Jan 2, 2014, 10:25 pm
Last edit by: jackal
This is an archive of reports from January through July of 2015. This thread is closed to posting. Please post your reports and discussion of the First Class food offerings on Alaska Airlines in this thread:
2015 Alaska Airlines First Class Food (REPORTS ONLY from Jan-July, closed to posting)
May 9, 2015, 8:30 pm
#121
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: ANC
Programs: AS; Hyatt; Bonvoy
Posts: 1,718
Date: 5/3/15
Flight: AS #793
Route: DTW-SEA
Duration 4 hours, 50 minutes
Departure: 5:05 PM
Class: First
PDB: Water bottles were at the seat, but once again there was no other beverage service offered.
Meal: Dinner
Again, despite this being a mid-con trip, there was a full 3-course dinner with a choice of two entrees.
Menu:
The salad was arugula and mixed baby greens topped with roasted butternut squash and tiny bits of goat cheese. I couldn't find any of the pumpkin seeds that were listed on the menu. In my opinion, the combination of squash and pumpkin is more of an autumn dish rather than tasting of spring.
Appetizer Salad:
The meal choices were chicken Marsala with polenta and haricot vert, or Trident Alaska cod with brown butter sage sauce, squash and lentils.
I opted for the chicken Marsala since it's a dish I haven't seen on the Alaska Air menu during my flights. Also the cod dish (like the salad) featured the combination of squash and pumpkin seeds - along with sage and lentils - that just screamed "autumn flavors."
Plus, I've already had oodles of cod on flights so far this year ...
Sadly, the Marsala sauce was dumped onto the already mushy polenta instead of its proper spot -- which should have been on top of the dry, flavorless breaded chicken cutlet. That resulted in an unfortunate culinary fail.
Chicken Marsala with Polenta and Haricot Vert
I'm not sure what the culinary team was thinking when they put this one together. Despite bringing a couple of new dishes into the menu rotation, the meal had more of a fall or autumn theme than one for spring.
Also, the team either didn't provide adequate explanation for plating the dishes (ie: the chicken Marsala sauce should have been on the chicken, not the mushy polenta) or there was a lack of attention to instructions that were provided. Either way, the dishes didn't work.
Dessert, however, hit it out of the park. The Chuckanut Bay Cheesecake Company makes stellar desserts, and the crème brûlée cheesecake was no exception.
Crème Brûlée Chuckanut Bay Cheesecake
Note Bene: If cheesecake shows up on an Alaska Air menu, do NOT decline it. It's always delectable and a crowd pleaser.
Flight: AS #793
Route: DTW-SEA
Duration 4 hours, 50 minutes
Departure: 5:05 PM
Class: First
PDB: Water bottles were at the seat, but once again there was no other beverage service offered.
Meal: Dinner
Again, despite this being a mid-con trip, there was a full 3-course dinner with a choice of two entrees.
Menu:
The salad was arugula and mixed baby greens topped with roasted butternut squash and tiny bits of goat cheese. I couldn't find any of the pumpkin seeds that were listed on the menu. In my opinion, the combination of squash and pumpkin is more of an autumn dish rather than tasting of spring.
Appetizer Salad:
The meal choices were chicken Marsala with polenta and haricot vert, or Trident Alaska cod with brown butter sage sauce, squash and lentils.
I opted for the chicken Marsala since it's a dish I haven't seen on the Alaska Air menu during my flights. Also the cod dish (like the salad) featured the combination of squash and pumpkin seeds - along with sage and lentils - that just screamed "autumn flavors."
Plus, I've already had oodles of cod on flights so far this year ...
Sadly, the Marsala sauce was dumped onto the already mushy polenta instead of its proper spot -- which should have been on top of the dry, flavorless breaded chicken cutlet. That resulted in an unfortunate culinary fail.
Chicken Marsala with Polenta and Haricot Vert
I'm not sure what the culinary team was thinking when they put this one together. Despite bringing a couple of new dishes into the menu rotation, the meal had more of a fall or autumn theme than one for spring.
