EWR-FRA-LHR-FRA-EWR
Nov 15, 2000, 11:46 am
#1
Original Member
Original Poster
Join Date: May 1998
Location: nyc, ny, usa
Posts: 364
EWR-FRA-LHR-FRA-EWR
EWR-FRA-LHR
CO 50 EWR-FRA
BA 903 FRA-LHR
St. Ermin’s Hotel
I had been working 90 hour weeks for a month, so as a gift to my husband,I booked us on Continental for an extended weekend in London. Called Continental and asked for an upgradeable fare to London (since I was within the 30 day window, I coud confirm it immediately). No such luck. But the helpful reservationist found a cheap upgradeable fare to Frankfurt. Bingo, I took it. Next, I decided to check on the BizTravel Guarantee on biztravel.com. I found $150 return fares between FRA and LHR. Well, we were in business.
Since my husband was joining me one day later in London, I decided to add an extra stay to my Hilton Diamond quest, by booking into the St. Ermin’s hotel. I found an 87 pound a night rate (including breakfast). I then moved us over to the Hyatt Carleton Tower (one of my favorite hotels); here I found a super low rate (for this Park Hyatt) of 205 pounds a night. Finally, since we were overnighting in Frankfurt, I booked us into the Frankfurt Hilton at 320 DM a night. Well, we were ready to go.
I left on Nov 8 (one night ahead of my hubby), and arrived at EWR with plenty of time before my flight. I wheeled over to the Business Elite check-in area, where I informed the clerk that I had a connection to LHR, and requested an on-line transfer of my luggage. This took her a good 15 minutes to try to enter it into the computer, and finally, she just manually put together a baggage tag. She then invited me into the PC near gate 106.
What a zoo this PC was today. There was a line snaking out the door, because there was an older gentleman who wanted to admit his entire family of 11 people into the PC based on his AMEX Platinum card. The concierge informed him he could take two people and pay $45/person for the rest and then they could all enter. His wife wanted to know how they should decide who gets in to the club, while the man declared they would be hearing from AMEX about this abysmal treatment (somehow I doubt that happened). When I finally made it in, there were very few places to sit, and children running everywhere. You wonder why Continental only has this tiny club for all international flights, while the PC at gate 122 sits empty most of the time.
The flight boarded on time, and I took my seat at 5B on this 777. Here is a piece of advice for those flying this configuration in BE. Row 5 is against the back wall, and does not recline fully. I immediately got on my cell to my husband and made sure he checked that he was not in this row (he was, but had it changed), and I changed my seat, since the flight was fairly empty.
The concierge came on board and we chatted for a few minutes about the state of the PC at 106, and she told me that in a few months they will have a passageway built that will allow easy access to the new PC at Gate 122.
The plane took off on time and the flight was relatively uneventful. BE was about half full. The menu was as follows:
TO BEGIN
Warm roasted nuts
served with your preferred
cocktail or beverage
APPETIZER CART
Herbed and peppered smoked salmon loin
Prosciutto with melon
Creamy horseradish sauce
SALAD
Losso rosso and Boston lettuce
served with cucumber and tomato slices
Offered with your choice
of balsalmic vinaigrette or buttermilk ranch dressing
Freshly baked bread
and assorted rolls with butter
MAIN COURSES
Chef's Preference
Grilled New York sirloin steak
enhanced by morel sauce and roasted garlic,
accompanied by mashed potatoes with minced black truffle
Sautéed spinach with butter Grilled cherry tomatoes
Chicken Breast
Boneless breast of free-range chicken served with a ragoût of artichoke,
sun-dried tomatoes, olives and capers
Toasted polenta Grilled asparagus spears
Red Snapper
Fillet of snapper with a corn crust, accented by lemon herb sauce,
accompanied by char-grilled jumbo shrimp and ripe plantain
Haricots verts, red pepper and carrot julienne
Pasta Bowl
Ravioli filled with mushrooms and goat cheese
offered with eggplant arrabbiata sauce with toasted pine nuts
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese will be offered with your pasta
