For my Austin – Chicago flight this week I was upgraded about 26 hours prior to departure, so I was able to pre-order my breakfast for the flight. (American had consistently wanted over $500 for a buy up on this segment, so I was pleasantly surprised by the upgrade.)
I was even happier when I saw the selections. They had a smoked salmon platter, which is exactly what I think they should be doing. It’s not going to be Russ & Daughters, but I figured it would be a strong improvement over eggs + potato + pork + sugary pastry.
Here’s the thing. You can see from the description it was supposed to have red onion and capers. It did not. I can manage, and one of my more anachronistic preferences is for white onion.
- Red onions have a milder, slightly sweeter bite that most people feel complements the salt and smoke of lox. White onions are sharper and sulfurous, which can overwhelm the fish (especially Nova lox, again not my first choice).
- he reddish-purple onion against the pink lox and white cream cheese provides the classic visual presentation of a lox platter.
I’d also add that the bagel was cold, in a shrink-wrapped package, and not fully sliced. It took real effort to keep it in one piece as I finished separating top from bottom with my knife. The quantity of smoked salmon was not exactly generous… but it was fine, because the bagel itself was small. And the blueberries in the fruit side were exceptionally sour.
I could manage all of that! My actual main objection here was that they did not include any cream cheese! There was butter! In my entire five decades I have never once wanted a ‘bagel, butter, and lox’. Have you ever heard of such a thing?
Let’s accept that American Airlines isn’t focused on the details of its meals, and over the past several years has been more given to simply ‘box checking’ (there’s a meal? check!). And let’s further accept that worrying about consistent delivery of the meals to spec seems low on their list. But can’t we get basic things right, like ‘bagel, cream cheese, and lox’? I do give them credit for improving on their pandemic-era bagel though.
This meal could be a great domestic first class breakfast, American! Let’s take it the rest of the way there and get the details right!
Eh, still beats what @J.A.R. was dealing with on Delta… Nightshade!
I’m sure AA meant to serve smoked sable (i.e. black cod) which pairs excellently with butter, along with a bialy.
FWIW while the Russ & Daughters cafe does not take reservations, they do use the Resy platform, so dining there will trigger your $100 Platinum credit. You are welcome in advance @1990.
Packaged bagel defies the description… it isn’t a bagel just because they call it so… cream cheese might help, but I’d eat it without the bread
Philistines!!!
It’s bloody clear your flight did not originate in New York or Miami/Fort Lauderdale.
@Peter — Resy credits have been easy to use (Platinum $100, Gold $50, DL Reserve $20, etc.); the new Chase “Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables” credits were slightly more challenging, but there’s a place in Tribeca that P2 really likes, so we got it done, credits posted, pleasantly surprised.
@1990 – what place? Trying to use mine at Casa Mono next week on the east side – it’s been ages since I’ve been there!
But yes, Resy has been very easy to use. Pretty great.
The salmon looks dry and sad the hockey puck resembling a bagel wrapped in plastic pathetic
Enjoy your butter with that (roll eyes)
Might as well serve it with mayo mustard and ketchup and go all the way into
the we can’t do food well mode
You win the lottery if you can eat any of it on American
I don’t think I can handle this astounding pivot to premium, it’s just too overwhelming.
It looks like the Larry David sandwich.
Gary, we are spoiled brats admitting this, but absolutely not — you cannot have a bagel with butter and lox. I am with you on this one. And where’s the red onion? Clearly, the AA breakfast team needs a crash course in Bagels 101.
Seriously, President Trump and Congress, end this government shutdown. As you can probably tell from my comment above, I’m from the NYC metro area. We are feeling the impact, and now at our three airports, too.
It’s awful when the customer is doing quality control instead of the carrier.
Sounds and looks like the bagel i had on Air France long haul.
Using the same caterer?
@Peter — Casa Mono is a good choice; may need to return there as well once credits reset in January. We went to l’abeille, which was about $500 minimum for a couple, set menu. Used each of our CSRs, so the $150×2 credits helped. Good to know, even if one account makes the reservation, can use multiple cards to pay, receive credits. Phew!
You should only expect Wawa like food on domestic flights other than certain transcon routes. If you’re really hungry eat in the lounge ahead of time.
@George can we at least expect wawa like food?
In Ireland, smoked salmon, Irish butter, and brown soda bread is a common (and delicious) combo.
I had the exact bagel and on the plus side it was made in New York. The flight attendant also was surprised and that no cream cheese was available on our flight from San Antonio to Miami.
That looks cheap and disgusting. I wouldn’t touch that.
I make bagels. They are better than any you can buy in my fly-over town. My friends love them. No one has every been permitted to ruin them with cream cheese.
@this comes to mind. What do you have against Jews?
@AlanZ — Yeesh. Does @This comes to mind have them… plain? Oof. Butter? Jelly? Peanut butter? Nutella? Honey?
@1990 Vegemite of course
Some people might just want the bagel with butter. (Me.)
Expecting such niceties as cream cheese on a budget carrier like AA may be expecting too much. Pretty awful stuff in any case.
I’ve served this option many times. Obviously the local kitchen had an inventory issue and substituted and omitted some things. It happens. Jeez Gary. The country is literally melting down, federal workers are either laid off or working for free, the night before you wrote this a cargo plane crashed into an industrial area killing a dozen people, and you are complaining about butter and onions from a first class seat. Be grateful for what you have!