GW McLintock

Back in the day, there were rarely enough for seconds of any given dish. Not sure how it is now but for a while they were going really lean on catering. I have seen them even run out of meals entirely on redeyes. Again, my experience is from several years ago.

-J.

TastyPlaneEats

The poached egg was delicious!!

Clockwise from top middle: COCONUT YOGURT, POACHED EGG, BREAD PUDDING, and SIDE OF MAPLE-GLAZED BACON


COCONUT YOGURT - passion fruit, almond-honey granola


BREAD PUDDING - currants, golden raisins, pears, crème anglaise


POACHED EGG - diavolo sauce, parmigiano, basil

TastyPlaneEats

Flew in the new Mint Suites on the A321LR. Excellent service and the seat is super comfy.


Pre-departure beverages were offered: mimosa or orange juice with club soda.



GRISSINI and AL PASTOR MARGARITA

AL PASTOR MARGARITA - corazón tequila blanco, pineapple, chile, lime



Clockwise from bottom right: CHICKEN MILANESE, FARRO SALAD, CAVATELLI Quite a few people asked for the gelato after the meal.



CHICKEN MILANESE - baby greens, mustard vinaigrette



FARRO SALAD - roasted tomatoes, parmigiano, basil, pistachio



CAVATELLI - broccoli rabe ragu, parmigiano



VANILLA GELATO - caramelized bananas, almond-honey crumble

TastyPlaneEats

The farro salad was a bit chewy.
The cavatelli was the perfect firmness. I also added the calabrian chili oil to it for some additional flavor.
The chicken milanese was crispy! However, the greens were super dry.

I ended up cutting up the chicken milanese and added it to the cavatelli. For me, it was a great mix of flavors.

bdhaliwa

Wow, just wow, I have come back to Mint after a long time since 2014, actually it was in its early days when I made several trips, the quality of service has only gone up, that is absolutely rare in any service let alone Airlines, kudos to the JB management team. This amenity kit is better than most international F ones.

Menu

Can there be anything better in the air than watching live NFL with JB signature drink?

I skipped gelato, the flight attendants doubled up the sautéed bananas which ended up as a great dessert.

The facial moisturizer retails for $30

seanp7

It's $12-16 for that size.

I do like the tasty JB Mint Conditions!

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B6 534 SFO-BOS
Eastbound Lunch/Dinner
November 23, 2021

Lots of pictures of this menu upthread already but here's my contribution:


Grissini and Al Pastor Margarita — the cocktail was delicious (even though I'm not normally a tequila person)


Clockwise from top left:
CITRUS ENDIVE SALAD frisée, citrus vinaigrette, hazelnuts
VANILLA GELATO caramelized bananas, almond-honey crumble
CHICKEN MILANESE baby greens, mustard vinaigrette
LAMB SHOULDER brussels sprouts, potato crumble

The endive salad was more a citrus salad — plenty of orange and grapefruit slices but only two tiny endive leaves at the bottom. Chicken milanese was slightly overcooked/dry, but it's hard to mess up fried chicken. Lamb shoulder was amazing although a little too salty — really flavorful and cooked just right. Ice cream toppings were odd — the almond-honey crumble is more reminiscent of a cross between granola and breakfast cereal, while the caramalized bananas were weird and oddly dry — somewhat like a dry paste and maybe they were supposed to be heated?

Service was average — not as good / attentive as other Mint crews I've had in the past, although they did do a full PDB run on the ground after boarding. The Mint FA/purser was also confused when I asked if I could have the ice cream at the end (which seems to be a fairly common request based on what's been reported on here) so it just came out with everything, but it was rock-hard this time around so leaving it out to soften up did help. And have the cards that come with the cashews been discontinued? Didn't really care for them anyway but haven't gotten one in a while.

Overall though the Mint soft product still blows the competition out of the water — did a transcon on DL's A339 as part of a status challenge and was not particularly impressed, while UA catering is just bad (which is a pity since I really like the Polaris seats) and I try my utmost to avoid AA. Now if only the new Mint suites could make their way to BOS... booked late so couldn't get a suite on my flight, but thankfully had the only empty seat in the cabin next to me so that was fine. The air cushions in the old seat are really terrible though.

seanp7

JFK-LGW
Mint Suite
Nov 24
Verdict: Superb Dinner & Breakfast - absolutely no contest against other US Carriers; JetBlue rocks.





Dinner

Breakfast


To go Cold Brew (+ Pressed Juice - not pictured)

jewree

New month, new set of Mint menus! It looks like the December & January menus are mostly repeats/slight changes from a few cycles back. Would love to hear any reports for Eastbound and Westbound Lunch/Dinner!

GW McLintock

A lot of people, customers and crews alike, are annoyed that so many items are repeats. It has been filling up my Facebook feed for the last couple of days. Some people are even saying they should bring back Saxon + Parole!

-J.

TastyPlaneEats

Link to Facebook feed? Does it have more food pictures than this thread? Going to be trying the eastbound lunch in a few hours, not a fan of the choices.

TastyPlaneEats

Pre-departure beverages were offered!