Sautéed mushrooms are available upon request to accompany any entree
FRUIT AND CHEESES
Select American and imported cheeses
accompanied by fresh seasonal fruit, assorted cheese biscuits and bread,
served with aged Port wine
DESSERT CART
Featuring a choice of Mark Alexander Country Fresh vanilla ice cream sundae
offered with your choice of toppings
or warmed peach cobbler toppped with vanilla ice cream
BREAKFAST
will be offered prior to arrival
A selection of juices
A tapestry of fresh seasonal fruit
Assorted breads including
muffins freshly baked on board, warm croissants and crusty rolls
with butter and strawberry preserves
Cereal
Served with milk, a banana
and fruit yogurt
I had the salmon starter and the steak which a little over done but very tasty, with extra mushrooms, no potatoes (no carbs for me). The cheese was also excellent (I had the blue and brie), and passed on the dessert. I also skipped the breakfast, since there was no protein to be found. I watched Autumn in New York (a good chick flik), and then slept the rest of the way to Frankfurt. We arrived at Frankfurt about 10 minutes late and I began the long trek to the BA gate. I checked in and handed my on-line transfer baggage claim check to be entered into my record. The flight boarded on time (my hopes for cashing in on the guarantee were dashed). Again, the flight was uneventful, although it left late due to the need to remove two bags from the plane due to the passengers not showing for the flight.
We arrived on time and I sailed through immigration, and went to pick up my luggage, which never showed up. Although I was upset, I was also thinking about my biztravel guarantee kicking in, as well my AMEX baggage insurance (a total of $600, since it also included my husband). The friendly chap at the BA lost luggage counter told me he was sure I would receive it that day, and assured me they would make it clear that there were two different hotel addresses to send it to, depending on the day of delivery.
So, I headed off to the St. Ermin’s, hopping onto the Heathrow Express. Within an hour, I was checking into the St. Ermin’s. This is truly a very charming hotel. Although the clerk did not acknowledge my Diamond status, after showing him my card, he upgraded me to an Executive Floor room. The room was very cute, a little small, but a huge bathroom, and chocolates in the room. They also had an Internet keyboard in the room, so for 10p a minute I reported my lost luggage to biztravel.
I slept for a couple of hours and went out to see Witches of Eastwick, a very enjoyable show. After the show, I stopped into a little Indian restaurant for a quick dinner. I was unable to find a taxi at 11:30 pm on this Thursday night, so I started to walk back to the hotel. Around 10 Downing, I finally found a taxi and I was at the hotel in less than 5 minutes., where I found no luggage and no message from BA, so I watched a really bad movie, The Next Best Thing, and checked my e-mail on the internet keyboard. Biztravel acknowledged my claim, and told me I would receive a check for $200 within 3 weeks and I happily went to sleep.
The next morning I awoke about 9 am. I decided to go down for my buffet breakfast (thank god I had packed an extra t-shirt and leggings in my backpack). This was really excellent, a full protein English breakfast (haggis, eggs cooked any way you like, bacon sausage, mushrooms, cold cuts, cheese, yogurt, cereal, etc). When I returned to my room, I called BA, who told me my luggage had been delivered last night, oh boy, now the fun begins……
[This message has been edited by gabbysz (edited 11-15-2000).]
[This message has been edited by gabbysz (edited 11-15-2000).]
[This message has been edited by gabbysz (edited 11-15-2000).]
CO 50 EWR-FRA
BA 903 FRA-LHR
St. Ermin’s Hotel
I had been working 90 hour weeks for a month, so as a gift to my husband,I booked us on Continental for an extended weekend in London. Called Continental and asked for an upgradeable fare to London (since I was within the 30 day window, I coud confirm it immediately). No such luck. But the helpful reservationist found a cheap upgradeable fare to Frankfurt. Bingo, I took it. Next, I decided to check on the BizTravel Guarantee on biztravel.com. I found $150 return fares between FRA and LHR. Well, we were in business.
