camdentown

If its in the IAD Concorde dining , I don't think there's any danger there of being pink or undercooked pork . It was clearly pre-prepared and re-heated when I was there a couple of weeks ago. And the steak too.
Pretty poor I thought, as did my guest.

Silk Cut

As promised, here are the photographs from yesterday:

vibguy

Indeed very pink. I recommend to ask them to prepare your pork the same way as they cook the beef and then to ask for 'medium rare'. It will then come very well done as you want it for pork.

nufnuf77

I had the pork dish and found it way too dry, the medallion was overcooked and the bacon so crispy it was hard and dry. The belly seemed re-heated and dry to me too. I much preferred the lamb from last month

wanderer35

While I did not take a picture of the menu, I would like to offer my view on the pre-flight dinner I had in the Concorde room at JFK last Monday night.

The room is certainly spacious, with several different seating arrangements. Nicely furnished. The place was not even half full.

To start I selected the coconut curry soup with rock shrimp. I asked how hot it was (from the spice standpoint). The reply: “slightly, just to bring out the flavors”. Well, that was true, partially. The soup tasted fine, most of the time. However, some spoonfuls were quite hot. How do you get uneven distribution of spice(s) in a soup? Shrimp was fine.

Picked arctic char for the main course. It had a slight, but noticeable, “fishy” smell. Asked for cabernet. (Yes, I know, cabernet with fish ... Sorry, for me the only wine is red wine). Its taste was quite strange, definitely not typical cabernet. Was served at room temperature, not at “cellar” temperature.

Warm chocolate cake for dessert was nice.
Requested brewed coffee. Got latte, wich was forgettable. Drank just some of it. (Might mention here that the coffee that I had on the plane at breakfast was quite nice).

Overall. the food was a disappointment. Expected more from the Concorde Room.

Service was excellent; attentive and courteous.

Aus_Mal

They could at least remove the crab shells properly from the
Crab and squid ink tortellini
with lobster bisque!

Finding quite a few small pieces and one large (nearly a cm square) pieces didn't add to the dish at all.

KARFA

Odd. I had it yesterday and no evidence of shells.

Aus_Mal

We sadly tend to have different experiences! I didn't grab any photos of the shells, but it did happen.
The filling and bisque were nice, but I found the pasta oddly overcooked.

KARFA

I have had it a few times over the last few weeks and the pasta has always been al dente - it is one of the dishes I like of the current menu. Also no shell pieces on any of the times I had it.

Did you raise the issue with the staff?

Filthy Monkey

I had the same last week. I mentioned to the manager on duty that evening.

nufnuf77

I thought here was something crunchy in it the other day. No big deal, probes just a small tiny piece of shell and I did like the taste. On the other hand the texture was way overlooked, but then having lived in Italy I tend to avoid pasta in the UK.

KARFA

I will definitely check thoroughly next time

nufnuf77

I had it thrice before (given I am usually hungry enough for two mains and two puddings no surprise), and had this potential issue only once, though not entirely sure it was a shell, given I just ate it anyways...

Aus_Mal

Why bother raising it? I've virtually given up on providing feedback to BA as they just ignore it.

I'm so disappointed in the CCR staff, they gossip about passengers in front of other customers, chat amongst themselves in front of customers.

I even busted them discussing my companions dietary choices in negative terms. If they were my staff, they'd be fired instantly.

MarkedMan

We both had the tortellini yesterday as a first course. I've been lucky to have it four times since early Sept, OH twice, lucky to get no shells, but I can see how this may be an issue. I'd buy picked crabmeat from time to time when I lived in SF from a local fishery, it happened. Whoever makes the tortellini (I am going to guess it is not the CCR staff) should sift through the meat for this, but it is sometimes really hard with very small piece. A bigger piece is more of a concern, I would agree.

Both of us grew up in Italy and both of us tend to avoid fresh pasta. It's a different textural ballgame from dried pasta and the whole concept of al dente is much more fluid, the stuff tends to be unforgiving and will turn to mush very quickly if not pulled out at the right time. My experience has been that they have tended to undercook a little, which is better, but obviously you can get shorted with the deal.

The pork was interesting. I seemed to be lucky enough to get properly cooked meat at good temperature. The small bit of loin was nicely seared outside, but a bit chewy - it can happen. Flavor was good and, per current trends, meat was on the medium to medium rare side. Suitably bathed in the very flavourful jus and with a piece of fat from the pork belly, a good dish. Could have used a slightly more substantial side, but I made do with some bread to properly soak up the jus. A good dish that works well with some of the more substantial whites and the red wines on the menu.

I am amazed at the popularity of pork belly these days, with the obsession for all to see with trimmed and fat-free meats everywhere. Would not put money on streaky bacon by the chunk being so popular. I love the stuff, but I can see that many will not if it is not served at good temperature as the fat will congeal quickly and make the whole thing a bit weird. It's ideal in a braise or under a heat lamp, to me it benefits from prolonged exposure to moisture and low heat. Seared that way, it is a bit risky.

Overall, I think this month's menu is a bit below last month's, mostly due to my own taste. I liked the tomatoes better than the current salad; I guess tomato season is over so whatever you served now would be far less tasty. I liked the pulled lamb a bit better than the pork, but obviously that is going to be a bit contentious, many did not appreciate that dish. I'll try the asian inspired dish on the bistro menu next time to compare to the chicken dish from last month when I am in next week. Just for completeness' sake.

Sweets remain a standout.