Dining at Airports

[lekkerwijn]

Had a really good meal at Pappadeaux in the Houston airport. It was recommended to us by multiple people, and did not disappoint. Hubby had tuna and I had mahi mahi with dirty rice and shrimp and crab. It was a nice sit down meal while we had a decent size layover. I think it is probably the best thing in that airport.

Agree with the recommendation for Pappadeaux in the E terminal in the Houston airport. I had a shrimp and lobster salad with avocado, mango and cashews in a tropical vinaigrette that was legitimately good. Not just airport food good. Also there is a wine bar in the C terminal with a pretty solid selection as well as an interesting menu. I had a margharita flat bread that I enjoyed. IAH is now an airport I won't mind having 2 hour layovers in.

IAH

[goldenticket]

In addition to having pretty good people-watching, the Nashville airport (BNA) also has live music at Tootsies Orchid Lounge in Terminal C. Next to Tootsies, with seating where you can hear but not see the performer, are Swett's and Whitt's Barbecue. Swett's is a meat-and three-kind of place; I was able to put together a pretty tasty plate of sides (greens, a mixed bean dish, and mac-n-cheese) for around $6.50. There are lots of other food options in the various terminals, all of which can be accessed once you're through security. Choices include the Gibson Cafe, Neely's Bar-B-Que, O'Charley's, and Noshville Delicatessen.

Added bonuses: the TSA agents are really nice; in the restrooms, there are Dyson airblades and the soap smells good.

BNA

[ad.mich]

Located on the edge of the food court in Seattle-Tacoma International, the Ivar's stand only does breakfast sandwiches until 10:30. If you're lucky enough to be flying early, don't think twice about stopping for the dungeness crab, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich. It is decadent.

SEA

[ktmoomau]

Wanted to say the Napa Valley Farm Market in SFO is great. Really good roast chicken and potatoes and veggies. They even had gf cupcakes (and normal ones). Was really happy with it. Lots of good stuff in there.

SFO

[Xochitl10]

Terminal D at DFW seems to have the best options for layover eats. My in-laws gave us a cocktail and bar food cookbook written by the founder of the Reata restaurants in the Dallas area, so I stopped by the Reata Grill in Terminal D. Tortilla soup was serviceable, tasting mostly of chicken stock with no spice to speak of. My half BLT was tasty, stacked with crisp applewood-smoked bacon and decent tomatoes. I accompanied these with a Cowboy Cosmopolitan (Grey Goose L'Orange, Cointreau, and fresh lime juice). Not bad airport food, but not worth the $22 I paid. I have another two-hour layover on my way back to DC; barring any delays, I'll check out one of the other Tex-Mex and booze joints.

DFW

[ad.mich]

Terminal D at DFW seems to have the best options for layover eats. My in-laws gave us a cocktail and bar food cookbook written by the founder of the Reata restaurants in the Dallas area, so I stopped by the Reata Grill in Terminal D. Tortilla soup was serviceable, tasting mostly of chicken stock with no spice to speak of. My half BLT was tasty, stacked with crisp applewood-smoked bacon and decent tomatoes. I accompanied these with a Cowboy Cosmopolitan (Grey Goose L'Orange, Cointreau, and fresh lime juice). Not bad airport food, but not worth the $22 I paid. I have another two-hour layover on my way back to DC; barring any delays, I'll check out one of the other Tex-Mex and booze joints.

I had a shockingly good bbq brisket plate from Cousin's BBQ in DFW terminal B a few years ago. BBQ in the district has come a long way in the past few years, but if it's something you're into it was a really good plate of food, airport or not.

DFW

[Lydia R]

From today's Wall Street Journal: Eric Ripert's favorite airport eats.

The place I eat in Washington, D.C., in Reagan National Airport, has one disadvantage: It's before security. Still, I like to stop for a quick bite at Matsutake Sushi. You would normally worry about eating raw fish in an airport, but these guys do it well—and make it in front of you.

In his article, Chef Ripert goes through his airport food choices in LGA, JFK, MIA, ORD, LAX, DEN, LHR, SIN, and HKG.

[Sundae in the Park]

They took my congee!! And my water, but that was a (slightly) lesser outrage. Coming home from Hong Kong, they make you throw out all liquids again before you board the plane, even though you purchased the items in the terminal. Rage!!!