Since my husband was joining me one day later in London, I decided to add an extra stay to my Hilton Diamond quest, by booking into the St. Ermin’s hotel. I found an 87 pound a night rate (including breakfast). I then moved us over to the Hyatt Carleton Tower (one of my favorite hotels); here I found a super low rate (for this Park Hyatt) of 205 pounds a night. Finally, since we were overnighting in Frankfurt, I booked us into the Frankfurt Hilton at 320 DM a night. Well, we were ready to go.
I left on Nov 8 (one night ahead of my hubby), and arrived at EWR with plenty of time before my flight. I wheeled over to the Business Elite check-in area, where I informed the clerk that I had a connection to LHR, and requested an on-line transfer of my luggage. This took her a good 15 minutes to try to enter it into the computer, and finally, she just manually put together a baggage tag. She then invited me into the PC near gate 106.
What a zoo this PC was today. There was a line snaking out the door, because there was an older gentleman who wanted to admit his entire family of 11 people into the PC based on his AMEX Platinum card. The concierge informed him he could take two people and pay $45/person for the rest and then they could all enter. His wife wanted to know how they should decide who gets in to the club, while the man declared they would be hearing from AMEX about this abysmal treatment (somehow I doubt that happened). When I finally made it in, there were very few places to sit, and children running everywhere. You wonder why Continental only has this tiny club for all international flights, while the PC at gate 122 sits empty most of the time.
The flight boarded on time, and I took my seat at 5B on this 777. Here is a piece of advice for those flying this configuration in BE. Row 5 is against the back wall, and does not recline fully. I immediately got on my cell to my husband and made sure he checked that he was not in this row (he was, but had it changed), and I changed my seat, since the flight was fairly empty.
The concierge came on board and we chatted for a few minutes about the state of the PC at 106, and she told me that in a few months they will have a passageway built that will allow easy access to the new PC at Gate 122.
The plane took off on time and the flight was relatively uneventful. BE was about half full. The menu was as follows:
TO BEGIN
Warm roasted nuts
served with your preferred
cocktail or beverage
APPETIZER CART
Herbed and peppered smoked salmon loin
Prosciutto with melon
Creamy horseradish sauce
SALAD
Losso rosso and Boston lettuce
served with cucumber and tomato slices
Offered with your choice
of balsalmic vinaigrette or buttermilk ranch dressing
Freshly baked bread
and assorted rolls with butter
MAIN COURSES
Chef's Preference
Grilled New York sirloin steak
enhanced by morel sauce and roasted garlic,
accompanied by mashed potatoes with minced black truffle
Sautéed spinach with butter Grilled cherry tomatoes
Chicken Breast
Boneless breast of free-range chicken served with a ragoût of artichoke,
sun-dried tomatoes, olives and capers
Toasted polenta Grilled asparagus spears
Red Snapper
Fillet of snapper with a corn crust, accented by lemon herb sauce,
accompanied by char-grilled jumbo shrimp and ripe plantain
Haricots verts, red pepper and carrot julienne
Pasta Bowl
Ravioli filled with mushrooms and goat cheese
offered with eggplant arrabbiata sauce with toasted pine nuts
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese will be offered with your pasta
Sautéed mushrooms are available upon request to accompany any entree
FRUIT AND CHEESES
Select American and imported cheeses
accompanied by fresh seasonal fruit, assorted cheese biscuits and bread,
served with aged Port wine
DESSERT CART
Featuring a choice of Mark Alexander Country Fresh vanilla ice cream sundae
offered with your choice of toppings
or warmed peach cobbler toppped with vanilla ice cream
BREAKFAST
will be offered prior to arrival
A selection of juices
A tapestry of fresh seasonal fruit
Assorted breads including
muffins freshly baked on board, warm croissants and crusty rolls
with butter and strawberry preserves
Cereal
Served with milk, a banana
and fruit yogurt
I had the salmon starter and the steak which a little over done but very tasty, with extra mushrooms, no potatoes (no carbs for me). The cheese was also excellent (I had the blue and brie), and passed on the dessert. I also skipped the breakfast, since there was no protein to be found. I watched Autumn in New York (a good chick flik), and then slept the rest of the way to Frankfurt. We arrived at Frankfurt about 10 minutes late and I began the long trek to the BA gate. I checked in and handed my on-line transfer baggage claim check to be entered into my record. The flight boarded on time (my hopes for cashing in on the guarantee were dashed). Again, the flight was uneventful, although it left late due to the need to remove two bags from the plane due to the passengers not showing for the flight.
