150 replies to this topic

[laniloa]

What about airport food? Faced with iffy or non-existent in-flight options, where should one head during layovers? My default option lately has been trail mix at the Grove (multiple locations in many airports, including Atlanta). Since I live in one of those can't get there from here places, I have many long layovers.

ATL

[The Hersch]

At National, there's Legal Seafood. Unfortunately, it's quite uneven. Last year I flew from National to Boston, and had the fried clams at Legal at National, and they were really pretty awful. Then I had the same thing at Legal at the Pru in Boston, and they were wonderful, and I went back and had them again and they were wonderful again. But the clams at National were tough, chewy little pieces of frustration. I think there's a Legal at Logan, but I haven't tried it. I did eat at Ozone, a Todd English restaurant at Logan, and it was one of the most dismal dining experiences of my life. Why do people like English think they can keep putting their names on dreadful enterprises that insult their public, and still keep their reputations?

Actually, let me tell you about my meal at Ozone. I see that there's this Todd English restaurant at Logan, and I'm hungry and I've got lots of time for lunch. So I walk in, and am shown to a table. This is the middle of the lunch rush, and there's a woman mopping the floor of the restaurant. She doesn't actually ask me to lift my feet, but it's close, and the smell of ammonia is intense. The waiter comes to take my order, and I ask for a bowl of clam chowder and a steak cooked medium. Fifteen minutes pass, and the waiter arrives with both the chowder and the steak. I shoot what I think is a look at the waiter, but it doesn't seem to register. I don't think it occurs to him that ought is amiss. I set the plate with the steak aside, and address the chowder. It is surpassingly awful, just god-awful, a flour-thickened library paste of a chowder that I find simply inedible. I set it aside, and address the steak. It is cooked super-well-done, grey and tough. The fries that accompany it are excellent. I finally succeed in catching the waiter's attention, and tell him my steak is not as I requested it. I reiterate that I wanted a steak cooked medium. He apologizes, and takes the plate back to the kitchen. The bowl of chowder remains on the table, congealing.

Ten minutes pass, and the waiter returns with another steak. I taste one of the fries, and find to my delight that they've cooked a fresh batch, and not tried to recycle the earlier order as I'd feared. Then I cut into the steak. A dreary grey throughout. I think "The kitchen is just telling me to fuck myself." The waiter hasn't gone far, and I bring him back to my table. "I NEVER send anything back," I say, "but this is simply not what I ordered. This is extremely well-done, and I asked for medium. It should be pink." He apologizes again, and takes the plate back to the kitchen one more time. The bowl of chowder continues to harden.

A few minutes later, the waiter returns with a third steak. I cut into it, and find that there are faint signs of pink, so I agree to accept it even though it's still overcooked. Again, there are freshly cooked pommes frites, which are excellent. I end up eating the whole steak and all of the fries, although I resent the steak. As I eat, I regard the now crusty bowl of clam chowder, still mocking me from the other side of the table. Finally I get the check, and see that the waiter had entered "steak medium well" from the start. The kitchen hadn't had a chance. The waiter clears away the plate that had held the slightly-pink steak and the fries, and I pay the bill. As I walk away, I say a fond farewell to the bowl of chowder, still sitting on the table like a plate of leaden glue.

I don't recommend Ozone at Logan Airport.

DCA BOS

[ol_ironstomach]

Based on my very limited sample size, I have yet to find something actually good in a domestic airport, with one memorable exception. There's a little diner in the terminal at Sitka, Alaska, that serves up some terrific pies. I love to sample the pies at most established diners and greasy spoons, but the ones at Sitka were really, really good, especially their banana cream.

The pubs at Heathrow are actually fairly tasty if you like English food (which I do). The kitchens can be quite slow however, so don't expect to eat in a hurry. I also seem to recall an interesting pan-cultural set of lunch counters on the upper level of Rome's Fiumicino airport, where I ended up choosing a panini anyway.

