dmurphynj

So let me get this straight ...

You had, presumably, 3 choices - 2 meats and one veggie, didn't like any of them, so complained and walked away with $250-$500 worth of miles? (Or, put another way, a free domestic round trip anywhere in the US?)

Not sure I see what the complaint is about. I'd be happy to take a snack box in exchange for $500.

(And BTW - both of those options can be very tasty, prepared correctly ... not saying UA would or would not have, but both can be excellent.)

MostlyUA

I think beef cheeks are as good as short ribs. Both are cheap cuts of meat but tasty if well prepared. I prefer beef cheeks to a United "tenderloin" any time.

Chicken thigh is also better than breast meat in terms of flavor.

The meal choices on my flights tend to be a choice of chicken and udon noodles in Thai soupy sauce, shortrib with some dark sauce, salmon/unidentifiable white fish with greens, and Indian vegetarian option. I haven't seen beef cheeks or chicken thighs.

cerealmarketer

Nothing festive about the food today except the dessert cart but UA J food was bottom of the pack for a long time post 2001 and not much better than now.

Desserts were worse, mains still in the mini casserole dishes, the cuts of meat were a grade higher, but the pastas, asian noodle thing better now.

AirlineMeals.net - Airline catering * the world's largest website about airline catering, inflight meals and special meals

AA J wasn't much better - grim salad, some bits of seafood cocktail, OK looking beef - and that's on one of the 2 cabin flights with the 'better' service back then.

AirlineMeals.net - Airline catering * the world's largest website about airline catering, inflight meals and special meals

DL J food generally better than AA/UA today but that's also had cuts in grades of protein, etc over the last few years after 'peak Delta.'

The biggest travesty now is the beyond low grade of beef and chicken on the PS flights. Didn't even know there was a cut of chicken breast with that cardboard texture.

big V

Previously I was only able to compare UA J meals to ANA and LH. And despite the better food on both, the hard product at UA made me prefer UA. I felt like I could suck up the difference in food, since I value sleep the most and don't like ANA's seats and some of LH's seats.

I recently flew SQ in J and was blown away at the quality of both the hard and soft products. Apps choices were lobster or beef, Perrier Jouet was flowing freely, excellent mains, cheese, dessert....and they gave you a box of Neuhaus chocolates (about 15-20) in a little Neuhaus bag as a parting gift. SQ food and beverage was ridiculously better than my return on Polaris. As was the seat.

While I default to UA for the BIS and chasing MM, I won't think twice about prioritizing SQ over UA the next time. The difference was like eating at, say Capital Grille in SQ vs TGI Fridays on UA. (Sadly. Because UA does me right by and large, and I really want to keep liking them. But they are not making it easy for me to do so when it comes to their food...)

cmd320

SQ is pretty much always the way to go if it’s an option.

goodeats21

Just flew NRT->ORD. Wow, the arrival breakfast was vile. Worst I have ever had on United, and that is saying something. I will try to post pics later this week, but just amazed at how far things have fallen.

vaguba

did you get the katsu, because everyone hates that one

goodeats21

The Katsu was one of my favorites, thought haven't had it in a long time. I have been routing through HKG mostly, which doesn't seem to get that one.
It wasn't available on this flight.

I had a cheese omelette, with sausage and potatoes. Dreadful. Potatoes tasted raw, but were overcooked and dry. Hard to describe. Sausage was gristly, with hard bits inside that I had to spit out. tiny container of yogurt-like matter, but tasted off and watery.

MTan

Personally I find the katsu ex-NRT to be quite good (as far as UA breakfast goes), but the same ex-EWR absolutely dreadful. Though any catering ex-NRT tends to be a bit better, imo.

bloodyeyeballs

I did try the beef cheeks and it looked like dog food and was barely edible. My point was more that I could have flown ANA business at the same time and for the same price but didn't due to false loyalty to UA and for BIS credit for lifetime status.
The point of this thread seems to be to point out that Polaris meals are going downhill since inception. This was my data point.

bsb7140

I believe the current options are the cheese omelet or sawara yuan with yuzu sauce and some kind of rice.

seat38a

Same omelette which United used to serve for breakfast on domestic routes. EXACTLY the same omelette, had it many times between LAX and IAH. Once they started serving it in Polaris, domestic breakfast got downgraded to that vile kale pastry or the egg white sandwich.

ExplorerWannabe

I have found the garlic bread varies from flight to flight. Sometimes it's gorgeous with soft interior and a nice crust, more frequently it's baked out a bit and a little dry. I can't recall any instance of getting it in a semi-dough-like state.

It's not that they don't deserve any kind of a meal. It's that consumers have consistently gone bottom line on what they were willing to pay for the fare, driving down the level of service. I think a flight that long SHOULD have a meal and it always used to -- but airfares also used to be a lot higher and for the difference in airfare, I can certainly live with buying something to take on the plane.

iplaybass

This thread is making me nervous for my first US-EU trip on United J.

vaguba

You'll be ok. I do wish they would do cobranded meal deals with fast food franchises. Like a bucket of popeye's and some cinnabon for dessert.