We arrived on time and I sailed through immigration, and went to pick up my luggage, which never showed up. Although I was upset, I was also thinking about my biztravel guarantee kicking in, as well my AMEX baggage insurance (a total of $600, since it also included my husband). The friendly chap at the BA lost luggage counter told me he was sure I would receive it that day, and assured me they would make it clear that there were two different hotel addresses to send it to, depending on the day of delivery.
So, I headed off to the St. Ermin’s, hopping onto the Heathrow Express. Within an hour, I was checking into the St. Ermin’s. This is truly a very charming hotel. Although the clerk did not acknowledge my Diamond status, after showing him my card, he upgraded me to an Executive Floor room. The room was very cute, a little small, but a huge bathroom, and chocolates in the room. They also had an Internet keyboard in the room, so for 10p a minute I reported my lost luggage to biztravel.
I slept for a couple of hours and went out to see Witches of Eastwick, a very enjoyable show. After the show, I stopped into a little Indian restaurant for a quick dinner. I was unable to find a taxi at 11:30 pm on this Thursday night, so I started to walk back to the hotel. Around 10 Downing, I finally found a taxi and I was at the hotel in less than 5 minutes., where I found no luggage and no message from BA, so I watched a really bad movie, The Next Best Thing, and checked my e-mail on the internet keyboard. Biztravel acknowledged my claim, and told me I would receive a check for $200 within 3 weeks and I happily went to sleep.
The next morning I awoke about 9 am. I decided to go down for my buffet breakfast (thank god I had packed an extra t-shirt and leggings in my backpack). This was really excellent, a full protein English breakfast (haggis, eggs cooked any way you like, bacon sausage, mushrooms, cold cuts, cheese, yogurt, cereal, etc). When I returned to my room, I called BA, who told me my luggage had been delivered last night, oh boy, now the fun begins……
[This message has been edited by gabbysz (edited 11-15-2000).]
[This message has been edited by gabbysz (edited 11-15-2000).]
[This message has been edited by gabbysz (edited 11-15-2000).]
Nov 15, 2000, 12:13 pm
#2
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: Los Angeles, CA, USA
Programs: AA PLT, SPG GLD, PC PLT SPIRE
Posts: 4,531
Originally posted by gabbysz:
This was really excellent, a full protein English breakfast haggis...
This was really excellent, a full protein English breakfast haggis...
[This message has been edited by onedog (edited 11-15-2000).]
Nov 15, 2000, 1:00 pm
#3
Original Member
Original Poster
Join Date: May 1998
Location: nyc, ny, usa
Posts: 364
Hyatt Carleton Tower
BA910 LHR-FRA
After hearing from BA that they had delivered the bag last night (and that my hotel probably delivered it to the wrong room), I asked what my next steps were. “Well”, BA said, “We have finished our responsibilities, why don’t you have your concierge look for it?”. Thank you very much for your non-help, I told them as I hung up. I called the concierge who told there were definitely no deliveries last night, but that he would investigate for me. I also called AMEX (collect to the US) who confirmed I was entitled to $400 for clothes and toiletries for myself and my husband (since his clothes were also in the luggage). I also called the Hyatt, told them I would be checking in today, and could they look into an upgrade for a Diamond member on a special weekend with her husband. They told me that they would definitely take a look for me. The Hilton concierge called me that he would continue to investigate and call me at the Hyatt if he located the luggage.
I then went out to a local pharmacy where I bought some lovely Kent hairbrushes and toiletries, went back, showered, got an extended check-out (until 1 pm), and leisurely left the hotel.