No welcome snack before the meal though, was looking forward to the little breadstick things.


Burrata, (ciabatta?) roll, and two chicken cacciatores since I didn’t really want the trout.



Burrata - zucchini, pine nuts, basil, mint. It wasn’t creamy so it should be relabeled as mozzarella. Pesto was a great compliment to the mozzarella.



Chicken cacciatore - tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, rosemary breadcrumbs. I added the chili oil to this and it was delicious. Used the bread to wipe off the sauce.



Vanilla gelato - with preserved blackberries, crushed almonds. Seems like there was some granola in there too. Very tasty. The Mint cabin crew served the gelato separate from the meal for everybody. There really isn’t room for it on the tray and it doesn’t get all melted this way. 😀

jewree

No pre-departure drinks, although our first drink orders were taken before we took off, delivered once underway (with the grissini).
The wine list had the usual winter offerings of one sparkling, two white, and two red wines:

• AT ROCA CLASSIC PENEDÈS SP 2018 • SPANISH SPARKLING
• SOHM & KRACHER GRÜNER VELTLINER • AUSTRIA 2020 • CRISP WHITE
• JEAN-MARC ROULOT BOURGOGNE BLANC WHITE BURGUNDY • FRANCE 2018 • FULL-BODIED WHITE
• WEST COUNTY RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY PINOT NOIR • CALIFORNIA • 2018 • LIGHT RED
• TIBERIO MONTEPULCIANO D’ABRUZZO • ITALY • 2020 • BIG RED

I'm not normally a white wine drinker, but the white burgundy gets great reviews. I was also interested in the montepulciano as I rarely see it offered, and of course, a pinot noir is always a solid choice.

Jean-Marc Roulot Bourgogne Blanc.
"Made from small vineyards in and around the prime area of Meursault, this Bourgogne Blanc is 100% chardonnay, and evokes Granny Smith apples, brioche, and a bit of salt. "

I asked for a small pour of the white burgundy, mostly because I wanted to try it. Plus, I knew it would pair well with the fish.

It was actually really lovely. I was quite surprised. I guess there *is* a reason it gets such great reviews, and a quick Google search says its a $80 bottle? It was not acidic, smooth, buttery, slightly sweet, just, quite complex, and the best white wine I've had in ages.

****, and I'd gladly get it again.
It was served kinda warm though, certainly not chilled, so, sadness on that aspect.

Tiberio Montepulciano.
"After Cristiana Tiberio worked at some of the best wineries in Europe, she returned home to the Italian region of Abruzzo inspired to make the highest quality, organic wine from the full-bodied and earthy red grape Montepulciano. "

But what I really wanted was the "bold red", because it is not a common varietal for me, and I thought it would go well with the salami in the chopped salad, and the burrata.

It was an excellent wine. Big, bold, for sure. Full bodied, but not acidic, not too much tannin, but it definitely had something going on. Pretty sure I got the first pour of the bottle, as I had little bits of cork floating in it.

****, and I'd get it again.

West Country Russian River Valley Pinot Noir.
"Made in Sonoma County Russian River Valley—a prime area for California Pinot Noir—this classic Pinot is a light to medium-bodied wine full of floral, cranberry, and wild strawberry flavors."

Later in my flight, I couldn't help but try the pinot as well, as I do like pinot.

It was fine - a touch of acid, but basically no tannin. Mild, light, drinkable, but not particularly interesting. ***.

Menu:
SMALL PLATES
Choose three.
Please note the first two dishes are served chilled.

• CHOPPED SALAD salami, provolone, roasted tomatoes, olives
• BURRATA zucchini, pine nuts*, basil, mint
• WARM TOMATO TART goat cheese, basil
• SEA TROUT cannellini bean puree, roasted tomatoes, garlic bread crumbs
• CHICKEN CACCIATORE tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, rosemary breadcrumbs

DESSERT

• VANILLA GELATO preserved blackberries, almond crunch

I opted for the burrata without pine nuts (sensitivity), chopped salad (with dressing on the side because sometimes they kill a great salad by over dressing!), and sea trout. Everything was excellent.


Grissini. The "rotating selection" of welcome snack was the same grissini I had last time, again, a nice change from nuts, but nothing like the welcome snacks with great dips that the prior Mint catering featured. Still, they were crispy, savory, salty, cheesy, and fun to munch on.

***.

I finally remembered to ask for my gelato AFTER the meal, so my tray was delivered with just my savory items.

All of my modifications were done with no trouble, which I was pleased to see. It was all *excellent*. I've raved about some other Mint meals with this new catering, and although nothing was quite as memorable as the delicious pork shoulder from my first round of this catering, it was all very good, restaurant quality, not just good airline food.


Bread, Oil, Salt.
A new addition since my last flight was a bread roll. As before, a lovely tin of large maldon salt and chile oil came with it.

The roll was ... fine. Served quasi warm. It didn't taste stale, but, it was airline bread. However, my meal had some excellent sauces, and I appreciated having it to drag through the sauces and soak them up.

Chopped Salad (Dressing on the Side). "Salami, provolone, roasted tomatoes, olives."

