Piquillo, JFK Jet Blue Terminal 5
Jet Blue’s T5 has quite a few problems (it’s an architecturally confusing, mini mall of a place), but its culinary aspirations aren’t one of them. Faced with some downtime while waiting for my flight, I sat down for a snack at Piquillo - former Tia Pol exec. Alex Raij’s contribution to the T5 lineup of upscale eateries. Piquillo es muy pequeño; it’s a sliver of a space wedged between AeroNuova, an Italian eatery developed by Del Posto’s Mark Ladner, and 5ive Steak from Todd Mark Miller of STK. Both restaurants are double the size, with portions and prices to match.
Since time becomes ever more important in an airport, tapas seemed like the most sensible route. The dishes are simple and portion sizes tend to be modest, though Piquillo’s offerings were ample enough to satiate me with just two dishes. Patatas Bravas (above) were a fine iteration, crispy with a tender inside and served with a moderately spicy mayonnaise. To counteract the spiciness (and because flying sober is for suckers), I got a glass of sangria which sadly contained a lone orange slice. Even though there was no booze-soaked fruit to be eaten, the sangria’s timid cinnamon flavor was decent enough.
The second dish was Rabo de Buey, a generous portion of three plump oxtails braised in red wine for $12. Fork-tender, perfectly spiced meat gave me the kind of tingly feeling that Chris Matthews still gets when looking at Obama. While the braising liquid was a bit oily, a nice piece of bread would’ve sopped up the juices perfectly (I unfortunately failed to ask for one — next time!).
Just based on this sampling, Piquillo is clearly way ahead of the airport dining game. It’s not cheap, but it’s the best thing I’ve ever eaten before sitting in a chair and going through the sky at 600 miles an hour.