When I arrived at the Hyatt, the pleasant young man told they had upgraded us to a Spa Suite, and that we had a delivery of theatre tickets (arranged by my Centurion concierge) for Mamma Mia!. He then proceeded to escort me to the suite, which had a beautiful Jacuzzi tub, steam shower and fantastic Molten Brown toiletries. They also had chocolates, champagne and some grapes waiting for us. My husband arrived about 20 minutes later, and he proceeded to shower, and then we walked to Harrod’s to buy ourselves some new duds.
I found 2 blouses that I loved, and we bought my husband a Viyella shirt, Harrod’s socks and a gorgeous tie just in case he needed one for the restaurants we were going to that weekend. I also bought a beautiful new TUMI purse.
We then headed back to our room where we found our luggage (since it had been mistakenly delivered to the Hyatt last night instead of the Hilton). We quickly changed for dinner and went to Nobu. We had a fantastic dinner of Yellowtail with jalapeno peppers, toro and yellowtail tartar, edamame, Dover sole, Tuna Tatami salad, new style sashimi shrimps, miso soup and to finish exotic fruits and infused sake. A truly delicious meal. We headed back to the hotel, heard more sad news about the American presidential elections (still too close to call), and went to sleep.
The next morning, we decided to have the discounted breakfast in the restaurant (Grissini’s), since I could not eat the complementary carb breakfast provided by the hotel to all Gold Passport members. It was a delicious meal of cold cuts, salmon, cheese, breads and cereals.
We proceeded to continue shopping that day and then hurried to Harrod’s to get our VAT before they closed for the night. By then we realized we needed to get back to the hotel to change for the theatre and head to Mamma Mia! Since we had not eaten since breakfast, and also had late dinner reservations, we found a little soup bar around the corner from the theater, and each had a bowl of soup. My husband had the green curry chicken soup (with addition fresh herbs added for garnish); I had the crab bisque with Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs added for garnish. My husband also had black pepper crisps on the side. We shared a diet Coke.
Mamma Mia! Is a must see for anyone who loves ABBA, we had so much fun, most people were singing along with the show. We then caught the Piccadilly Line tube to the Knightsbridge stop and walked to Vong, where we had a late dinner reservation (complements of our Centurion Concierge). Again, fantastic meal. I started with the foie gras and then had the lobster, which had an amazing cream sauce. My husband had the tuna rolls and then the chicken with lemon grass. He finished off with the white pepper ice cream and exotic fruit salad. Absolutely great. Another wonderful day in London ends as we walked back to the hotel.
On our final day in London, we slept in, swam in the fantastic pool at the Hyatt, and had the amazing brunch in Grissini’s. They had a beautiful appetizer bar with fresh seafood, cold cuts, salads and cheese to start with, and then we ordered spicy baby chicken as our main course and my husband finished with a sampling of all desserts from the dessert bar and I had a plate of cheese. We obtained a late check out from the hotel of 4 pm, so we could walk around the neighborhood. We left the hotel for Paddington to check our luggage and catch the Heathrow Express.
Upon checking in at BA, my assigned seat was not available (kaching!, another $25 from biztravel!), so they had to move us to another set of seats. We boarded the Heathrow Express, and were at the airport in about 20 minutes. We then proceeded to the BA Lounge. This was a great lounge, with about 8 different types of sandwiches, fruits, nuts, crisps and lots of different types of alcohol. We enjoyed the lounge for about 2 hours before the flight. The flight left and arrived on time, so no biztravel guarantee here. More on Frankfurt later……
BA910 LHR-FRA
After hearing from BA that they had delivered the bag last night (and that my hotel probably delivered it to the wrong room), I asked what my next steps were. “Well”, BA said, “We have finished our responsibilities, why don’t you have your concierge look for it?”. Thank you very much for your non-help, I told them as I hung up. I called the concierge who told there were definitely no deliveries last night, but that he would investigate for me. I also called AMEX (collect to the US) who confirmed I was entitled to $400 for clothes and toiletries for myself and my husband (since his clothes were also in the luggage). I also called the Hyatt, told them I would be checking in today, and could they look into an upgrade for a Diamond member on a special weekend with her husband. They told me that they would definitely take a look for me. The Hilton concierge called me that he would continue to investigate and call me at the Hyatt if he located the luggage.