Also, the team either didn't provide adequate explanation for plating the dishes (ie: the chicken Marsala sauce should have been on the chicken, not the mushy polenta) or there was a lack of attention to instructions that were provided. Either way, the dishes didn't work.
Dessert, however, hit it out of the park. The Chuckanut Bay Cheesecake Company makes stellar desserts, and the crème brûlée cheesecake was no exception.
Crème Brûlée Chuckanut Bay Cheesecake
Note Bene: If cheesecake shows up on an Alaska Air menu, do NOT decline it. It's always delectable and a crowd pleaser.
Last edited by AKCuisine; May 19, 2015 at 4:26 pm
May 11, 2015, 9:47 pm
#122
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: ANC
Programs: AS 100K, UA 1K, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Silver
Posts: 322
As 138 ANC-ORD
May 3, 2015
AS 138 ANC-ORD
11:30 departure, 5:30 flight
Snack Service
Pre-Departure Beverage service: Bottled Water
Meal served: Turkey sandwich with coleslaw, Seattle Chocolate
The turkey sandwich was not impressive, using processed turkey and some filling. It seems a few years ago they were serving quite a few sandwiches, but the ingredients/bread were of higher quality. Excellent service by the FA, much better than on most red-eye flights I have been on.
AS 138 ANC-ORD
11:30 departure, 5:30 flight
Snack Service
Pre-Departure Beverage service: Bottled Water
Meal served: Turkey sandwich with coleslaw, Seattle Chocolate
The turkey sandwich was not impressive, using processed turkey and some filling. It seems a few years ago they were serving quite a few sandwiches, but the ingredients/bread were of higher quality. Excellent service by the FA, much better than on most red-eye flights I have been on.
May 12, 2015, 7:26 pm
#123
Join Date: Nov 2000
Posts: 103
AS 346
SEA - OAK
10:25 am Sat 05/09
-Water at seat prior to boarding
-PDB while boarding (coffee or juice)
-Drink orders taken
-Beverages served with 2 bags of snacks
-Hot towels
-Snack - Cheese & Crackers (plus grapes, almonds and a chocolate)
-Drink refills offered
-Tray pick up
-Final refill offered
-Plus an additional refill for the gentleman in row 1 to finish off bottle of bubbly.
Pretty great service for 1:35 flight time! After 20 years of flying UA between SFO and SEA, I was shocked at FIVE offers of beverages and actual/edible food on AS.
SEA - OAK
10:25 am Sat 05/09
-Water at seat prior to boarding
-PDB while boarding (coffee or juice)
-Drink orders taken
-Beverages served with 2 bags of snacks
-Hot towels
-Snack - Cheese & Crackers (plus grapes, almonds and a chocolate)
-Drink refills offered
-Tray pick up
-Final refill offered
-Plus an additional refill for the gentleman in row 1 to finish off bottle of bubbly.
Pretty great service for 1:35 flight time! After 20 years of flying UA between SFO and SEA, I was shocked at FIVE offers of beverages and actual/edible food on AS.
May 13, 2015, 8:55 pm
#124
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: PDX
Programs: Free agent!
Posts: 1,427
Dates: May 1st / 3rd
Routes: AS560 PDX-LAX / AS559 LAX-PDX
Time of departure: 18:49 / 18:01
Length of flights: 2h20m / 2h15m
Class of service: F (I thought that was a given)
PDB: No / No
It was the same exact service on both flights except for a different flavoured Seattle Chocolate on the way back up. I started with some red wine and snack packets:
Then we were offered the chicken with pasta, with no other choices available. With both sectors, it had been awhile since I had a proper meal, I did take them up on the offer but my seatmate on both flights passed.
It was decent and somewhat amusingly, one of the FAs on the return flight had one of the chicken and pasta dishes while were on finals into Portland. She did finish her portion very quickly.