Not precisely in the spirit of this thread, lunch expeditions to local general aviation airports have yielded some interesting meals. There's the gourmet Citgo behind Bay Bridge airport, worth a visit if you're on Kent Island and not looking for crabs. There's the unreliable-but-occasionally-good 94th Aero Squadron behind College Park airport. I'm told that the restaurant at Frederick airport cooks up a great burger, but I've never had the pleasure.

SIT LHR FCO

[DanielK]

Fifteen minutes pass, and the waiter arrives with both the chowder and the steak. I shoot what I think is a look at the waiter, but it doesn't seem to register. I don't think it occurs to him that ought is amiss.

Not an excuse, but at airport restaurants they assume that you are in a hurry to catch a flight - the whole menu and service is focused on turning your table in 30-45 minutes. In my many many years of business travel, I've never been served an appetizer before my entree, or at least not much before my entree, unless I specifically requested it.

[JLK]

In Memphis, one of the terminals (blanking at the moment; it's the obviously new one) has a decent barbecue joint. Something-something Interstate Barbecue. My pulled pork sandwich was okay, but the meaty baked beans were absolutely fantastic. I'm heading there again in two weeks so I'll pay more attention to details.

Absolutely nothing worth eating at the airport in Greensboro, NC, something it makes up for in the lack of lines (ever) at security. The terminal in Oakland where Jet Blue is headquartered is similarly lacking in options.

MEM GSO OAK

[TSE]

The terminal in Oakland where Jet Blue is headquartered is similarly lacking in options.

Hey! There's always the Roundtable Pizza, which will serve you a greasy, overly-sauced slice with the toppings piled high.

Actually, I used to love the place when I was younger. I could polish off a large by myself...

OAK

[The Hersch]

Not an excuse, but at airport restaurants they assume that you are in a hurry to catch a flight - the whole menu and service is focused on turning your table in 30-45 minutes. In my many many years of business travel, I've never been served an appetizer before my entree, or at least not much before my entree, unless I specifically requested it.

Well, I can't see how making the traveler wait fifteen minutes while they overcook his steak before bringing out the soup, which only needs dishing up, saves him any time.

[CrescentFresh]

Nitrogenated Tetley's on tap at the Jet Rock bar/restaurant in Philadelphia. Tastes much better than any airport food I can think of. I recall they sell it in liter glasses at a surprisingly affordable price for an airport.

PHL

[DanielK]

Well, I can't see how making the traveler wait fifteen minutes while they overcook his steak before bringing out the soup, which only needs dishing up, saves him any time.

Again, I'm not excusing it. But when you order apps in a restaurant, the server is either going to separate the ticket so your entrees don't come out first, or they have a system to prevent that. An airport restaurant, assuming you want to be out the door in 30 minutes, just throws everything in and what comes out comes out. Now, a good server might ask if you want your appetizer first, and I've been known to point out to the server that I'm NOT in a rush, but I can't count the number of times I've gotten soup with an entree at the same time in an airport.

Signed, 50-100k miles/year for the last 11 years. Until 2 weeks ago - no more travel for new job. Yay!

[bookluvingbabe]

The local airports are pretty much a dead loss. At least BWI now has a Mayorga so you can get decent coffee. Dulles doesn't have enough coffee options--the lines for Starbucks are always so long that I give up.

LAX--Wolfgang Puck's Cafe is a great option, especially the breakfast pizza on the way to Hawaii.

San Diego--has a Rubio's outside of security; good but not great shrimp burritos.

St. Louis--barren wasteland which I used to fly through all the time back when I flew TWA exclusively for the frequent flyer miles.

LGA--main terminal; decent options, the Fox Sports thing was pretty good AND fast. Marine Air Terminal--Shoot me now...

Buffalo--One bar offers the classic Weck sandwich which is pretty good and much better than anything you can get anywhere else near the airport. I think the Denny's a mile away is the only other option and that usually sucks.

Cincinnatti--One terminal offers Gold Star Chili. Not as good as Skyline but beggers can't be choosers.