I then went out to a local pharmacy where I bought some lovely Kent hairbrushes and toiletries, went back, showered, got an extended check-out (until 1 pm), and leisurely left the hotel.
When I arrived at the Hyatt, the pleasant young man told they had upgraded us to a Spa Suite, and that we had a delivery of theatre tickets (arranged by my Centurion concierge) for Mamma Mia!. He then proceeded to escort me to the suite, which had a beautiful Jacuzzi tub, steam shower and fantastic Molten Brown toiletries. They also had chocolates, champagne and some grapes waiting for us. My husband arrived about 20 minutes later, and he proceeded to shower, and then we walked to Harrod’s to buy ourselves some new duds.
I found 2 blouses that I loved, and we bought my husband a Viyella shirt, Harrod’s socks and a gorgeous tie just in case he needed one for the restaurants we were going to that weekend. I also bought a beautiful new TUMI purse.
We then headed back to our room where we found our luggage (since it had been mistakenly delivered to the Hyatt last night instead of the Hilton). We quickly changed for dinner and went to Nobu. We had a fantastic dinner of Yellowtail with jalapeno peppers, toro and yellowtail tartar, edamame, Dover sole, Tuna Tatami salad, new style sashimi shrimps, miso soup and to finish exotic fruits and infused sake. A truly delicious meal. We headed back to the hotel, heard more sad news about the American presidential elections (still too close to call), and went to sleep.
The next morning, we decided to have the discounted breakfast in the restaurant (Grissini’s), since I could not eat the complementary carb breakfast provided by the hotel to all Gold Passport members. It was a delicious meal of cold cuts, salmon, cheese, breads and cereals.
We proceeded to continue shopping that day and then hurried to Harrod’s to get our VAT before they closed for the night. By then we realized we needed to get back to the hotel to change for the theatre and head to Mamma Mia! Since we had not eaten since breakfast, and also had late dinner reservations, we found a little soup bar around the corner from the theater, and each had a bowl of soup. My husband had the green curry chicken soup (with addition fresh herbs added for garnish); I had the crab bisque with Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs added for garnish. My husband also had black pepper crisps on the side. We shared a diet Coke.
Mamma Mia! Is a must see for anyone who loves ABBA, we had so much fun, most people were singing along with the show. We then caught the Piccadilly Line tube to the Knightsbridge stop and walked to Vong, where we had a late dinner reservation (complements of our Centurion Concierge). Again, fantastic meal. I started with the foie gras and then had the lobster, which had an amazing cream sauce. My husband had the tuna rolls and then the chicken with lemon grass. He finished off with the white pepper ice cream and exotic fruit salad. Absolutely great. Another wonderful day in London ends as we walked back to the hotel.
On our final day in London, we slept in, swam in the fantastic pool at the Hyatt, and had the amazing brunch in Grissini’s. They had a beautiful appetizer bar with fresh seafood, cold cuts, salads and cheese to start with, and then we ordered spicy baby chicken as our main course and my husband finished with a sampling of all desserts from the dessert bar and I had a plate of cheese. We obtained a late check out from the hotel of 4 pm, so we could walk around the neighborhood. We left the hotel for Paddington to check our luggage and catch the Heathrow Express.
Upon checking in at BA, my assigned seat was not available (kaching!, another $25 from biztravel!), so they had to move us to another set of seats. We boarded the Heathrow Express, and were at the airport in about 20 minutes. We then proceeded to the BA Lounge. This was a great lounge, with about 8 different types of sandwiches, fruits, nuts, crisps and lots of different types of alcohol. We enjoyed the lounge for about 2 hours before the flight. The flight left and arrived on time, so no biztravel guarantee here. More on Frankfurt later……
Nov 15, 2000, 1:29 pm
#4
Original Member
Original Poster
Join Date: May 1998
Location: nyc, ny, usa
Posts: 364
Frankfurt Hilton
CO 51 FRA-EWR
After arriving in Frankfurt we quickly grabbed a taxi and were at the Hilton in 20 minutes. I was happily greeted at the front desk with a smile and an Executive Floor upgrade to an honored Diamond member. They also had moved us into a large corner room on this special floor. The room was lovely, and had a bottle of champagne and a plate of exotic fruit waiting for us, as well as two bottles of mineral water. This hotel also had an Internet keyboard, but it did not work properly so they took the Internet charges off my bill. We were a little hungry, so at 11:30 we went down to the Hilton Asian bar that served food until 4 am, and ordered spring rolls and chicken and duck curry. It was very tasty. We then we went to sleep with a 6:30 am wake up call.
