UA902 IAD MUC 1728 0740 777 12F was 9F/9J Ch9^ Empower^

Met up with gvdIAD on the plane; had a bit of a chat, and
then I went to my seat, 9F. I don't know where my 9J had
disappeared to. Ah, well. 9E had a spouse or spice who was a
late upgrader, and in the interest of amity I switched with
12F, which is a perfectly okay home for those of us with
legs shorter than Magic Johnson's.

Ch9 was on during all the time I was awake, with plenty of
chatter even on the overwater.

Warm nuts, predeparture Champers, which was actually okay,
a fairly attentive crew: largely Black, though there were a
very tantalizing young blonde and a cute, age-appropriate
brunette working as well.

to begin
Smoked salmon, Genoa salami and vegetable crudite with a
sun-dried tomato dressing

Fresh seasonal greens - classic Caesar or balsamic Dijon
vinaigrette

main course
T Mustard thyme scented chicken - with warm horseradish
potato salad

Braised short rib of beef with red wine demi-glace -
potato pancakes and oven-roasted root vegetables

Boursin lasagna - Alfredo and marinara sauce

The appie and salad were unexceptionable: my only comment
being that my piece of salmon, though tasting appropriately
salmony, was white!, and the vegetable crudite looked like a
cruddity, with the dehydrated look of a carrot that had been
cut sometime last week and left to molder in the fridge.
A couple nice grape tomatoes; I guess they're in season
somewhere in the world.

I'd told the brunette FA that my first choice was the beef
and my second choice was to not be wakened up for supper and
I wouldn't die for want of food. She thanked me and said,
that's better than some pax ... . I did get my first choice.
Another FA served the stuff, calling it "filet mignon."
It was neither filet nor short rib: about six ounces of
perfectly okay pot roast in a brown sauce that might have
seen red wine at some point in its youth. The sides were
negligible. What can one say: it was palatable food, didn't
make me retch, didn't make me shed tears of joy.

The "root" vegetables were zucchini, yuck.

Real butter on this flight, molded in the shape of a flower.

dessert
International cheese selection - Kerrygold vintage
Cheddar, Port-Salut

Eli's caramel tiramisu

I was asleep before dessert came out. Normally, I ask for a
Courvoisier or a glass of Port, just to make sure they keep
stocking these things, but, what can I say, I shirked my
responsibility.

featured wines

Champagne
Duval-Leroy Brut NV Champagne - Duval-Leroy is a Champagne
house that consistently creates an easy-going style of
Champagne; fruitier in style than some, and very, very
fleshy and rich.

Pol Roger Brut NV Champagne - Pol Roger makes its umpteenth
appearance on our wine list; and that pleases us very much.
Pol Roger's style is classic but rich, and full-bodied but
balanced. When we blind taste our wines each year, Pol
Roger always comes out at the top.

White wine
Fevre Champs Royaux 2006 Chablis (Chardonnay) - Chardonnays
from Burgundy can taste very unlike Californian Chardonnay;
where California goes for the richness of buttered toast,
Chablis (a subregion of Burgundy) is poised, earthy, and
tart with orange and green apple aromas.

Estancia Pinnacles Chardonnay 2006 Monterey - California's
reputation for buttery Chardonnay doesn't come from Napa
Valley's wines; it comes from the Central Coast of
California. Estancia's Pinnacles Chardonnay is cut from
that cloth, with pear, spice, buttered toast and green
apples.

Salmon Harbor Chardonnay 2005 Columbia Valley - While
California has built a reputation on buttery Chardonnay,
Washington's best Chardonnays have even better balance
between richness and crispness, combining spiced pears
and buttered toast and Salmon Harbor hit it in 2005.

The Chablis was in fact pleasantly tropical fruited and
an okay wine. There was a hint of the butter that the
description denies, but one forgives the overwrought state
of a copy writer whose job is probably on the line every
day. I was not displeased.

Interesting about the Pol Roger. The bottle sat on the
cart unopened through the entire service.

Red wine
Domaine Santa Duc Vieilles Vignes 2005 Cotes du Rhone
(Grenache) - France's greatest growth in red wines is
emanating from the Rhone Valley, where Cotes du Rhone
wines represent some of the world's best values. This
spicy and intense Grenache is laced with some rich
black cherry tinged Syrah.

Warburn Barrel Matured Shiraz 2007 Barossa Valley -
Warburn offers an ideal example of the character of
Australian Shiraz, with coconut, blackbery and cassis
flavors. It has the voluptuous richness that typifies
Australian wines.

Fabre Montmayou Gran Reserva Malbec 2006 Mendoza - this
is lush red wine, full of plums and spice, and proof that
Argentine Malbec is on its way to becoming the next big
thing. This Malbec has roundness, jammy fruit, dusty
spice and layers of complexity.

The CdR was actually kind of okay - I found red cherries
rather than black and old shoes rather than spice, but
whatever. Switched to the Malbec, which was pretty much as
advertised, though with a bit of vanilla oak smoothness.
Both these wines were decent but no doubt available to the
airline at an attractive price.

prior to arrival
Continental breakfast featuring a fruit appetizer,
yogurt, breakfast bread and fruit preserves

Slept joyfully through this.

Arrival was easy, though I did annoy the immigration guy
when he asked me how long I'd be there: I said, uh, about
five hours. He gave me this exasperated look and said, nein,
in Europe. Uh, four days. He snorted and waved me away.