Routes: AS560 PDX-LAX / AS559 LAX-PDX
Time of departure: 18:49 / 18:01
Length of flights: 2h20m / 2h15m
Class of service: F (I thought that was a given)
PDB: No / No
It was the same exact service on both flights except for a different flavoured Seattle Chocolate on the way back up. I started with some red wine and snack packets:
Then we were offered the chicken with pasta, with no other choices available. With both sectors, it had been awhile since I had a proper meal, I did take them up on the offer but my seatmate on both flights passed.
It was decent and somewhat amusingly, one of the FAs on the return flight had one of the chicken and pasta dishes while were on finals into Portland. She did finish her portion very quickly.
May 16, 2015, 3:38 am
#125
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: SEA
Programs: AS MVPG, Marriott Platinum, AVIS First, National Emerald Club
Posts: 405
Date the flight was taken: 5/13
Route flown: SEA-LAS 9:30pm Departure
Class of service: F
Length of flight: 2:05
Meal served: Snack
A brief description of the meal: 2 chocolate chocolate-chip cookies
Date the flight was taken: 5/15
Route flown: LAS-SEA 10:50am Departure
Class of service: F
Length of flight: 2:10
Meal served: Lunch
A brief description of the meal: Grilled cheese and chips (took a pass - daughter's school lunch sounded better)
Route flown: SEA-LAS 9:30pm Departure
Class of service: F
Length of flight: 2:05
Meal served: Snack
A brief description of the meal: 2 chocolate chocolate-chip cookies
Date the flight was taken: 5/15
Route flown: LAS-SEA 10:50am Departure
Class of service: F
Length of flight: 2:10
Meal served: Lunch
A brief description of the meal: Grilled cheese and chips (took a pass - daughter's school lunch sounded better)
May 17, 2015, 10:29 am
#126
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: ANC
Programs: AS 100K, UA 1K, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Silver
Posts: 322
As 39 msp-sea
5/17/15
AS 39 MSP-SEA 07:00 Departure
PDB: Water, with follow up offerings of Coffee, OJ
Meal: Breakfast
Eggs, Mushroom, and Cheese with Sausage
Warmed nuts before landing
I didn't have this meal (yay sleep!) but my wife rated it a 3.5/10.
AS 39 MSP-SEA 07:00 Departure
PDB: Water, with follow up offerings of Coffee, OJ
Meal: Breakfast
Eggs, Mushroom, and Cheese with Sausage
Warmed nuts before landing
I didn't have this meal (yay sleep!) but my wife rated it a 3.5/10.
May 17, 2015, 3:42 pm
#127
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Anchorage, AK
Programs: Lifetime AS 1MM & MVPG, AS MVPG100K, AA, DL, HH-G
Posts: 8,259
Date the flight was taken: May 17
Route flown: ANC-SEA
Class of service: F
Length of flight: 3:10
Meal served: Lunch (9:40am departure-we left early)
A brief description of the meal: Cuban sandwich, Tim's lightly salted chips and Margarita chocolate
Sorry, no photo. Tasty and I wish I knew what was in the sauce that made is good.
Route flown: ANC-SEA
Class of service: F
Length of flight: 3:10
Meal served: Lunch (9:40am departure-we left early)
A brief description of the meal: Cuban sandwich, Tim's lightly salted chips and Margarita chocolate
Sorry, no photo. Tasty and I wish I knew what was in the sauce that made is good.
May 18, 2015, 4:13 pm
#128
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: ANC
Programs: AS; Hyatt; Bonvoy
Posts: 1,718
Date: 5/14/15
Flight: AS #120
Route: ANC-SEA
Departure: 10:35 AM
Duration Just over 3 hours
Class: First
PDB: Water bottles were at the seat, but no other beverages were offered. I can't recall any PDB being offered on a flight during 2015.
Meal - Lunch
Once we were above 10K feet the FA took drink orders and also explained the lunch offering, which was again the Cubano. This was the 3rd time I've had this meal during May ...
Keep in mind this isn't a traditional Cuban sandwich, but Alaska's twist on it. I think it's their way of trying to dress up the horrid pressed-formed turkey-parts lunchmeat they had been serving in the past. It does contain the pressed turkey, but it's dressed up with ham, melted cheese, mustard, dill pickles and mojo sauce.