Since our flight left at 11 am, we needed to be at the airport early, so we were at the complementary breakfast at the clubroom by 7 am. This was a great breakfast, with cheese, cold cuts, salmon, liverwurst, breads and cereals. We quickly ate, went back to the room, packed and left for the airport.
After a quick check-in and lecture about the weight of our luggage (34 kgs), we went to get our VAT forms stamped, and then headed to the Cathay Pacific lounge to wait for our flight. This was time we were in seats 4AB, and the flight left about 30 minutes late due to traffic, but the pilot made the time up in the air. This flight was also about 50% full in BE. The menu was as follows:
TO BEGIN
Warm roasted nuts
served with your preferred
cocktail or beverage
APPETIZER CART
Lobster with lemon
Prosciutto with melon
Cocktail sauce
SALAD
A contemporary blend of lollo rosso, iceberg and butter lettuce
with watercress, tomato, red onion rings, stuffed green olives,
sliced radish and a bell pepper julienne
Offered with your choice
of Cabernet Sauvignon vinaigrette
or Parmesan pepper dressing
Freshly baked bread
and assorted rolls with butter
MAIN COURSES
Chef's Preference
Veal medallion with vegetable crust
accompanied by sautéed shiitake and champignon mushrooms,
buttered sugar snap peas, zucchini and carrot bâtons
Green asparagus spears Haricots verts
Red and yellow bell pepper Saffron rice
Breast of Guinea Fowl
Accented by Leffe sauce, served with a rice medley
Mixed mushrooms Zucchini Bell peppers
Oriental Salmon
Poached fillet glazed with pepper and ginger
served on a bed of soba noodles with grilled shrimp
accented with coriander lemon grass sauce
Oriental vegetables Seared baby leeks
Pasta Bowl
Vegetable lasagne enhanced by tomato sauce
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese will be offered with your pasta
Sautéed mushrooms are available upon request to accompany any entree
FRUIT AND CHEESE
Select European cheeses
accompanied by fresh seasonal fruit, assorted cheese biscuits and rolls,
served with aged Port wine
DESSERT CART
Featuring a choice of an ice cream sundae
offered with your choice of toppings
or warm apple cobbler with vanilla ice cream
REFRESHMENT
will be offered prior to arrival
APPETIZER
A tapestry of fresh seasonal fruit
MAIN COURSE
Freshly prepared hot ciabatta sandwich
with roast beef and Gouda cheese,
served with creamed horseradish
Chocolate
I had the lobster and veal, which was very tasty, with extra mushrooms, no rice (no carbs for me). My husband had the prosciutto and salmon, which was a little fishy but the shrimps were excellent. The cheese was also excellent (I had the blue and brie), and passed on the dessert. I watched Small Time Crooks (very good), Scary Movie (so-so movie) and then slept the rest of the way to Newark. The flight arrived on time, and interestingly, the pilots never announced the approach, so the FA’s were running to their seats about 20 seconds before landing.
All in all a great weekend.
CO 51 FRA-EWR
After arriving in Frankfurt we quickly grabbed a taxi and were at the Hilton in 20 minutes. I was happily greeted at the front desk with a smile and an Executive Floor upgrade to an honored Diamond member. They also had moved us into a large corner room on this special floor. The room was lovely, and had a bottle of champagne and a plate of exotic fruit waiting for us, as well as two bottles of mineral water. This hotel also had an Internet keyboard, but it did not work properly so they took the Internet charges off my bill. We were a little hungry, so at 11:30 we went down to the Hilton Asian bar that served food until 4 am, and ordered spring rolls and chicken and duck curry. It was very tasty. We then we went to sleep with a 6:30 am wake up call.