That said, I already had a bowl of congee for breakfast, so at least I wasn't hungry - they only got my backup congee planned for midflight. The congee and wuntun shop (they have a digital number sign to show you where to pick up your food) in the main dining area (upstairs, after passport check) is pricy but wonderful. I ate there both coming and going and the dim sum, congee, and noodles were nicely prepared and very filling. Even the premade bubble tea in the case, which was very expensive, was pretty much perfect (I have no idea how they keep the bubbles chewy, but they do).

If you are arriving late in Hong Kong and don't feel like heading out after checking into your hotel or eating hotel food, there are several spots in the arrival area that seem to be worth eating at. Cystal Jade La Mian is actually a sit-down place (you still have to flag down the servers when you are ready to order, per Chinese style) that has terrific, house-made la mian noodles. If you aren't sure of your stomach, don't get the spicy beef noodle soup, since it more than lives up to its three-chili designation. It's very, very tasty, though. The xiao long bao are great though but fried buns are less so. Really, all the noodle dishes seem to be worthy.

HKG

[DavidO]

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.

I have recently found this place and had a couple good meals there. The only downside is that it is before security. Legals in Boston Logan is still good.

DCA BOS

[Tweaked]

Coming home from Hong Kong, they make you throw out all liquids again before you board the plane, even though you purchased the items in the terminal. Rage!!!

They made us chuck our water bottles that were purchased inside the terminal on our flight from JKF to Israel (I had a water bottle in a mesh pouch on the outside of my backpack). They had extra security screening (x-ray, metal detector) between the gate and the airplane. However, if you stash the bottle in your carry-on they didn't seem to care/notice.

Speaking of JFK, we spent many hours in the Delta Terminal (Terminal 3), so here is the following:

Healthy Gourmet - a large kiosk type stand selling organic and other "healthy" type foods. Sort of Yes Gourmet-like. The packaged dumplings were doughy and thick. But you can at least get food that isn't straight up junk or fried or loaded with fat and sodium.

Chili's Too - You can eat inside the restaurant or outside on the "Patio" - a bunch of tables sitting out in the middle of the terminal. I guess you can give them some points for humor. Otherwise it's Chili's...in an airport.

Balducci's - In the food court area. Seemingly higher-quality sandwiches. Your best bet for something quick to go.

Food court lounge - Actually not an unpleasent place to kill a couple hours. We took over a four top table and stretched out by the large window overlooking the runway.

Otherwise Terminal 3 is quite boring.

JFK

[jparrott]

They made us chuck our water bottles that were purchased inside the terminal on our flight from JKF to Israel (I had a water bottle in a mesh pouch on the outside of my backpack). They had extra security screening (x-ray, metal detector) between the gate and the airplane. However, if you stash the bottle in your carry-on they didn't seem to care/notice.

At HKG, they check. It's ludicrous.

[Sundae in the Park]

At HKG, they check. It's ludicrous.

Yep, they even check the less-obvious packaging in your carry-ons. They shook my nalgene and styrofoam container and made me pour out the HKG fountain water and throw out the congee. They did invite me to return to the gate and eat my congee, though. My security guy did recognize the absurdity of this, and was apologetic but firm. It's a looooong flight and I felt bad badgering the flight attendants for drinks, but really didn't have any choice Also, the Phuket, Thailand and Penang, Malaysia airports are small are relatively foodless (well, they both have Burger King/McDonalds and coffee/donuts - it's strange to see asian Dunkin's!). Eat something before you get to the airport!! The Bangkok airport is beautiful - lots of touches (indoor pavillions, statues, and orchid gardens) to let you know you're still in Thailand. There is various Western and Asian food available - I had a DQ blizzard (you can get mango cones and green tea ice cream) and a bowl of pretty decent ramen while watching a Beyonce video. Our culture has a long reach.

Tortas Frontera in Terminal 1 at ORD was...fine, not really the burst of the flavor of the Americas that I was anticipating on my way back from Asia. I was going to get the cuban tortas until the sandwich maker told me that the smoked pork loin was "eh, like ham" and saw that it looked pretty wan. The chile-corm chowder didn't pack any punch, but the fresh guac from the guacamole bar was nice. I got mine dressed with bacon and sun dried tomatoes and it still tasted undersalted until I scooped it with the chips, which were more than salty enough to make up the difference.

