aeronuova @ jfk

queens, ny

link to yelp

as far as US domestic terminals go, jetblue's terminal 5 at jfk might be one of my favorites. (seattle's redesigned central terminal is definitely up there as well). jetblue's terminal 5 is a huge open space that rarely feels overwhelming despite the crowds. decent food. nice shopping options. since i was early for my flight back to la, i decided to enjoy a glass of red wine and a bowl of rigatoni bolognese at aeronuova. pasta was okay - i liked that it was al dente, but the sauce was a bit bland. wine was excellent. service was very friendly. a nice comforting meal before a long flight.

bonfire @ jfk

queens, ny

link to yelp

i had to make a few work calls while at the airport, so i decided to settle into a quiet corner of todd english's bonfire restaurant at the united terminal at JFK. waitstaff was very polite and left me alone while i finished up my calls, except to refill my soda.

i was craving a hot dog ever since i made the tactical error back at la silhouette, so i ordered the hot dog and fries with coleslaw. expensive. greasy. heavy. the bread was too thick and dry. but the fries were good. typical airport food, but i was hoping for something better from a restaurant with a famous chef's name attached to it.

stone rose bar @ jfk

queens, ny

link to yelp

as usual, derek and i were nearly 2 hours early for our flight to SF. so we decided to get a bite to eat. the delta terminal at JFK might be old and decrepit, but the mezzanine level has a reliable burger king. then we noticed the stone rose bar, a full-sized sit down restaurant with a lounge area and bar. the seating looked more comfortable so we went for it. ended up running into hana as she left the lounge to catch her flight! small world. we decided to meet up in the city at some later date (to be posted).

the hostess graciously seated derek and myself at a four-top, so we had enough room to put our luggage to the side. service was surprisingly friendly and cheerful for being at an airport. everyone else in the lounge was drinking cocktails, but derek and i were focused on food. the cheese and bacon covered potato skins were too greasy for me, but derek enjoyed them. i liked my vegetable pizza, especially the chunks of melted mozzarella. would i ever eat here if i wasn't stuck in an airport? absolutely not. however it was a quiet and comfortable space to relax before the flight.

jade asian

flushing, queens

website

derek and i have been talking about exploring more of flushing (the real chinatown in new york city). y&a graciously offered to drive derek and myself to queens for some great chinese food. we had dim sum at jade asian - solid fare. my favorite was the shrimp chang fen - super wide rice noodles wrapped around cooked shrimp and coated in soy sauce.

at one point, i was just pointing to various dishes without any clue of what was inside. one plate with three crispy shells looked promising, until y took a bite - durian!! the dangerously pungent fruit commonly enjoyed in southeast asia. y is a fan, a is not. i decided to give it a try and y giggled with glee when she saw my reaction. i made derek try some too. he was less adverse to it, but not a fan. a refused to try it and y was left with the rest of the plate to enjoy.

lafrieda custom burgers @ LGA

delta terminal, LGA

i now have a reason to fly delta. the most amazing airport burger i've ever tasted. pat lafrieda is famous in nyc for making special burger blends for various nyc burger joints, including our favorite burgers - shake shack, blt burger, and little owl. i had to make a quick trip to michigan for work, so i flew out of LGA around 7 pm on a wednesday night. i figured i'd be stuck with a greasy pretzel for dinner or worse, a tiny bag of peanuts.

imagine my surprise when, after passing through security, i came across pat lafrieda custom burgers. less than 6 bucks for a burger with russian dressing, lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles. i carried it to the gate and devoured my flavorful, juicy, and delicious burger. it's the same style as the shake shack - soft potato bun and basic veggies. the vegetables aren't as high quality, but the patty is thicker. a seriously good burger - i actually can't wait until i have to fly on delta again.