Since our flight left at 11 am, we needed to be at the airport early, so we were at the complementary breakfast at the clubroom by 7 am. This was a great breakfast, with cheese, cold cuts, salmon, liverwurst, breads and cereals. We quickly ate, went back to the room, packed and left for the airport.
After a quick check-in and lecture about the weight of our luggage (34 kgs), we went to get our VAT forms stamped, and then headed to the Cathay Pacific lounge to wait for our flight. This was time we were in seats 4AB, and the flight left about 30 minutes late due to traffic, but the pilot made the time up in the air. This flight was also about 50% full in BE. The menu was as follows:
TO BEGIN
Warm roasted nuts
served with your preferred
cocktail or beverage
APPETIZER CART
Lobster with lemon
Prosciutto with melon
Cocktail sauce
SALAD
A contemporary blend of lollo rosso, iceberg and butter lettuce
with watercress, tomato, red onion rings, stuffed green olives,
sliced radish and a bell pepper julienne
Offered with your choice
of Cabernet Sauvignon vinaigrette
or Parmesan pepper dressing
Freshly baked bread
and assorted rolls with butter
MAIN COURSES
Chef's Preference
Veal medallion with vegetable crust
accompanied by sautéed shiitake and champignon mushrooms,
buttered sugar snap peas, zucchini and carrot bâtons
Green asparagus spears Haricots verts
Red and yellow bell pepper Saffron rice
Breast of Guinea Fowl
Accented by Leffe sauce, served with a rice medley
Mixed mushrooms Zucchini Bell peppers
Oriental Salmon
Poached fillet glazed with pepper and ginger
served on a bed of soba noodles with grilled shrimp
accented with coriander lemon grass sauce
Oriental vegetables Seared baby leeks
Pasta Bowl
Vegetable lasagne enhanced by tomato sauce
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese will be offered with your pasta
Sautéed mushrooms are available upon request to accompany any entree
FRUIT AND CHEESE
Select European cheeses
accompanied by fresh seasonal fruit, assorted cheese biscuits and rolls,
served with aged Port wine
DESSERT CART
Featuring a choice of an ice cream sundae
offered with your choice of toppings
or warm apple cobbler with vanilla ice cream
REFRESHMENT
will be offered prior to arrival
APPETIZER
A tapestry of fresh seasonal fruit
MAIN COURSE
Freshly prepared hot ciabatta sandwich
with roast beef and Gouda cheese,
served with creamed horseradish
Chocolate
I had the lobster and veal, which was very tasty, with extra mushrooms, no rice (no carbs for me). My husband had the prosciutto and salmon, which was a little fishy but the shrimps were excellent. The cheese was also excellent (I had the blue and brie), and passed on the dessert. I watched Small Time Crooks (very good), Scary Movie (so-so movie) and then slept the rest of the way to Newark. The flight arrived on time, and interestingly, the pilots never announced the approach, so the FA’s were running to their seats about 20 seconds before landing.
All in all a great weekend.
Nov 16, 2000, 2:51 pm
#5
Join Date: May 1999
Location: Central New Jersey
Programs: UA-Platimum 2 MM, HH-Gold, MR-Lifetime Gold, Hyatt-Discoverist
Posts: 6,238
Great report, I'm glad you got better treatment from the Hyatt. The manager did contact me via e mail and offered a free night the next time I'm in town.
Nov 20, 2000, 3:06 pm
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: source of weird and eccentric ideas
Posts: 38,684
wonderful report.
Good to see another low carber here on the boards. I know there are more of us...
with food like that, it's *easy* to avoid high carb stuff.
I always get tempted on longer flights when the meals have a rather small protein portion and then the d**n ice cream sundaes are offered...
Good to see another low carber here on the boards. I know there are more of us...
with food like that, it's *easy* to avoid high carb stuff.
I always get tempted on longer flights when the meals have a rather small protein portion and then the d**n ice cream sundaes are offered...