I was flying Southwest yesterday which left me with only one lounge option: Centurion.

I have not loved this lounge, but we had some extra time and the weather was nice so we took a walk down to TBIT.

And I'm floored. The food was fantastic. I really can't believe it. Total 180 from my last visit.

First I spied the beef in place of the chicken thighs and figured something was up. Then I saw the sign with Nancy Silverton on it and realized they were getting serious. For non-LA folks, Nancy is LA food royalty. Her long time restaurant Campanile was heavenly, and she founded La Brea Bakery there in essentially a side room. Then she moved on to the Mozza empire (and plenty of other projects) and struck gold again. Lots of great chefs in LA trace their career to a stint at Campanile - to me, that restaurant was one of the founding establishments of good new food in LA. I really miss it. Especially grilled cheese night.

Anyway, back to the food. Amazing. The short ribs were tender and full of flavor with some nice intact fat. The polenta was rich and creamy. And while the salads may not have been up to Mozza standards (fantastic salads there) they were tasty.

This lounge might have gone from being the lowest option on my list at LAX to my highest. A few more visits and I'll know for sure.