This time the sandwich was made correctly - with dill pickles, not sweet ones - unlike the failed version that was served to me on #97 SEA-ANC on 5/4/15. Ugh. Sweet pickles do NOT belong on sandwiches, or at least not on this one.
That said, I do wish the Cubano came with slaw or salad instead of Tim's potato chips. The "dessert" was a Margarita-flavor white Seattle Chocolate.
Flight: AS #120
Route: ANC-SEA
Departure: 10:35 AM
Duration Just over 3 hours
Class: First
PDB: Water bottles were at the seat, but no other beverages were offered. I can't recall any PDB being offered on a flight during 2015.
Meal - Lunch
Once we were above 10K feet the FA took drink orders and also explained the lunch offering, which was again the Cubano. This was the 3rd time I've had this meal during May ...
Keep in mind this isn't a traditional Cuban sandwich, but Alaska's twist on it. I think it's their way of trying to dress up the horrid pressed-formed turkey-parts lunchmeat they had been serving in the past. It does contain the pressed turkey, but it's dressed up with ham, melted cheese, mustard, dill pickles and mojo sauce.
This time the sandwich was made correctly - with dill pickles, not sweet ones - unlike the failed version that was served to me on #97 SEA-ANC on 5/4/15. Ugh. Sweet pickles do NOT belong on sandwiches, or at least not on this one.
That said, I do wish the Cubano came with slaw or salad instead of Tim's potato chips. The "dessert" was a Margarita-flavor white Seattle Chocolate.
Last edited by AKCuisine; May 19, 2015 at 4:27 pm
May 18, 2015, 5:28 pm
#129
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: ANC
Programs: AS; Hyatt; Bonvoy
Posts: 1,718
Date: 5/15/15
Flight: AS #728
Route: SEA-IAD
Departure: 9:20 AM
Duration: 5 hours
Class: First
PDB: Water bottles at the seat. No coffee, juice or other beverages were offered. I can't recall any PDB being offered on a flight during 2015.
Meal - Breakfast
The meal choices were the same as those on my SEA-DTW flight on 5/2/15 -- a Chorizo scramble with pinto beans and pico de gallo, or a Beecher's Flagship cheese & asparagus quiche.
Menu:
Service was prompt but perfunctory, and the male FA seemed bored and disinterested.
The fruit plate was a bit better than the one 2 weeks ago. The pineapple was sweet and tender, and strawberry wedges were edible. But the (presumably) canned peach wedges were brown in spots.
Fruit Plate:
Browned spots on the peaches:
The entree was also better than the one I had earlier in the month. This time catering had seasoned the eggs used in the asparagus and cheese quiche, and they hadn't as aggressively over-seasoned the rubbery mushrooms.
Beecher's Flagship cheese and asparagus Quiche:
My seatmate had the chorizo scramble with pinto beans (that looked more like baked beans) served with a tortilla.
Chorizo Scrambled Eggs
Warm mixed nuts were served later in the flight.
Flight: AS #728
Route: SEA-IAD
Departure: 9:20 AM
Duration: 5 hours
Class: First
PDB: Water bottles at the seat. No coffee, juice or other beverages were offered. I can't recall any PDB being offered on a flight during 2015.
Meal - Breakfast
The meal choices were the same as those on my SEA-DTW flight on 5/2/15 -- a Chorizo scramble with pinto beans and pico de gallo, or a Beecher's Flagship cheese & asparagus quiche.
Menu:
Service was prompt but perfunctory, and the male FA seemed bored and disinterested.
The fruit plate was a bit better than the one 2 weeks ago. The pineapple was sweet and tender, and strawberry wedges were edible. But the (presumably) canned peach wedges were brown in spots.
Fruit Plate:
Browned spots on the peaches:
The entree was also better than the one I had earlier in the month. This time catering had seasoned the eggs used in the asparagus and cheese quiche, and they hadn't as aggressively over-seasoned the rubbery mushrooms.