HKG HKT PEN BKK ORD

[Charles Tsui]

Yep, they even check the less-obvious packaging in your carry-ons. They shook my nalgene and styrofoam container and made me pour out the HKG fountain water and throw out the congee. They did invite me to return to the gate and eat my congee, though. My security guy did recognize the absurdity of this, and was apologetic but firm. It's a looooong flight and I felt bad badgering the flight attendants for drinks, but really didn't have any choice Also, the Phuket, Thailand and Penang, Malaysia airports are small are relatively foodless (well, they both have Burger King/McDonalds and coffee/donuts - it's strange to see asian Dunkin's!). Eat something before you get to the airport!! The Bangkok airport is beautiful - lots of touches (indoor pavillions, statues, and orchid gardens) to let you know you're still in Thailand. There is various Western and Asian food available - I had a DQ blizzard (you can get mango cones and green tea ice cream) and a bowl of pretty decent ramen while watching a Beyonce video. Our culture has a long reach.

Tortas Frontera in Terminal 1 at ORD was...fine, not really the burst of the flavor of the Americas that I was anticipating on my way back from Asia. I was going to get the cuban tortas until the sandwich maker told me that the smoked pork loin was "eh, like ham" and saw that it looked pretty wan. The chile-corm chowder didn't pack any punch, but the fresh guac from the guacamole bar was nice. I got mine dressed with bacon and sun dried tomatoes and it still tasted undersalted until I scooped it with the chips, which were more than salty enough to make up the difference.

I wonder if the no-post-security-liquids rule is just for flights to the US. I flew back from HKG last week (but, via LHR) -- walked straight on to the plane holding my 1L bottle of water. Speaking of LHR, the food options in T5 at Heathrow certainly looked more appetizing than what we get in the States: Pret A Manger, Itsu, Gordan Ramsay Plane Food, wagamama, etc. I wasn't even hungry during my layover, but definitely considered having another meal!

[jparrott]

I wonder if the no-post-security-liquids rule is just for flights to the US. I flew back from HKG last week (but, via LHR) -- walked straight on to the plane holding my 1L bottle of water. Speaking of LHR, the food options in T5 at Heathrow certainly looked more appetizing than what we get in the States: Pret A Manger, Itsu, Gordan Ramsay Plane Food, wagamama, etc. I wasn't even hungry during my layover, but definitely considered having another meal!

Yes. And as of last January they won't sell you duty-free liquor, even if you're buying minis that will fit in your quart bag.

[Tweaked]

Yes. And as of last January they won't sell you duty-free liquor, even if you're buying minis that will fit in your quart bag.

Yep they weren't allowing duty-free liquid purchases from Tel Aviv to JFK either.

[Drive-by Critic]

Dallas Fort Worth - Terminal C, Gate 22

Small eatery. Set back in the corner - Urban Taco. Three small but good tacos, rice, beans, and a soda for $10.99. We were really shocked by finding something more than edible at DFW. It's an airport outpost of a local place that has a much larger menu in its two non-airport locations. To sweeten the deal, there is a Red Mango yoghurt in the same eatery. Good tart yoghurt.

DFW

[Xochitl10]

Dallas Fort Worth - Terminal C, Gate 22

Small eatery. Set back in the corner - Urban Taco.

Yup. Urban Taco is my choice as well when I'm stuck in Terminal C.

I had the opportunity for lots of airport munchies on my trip to/from Phoenix last weekend. 360 Burrito in the B gates of the Las Vegas airport was decent and particularly good for giant cups of fresh fruit. Ocotillo Sun in Terminal 2 of the Phoenix airport yielded a tasty shredded beef burrito with a side of mediocre refried bean paste. I picked up a chicken burrito for the flight home from Jose Roux Taco Bar in the C gates of Terminal 4. The black beans and rice in the burrito were tasty, but the chicken itself was way, way too salty. And why the farm do places insist on putting rice in their burritos? Every single one I had had rice in it. Maybe it's because rice in burritos is not a New Mexican thing, but I'm kind of over it.