Long Island-Islip--I don't think we've found anything decent there.

Sigh...

Jennifer

SNA STL BUF CVG ISP

[JeffC]

Ditto on the breakfast pizza at Puck's (SAN). Great way to fill up before the flight to the islands.

I've also heard that there's a Maui Tacos at National. Anyone tried it? MT is one of my favorite cheap eats on Maui.

Two of my favorites:

Heathrow (London)--Haven't been there in awhile, but there used to be a large area where you could get all kinds of breakfast goodies--IMO, the British do breakfast very well--accompanies by freshly ground coffee in a press. I'll be passing through again this fall, so here's hoping it's still there. (And duty-free has some hard-to-find single malts.)

Incheon (Seoul): Good Korean fare available. (Stay away from the "Western" food.) You need to know a little about what you're ordering, but it's FAR better than most airport food. I've had two long layovers there and pretty much gorged myself both times.

DCA LHR ICN

[JLK]

Not at 8 am. And that's when I'm going to be there, flying back to here.

Hey! There's always the Roundtable Pizza, which will serve you a greasy, overly-sauced slice with the toppings piled high.

Actually, I used to love the place when I was younger. I could polish off a large by myself...

When MT first opened in Manhattan right around the corner from where I lived, I thought it was fun, a guilty pleasure. But my two meals at MT at National made me say "disgusting."

I've also heard that there's a Maui Tacos at National. Anyone tried it? MT is one of my favorite cheap eats on Maui.

[liam]

At National, there's Legal Seafood. Unfortunately, it's quite uneven. Last year I flew from National to Boston, and had the fried clams at Legal at National, and they were really pretty awful. Then I had the same thing at Legal at the Pru in Boston, and they were wonderful, and I went back and had them again and they were wonderful again. But the clams at National were tough, chewy little pieces of frustration. I think there's a Legal at Logan, but I haven't tried it.

I believe there are at least two Legals at Logan Airport. My wife and I ate at one in Terminal C last month and had an excellent lunch. I had a fantastic Maine crab roll (generous portions of tasty lump crab meat) and, of course, a cup of clam chowder. My wife had a salad and steamed clams. For us, the service was professional and efficient. It doesn't get much better than that at an airport.

BOS

[TinDC]

In the Atlanta airport, I once walked through a couple of terminals during a layover for Chick-fil-a, but I love me some Chick-fil-a.

ATL

[lackadaisi]

Not quite food, but JLock and I recently made quite a nice morning out of the Tequila sampling bar at the duty-free store at the Cancun airport. Best airport "meal" I have ever had.

CUN

[CrescentFresh]

Not quite food, but JLock and I recently made quite a nice morning out of the Tequila sampling bar at the duty-free store at the Cancun airport. Best airport "meal" I have ever had.

You two are my kinda travelers.

[Heather]

Layover in Frankfurt on our way to Marseille...the frankfurter mit kartoffelsalat, Hefeweissen, and Bombay & tonic at the A gates terminal lounge was quite respectable. Plus a cup of coffee that would put any Starbucks to shame.

FRA

[KOK]

BWI has (had?) a Nathan's hot dog outpost which has been pretty reliable in the past.

Thanks,

Kevin

[DanielK]

BWI has (had?) a Nathan's hot dog outpost which has been pretty reliable in the past.

That would be reliably slow, greasy, and disgusting. Nothing like the Nathan's of old - actually, I can buy Nathan's franks at Costco, and do a better job at home than the Nathan's stand in BWI.

[KOK]

That would be reliably slow, greasy, and disgusting. Nothing like the Nathan's of old - actually, I can buy Nathan's franks at Costco, and do a better job at home than the Nathan's stand in BWI.

Though it's been over six months since since I've been to BWI, it was no different than the hot dogs I had at their flagship on Surf Ave in Brooklyn back in April. Kobiyashi notwithstanding, perhaps Nathan's has jumped the shark.

