Though I’ve lived in Raleigh a fair amount of time, I haven’t explored nearly as many of the restaurants as I would have liked to. Thankfully, my girlfriend is more than happy to help me do that!
Margaux’s has an interesting offering with heavy French influences, and it goes well beyond its name. The menu is divided into appetizers, salads & soups, permanent entrees, rotational entrees, village dining, and a prix fixe menu. Because of the sheer number of options, it can be a little overwhelming to make a decision!
My girlfriend can’t resist an authentic French onion soup, and Margaux’s did not disappoint! The Gruyere was perfectly crusted onto the bowl, and the onion was delicious in the broth. I went with the Choucroute Garnie, which was both very well presented as well as delicious.
Housemade Tasso, Chorizo, Andouille Sausage
For entrees, my girlfriend opted for lamb, while I went with triggerfish. I had actually never heard of triggerfish before, so I wasn’t too sure what to expect going in, but found it to be quite light.
Rosemary grilled lamb loin with gratin potatoes, apple-mint jelly & red wine reductionGrilled triggerfish on a bed of braised green lentils, artichokes & cipollini onions
The lamb was spectacular. If you have the opportunity – give it a shot before it is rotated out of season! I am definitely going to be coming back!
After my initial visit to the Capital Grille in Raleigh, I was sure to sign up for their mailing list for any fun events that they might be hosting. Though I had received invitations to a few that we weren’t able to attend, when we were presented with an invitation to a prix fixe Easter brunch that we would be able to make, we had to jump on the offer.
Prix Fixe Menu
The menu was very reasonably priced for the available choices, and for those that wanted to deviate from the prix fixe offerings, the full menu was also provided. Though we were given the option of ordering mimosas and other refreshing adult beverages, North Carolina law doesn’t allow the sale of alcohol on Sunday until after noon (in restaurants), so we had to wait a little on that. Thankfully, the rest of the meal arrived in a timely fashion!
Citrus Blossom MimosaI usually stay away from tequila… but I couldn’t say no to this!Fire & IceDelicious carbs…
For our starters, I opted for the smoked salmon, while my girlfriend went with the kale salad. Nothing too exciting, but quite tasty all the same.
We didn’t have to wait long for our entrees once our appetizers had been cleared away, which was a pleasant surprise given how busy they were. I went with the dry aged steak with a fried egg, while my girlfriend broke her long-standing rule and opted for lobster. Though my steak was cooked perfectly, my egg was left runny (as opposed to fried), and my girlfriend’s lobster was overcooked to the point of being inedible. The manager made everything right, however, and completely comped her meal.
Dry-aged steak with an egg… delightful!Lobster Fritatta
For dessert, I decided to treat myself to flourless chocolate cake, while my girlfriend went with the crème brûlée.
The service, as always, was excellent, and we were never left with empty glasses. If you have a chance, definitely check out the Capital Grille for one of their many brunches! It’s a great opportunity to have excellent food at a reasonable price.
This week I had the opportunity to give the new Alessi serviceware a whirl, and I am very much a fan. The napkin ring went from being a paper hoop to a nice hexagonal metal ring, and the mugs and glasses are markedly nicer than before.
Another nice touch was that the old salt and pepper shakers (with what appeared to be tape on top to keep the contents in) have been replaced by resealable ones with a modern look that aligns with the rest of the serviceware.
Overall, I quite liked my experience and I look forward to using it in the future!
Salmon and veggies
Quality silverware!Resealable salt and pepper shakers
There has beena lotof talk recently about Delta bringing back free meals to the economy cabin for transcontinental (JFK-LAX & JFK-SFO, for now) flights, and it has raised questions about customer loyalty, profitability, and if other airlines (United and American) will take note of this and do the same.
I can’t speak to profitability or making customers (more) loyal, but as someone who flies across the country regularly, it is comforting to know that even if I don’t get my upgrade, I will get a meal… …Not to say that I would turn down an upgrade, by any means! 😉 This is even nicer for tight connections when I can’t swing by the SkyClub to grab a bite before the flight.
