IAD/LAX/ORD/SEA-NRT;SFO-KIX (LD83-S89-L87) 260C012-3

beginnings
center cut smoked salmon loin - over a bed of fresh
cucumber relish
seasonal mixed greens, Lite French or Roasted Garlic
Red Wine Vinaigrette; if you have chosen the Washoku Zen
meal, the appetizer selection is served as the starter.
The salmon was the same thing you've known for years;
the cucumbers were lightly marinated in the Asian style,
not bad at all.

main course
braised beef short ribs with roasted shallot sauce;
oven-roasted fingerling potatoes and grilled asparagus
herbed boursin rotisserie chicken with pomegranate-lime
glaze; bulgar wheat pilaf with cranberries and pecans,
stir-fried sugar snap peas and carrots
Washoku Zen selection - appetizers of layered egg,
grilled scallop, lime-flavored beef tenderloin, shrimp
with vegetable sushi rice, poached tuna with karashi miso,
steamed leeks, buckwheat soba noodles with wakame seaweed;
a main course of barbecue eel with teriyaki sauce, kimpira,
sauteed Japanese peppers, carrot flower and ginkgo nut
served with steamed rice and Japanese pickled vegetables;
served with green tea. Items in this meal may contain MSG.
The short ribs were dry and inappetizing. Their sauce
resembled a thickened Lipton soup pot roast liquid.

to finish
artisan cheese selection served with red grapes and
crackers - Sartori Bellavitano, Montchevre sun-dried tomato
and basil chevre
ice cream
I passed.

midflight snack
Mediterranean veggie hummus sandwich with fresh
avocado, red onion, cucumber and cream cheese on toasted
multi-grain bread
savory Boar's Head Ovengold skinless turkey breast
sandwich with Swiss cheese and stone-ground mustard
on sourdough bread
all natural Popchips, Emerald natural walnuts and almonds,
Toblerone chocolate bar, bananas
hot noodles are available upon request
I passed.

prior to arrival
stir-fried chicken and vegetables with egg noodles
fresh seasonal fruit plate with creamy yogurt
I passed, looking forward to finer things in the
NH lounge later.

champagne
Pommery Brut Royal nv Champagne
Not a bad tipple, and I got used to it by the time this
trip was over,

white wine
Burgans Albarino 2009 Rias Baixas, Spain

Errazuriz Chardonnay 2008 Casablanca, Chile
or
Buena Vista Chardonnay 2007 Russian River Valley, California

red wine
Cave La Suzienne Racines Profondes 2007 AOC Cotes-du-Rhone
or
Cave de Tain Crozes Hermitage
The Crozes was surprisingly tasty though not distinctive
in any way.

Pedroncelli Three Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
Dry Creek Valley or
Yalumba Y series Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 Australia

sake
Gekkeikan sake is available on flights to and from Japan

beverages
Aperitifs, cocktails, spirits, liqueurs, and beer

Sandeman Founders Reserve Porto or Fonseca Guimaraens
LBV Port will be offered during the main meal's dessert.

Starbucks coffee will be available throughout the flight.

We landed early enough that it seemed worthwhile to go to
loungehopping, but the bugaboo of taxiing forever to the
gate made it a one-stop-if-any situation. So on deplaning
Alysia, lili, and I hightailed it speedily to the alternate
security checkpoint, where a large contingent of Taiwanese
Buddhist monks had congregated. Still, the wait was just a
few minutes, and soon we were at the NH lounge, where I
showed lili the amazing beer machine and the sake bar, and
we had a not-so-nourishing meal of vegetable sushi and
chocolate. restlessinRNO joined us after a few minutes,
presumably having braved the regular security line.