I also managed to get a legitimately good (if still served in a pint glass over rocks) margarita from Ryan at Jose Roux Taco Bar. Way better than the one I had at Blue Mesa Taco & Tequila(!) Bar at DFW in January.

DFW LAS PHX

[ad.mich]

Wow - looks like we all hit up Urban Taco last weekend. I was there earlier though so I got breakfast tacos, which were really quite good for quick service. It almost made being in Terminal C ok.

Even better was the meal I had in Terminal B of San Antonio on my way home when my flight was delayed. There is an outpost of Rosario's, a downtown spot that has cracked the Texas Monthly list of best tacos in Texas. This airport branch served me a plate of tacos and side of salsa that whoops on anything I've had in the district by a mile. If you're there and hungry, don't hesitate - what I tasted on my plate and my friends was as good as what I've sampled at the actual restaurant.

DFW SAT

[JLK]

I had a similar experience with liquids when flying back to DFW from Guadalajara.

LGA is largely a disaster although the food court in Terminal C is in the process of changing from Panda Express-type options to much better sounding choices. Time will tell. All too often, though, I fly out of Terminal B which features little post-security beyond a make-shift in-the-hallway Au Bon Pain.

On the flip side, both San Antonio and Austin airports are awesome. Modern, tons of food options and places to charge your phone or laptop.

DFW LGA SAT AUS

[aaronsinger]

I had a similar experience with liquids when flying back to DFW from Guadalajara.

LGA is largely a disaster although the food court in Terminal C is in the process of changing from Panda Express-type options to much better sounding choices. Time will tell. All too often, though, I fly out of Terminal B which features little post-security beyond a make-shift in-the-hallway Au Bon Pain.

On the flip side, both San Antonio and Austin airports are awesome. Modern, tons of food options and places to charge your phone or laptop.

I don't remember exactly the name of the place, but I remember having a decent taco at the airport in Austin, as well as some good beers watching a Bears game at a bar there.

AUS

[MBK]

I'll be flying through Narita next week. Any recommendations?

NRT

[Pat]

Don't know if this has been mentioned, but Eater has a series on where to eat in airports. This one is for BWI but links to the others are below.

[qwertyy]

I'll be flying through Narita next week. Any recommendations?

I really dislike that airport. The last time I was there, I was transiting on my way to Thailand; I was supposed to transit through again on my way back, but that was the day of the earthquake/tsunami so I was understandably rerouted through Hong Kong (which, though it may be tasteless [ha] to say this, is a significantly nicer airport).

In any case, each of the three times I've been there, every eatery was packed, with very long lines and service that seems too efficient for my bumbling ordering and money handling. And there are surprisingly few options, so I always end up at the bar that has a little glassed-in, aquarium-like smoking room to drink yellow beer and eat passable dumplings.

NRT HKG

[SeanMike]

At Burger BBQ and Brews in Atlanta's C concourse, I had a hamburger with a grilled cheese sandwich bun, with bacon, brisket, barbecue sauce, and a fried egg on it.

It wasn't very good.

Last week I had some great nachos at a small place in San Antonio's airport. Too bad the (ahem) after-effect of the nachos plagued me all through Colorado Springs...

ATL SAT

[astrid]

I am pretty happy with the tortas that I tried at Tortas Frontera, when we recently passed through O'Hare twice. We tried the Cubana, Pepito, Cochinita Pibil, Choriqueso, and Smoky Garlic Shrimp. Also tried the tortilla soup.

Of these, the Cochinita Pibil torta is definitely the best of the lot. It comes with an extremely spicy habanero sauce that's hotter than many bottled hot sauces. The Pepito and Cubano were also good.

ORD

[aaronsinger]

I am pretty happy with the tortas that I tried at Tortas Frontera, when we recently passed through O'Hare twice. We tried the Cubana, Pepito, Cochinita Pibil, Choriqueso, and Smoky Garlic Shrimp. Also tried the tortilla soup.

Of these, the Cochinita Pibil torta is definitely the best of the lot. It comes with an extremely spicy habanero sauce that's hotter than many bottled hot sauces. The Pepito and Cubano were also good.

