Bruagh

That and economizing on their menus. AF has been on a cost-cutting crusade, losing sight of the fact that saving a few euros now will cost them many passengers in the future, and the menus themselves have suffered tremendously. Five years ago, they had beautiful, elegant menus, reminiscent of quality landborne restaurant menus - easy to read, plenty of space and with apparent carte blanche to the translators to create attractive descriptions for their dishes. Now, however, even the FC menu is the size of a Reader's Digest and is cramped, telegraphic reading at best, especially on a menu where Guy Martin's overly-flowery, I-think-I'm-a-poet logorrhea absolutely fills the page with silly text already. And let's not even think about the poor Tempo passengers, who have to have perfect eyesight to read their index-card-sized "menus" (I use the word liberally here).

What on earth is Air France thinking? Don't they realize that one of the primary draws of CHOOSING to fly AF is the entire experience of hospitality, especially in the gastronomic area? If the first impression a diner has of a restaurant is, "Hmm, what a cheap menu. Ugly. Practically neo-communist architecture. So tiny that it can't really be informative in either language," is that diner going to be well-disposed towards the gastronomic aspect of the rest of his flight? First impressions count for much, which is something that AF has allowed to fall by the wayside.

On a side note, in reference to an earlier post that the food served on an AF flight seemed to be identical to that served on the same flight six months before, you are right on the money. AF menus fly in two-month cycles, with a rotation of six months; i.e., the food remains the same for two months, then switches to different food for two months, then again, and finally goes through the entire rotation again. So, essentially, the same food flies for a total of four months out of each year. But don't blame AF for this - it's a common industry practice nowadays. They're banking on most passengers not flying the same route on a regular basis for a long time, or on those who DO do that not remembering what they ate on that flight six months ago.

tlr

For AF9, there tends to be a nice-ish cold buffet at the JFK lounge; it's a bit hidden in a side room. Don't know when they start serving that, though, since I try not to spend unnecessary time at JFK.

Jay B

Menus on our Sept. 13 IAH - CDG flight and Oct. 3 CDG - IAH flight (both in C class) were variations of all the other menus I have seen in this thread. Mrs. B and I thought the hors d'oeuvres (shrimp and foie gras) were great while the main courses varied. The beef and veil dishes were hard, dry, and overcooked. But I had a fillet of duckling that was moist, tender, and delicious. But what really surprised us was the rushed, coach-like service. Unlike business class service on other airlines, Air France pulls meals from a cart rather than bring them individually to the passenger from the galley. On both flights, no seconds were offered on pre-meal drinks. The cheese dish is placed on the tray along with the main meal which we found strange. And on both flights, trays were cleared and lights were out about 2 hours after take-off with no further drink service (except in the galley). I found this especially surprising on the daytime CDG - IAH flight from 10:20 to 13:50. On a positive note, the NTC seats on the 777-200 were fantastic - very comfortable. And Air France is the only airline I have flown that offers calvados hors d'age (very good).

G_G

Maybe the NTC2 seats ?

JOUY31

Air France 1833
ATH-CDG
Date witheld
19:10
01C on an 321, otherwise I would have tried for 02D


Pre-take off orange juice/water/Champagne

Dinner

~~~~~~

Foie gras and toast with fig compote ^

Poached filet of sole with basil sauce, tortellini with spinach and sauteed mushrooms with garlic ^

Our special selection of cheese (non-French, tasteless)

Chocolate pear almond pastry ^ ^

Sweets

Coffee and tea
~~~~~~

Wine list

Champagne Jacquart Brut Mosaique

Saint Véran 2003 Domaine Drouhin

Médoc Cru Bourgeois Chateau Preuillac 2003 ^

Mercurey Chateau de Chamirey 2002


Pleasant flight, except that the neighbor in seat 01A believed that :
- the tray was for his exclusive use as a mouse pad
- the middle table was for his exclusive use
- seat 01C (mine) was for him to use to store his oversize baggage while he desperately tried to put them all in the overhead bins
and that the neighbor in seat 02C believed that my seat was there for him to push forward each minute for over an hour.

Fortunately, the pleasant cabin crew, who were doing the roundtrip CDG-ATH-CDG, made up for it all by their pleasant conversation and discussion of Bordeaux vs Burgundy. Of course I tried both "Si j'osais, je vous demanderais volontiers un verre de Bourgogne et un verre de Médoc" and agreed with the hotesse de l'air that the Bordeaux (from her region ) was the better one. A nice change from the curt "Burgundy. White" ordered by seat 01A, but which had the result of me having to accept additional glasses of Bordeaux and Champagne !

