If you are going to be stuck at an airport, make it Westchester
County, N.Y. That way, you can while away the time eating grilled
swordfish with gazpacho salsa or Eggplant Bayou St. Johns and sipping
from an award-winning wine list, at the Wings of Westchester restaurant.
All over the country, airports are upgrading their restaurants,
featuring appropriate dishes such as seafood in Miami, pasta in San
Francisco. Westchester County Airport has been a pioneer in this
upgrading, having leased its restaurant facility -- a former Quonset hut
-- to the Treybal family for the last eight years. "We're told we are
the best airport restaurant in the country," boasts Keith Treybal, one
of the six family members running the restaurant. And while he doesn't
specify the source, I can guess that many would agree.
The menu encompasses such appetizers as Spicy Skewered Chicken --
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one of its signature dishes -- wild mushrooms tarts, Maryland crab cakes
and Cajun popcorn. Main dishes range from grilled shrimp with roasted
sweet peppers to lamb chops with mint-radish butter. And desserts run to
such pies as key lime, peanut butter and fudge brownie. About 85 percent
of the business is locals, said one waiter, and that's a high compliment
for an airport restaurant. He added that he dines there himself.
Running an airport restaurant is even more difficult than running a
normal restaurant, which is hard enough. "The major problem with being a
restaurant in an airport is that the customer is, first, at the airport
not to be your customer but to be booked on the flight," explains
Treybal. That means a lot of one-time customers, and often grouchy ones
who take it out on the staff when their flight has been delayed or
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overbooked.
Usually passengers are on a tight schedule, so Wings of Westchester
has made a point of offering some fast dishes. Veal Parmigiana and
Cheese-Crusted Breast of Chicken can be sent out of the kitchen within
five minutes, whereas a steak takes 15 minutes of cooking time. Speed is
an art here. "We like to have a half hour" to serve a customer in a
hurry, says Treybal. In the coffee shop, he promises, customers can be
fed in two minutes.
Indeed, when I tried Wings of Westchester and specified I had a
plane to catch, the waiter brought my salad first because my skewered
chicken was going to take more time. He paced the meal so that I had
plenty of time to catch my plane without feeling rushed.
Usually passengers tend to eat just a quick sandwich at an airport,
settling in for a whole meal only if there is a flight delay. When they
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do dine, they virtually all use credit cards, and spend more when they
are on expense accounts, Treybal has noted. Some passengers who happen
into Wings of Westchester are taken aback by the prices -- about $12 to
$19 for dinner entrees. But even more are pleasantly surprised by the
quality and value (a sandwich at Wings of Westchester costs half the
price of a sandwich at La Guardia, claims Treybal). A few skip out
without paying their bills, which may be easier with a plane as their
getaway vehicle.
What casual customers don't realize is that an airport restaurant
has special -- expensive -- problems. Overhead is high; the county
charges a high rent and many fees. The restaurant has to stay open the
same long hours as the airport and can't close for holidays. At Wings of
Share this articleShareWestchester, the first staff member arrives at 4 a.m to open the coffee
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shop at 6. And while the restaurant kitchen closes at 10 p.m., the bar
has to be open until the airport closes, around midnight.
On the other hand, an airport brings high volume to a restaurant. It
also provides the excitement of family reunions, the drama of
departures, the activity of plane landings and takeoffs. For a
passenger, Wings of Westchester provides a respite from the irritations
of baggage and delays, the chance to linger over broiled fresh fish with
dill hollandaise and very good fresh vegetables, accompanied by one of
the dozen wines by the glass, while listening to swing music and
watching the runway activity. A waiter offers to grind pepper over your
romaine and mushroom salad, while you nibble warmed crusty mini-loaves
of bread, knowing that someone else is watching the clock for you. But
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it's far from perfect: The maitre d' was gruff to me, and though he
promised fresh crab in the Eggplant Bayou St. John, it looked and tasted
like frozen king crab. And airport passengers are not given window
tables, lest a delayed flight encourage them to monopolize the best
views. But after such a dinner, I was certainly in a better mood for the
second leg of my flight than the first. And I didn't even have to think
about airline food.
Tabletalk Continental Airlines may have had a good idea, but it got
lost somewhere before flight time. Continental serves its passengers
cute pink bags of "Fresh Air Fare," the text on the bag calling this "a
dramatic departure from traditional airline food." The bags claim to
contain "only fresh, wholesome ingredients -- like fresh fruit,
deli-fresh salads and tasty snacks." My bag of freshness contained a
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roll, a wedge of pasteurized process cheese spread and a chocolate-chip
granola bar. This led my companion to ask whether the granola bar had
been picked this morning.
WINGS OF WESTCHESTER SPICY SKEWERED CHICKEN (12 appetizer or 6
main dish servings)
3 boneless whole chicken breasts
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
3/4 cup salsa
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 bunch scallions, chopped
2 bell peppers (red, green or yellow), cubed
Slice chicken lengthwise into long strips. In a bowl, combine all
remaining ingredients except peppers. Add chicken strips, stir well. Let
marinate at least 4 hours.
First, soak long bamboo skewers in water, so they don't burn. Thread
on chicken like a snake, and in between each loop add a cube of bell
pepper. Grill skewers, turning only once, over charcoal for 4 to 6
minutes, or in a broiler, just until browned and cooked through.
1988, Washington Post Writers Group
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