Yeah, Tortas Frontera is decent. Probably the best you're going to get at O'Hare. They have locations in Terminal 1 and Terminal 3.

ORD

[ol_ironstomach]

Unfortunately, the Popeye's that used to be at Atlanta-Hartsfield Concourse B is no more. This was the friendliest Popeye's location I've ever encountered, where you could count on a cheerful "hon" from the ladies working the line, and volume was high enough that your bird was likely to be hot off the frier, and your fries definitely were.

The new International Concourse F is a bright, shiny, airy space which occasionally makes you wonder if everybody speaks a foreign language in the afterlife, but is also home to a new branch (opened May 2012) of The Varsity in the upstairs food court. Your choices are few - dogs and/or burgers, fried apple or peach pies - but by focusing on a few high volume items, they are able to recreate that late-night college calorie uptake experience in a premium atmosphere. Not really worth the cross-terminal ride, unless like me you just need the novelty factor.

ATL

[bookluvingbabe]

I knew Dulles was bad but I was shocked at how terrible the options were earlier this month. I flew out of D. The lines were too long at Starbucks and nothing else looked or smelled edible.

I was surprised at how few choices there were at the St. Louis airport this trip.

Next up--any good options at near Jet Blue at MCO? We're doing Disney at Christmas because I'm absolutely nuts...

IAD STL MCO

[ad.mich]

Unfortunately, the Popeye's that used to be at Atlanta-Hartsfield Concourse B is no more.

The one in C is still there and cranking out chicken essentially to order due to the massive volume.

ATL

[bettyjoan]

The one in C is still there and cranking out chicken essentially to order due to the massive volume.

Sadly, not true. The Atlanta airport has gone through a whole mess of contract renegotiations with their vendors, so the Popeyes in Concourse C is under construction and will become a Varsity/Chick-fil-a combo space soon, I believe. I walked by on Monday night and it was walled up for the renovation. You can still get fried chicken and other okay southern food at Paschal's, in the Atrium and in Concourse B, I believe.

ATL

[DonRocks]

[Does anyone have any thoughts about how I can break up this thread? As it stands, it's of no use to anyone. TY, D]

[darkstar965]

haven't a clue how best to divide the thread but worry no more about sorry airport food. change is a comin'

click

[Pat]

[Does anyone have any thoughts about how I can break up this thread? As it stands, it's of no use to anyone. TY, D]

Can you make a master list (or index) by airport code that links to the posts relating to that airport? I'd thought of editing posts to add the airport code so people could just search, but with codes only being three letters, that search wouldn't be too helpful. And since people might write about multiple airports in a single post, it doesn't really work to move individual posts to a specific airport thread.

The only problem with my idea is how people going forward making new posts can have them noted in a code thread without a lot of extra work. Is it possible to set up moderation on the airport thread and then have someone whose sole job it is to do this post the messages and then crosspost to a code thread? Is there someway to crosspost from this thread to another thread automatically so moderation wouldn't be needed?

[jayandstacey]

[Does anyone have any thoughts about how I can break up this thread? As it stands, it's of no use to anyone. TY, D]

Obviously, it's your site...but here's what I would do for such topics

In the first post of the thread, have (in big letters) "To find your airport, put the airport code, or airport name, or city name in the search box on the top right of this page"

Then ask people to include the code, city or airport name in their posts. If you want to do any editing, then maybe take some existing posts and add the code in, or the city or airport name. But I'd guess most have this already.

A thread has two lives, both as a place to put in info and a place to take out info. If you break this into 50 different threads for each airport...then I believe people are less likely to ADD more as doing so would require first searching if there's an existing thread, then starting a new one if not. Easier to just post in the Airport thread and not worry about it. If someone randomly starts a new thread about an airport, you could merge it into this one.

This holds true for other such themes, like the amusement park food thread. Yes, you can split them apart...but I doubt more people are coming here to find food options in Elysburg PA - but many of us head for Knoebel's - and in an amusement park, you're a bit of a captive audience, like in an airport. having them all in one thread (IMHO) works better than a bunch of little threads.

Bottom line - find ways to use the integrate the search feature more, rather than expecting people to scroll through pages of thread titles looking for a specific airport.