Sometimes the FA working the galley has a tendency to overdress the salads, or, sometimes, I just hate the dressing (as I'm not a fan of viniagrette), so I finally thought to ask to have the dressing on the side. This was no problem, and it even came in an adorable little pitcher. They were prepared for this kind of modification, clearly!

The salad was very good. The base was hunks of romaine and raddichio, all the perfect size, and very fresh and crisp. I love raddichio, and was pleased with the bitterness it added to the salad.

All of the toppings were great too - the salami was fatty and meaty, not really my thing, but it added some Italian flair. The shards of provolone were really good - a sharp, nutty cheese, it really reminded me of a high quality parmesan more than provolone. The roasted tomatoes were soft and flavorful, and combined with the roasted tomatoes in my main dish (the fish), they added a cohesive quality to the meal. The olives, green, were briny and salty, again, a good Italian element, but not really my favorite.

Finally, the dressing, Italian viniagrette, not my thing, so I was thrilled I had it on the side. I had my own dressing with me, which I greatly preferred. Only thing missing here was pepper, but, I had that too.

Overall, a well thought out salad, and I was particularly impressed with how fresh the lettuces were, and how it was a big step up from a generic mixed greens with carrots and cucumbers garden salad.
***+.

Burrata (No Pine Nuts). "Zucchini, pine nuts*, basil, mint."

I love burrata, JetBlue normally has decent burrata, and they let me order it without the pine nuts (the menu even had a * to say you could order without). Phew.

The portion, as with previous flights, was huge, a full size bulb of fresh burrata. Really kinda a lot for a person to just eat in one sitting, particularly with two other courses, AND gelato coming, but hey, I was not really complaining. It was again good burrata, not the best I've ever had, but, seemed ripe and bursting with cream. Mmm, burrata.

I was very surprised by the zucchini, I figured I'd just avoid it, not my favorite veggie, but actually, both it (and the not-on-menu summer squash) were quite tasty. A cold dish, so they were cold, but well cooked, and remarkably well seasoned. I added them to my salad, which was an excellent move. I think the squash was a bit weird of a pairing with the burrata, but, it worked very well with my salad. I did find myself wishing I had some crackers to spread the burrata on.

And finally, underneath the burrata was pesto! So that is where the basil and mint were hiding. That said ... I quasi feared that there was pine nuts in the pesto. Gulp. The pesto also went great with the fish, and would have worked for salad dressing if I hadn't brought my own. The bread was useful here to lap some up too.
***+.

Sea Trout. "Cannellini bean puree, roasted tomatoes, garlic bread crumbs."

I know, I ordered fish on a plane, and, I did so when it came with beans (I'm generally pretty meh on beans), but, since I certainly didn't want the goat cheese tart nor the chicken, both things I dislike, and I *do* like fish in "real" life, I still got it.

The presentation was lovely, honestly, it looked restaurant quality. My breadcrumbs were provided on the side, perhaps because I had asked for the other modifications? I'm not sure, I didn't ask for that here.

Anyway, the surprise hit of the dish was ... the bean purree! I really enjoyed it. It was not a pure puree, it had chunks left in it, and was incredibly flavorful, loaded with garlic. With the soft roasted tomatoes, it was kinda fabulous.

The fish was fine, it was clearly reheated airline fish, fully cooked, a tad dry, but, the piece was a good size, seemed high enough quality, wasn't fishy. I certainly would have wanted a sauce for this, but luckily I had the pesto with the burrata, and pesto went perfectly with the fish, beans, and tomatoes.

**** for the beans and tomatoes, *** for the fish, ***+ overall.

Vanilla Gelato. "Preserved blackberries, almond crunch."

I'm a dessert girl, and love my ice cream, so it should come as no surprise that I was happy about the finish to the meal. As always with the new catering, it was just vanilla gelato as a base, and came with a fruit topping (blackberry) and crunchy element (almond crunch).

The gelato was kinda rock solid, so perhaps I should have asked for it with the meal, as it took a while to soften, but, that was fine, as I was stuffed from my meal anyway, and appreciated the digestion time. The gelato was really quite good, lovely vanilla bean flavor, perfect soft creamy texture once it had some time.

The blackberry topping was warm, and, like most of the fruit toppings, I wasn't really into ... just, too sweet. They really over sweeten the fruit toppings it seems, and I like my sweets! So, eh to that, although I did like having a fruit component.

And finally, almond "crunch", which was kinda like a granola. I definitely liked having the crunchy element.

Overall, this was a sundae that ate well, even though I'd prefer fresh fruit, or just less sweetened fruit topping, it still sealed the deal nicely. The gelato in particular was really quite good.

***+.

jewree

Curious if anyone has had the braised leeks dish (currently on Westbound lunch/dinner, I think it was on menus 6 months ago too?). Menu says: "BRAISED LEEKS walnut, black pepper, pecorino cheese", just curious how ... leeks is made into a real full dish?

GW McLintock

Mint dishes are served tapas-style and you pick three of five. So leeks could be made into one-third of a full meal.

-J.