide-open seating area.

We started with something very basic, the Steamed English asparagus, pan fried duck egg , grain mustard dressing (£8.75 – about $16 US at the time).

This was pretty atrocious for a couple of reasons. First that "pan fried" duck egg was cold, had no taste, and the whites were rubbery. It had the look of "buffet eggs", eggs that were cooked in an egg ring, then placed in a hotel pan over sterno to serve during a lunch or dinner buffet. How do I know? I've made these many times during a previous career. The asparagus was tough and fibrous, the lower, very tough portion should have been peeled. The stalks were also severely under-seasoned and the mustard sauce was also fairly bland. I wonder what Mr Ramsay would have said had he come upon this dish at one of his "nightmare" restaurants? Can't fry an egg to order and trim asparagus?

The Crispy Duck Salad with Watercress, chilli, and ginger (£12.50 – over $20 US at the time) was a bit better.

The duck was flavored nicely, sweet, mild five spice flavor, made in the fashion of Chinese style crispy beef. The watercress was nice, though we found some yellowed leaves at the bottom. Couldn't really make out the ginger flavor, but the dressing was nice and we could have used a tad more of it. Still, I'm not sold that this was a twenty dollar salad, even with the airport mark-up.

In the end, we were glad we started small here and decided to skip it altogether on the return trip.

Gordon Ramsay Plane Food
London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5

Cousin's BBQ – Dallas Forth Worth Airport:

In case you're thinking that I hate all airport food, that's really not the case. During another one of my trips I had a four and a half hour layover at DFW airport. Now I kinda like terminal B, wi-fi is free, there's enough interesting shops to keep me occupied, and I enjoyed most of my meal at Cousin's BBQ.

Cousin's is a DFW chain of six restaurants, so I figured if I had a meal in this airport, it should be here. Since this was Texas, I decided on the brisket.

First off, I found the sides to be mediocre; the mashed potatoes bland and the gravy like glue. The coleslaw needed a favor infusion and the Texas toast was like cold, stale, buttered bread. Not a big fan of the runny sauce either.

But I really enjoyed the brisket, which I found to have a nice, though light smoke flavor.

I loved the crisp end piece which had a nice balanced flavor, The meat was tender and moist though not falling to pieces.

I felt totally satisfied after this meal. It was probably the best thing I've eaten in an airport in a long time. If I'm ever here again, I'll probably pass on the sides and do a brisket sandwich or something.

In the end, I'm not expecting great food in an airport, decent food that I feel is worthy of the price will do it for me.

Cousin's BBQ
Dallas Fort Worth Airport, Terminal B, Gate 28