9/20/13
AS #752 PDX-ATL
Scheduled departure 9:50 AM
Lunch Service

Beverage orders were taken promptly after take-off and arrived with the standard little packet of snack mix that's mostly soy nuts. (Does anyone really like those little pellets? They're like crunchy styrofoam, but with less flavor ... )

Lunch requests were taken for the two menu choices, Citrus Alaskan Cod or Cheese Ravioli with Cream Sauce.



Service was course-by-course and was a bit slow to roll out. The starter was a tasty watermelon and feta salad with a few yellow grape tomatoes (not cherry tomatoes as listed on the menu. It was accompanied by a warm sesame & poppy seed roll, a pile of somewhat limp arugula and a tub of balsamic vinaigrette. Feta and watermelon combo was refreshing with a sweet/savory flavor. The slightly bitter arugula was superfluous, IMO.



I opted for the Alaskan cod entree and was surprised that the fish was so well prepared - cooked to gently opaque, it arrived moist and flavorful even without the Dijon lemon butter sauce that was also on the plate. Roasted Yukon gold potatoes were seasoned well and arrived neither too mushy or too firm. Creamed Swiss chard as a side was a nice touch. It worked well with the rest of the plate. All in all, this was one of my favorite entrees for 2013.



Dessert was not so successful, IMO. It was described as a "Peach Pie Parfait" but I think there are a lot of Georgia folks who probably cringed at seeing their beloved peaches so terribly mishandled by catering. Rather than being warm, tender and reminiscent of a pie filling, these peach chunks were cold rocks, likely to crack a tooth filling. Joking aside, I couldn't even cut one in half using a knife and folk. Adding insult to the dish was that the fruit was buried beneath an overwhelming layer of whipped cream that tasted faintly chemical in origin.



Toward the end of the flight we were served a ramekin of warm, mixed nuts. They're one of my favorite snacks, but I agree with other posters that mixed nuts are a pre-meal cocktail snack that should (IMO) be served early in the flight with the first round of beverages.

As mentioned, the service rolled out in a very slow manner that made it difficult to get a block of time to work. At 2 1/2 to 3 hours into the 4 1/2 hour flight courses were still being brought out. I think it would have been better to have everything staged and ready to go so that plates could be cleared and the next course brought out in a more timely manner. Others may disagree, but I prefer to eat early in the flight then work. (Or sleep.)