"Airport upgrades: Wine bars and gourmet food"

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Airport upgrades: Wine bars and gourmet food
By Michelle Higgins
The New York (NY) Times


Airline food has gotten so bad that Padma Lakshmi, cookbook author and host
of "Top Chef" on Bravo, often heads to the airport with a container full of
spinach leaves and leftovers like grilled chicken, along with a separate
container of dressing. Once on the plane, "I put it together and shake it
up," she said.

For travelers who don't want to make their own meals, a host of new dining
choices at America's airports now offers an alternative to the standard fare
of the dried-out turkey sandwiches or unappetizing snack boxes that the
airlines sell on most domestic flights.

With hot meals in coach virtually gone, airport terminals are filling the
void (and tapping a captive market) by presenting better and healthier food
choices, often with takeout services.

Instead of just outlets of McDonald's, Panda Express and other fast-food
standards, airports are now offering organic salads, local barbecue chicken
and even small bottles of chilled wine, complete with screw tops, that
passengers can bring onboard (although Federal Aviation Administration rules
technically forbid the consumption of alcohol not served by the airline).

Some of the new takeout options are decidedly upscale. At Terminal 2 at New
York's JFK, the specialty grocer Balducci's opened a shop in concert with
Delta this spring, serving tuna nicoise salads and sandwiches made from
chipotle lime-marinated grilled chicken.

Vino Volo, a wine bar and lounge that opened in 2005 at Washington Dulles
International Airport, has been rapidly expanding to other airports,
allowing coach passengers to cobble together meals that would make
business-class passengers envious. On its menu: small plates like duck
confit or smoked salmon rolls (about $8 to $11).

Airports are brimming with new food purveyors, but how do you find them? One
place to look is SideStep.com, which introduced an Airport Guides feature in
November with detailed restaurant information for more than 160 airports.
(www.sidestep .com/airportguides).

Farecast.com has an Airport Survival blog
(www.farecast.com/blog/category/airport-survival) that offers food and drink
recommendations for some of the busiest U.S. airports. Looking for tasty
grub at Dallas Ft. Worth International Airport? "Hop the train to Terminal D
for good and varied eats including sushi (Blue Bamboo Xpress) and
Texas-style barbecue (Cousin's BBQ)," the site suggests.

In some ways, airport terminals are playing catch-up with low-cost carriers:
Since the carriers never offered full meals onboard, many had turned the
pre-boarding area into a mini-food court. At JetBlue's Terminal 6 at Kennedy
Airport, there is a sushi takeout counter, a Boar's Head Deli with
made-to-order sandwiches and a Cibo Express Gourmet Market, which offers 10
different waters and kosher, vegetarian and gluten-free items.

But the main draw, at least for harried and hungry travelers, is a
self-serve computer kiosk that relays the order directly to the kitchen, so
all you have to do is swipe your credit card and pick up the order. And soon
you won't even have to pick it up yourself. Silver Diner plans to install
kiosks at departing gates and begin delivering orders to passengers, perhaps
as they're in line to board.

And, of course, not all food is conducive to carry-on. Think of it like
packing a school lunchbox. Heavily dressed sandwiches, like tuna with
mayonnaise, generally don't hold up well. And if you get sushi, don't wait
until the end of a long flight to eat it. 


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