Beecher's Flagship cheese and asparagus Quiche:
My seatmate had the chorizo scramble with pinto beans (that looked more like baked beans) served with a tortilla.
Chorizo Scrambled Eggs
Warm mixed nuts were served later in the flight.
Last edited by AKCuisine; May 19, 2015 at 4:28 pm
May 18, 2015, 6:00 pm
#130
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: ANC
Programs: AS; Hyatt; Bonvoy
Posts: 1,718
Date: 5/16/15
Flight: AS #119
Route: SEA-ANC
Departure: 5:40 PM
Duration: 3 1/2 hours
Class: First
PDB: Water bottles were at the seat. We were still boarding when the FA asked what we wanted to drink, so I got pretty excited ... but the feeling quickly melted away when he clarified, "I meant after take-off." Oh. C'est la vie.
Meal: "Snack"
Since this was listed as a snack flight, I expected that we might see the Cubano sandwich, a half-sandwich, or even less. I was surprised when we were served a dish that was more of an entree-sized portion.
The meal consisted of a fairly tender chunk of beef pot roast served with boiled potato pieces & some chunks of carrot. IMO, the potatoes were quite bland, and could have benefited from being cooked in salted water or sprinkled with paprika or another spice.
Pot Roast and Vegetables
There was a San Juan Sea Salt flavored Seattle Chocolate to finish.
Flight: AS #119
Route: SEA-ANC
Departure: 5:40 PM
Duration: 3 1/2 hours
Class: First
PDB: Water bottles were at the seat. We were still boarding when the FA asked what we wanted to drink, so I got pretty excited ... but the feeling quickly melted away when he clarified, "I meant after take-off." Oh. C'est la vie.
Meal: "Snack"
Since this was listed as a snack flight, I expected that we might see the Cubano sandwich, a half-sandwich, or even less. I was surprised when we were served a dish that was more of an entree-sized portion.
The meal consisted of a fairly tender chunk of beef pot roast served with boiled potato pieces & some chunks of carrot. IMO, the potatoes were quite bland, and could have benefited from being cooked in salted water or sprinkled with paprika or another spice.
Pot Roast and Vegetables
There was a San Juan Sea Salt flavored Seattle Chocolate to finish.
Last edited by AKCuisine; May 19, 2015 at 4:29 pm
May 18, 2015, 7:17 pm
#131
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: SEA
Programs: AS 75K
Posts: 759
Date: 04/25/15, 05/02/15, 05/09/15
Route: BLI-HNL
Class of service: F
Length of flight: 6:15ish
Meal type: Dinner - 610/615pm departure
Meal:
* Spinach salad with beecher's cheese crumbles and warm potato with bacon and mustard
* Choice of cod with black bean sauce, rice, and something that looked like bok choy (but wasn't called that on the menu) or beef shortribs with wasabi mashed potatoes and bok choi. Cod was meh and the black bean sauce was good though salty. Ribs were tasty and the mashed potatoes were great.
* Dessert of cheesecake - solid
Surprised to see the same menu in both April and May - Hawaii menu isn't on a monthly rotation I guess?
Date: 05/09/15
Route: HNL-BLI
Class of service: F
Length of flight: 5:45ish
Meal type: Snack - 1115ish departure
Meal: Cheese plate
Route: BLI-HNL
Class of service: F
Length of flight: 6:15ish
Meal type: Dinner - 610/615pm departure
Meal:
* Spinach salad with beecher's cheese crumbles and warm potato with bacon and mustard
* Choice of cod with black bean sauce, rice, and something that looked like bok choy (but wasn't called that on the menu) or beef shortribs with wasabi mashed potatoes and bok choi. Cod was meh and the black bean sauce was good though salty. Ribs were tasty and the mashed potatoes were great.
* Dessert of cheesecake - solid
Surprised to see the same menu in both April and May - Hawaii menu isn't on a monthly rotation I guess?
