I’m an omnivore and probably always will be. One evidence of that is apparently that hope springs eternal and I keep ordering steaks on airplanes, hoping they will turn out nicely. While I am usually disappointed, on a recent United Airlines flight São Paulo to Houston I was pleasantly surprised.
Impressive Brazilian Steak On United Airlines
By the time we took off from Guarulhos International Airport in São Paulo, it was after midnight. I was tried and my stomach was somewhat full already. My seat was comfortable and I was ready to recline and go to sleep. But as the purser came around to take dinner orders, he offered beef filet as one of the three dinner choices.
In a country known for great beef, I just had to try it…
Due to COVID-19, the entree arrived wrapped. As I gingerly uncovered it, I wondered whether I was just wasting my time.
But it looked tasty…it looked like a filet.
I love green chimichurri sauce and poured it on top of the steak. Not only did a pleasant aroma waft to my nose, but it created a visually pleasing plate (well, casserole dish…) as well.
Then I cut in half, to see how it was cooked.
I was stunned and very pleased to see it was cooked medium rare.
So now it looked good, was cooked perfectly, and had a great sauce…but how would it taste?
I took a bite and smiled. This was the best steak I’ve had on United since I had a similarly tasty filet mignon out of Tokyo in 2018.
> Read More: Wow! A Perfect Steak on United Airlines
So well done, United. If only the flight kitchen in Brazil could cater all your flights! Then again, my friend ordered the fish when he flew home and spit it out after one bite, calling it sickening.
So if you’re flying on United from Brazil in Polaris Business Class, stick to the steak. It’s delicious.
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.
Are you absolutely sure you didn’t get something that raced at the hippodrome? 😉
It does look like beef to me, but I know quite a few people who wouldn’t touch a steak they would consider undercooked. I am rather fond of rare/medium rare steaks, hut not everyone is.
Enough fawning over United’s dreadfully inadequate premium cabin catering. Sure it was a nicely cooked piece of beef but part of an economy class grade meal service.
Use. your platform to be more critical on this front
@ Matthew — I agree. You rarely seem to have anything bad to say about United. Partly due to your encouragement, I flew UA/CO frequently many years ago and even attained 1 MM. However, I have barely flown them since. I just don’t see what is better about them than AA or DL. In fact, as I mentioned a few days ago, the inability to confirm upgrades as a 1K makes their elite program worthless IMO.
I guess my experience is different. I don’t set out to be a cheerleader, but my experience is generally good (and as a 1K I always get the upgrade if I apply my PlusPoints and often when I don’t). I know the staff at hubs across the country and find the service onboard more pleasant than AA (I’m also EXP).
@ Matthew — But, at least as far as I could see (I haven’t checked recently, so perhaps things have changed), it is next to impossible to confirm those PointsPlus upgrades at the time of booking. That is why I find them useless. Delta generally offers ample availability for confirmed-at-booking upgrades if you have a bit of flexibility. I don’t do upgrade waitlists…
If you don’t do waitlists, then I get it. UA generally doesn’t clear Upgrades until 23hr, 59min before a flight. But when that occurs, I find myself up front almost always.
You have always done an excellent job at reporting the truth of things….I think we all forgot that as a reporter your job is to report the good and the bad…the experience….so God forbid in this world a good experience happens everyone is so quick to jump on the negative bandwagon! You must be sick to death of all these idiots who can’t just let it go without some angry comment whether it be united or any other airline…lighten up people!!
5 mins late is late! 1 min late is f*ing late! Man up and take responsability for your bad timing of your life! Why do the rest of the 200 passengers or more have to suffer possibly miss a connecting flight and the FAA classifying this flight under the delayed departure column and the entire crew above and below the wing which at this point moved on to another plane has to go back and serve your majesty…what about safely?
Entitled piece #&#%@&*$(#^
You dare mention letting a mother with a baby on the lift as a favor to humanity that now all of the sudden the universe and its enhabitants owes you a F@$&@ Cookie. Or shut up and man up and learn a thing or 2 about travel and the airline industy before you go into your default mode and complain
Catering out of Brazil is always very good. Even on coach I heard people saying it os worth eating. Brazilians take food very seriously so even on cheap US airlines they will still deliver great food.
BTW, did you go to the lounge at GRU? Never flew United but usually the food on the other airline lounges are very good.
Aren’t all *A airlines still using what used to be the Star lounge?
PM is correct, but I had a little border snafu (I used the wrong passport to get stamped out) and didn’t have any time to check out the lounge.
It has been 3 years since I last been to Brazil but I remember Delta used the Gol lounge and AA a different one. Not sure about United. The Gol lounge was big and had great food.
Such a phony fan boy review. If you think United food is good try sizzler you’d be a big fan. I agree this blog is going downhill fast.
Thanks for reading.
If it makes you feel any better, the beef short rib I had a from SFO-LHR was totally disgusting with more gristle than meat.
A steak with chimichurri on a flight from Brazil.
Next flight a Malbec out of Santiago?
Looks good, though.
United really can’t pay you enough for all this unwavering loyalty.
United did me dirty they wont make good on a trip me and my friend checked in from the car. After getting into airport we let people with babies get on elevator first. We got to kiosk and my friend put her passport in and my name came out which showed we checked in. The lady said we were 5 minutes late to check in and would not let us go on our trip. United has not made good for this yet and as much as they make its a dam shame!!!
I’m always satisfied with the food from GRU to IAH. I could use a bit more vinaigrette on my salad, but it never disappoints. Ive been flying the route since December last year ,and most recently 3 weeks ago, and the food is always so good. Wait….the dinner is always good. The breakfast is hit or miss. Not sure if economy receives the same meals, but i have flown economy once and the food was pretty impressive.
Looks RAW to me! Yuck!
I mean, everyone who ate the fish got sick!
“A hospital! What is it?”
“It’s a big building with patients, but that’s not important right now.