K

[DanielK]

Though it's been over six months since since I've been to BWI, it was no different than the hot dogs I had at their flagship on Surf Ave in Brooklyn back in April. Kobiyashi notwithstanding, perhaps Nathan's has jumped the shark.

K

Maybe I was there on a bad day, but last time there was so much grease on the dog I had to throw away the bun, which no longer resembled bread. And I only ate a few fries before I eclipsed the amount of grease from the dog. It gave the turbulence on my flight later that day a whole new dimension...

[goldenticket]

I was in Austin a week ago. I didn't get out to many restaurants as I was visiting family but I just wanted to say that the Austin airport is one of the BEST food airports I've been in. The food outlets are run mostly by local establishments. Choices include Mexican from Matt's El Rancho, BBQ (brisket, sausage, ribs, etc) from the Salt Lick and Harlon's, and dessert from Amy's Ice Cream. There's the odd Quizno's and Auntie Anne's but you can totally skip those because of all the other good choices.

Even nicer, there is frequently live music at one or more locations throughout the airport. It's a great place to pass the time waiting for a flight and have some good local food/entertainment while doing do.

From over in the Austin thread. I still think the Austin airport is one of the best as far as food choices go.

I also recall having a pretty darn good lobster roll at (one of) the Legal Seafoods in Logan. With plenty of time before the flight, it was nice to have a sit-down, white tablecloth meal that wasn't rushed, but was served efficiently and was much better than the usual fast-food options.

AUS BOS

[Sthitch]

In Memphis, one of the terminals (blanking at the moment; it's the obviously new one) has a decent barbecue joint. Something-something Interstate Barbecue. My pulled pork sandwich was okay, but the meaty baked beans were absolutely fantastic. I'm heading there again in two weeks so I'll pay more attention to details.

It is Jim Neely's Interstate, and you are right it is tasty. Not quite as good as the original, but still better than any other airport BBQ.

When I traveled for business I used to have to head to the land of weak beer (Salt Lake City) too often. Thankfully, I was always able to stop in Denver going to and from this beautiful beerless land. I would make sure to stop by the Colorado Sports Bar for a large Fat Tire. Beware of the horrible food, consider this is a beer only place.

Surprisingly the Hilton at Charles de Gaulle has a decent restaurant, two years ago I had a fantastic foie gras terrine at the restaurant.

MEM SLC DEN CDG

[mame11]

It is Jim Neely's Interstate, and you are right it is tasty. Not quite as good as the original, but still better than any other airport BBQ.

Yes, Neely's is nice... avoid the other BBQ spot with all due haste. I like the bbq turkey salad from Neelys.

Another option in the Memphis airport is Backyard Burgers. Similar to the 5 Guys disaster a local chain that got destroyed in franchising, Backyard Burgers makes a pretty good blackened chicken sandwich. (code word "pretty good")

Now, in Detroit there is a Westin that you can access directly from a terminal. They have TSA agents stationed to screen you when you come back to the terminal, but it is directly attached. I have had some good meals at the hotel and better yet it has a beautiful lobby with lots of water, greenery and slate. Westin at Detroit Airport

MEM DTW

[JLK]

BWI update - terminal C is definitely better than the others (I think I flew OUT via B and back via C today). I spotted, but did not eat at, a Phillips Crab. At Cincinnati's airport, stuff shuts down EARLY. When I arrived around 8:30 on Tuesday night, just after my connecting flight left unfortunately, about 3/4 of the shops were closed or closing. Sheesh.

[Hotel tip: if you get stuck in Cincy's airport overnight, do NOT let your airline put you up at the Microtel in Florence, Kentucky]

[laniloa]

I had a very pleasant lunch at the Acme Oyster House in the New Orleans airport yesterday. Grilled shrimp salad had about double the shrimp you'd expect (around 20) that lightly seasoned and juicy. The salad was a mixed greens with some tomato and cukes thrown in. Others had shrimp po boy, gumbo, and a shrimp plate. We were all a little surprised at first at the prices considering this was an order at the counter and pick up your meal when your number is called kind of place. Then I thought about the alternatives of pitiful pizza, fast food burgers, etc. and happily ate my salad.

