A Multi-Course First Class Dinner on American Airlines

Each week, my Meal of the Week  feature examines an airline meal from my travels over the years. This may be a meal from earlier in the week or it may be a meal served over a decade ago.

I flew international first class on American Airlines exactly once.

It was April 2015 and I had an upgraded an unusually cheap fare from Chicago to Beijing from business to first class. The 777 featured AA’s old first class suite, which has since been mothballed.

After takeoff, a choice of beverage was offered with a large ramekin of warmed mixed nuts. The table was also prepared for dinner.

The starter consisted of cold roast beef: it would be a very beef-heavy meal. The pretzel roll on the side was served warm.

Next up, cream of broccoli soup.

That was followed by a green salad with cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and candied pecans.

For the main course, I chose filet of beef with potatoes au gratin and cooked spinach. It looked fine, but how would it taste?

Quite nicely, actually. the meat was cooked a perfect medium rare (and I didn’t even waste my breath requesting it be cooked that way).

A cheese course followed, including a wonderful havarti dill.

Finally, an ice cream sundae to finish.

This was 2015, of course. Kyle’s complaint about AA premium longhaul dining prompted this walk down memory lane.

CONCLUSION

All in all, an excellent meal. Very American and American™, but a medium rare steak on an airplane is nothing to scoff at. I hope to try AA again in first class one day, though find it difficult to justify when Cathay Pacific or JAL cost the same number of miles.