[darkstar965]

...Bottom line - find ways to use the integrate the search feature more, rather than expecting people to scroll through pages of thread titles looking for a specific airport.

Yours is a great idea but maybe not so practical. I remember when I first started engaging with the site a couple of years ago. Leleboo clued me in that the search function on this platform is garbage. I never use it. Googling whatever you want with "donrockwell" is the best way to find anything. I think you'd need to upgrade the website to a more robust platform to really integrate a strong search capability. And, of course, that would take some real cash and time.

[jayandstacey]

Yours is a great idea but maybe not so practical. I remember when I first started engaging with the site a couple of years ago. Leleboo clued me in that the search function on this platform is garbage. I never use it. Googling whatever you want with "donrockwell" is the best way to find anything. I think you'd need to upgrade the website to a more robust platform to really integrate a strong search capability. And, of course, that would take some real cash and time.

What makes it garbage?

I searched on "cash" in this topic and up came your post, with "cash" highlighted.

I searched on "time" in this topic and up came your post and many others from this thread in reverse temporal order (newest first, starting with yours) again with "time" highlighted in each. That would be exactly what I would want and expect.

If I go to Google, I'll get a few things that are in some ways worse:

- Results outside of DonRockwell.com, unless I'm very particular in my search. Now that this site has ads and is making money, I'd think any goal must include the notion of keeping it all in-house.

- Results that are summarized with only a phrase or two. The search function on this site returns the whole post with the term highlighed - which allows me to review the full context without more clicks.

- Results from other places in DonRockwell.com when I may not want them. So for instance, I might get a response for a restaurant review that is near a named airport, when in fact I'm in this thread because I want recommendations for within a named airport.

How much stronger does a search feature need to be? I can't imagine people doing complicated searches too often - like "give me this airport and that airport, not not these 3 other airports." - is that the weakness in the engine here? What makes it bad?

[porcupine]

What makes it garbage?

For one thing, it won't find anything in a topic heading. For example, go to Reaturants and Dining and search on"Fiola", and you get the threads Raw Bar, Steak Tartare, Pasta Plus, Firefly, Al Dente... but the thread titled "Fiola" doesn't come up 'til the bottom of the page. Search on "Steak Tartare" and that thread doesn't appear until somewhere on the second page.

[jayandstacey]

For one thing, it won't find anything in a topic heading. For example, go to Reaturants and Dining and search on"Fiola", and you get the threads Raw Bar, Steak Tartare, Pasta Plus, Firefly, Al Dente... but the thread titled "Fiola" doesn't come up 'til the bottom of the page. Search on "Steak Tartare" and that thread doesn't appear until somewhere on the second page.

Fair enough. I still think that in the scope of this thread, my suggestion is a viable one.

Does this site's search function give any priority to key tags? So for instance, is the simple fix for the example you give to put "Fiola" in the key tag for the Fiola thread? I'm guessing not...and thus I see the point.

[darkstar965]

Fair enough. I still think that in the scope of this thread, my suggestion is a viable one.

Does this site's search function give any priority to key tags? So for instance, is the simple fix for the example you give to put "Fiola" in the key tag for the Fiola thread? I'm guessing not...and thus I see the point.

This has been discussed in the past; in another friend which I can't find... If you take Invision search for just a 5-minute test drive (like Porcupine mentioned), you'll definitely see the issues. I just put "Ashby Inn" into the DC restaurants search window. It came up but around 12th on the page and it was the highest topic at that time. Picking others not among the most recently discussed (I used Palena and DC Coast) and they don't come up at all. It may be that the search algrorithm sticks to current page results but not sure. But, again, your idea is a good one imo. My comments are just about the realities of Invision search.

[jayandstacey]

This has been discussed in the past; in another friend which I can't find... If you take Invision search for just a 5-minute test drive (like Porcupine mentioned), you'll definitely see the issues. I just put "Ashby Inn" into the DC restaurants search window. It came up but around 12th on the page and it was the highest topic at that time. Picking others not among the most recently discussed (I used Palena and DC Coast) and they don't come up at all. It may be that the search algrorithm sticks to current page results but not sure. But, again, your idea is a good one imo. My comments are just about the realities of Invision search.