Klm is Dead - Long Live KLM

Bravo. Glad to know I am not the only crazy one whiling the hours away on board with impromptu tastings. I'll take that kind of in-flight entertainment any day over some old movie.

HB-IWC

AF169
SGN-BKK-CDG
05 October 2006
A343 - seat 02A NEV



LIGHT MEAL (SGN-BKK)

Terrine of red snapper Wellington with Asian-style salad

Chicken with coconut milk and steamed rice

Thai-style taro dessert



DINNER (BKK-CDG)

Choice of Hors d'Oeuvre

Smoked breast of duck carpaccio served with Thai-style green papaya salad

Salmon dumplings accompanied by shrimp salad with lemon grass and bell pepper


Choice of Main Courses

Grilled tournedos of beef served with bearnaise sauce, ratatouille and duchesse potatoes

Fillet of grouper, Nantua sauce, sauteed vegetables with rose mary


Our Special Selection of Cheese


Assortment of Desserts

Peach tart, chocolate delight, sherbet served with cookies, choice of fresh fruit



BUFFET

Buffet bar snacks are available throughout the flight.

Asian noodles, sandwiches, cookies, baskets of dried and fresh fruits



BREAKFAST

Fruit juice, coffee, tea, hot chocolate

Fresh bakery selection, breakfast pastries, butter and preserves

Omelette accompanied by grilled bacon and tomato

Crepes served with honey and poached fruit

SpiderBen

AF373 DTW-CDG 12 October 2006 Espace Affaires

DINNER
Hors d'Oeuvre
Foie gras with dried fruit

Choice of Main Courses
Vallée d'Auge spring chicken with wild rice and apples
Fillet of mahi mahi on a bed of risotto

Our Special Selection of Cheese

Dessert
Orange chocolate cake

BREAKFAST
Orange juice, coffee, tea, hot chocolate
Fresh fruit, yogurt

Fresh bakery selection, breafast pastries, butter and preserves

Champagne
Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve

White Burgundy
Mâconnais Saint-Véran 2003 Domaine Joseph Drouhin

Red Burgundy
Mercurey Château de Chamirey 2002 Antonin Rodet

Red Bordeaux
Médoc Château Preuillac 2003 Cru Bourgeois Yvon Mau

JoanY

AF383 CVG-CDG October 2, 2006 in Affaires 1K
[BDINER[/B]

Hors-d'oeuvre
Noix de Saint-Jacques, tapenade et tomates sechees

Choix de Plats Chauds
Tournedos poele au vinaigre balsamique, cepes sautes, puree de pommes de terre et carotte nouvelle

Plat du Jour
Filet de fletan meuniere beurre aux graines de moutarde, risotto aux asperges

La Selection du Maitre Fromager

Dessert
Gateau chocolate-orange

PETIT DEJEUNER

Jus de orange, cafe, thes, chocolate
Fruits frais, yaourt

Choix de viennoiseries, petits pain,

Choix de Plats Chauds
Feuillete a la mozzarelle et a la tomate, bacon grille

Gaufre au mascarpone a la framboise

************************************************** **************

AF382 CDG-CVG October 19, 2006 Espace Affaires 1K

SERVICE TRADITION

Choix de Hors-d'oeuvre
Foie gras de canard au poivre et au champagne, chutney d'abricots et de figues

Crevettes au basilic, fenouil marine au citron

Choix de Plats Chauds
Quasi de veau accompagne d'une poelee de legumes et d'une barigoule
d'artichauts

Filet de lieu jaune servi avec une vinaigrette aux capres et une puree de pommes de terre aux olives

Plat du Jour
Filet de poulet fermier, sauce roquefort accompagne de haricots verts et d'un gratin dauphinois

Fromage
Camembert, Fourme d'Ambert, Sainte-Maure

Assortiment de Desserts
Palet au chocolat, crumble aux pommes, sorbets et petits fours sec, choix de fruits frais

COLLATION
Endive braisee a l'orange, ratatouille
Yaourt
Fruits frais

albireo

Excellent crew throughout the flight (despite a full C cabin).

Did AF change its sherbet provider? The one I had, though packaged like a regular AF sherbet, was not quite as good: the taste was sweeter, less fruity, and the color looked "chemical".