[Seeker]

What about airport food? Faced with iffy or non-existent in-flight options, where should one head during layovers? My default option lately has been trail mix at the Grove (multiple locations in many airports, including Atlanta). Since I live in one of those can't get there from here places, I have many long layovers.

My mother was from North Carolina, so I have a weakness for soul food. Paschall's at the Atlanta airport has tasty, inexpensive southern cooking served up with love - fried chicken, fried fish, greens, corn bread, etc. I always look forward to indulging myself when I get a connection through Atlanta that gives me enough time to stop by the food court.

Stuck at Philadelphia Airport - Try Cibo's

Cibo's Bistro and Wine Bar has quite good Northern-style Italian food and a waitstaff knowledgeable about wines. I've happily eaten a relaxing meal there quite few times waiting for a flight to leave. PS Philadelphia also has nice shops at Concourse B and enormous rocking chairs all over the airport for relaxing. Don't know if that has anything to do with Ben Franklin having invented the rocking chair . . .

[DonRocks]

There's a little diner in the terminal at Sitka, Alaska, that serves up some terrific pies.

[RaisaB]

I am in Italy at the moment, yet the best pizza I have had this trip is at the Pizza Express in Terminal 3 at Heathrow! It was incredible! If you go through Heathrow you have to try this place! It puts 2Amy's to shame! (There, I said it!)

[JLK]

I flew through O'Hare twice this week. In that hub of gates G/H/K/etc., there's a lot of stuff. None of it is extraordinary. Starbucks, Corner Bakery, etc. At least there options unlike some airports (see BWI or the early-closing Cinncinati).

I also flew through LaGuardia's main building for the first time in ages this week and was surprised at the limited options (of course it's better than the no-options but easy-to-get-through Marine Terminal).

Unless you are in the part of Memphis airport where Neely's Interstate BBQ is, you're screwed IMO. I found myself forced to rely on a bagel from Einstein's.

[Hannah]

Ohh, yeah - Pizza Express is very, very good. And I think we may be flying through Terminal 3 soon.

[DCJono]

I had to connect in O'Hare quite often a few years ago flying UA. Not a lot of options in the B Concourse of Term 1, but I made a habit of grabbing a Chicago-style dog at a little stand at the far right end. I think it's near B15. By far not the best dog, but it was good and a little something of Chicago to look forward to when having to take a connection there. Paid another visit a few months ago and although the employee made mine while talking to a coworker on a break while also talking on her cell phone, still was pretty good. (she definitely had multitasking skills.)
I'd skip the italian beef sandwich there, btw.

[qwertyy]

One of the major O'Hare terminals (can't remember which) has a Berghoff's--as with most things, not as good as the original, but large, handcut sandwiches that are amazing for an airport.

ETA: A quick check of their Web site confirms that although the original downtown Berghoff's has closed (*sniff*), the airport branch is alive and kicking.

[jm chen]

The National Coney Dog outlet in Detroit is the only airport restaurant I find myself re-routing to accommodate. Good stuff. Classic Coney dogs with chili, mustard, and chopped onion. Don't carry them on the plane, or your cabinmates will hate you.

[RaisaB]

I went back through Heathrow yesterday, it is terminal 2 not 3 that has PizzaExpress. Avoid terminal 3 food at all costs. (International Terminal)

[africanist]

I went back through Heathrow yesterday, it is terminal 2 not 3 that has PizzaExpress. Avoid terminal 3 food at all costs. (International Terminal)

Phew! I just flew back through Heathrow terminal 3 yesterday as well. The food selection there has always seemed pretty awful to me. When I saw your previous comment I was horrified that all of this time I've been eating overcooked $12 burgers when there was decent pizza to be had! The important question is, when flying through the international terminal can I access the pizza? Or do I have to go through terminal 2 security to get it?

