"If You Have the Time, They Have the Food"

Monday, July 4, 2005

If You Have the Time, They Have the Food
National Is Tops for Sit-Down Meals; BWI Caters to Diners in a Hurry
By Michael Barbaro
The Washington (DC) Post


If you have to kill two hungry hours before a flight, need a place to dine
with a colleague or just have a hankering for a freshly prepared meal,
Reagan National Airport is your best bet, according to frequent travelers in
the region.

The airport has five sit-down restaurants outside of security checkpoints --
Legal Sea Foods, Matsutake Sushi, T.G.I. Friday's, California Pizza Kitchen
and Samuel Adams Brew House -- and service is brisk.
 
The staff is used to hearing the phrase "I have a plane to catch," so you
need not remind them.

Once you cross security checkpoints, there are several more sit-down
restaurants around the gates-- Charles Mann's All Pro Grill, Sam's Brew
House, Federal Tavern and Foggy Bottom, plus the standard fast food
restaurants passengers expect.

But be warned. The broadest full-service dining options are in the main
terminal, before security.

If you're a chronic late arrival and dash straight for the security lines,
BWI may better suit your needs. In its new Southwest terminal, passengers
cleared for takeoff are funneled into a large food court with sit-down and
counter service -- there are burgers, sushi, crab cakes and a Godiva
chocolate stand. It would take a huge crowd of fliers to fill the food
court.

That's not the case at National and Dulles, where finding an open seat in
the food courts inside the gate area can be a challenge, depending on the
time of day.

Dulles is big on pubs -- Sam's Brewhouse, Old Dominion Brewing Co. and Brew
Pub -- and there are two full-service T.G.I. Fridays, but no sushi
restaurant yet (one is on the way). There's plenty of fast food, including
Pizza Hut, Panda Express and Cinnabon.

If you're crossing the country on a discount airline, you'll need more than
the pretzels and cheese wafers that JetBlue and Southwest provide. Most
airport food retailers will package everything to go -- and some, such as
the T.G.I Friday's and Legal Sea Foods at National, let you order ahead and
pick up dinner at the airport.

Wrapped sandwiches, at coffee bars or newsstand cafes, are good in a pinch,
but be sure to ask when they were made. A Caprese sandwich placed in a
refrigerated case at 4 a.m. is not as tasty 12 hours later.

Trust us.

Attached Photo:

Patrons eat at Legal Sea Foods, one of five sit-down restaurants at Reagan
National Airport. BWI's new terminal has a big food court near the gates.

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