One Flight Up: Next time we’ll consider risking the on board peanut packets
Lulu and Yva had the opportunity to eat breakfast at One Flight Up, the sole restaurant at Burlington International Airport, recently. Opportunity is probably far too positive of a word; perhaps “misfortune” is more accurate.
They had some time to kill before Lulu’s plane departed, and hadn’t eaten anything, so they decided to give this place a try. It’s not much to look at compared to restaurants in most other airports. It looks like a conference room in which they’re placed some tables and chairs and then hastily thrown some airplane and airline-related art up on the walls. However there are some seats which overlook the tarmac, so it’s not all bad. After a bit of a wait in the relatively empty restaurant they were seated at one such table.
The breakfast menu is pretty standard. There are omlets, pancakes, French toast, some benedicts, and a breakfast burrito, along with some standard sides. Lulu ordered the breakfast burrito and Yva ordered the eggs Benedict, both of which came with a side of fresh fruit.
The food arrived in a decent amount of time. The presentation was not particularly attractive, just a large white plate with a small, lonely entree sitting on it, seemingly adrift and overwhelmed by the large sea of plate. The fruit was in a small bowl placed on one corner of the plate.
Lulu’s breakfast burrito consisted of scrambled eggs, black olives, scallions, tomatoes, and onions with salsa and shredded cheddar wrap in a flout tortilla, cut in half, and then the halves held together with toothpicks a la club sandwich. She was pretty underwhelmed by the burrito. It was somewhat bland, surprisingly. It was also interesting to note that for whatever reason the shredded cheddar did not melt in any way within the burrito. It was as if the eggs and vegetable mixture had cooled entirely prior to the filling being put into the tortilla, and as a result the cheese didn’t even consider melting in its cool environment. Yes, the burrito was not terribly warm. There were also some interesting brown areas within the eggs, the source of which we could not determine. The side of fruit that accompanied the burrito was made up of honeydew, cantaloupe, grapes, and pineapple chunks. Rather standard fare, and nothing to complain about. The pineapple was actually fresh, firm to the bite and nicely ripe.
Yva’s eggs Benedict was overwhelming. Overwhelming with saltiness. Rather than using the standard Canadian bacon in its Benedict, One Flight Up uses thin slices of Vermont ham, which is nice, but that may have been part of the salty problem. The salty problem was further exacerbated by the Hollandaise sauce. Hollandaise sauce is supposed to contain lemon juice. The lemon juice is what makes it so attractive for a Benedict; because the Benedict is supposed to be a little salty from the bacon/ham, the acidic tartness of the lemon juice will cut the saltiness, as well as the Hollandaise simply adding creaminess to help bring the poached eggs, meat, and English muffin together. There was no lemon juice, or even any acidity, detectable in this Hollandaise sauce. There was more salt though. The poached eggs were overcooked, with hard yolks, but that was honestly the least of the plate’s problems. The Benedict was pretty much inedible, and the plate was only saved by the fruit that accompanied it.
We are uncertain what went wrong at One Flight Up. It could be the captive diner syndrome. There are only a couple of snack bars within the airport, so if someone wants to kill a bit more time or dine a little more formally this is their only option. It could have simply been an off morning or perhaps breakfast is not their forte. The restaurant is only open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., so they have plenty of opportunities to master breakfast. Regardless, we wouldn’t risk it again for another meal. When you have two entrees and they’re both questionable, you don’t want to risk any additional investment.
Breakfast for two (including two soft drinks): $22.38. One Flight Up, Burlington International Airport, South Burlington, Vermont. Hours are 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. There is a lounge which opens later and closes early as well.
3 years ago • 0 notes