------------------------------
TRADITIONAL SERVICE

Choice of Hors D'oeuvre

Foie gras with seasonal salad, cured ham, apples, mushrooms and vegetable julienne

Fresh seasonal salad with shrimp, hearts of palm and avocado seasoned with lemon and dill


Choice of Main Courses

Pan-seared chateaubriand served with buttered, steamed spinach and dauphinoise potatoes au gratin

Colombian-style fish brochette accompanied by rice flan and Vichy carrots

Coq au vin ( Plat du jour )


Our special Selection of Cheese


Assortment of desserts

Mille-feuille, fruit tartlet, sherbet served with cookies, choice of fresh fruit

Espresso is served at our Bar Espace

------------------------------
BUFFET

Buffet bar snacks are available throughout the flight

Sandwiches, cookies, baskets of dried and fresh fruit

------------------------------
WINES

Champagne Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve
Mâconnais Saint-Véran 2003 Domaine Joseph Drouhin
Mercurey Château de Charmirey 2002 Antonin Rodet
Médoc Château Preuillac 2003 Cru Bourgeois Yvon Mau

------------------------------
BREAKFAST

Fruit juice, coffee, tea, hot chocolate
Orange and grapefruit salad, yogurt

Fresh bakery selection, breakfast pastries, butter and preserves


Choice of main courses

Omelette served with Canadian bacon and tomato

Crêpes filled with fruit and cinnamon

Falco Peregrinus

I assume they stick to the "French connection" for flights from CDG whereas they used the Columbian connection on your flight...

SpiderBen

AF345 YUL-CDG 9 August 2006 Espace Affaires

DINNER
Hors d'Oeuvre
Marinated shrimp accompanied by celery salad with ginger and Chinese cabbage

Choice of Main Courses
Grilled tournedos of beef served with French green beans, noisette potatoes and Basque-style artichoke bottom
Fillet of walleye with lemonbutter and toasted almonds

Our Special Selection of Cheese

Dessert
Chocolate cake

BREAKFAST
Fruit juice, coffee, tea, hot chocolate
Fresh fruit, yogurt

Fresh bakery selection, breafast pastries, butter and preserves

Champagne
Jacquart Brut de Nominée

White Burgundy
Chablis Champs Royaux 2004 William Fèvre

Red Languedoc
Corbières Domaine de Villemajou 2003 Gérard Bertrand

Red Bordeaux
Haut-Médoc Château de Villambis 2003 Cru Bourgeois

albireo

This flight leaves at 4:30PM and features two real meals (as opposed to a meal and a snack, or a dinner and a breakfast).

Falco, your theory on sherbet providers seems to be right . I had a sanguine orange sherbet which was excellent ^ .

------------------------------
TRADITIONAL SERVICE

Choice of Hors D'oeuvre

Peppered duck foie gras flavored with champagne and apricot-fig chutney

Shrimp with basil and marinated fennel with lemon


Choice of Main Courses

Veal accompanied with sautéed vegetables and artichokes prepared with white wine, olive oil and garlic

Fillet of pollack complemented by capered vinaigrette and mashed potatoes with olives

Fillet of guinea hen ( Plat du jour )


Our special Selection of Cheese

Camembert, Fourme d'Ambert, Sainte-Maure

Assortment of desserts

Chocolate dessert, apple crumble, sherbet served with cookies, choice of fresh fruit

Espresso is served at our Bar Espace

------------------------------
BUFFET

Buffet bar snacks are available throughout the flight

Sandwiches accompanied by cookies, baskets of dried and fresh fruit

------------------------------
WINE LIST

Champagne Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve
Mâconnais Saint-Véran 2003 Domaine Joseph Drouhin
Mercurey Château de Charmirey 2002 Antonin Rodet
Médoc Château Preuillac 2003 Cru Bourgeois Yvon Mau

------------------------------
MEAL SERVICE

Hors D'oeuvre

Smoked salmon fillet and zucchini mirepoix


Choice of Main Courses

Pan-seared lamb noisette served with Provençale-style tomato and sautéed potatoes

Braised endives à l'orange and ratatouille


Our special Selection of Cheese

Selles-sur-Cher, Cantal, Saint-Félicien

Dessert

Fruit salad

lmk

This thread hasn't had any new posts in almost a month -- what have the menus been like lately?

KLouis

The same!