Date: 05/09/15
Route: HNL-BLI
Class of service: F
Length of flight: 5:45ish
Meal type: Snack - 1115ish departure
Meal: Cheese plate
May 19, 2015, 4:40 pm
#132
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: ANC
Programs: AS; Hyatt; Bonvoy
Posts: 1,718
This was not my meal or my flight, but my friend tweeted this information to me today while on her way to Southeast ...
Date: 5/19/15
Flight: AS #64
Route: ANC-JNU-PSG-WRG-KTN (AKA: "The Milk Run")
Departure ANC : 11:40 AM
Arrival KTN: Scheduled for 5:05 PM
Class: First
She reported that the snack was served on the ANC-JNU segment as a light lunch. It was presented as a chicken slider with sriracha mayonnaise and cole slaw.
Chicken Slider with Sriracha Mayonnaise and Cole Slaw:
She told me the dish was tasty, "The slider was the right size, slaw just right in creamy crunch."
Only problem? There was a catering error -- there were supposed to be two sliders per plate, not just one.
Date: 5/19/15
Flight: AS #64
Route: ANC-JNU-PSG-WRG-KTN (AKA: "The Milk Run")
Departure ANC : 11:40 AM
Arrival KTN: Scheduled for 5:05 PM
Class: First
She reported that the snack was served on the ANC-JNU segment as a light lunch. It was presented as a chicken slider with sriracha mayonnaise and cole slaw.
Chicken Slider with Sriracha Mayonnaise and Cole Slaw:
She told me the dish was tasty, "The slider was the right size, slaw just right in creamy crunch."
Only problem? There was a catering error -- there were supposed to be two sliders per plate, not just one.
May 19, 2015, 5:42 pm
#133
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: QLA
Programs: SBUX Gold
Posts: 14,507
May 19
AS477 - LAX-SEA, 6am
PDB - Bottled mini Dasani waters; hot coffee offered; hot tea requested and fulfilled.
Hot towels offered, several passes for refills and collection.
Had this exact same breakfast this morning, the 6am LAX-SEA flight. Indeed a small portion, with no potatoes.
Specifically, it was a scramble with shiitake mushrooms and Beecher's Flagship Cheese, served with Chicken Apple Sausage (FA gave a predeparture presentation to the F cabin, very nice touch).
I rated the scramble a 7.5/10, especially after a pinch of salt. Still moist and cheesy, but I can see how it could get overdone and dried out. Sausage was "different" being more sweeter than savory 6/10.
But it was too small a portion. My wife was smart... she tried my scramble first before ordering, then opted for a cheese plate. Then she became a maniacal genius... she also ate half my eggs.
May 23, 2015, 1:47 pm
#134
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: Starwood Plat, UA Plat, 2MM, AS MVPG
Posts: 493
"Lunch"
Date the flight was taken: 21 May
Route flown: LAX-SEA
Class of service: F
Length of flight: 2:40
Meal served: 3:40 scheduled departure, 4:30 actual departure
A brief description of the meal:Grilled cheese sandwich, chips, piece of candy.
Route flown: LAX-SEA
Class of service: F
Length of flight: 2:40
Meal served: 3:40 scheduled departure, 4:30 actual departure
A brief description of the meal:Grilled cheese sandwich, chips, piece of candy.
May 23, 2015, 7:44 pm
#135
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Northern Calif./Eastern Ida.
Programs: Amethyst Premier Plutonium Medallion
Posts: 20,645
21 May
AS805
SMF-OGG
5 hours 16 mins duration
PDB POG mimosas and bottled water
Menu:
Out of ribs by the time they got to us in 3D/F so we ate cod. Portion size good and taste was as well. Even the bok choi was good.
Meal service was quite slow. I didn't receive my main course until almost 2:15 into the flight. Dessert not until after 3 hours in the air.
AS805
SMF-OGG
5 hours 16 mins duration
PDB POG mimosas and bottled water
Menu:
Out of ribs by the time they got to us in 3D/F so we ate cod. Portion size good and taste was as well. Even the bok choi was good.
Meal service was quite slow. I didn't receive my main course until almost 2:15 into the flight. Dessert not until after 3 hours in the air.