On the other hand, I am happy to report that the one sit down restaurant in the Cape Town airport actually has quite good food (definitely better than the standard, bland British-style food you get most places in that city), and the service is exceedingly friendly if not very efficient. I'm still thinking about the sour lemon shake that I had, and the chicken satay and calamari were suprisingly good.

[jparrott]

And the great thing about the London-Cape Town SAA route is that it leaves from T1 Heathrow, avoiding the T3 morass. I'll be there in 24 hours, enroute to the Cape.

[RaisaB]

It is outside security on the second level towards the back of the food area. The pizza I had was their funghi. It had delicious fresh porcini's on it. They also had some decent wines. I do not remember many details as my trip through Italy involved mostly food and weight gain and has melded together at this point. (That is if you want to exclude hospitals, thiefs, car accidents, and oh yeah hospitals again).

[tanabutler]

San Jose airport: the 360° Burrito is good...it's in the larger American/Southwest Terminal.

[MugZ77]

I've been to 360° Burrito, and I think it's decent for airport food -- though, in the realm of burritodom, no great shakes. I've always been particularly fond of Burrito Beach in O'Hare. It's an interesting local Chicago mini-chain that's similar to Chipotle -- and serves up food way better than the awful Ortega burrito I was forced to scarf down before my flight out of BWI on Friday afternoon.

http://centerstage.n...ach/o-hare.html

San Jose airport: the 360° Burrito is good...it's in the larger American/Southwest Terminal.

[laniloa]

I had a surprisingly good burger at the Key West airport today. I arrived at 3:00, 30 minutes before I had to be ready to board. My meetings had run into each other and I'd mistakenly skipped breakfast. Bag of pretzels from the newstand or chance the divey looking restaurant? I went for the restaurant. My burger was quick, cooked medium rare as ordered, and nicely seasoned and juicy. Service was stealthy. They dropped off and picked up my check without me noticing.

[The Delicious]

I've always been a big fan of the chicken fingers at the Chilis in the Charlotte airport. They aren't prepared in the usual TGIFridays-breading-style mode, but more like the sweet and sour chicken that you'd get at a chinese food restaurant. Add some honeymustard and some well-seasoned fries and you have a delicious meal.

[sara]

Hi

I think this is a really important thread, since a decent meal can help ameliorate the anguish of being stranded in an airport for hours and hours...So here are a few more tips:

1. My favorite airport food, which I'll even consider rerouting a trip to get, can be found in Cincinnatti at Gold Star Chili, in the Food Court in Concourse B. If you land in a different concourse, you can hop on the shuttle to get over there between flights. Have the chili 5 ways, with onions, spaghetti, beans, and cheese, and don't forget to bring home a couple of spice packets! Delicious, tho not as good as Skyway Chili, not found in the airport.

2. In Atlanta, go for BBQ at Paschal's Southern Delights, located Concourses A, the Atrium, and C.

3. In Detroit, have Japanese food (including sushi rolls and noodle soups) at Musashi Japanese Cuisine, located in the food court in the hallway where the Westin is (across from gates A31-37). You'll often see Japanese flight attendants here, whereas they are noticeably absent from the other sushi restaurant, Sora, located in the main corridor. I don't find the sushi there fresh or tasty at all.

4. In Washington DC-National, a good alternative to Legal Seafoods is sushi at the high quality restaurant Matsutake Sushi in the National Hall. This place is as good as many non-airport sushi restaurants in the DC area, and is the only sushi restaurant at an airport in the entire country where I will order sushi and sashimi pieces, rather than rolls.

Hope this helps!

[JLK]

I flew American out of National last week. Um, what happened to the restaurants? While there was an open Fuddrucker's (not what I was seeking for breakfast), there were few other choices. Potbelly is coming (blah, not a fan). Instead I had a crappy breakfast sandwich at Benny's (?) Deli.