Yes, I see how it sucks in these other ways...but...it seems to work really well within a thread topic like this, accomplishing the limited task Don's scoped. Its a square-peg search tool for a round-hole DonRockwell.com...where threads are generally quite specific. The search tool becomes useful on a thread that is broad enough to need a search tool but obviously does no prioritization of threads in a search across multiple threads. The downside, of course, of using my suggestion is that the user then is encouraged to use a tool that fails in other settings.

I guess another solution would be to make an "airports" subforum in the travel section, then have individual threads for each airport. That just seems like an administrative grind for little return, and basically makes stuff disappear in a worse way - found neither by search nor flipping pages of thread titles.

Maybe we wait and see what rumored search improvements come to fruition in v.4.0.

[jayandstacey]

BTW, Maryland Life stole my idea for a restaurant guide for smaller airports in MD. Maybe I suggested it to them...dunno. More than likely, it wasn't an original idea They did a better job than I would have, including interviews and some anecdotes and history but not trying to be exhaustive.

[goldenticket]

FYI - there is an "advanced search" tool that allows you to narrow your search quite a bit and produces better results. Click on the little gear/cog image to the right of the search box.

I searched for Ashby Inn, using 'only titles' and got only two results.

Searching for Steak Tartare Fiola (all words) in 'content only' brought up three results, the top one being this thread (Best of 2011 and Fiola, being the other two).

I like the suggestion of including the airport code in the specific post, as this would make using this particular thread a lot easier. I don't think it requires any indexing - airport codes are easily found online. Past posts would need to have the code added into the text, but this could be done as time permits.*

*(by anyone with moderator privileges who has a little extra time - I will try to make a start of it...when I have a little extra time )

[Pat]

I like the suggestion of including the airport code in the specific post, as this would make using this particular thread a lot easier. I don't think it requires any indexing - airport codes are easily found online. Past posts would need to have the code added into the text, but this could be done as time permits.*

The problem, though, is that a three-letter code isn't so helpful as a search term. My first thought had been to edit all the posts to add the codes and then have new posters add them themselves, but the search string is too short.

ETA: I wrote that because I had previously searched this forum for DCA and gotten a big mess of everything that had those three letters together. Now I try it and it brings up everything coded to that airport. I don't know what's different from when I first tried, but it would work if this is the standard.

[goldenticket]

The problem, though, is that a three-letter code isn't so helpful as a search term. My first thought had been to edit all the posts to add the codes and then have new posters add them themselves, but the search string is too short.

I (and I think jayandstacey) am only talking about using a threel-letter search in this particular topic. It works just fine for me when I go to the top of the page (in the thread) and use the "this topic" setting. IAH pulls up posts with that code highlighted; BNA does the same; as do DFW, DCA, etc.

[Pat]

I (and I think jayandstacey) am only talking about using a threel-letter search in this particular topic. It works just fine for me when I go to the top of the page (in the thread) and use the "this topic" setting. IAH pulls up posts with that code highlighted; BNA does the same; as do DFW, DCA, etc.

My recheck and edit crossposted with you.

[MBK]

Any recs on dining in the Minneapolis airport? I'll be there for a few hours later today...

MSP

[DanielK]

Haven't been in years, but this article suggests that the new Delta terminal G has some good options.

MSP

[MBK]

Thanks, DanielK. Looks like I might have some half-decent options. In a twist of air travel insanity, I was rerouted from a connection in Atlanta to a connection in Minneapolis, and my sister, brother-in-law and niece are stuck in Atlanta waiting to get on a connection. First time I can say that I really wish I had a layover in ATL!

[lovehockey]

Drat. Just saw the Minneapolis question. I'm a huge fan of Surdyk's Flights in the Mall area (aka. the main concourse), which is both a restaurant and wine store. Love the food and the selection of wine flights. I enjoy getting a sandwich and a flight of wines, and people-watching in concourse seating area.

MSP

[MBK]

Thanks, lovehockey. My Facebook feed blew up with the Surdyk's recommendation after I'd already eaten at Shoyu in the G terminal - which was totally passable for airport food. But next time I'm in MSP - and there will likely be a next time because I found it to be the best domestic airport at which to ride out a delay - I'll hit up Surdyk's and (apparently) Dunn Bros. for coffee.

MSP