[treznor]

Even though I fly out of DCA at least twice a month, I've never seen those places :-) I pretty much always fly USAir (not due to loyalty, just due to price to the location I usually fly to) and on that terminal they are replacing some bar or another (don't remember the name) with a Gordan Birsch. Don't know if that will improve the choices or not. I'm usually there for breakfast so just hit up the bakery-type place that has decent OJ and a muffin. Cinnabon is over there too but that's not my thing early in the morning.

[JLK]

Even though I fly out of DCA at least twice a month, I've never seen those places :-) I pretty much always fly USAir (not due to loyalty, just due to price to the location I usually fly to) and on that terminal they are replacing some bar or another (don't remember the name) with a Gordan Birsch. Don't know if that will improve the choices or not. I'm usually there for breakfast so just hit up the bakery-type place that has decent OJ and a muffin. Cinnabon is over there too but that's not my thing early in the morning.

Ditto! Thus my shock at the limited options near the other gates. I often end up at Cinnabon (blah, so sick of it). Given how difficult it is to get a good bagel in this area period, I'm not at all surprised that the bagels at the airport aren't just bad, but inedible. I'm on US Air tomorrow and will let you know if anything has transpired.

[qwertyy]

Ditto! Thus my shock at the limited options near the other gates. I often end up at Cinnabon (blah, so sick of it). Given how difficult it is to get a good bagel in this area period, I'm not at all surprised that the bagels at the airport aren't just bad, but inedible. I'm on US Air tomorrow and will let you know if anything has transpired.

At the very end of USAir's DCA terminal, there are a couple of free-standing kiosks that I hadn't noticed before last month. I didn't eat at either (I didn't know they were there and resigned myself to a breakfast bag of Bugles from the newsstand), but they look semi-promising: one sells pre-made paninis--looked to be a lot of options, including breakfast; the other sells some decent looking sandwiches, lots of packaged organic foods, and interesting salad-ish containers--I remember an antipasto tray, a cheese tray, and some others.

[ferment everything]

Instead I had a crappy breakfast sandwich at Benny's (?) Deli.

I'm not sure if you got the name right, but if it's the deli around the corner from that newish Fuddrucker's, then yes, that place is very crappy. I got a corned beef sandwich there the last time I flew out of DCA, and it was really quite bad. Soggy bread, an unadorned lump of corned beef, and some very odd mustard.

On a completely unrelated "Airport Food" note: in a couple layovers at O'Hare, I've managed to find this little hot dog stand that has a Goose Island "Honker's Ale" tap. The hot dogs are very mediocre, but that beer is worth the sacrifice. It's between two terminals, near this (if memory serves):

The Butch O’Hare WWII Fighter Airplane Exhibit is located in Terminal 2. The exhibit is a replica of the WWII F3F-4 fighter plane flown by airport namesake and US Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Lt. Comdr. Edward "Butch" O’Hare.

[treznor]

Just flew American this morning for this first time in months. After look at Benny's and the other options, I resigned myself to skipping breakfast and waiting until I landing in STL to pick something up.

The "organic" freestanding kiosk in the USAir terminal has some decent stuff. I picked up some yogurt covered pretzels that were pretty good to snack on. I'm pretty sure that most of the stuff they sell isn't the mass-market stuff, whether or not that speaks to quality I'm not certain.

[TinDC]

At the very end of USAir's DCA terminal, there are a couple of free-standing kiosks that I hadn't noticed before last month. I didn't eat at either (I didn't know they were there and resigned myself to a breakfast bag of Bugles from the newsstand), but they look semi-promising: one sells pre-made paninis--looked to be a lot of options, including breakfast; the other sells some decent looking sandwiches, lots of packaged organic foods, and interesting salad-ish containers--I remember an antipasto tray, a cheese tray, and some others.

I wish I could remember the name of the place with decent looking sandwiches because I recommend you avoid it. My husband and I both got sandwiches from here (me a turkey, him a ham and cheese) and both were almost inedible. Strange because they honestly looked quite good. The bread was dry and borderline stale and the fillings were lacking in freshness. I wish I had tried the panini place that qwerty is referring to instead.