Admittedly, I’ll be sad to see the Fruit & Cheese plate go, which leaves me wondering if this means we will be able to make dietary requests in economy the same way we can when booking First/Business class tickets. Overall, I am excited for other transcontinental routes potentially adopting this.
Upon arriving at the airport I inquired to see if it was possible to upgrade to Premiere (Business Class). Finding out that there were seats available, we opted to pay the difference (cheaper than a single ticket from COK to DOH, amusingly enough) for the upgrade.
The seats were noticeably wider than economy, as to be expected, but were not lie-flat as it was a Boeing 737-800. They did, however, have extra recline and calf-rests which helped considerably. We were offered per-departure beverages and we were soon on our way.
Premiere SeatingComfy!Leg-Rest controlsPower!Plane Demographics for #AvGeeksMInt-Lime and Watermelon Juices
The only frustrating thing was that the TV screens were shared and were always on for the duration of the flight, so it made sleep a little difficult.
For the flight from Doha to London-Heathrow, I opted to take the backwards facing window seat on the B777. While this made for some frustrating navigation when leaving my seat, it offered some excellent views of the terrain!
As we boarded, I managed to capture a few pictures of the suites available in the First Class cabin.
First Class CabinFirst Class CabinScotch and Nuts!Mezze SamplerPoached SalmonLamb ShankSandwich SelectionDesserts!
Full Menu
Terrain Shots
London ApproachLondon Approach
Sheraton Skyline
With a 20 hour layover in London, we took some time to really catch up on sleep. After having spent a lot of time with recycled air and confined spaces, a nice big bed was definitely appreciated.
As a pleasant surprise, I was given a toy Mini-Cooper upon check-in (the local specialty) and was given a customized fruit basket! Talk about service! It is nice to see brand loyalty rewarded, truly.
LHR-DTW
The Champagne Belle
From London to Detroit we used Delta SkyMiles to book Upper Class tickets on Virgin Atlantic’s VS107. This flight is serviced by an Airbus A330-300. This was our first experience flying Virgin Atlantic, let alone their Upper Class product, so we were both extremely excited. The seats were arranged in a herringbone configuration with the ottomans facing the aisles.
Leather!Seat Controls and IFEStowed LED Reading LampAux Inputs and USB charging (110V under the seat)IFESwanky toiletry kit!
Though we already had a feeling we were in for a treat from everything we experienced getting situated, the meal service is what really made that clear to us. In addition to a private bar available (not pictured) behind the Upper Class cabin, the menu is carefully thought out with fairly healthy options. Furthermore, everything was adorable.
How can you not love this mug?The other side of the mugSalt and Pepper shakers!Wholemeal dinner rollTomato Basil soupChicken Breast!Steak and potatoesCheese for dessertPre-Landing Quiche
One interesting feature of the flight-map is that it also showed various landmarks, like the location of the Titanic, in addition to cities.
The “fun fact” map!
Full Menu
DTW-RDU
The last leg of our flight was by far the most frustrating. Instead of the initially scheduled 5 PM departure, our flight was moved up to 3 PM, which left very little time to get through customs and re-check all our bags. Thankfully, the Diamond Medallion line was very helpful and took care of rebooking both of us on the 8 PM flight (keeping us in First Class, no less). Though it took a fair amount of time on hold, everything was sorted out before we even boarded our flight in London. I love how helpful Delta staff are – they go above and beyond, consistently!
Instead of a regional jet, we returned home in a Boeing 717-200, which offered a lot more room for our cabin luggage (to our relief!).
We took a rather round-about route because we wanted to land directly in Kochi as opposed to another city (like Delhi, Mumbai, etc.) and go through customs there. To achieve this, we flew Delta to London, British Airways to Doha, and then Jet Airways to Kochi.
Outbound Routing
RDU-ATL
On the flight to Atlanta, we had the opportunity to try Delta’s new premium peanut snack. No more self-branded nuts!
Honey Roasted!
We had a short five hour layover in Atlanta, so we went to the SkyClub in terminal E and stretched out a little. We took this opportunity to get a quick nap before our next leg.
ATL-LHR
Selfie!
On our next leg, we flew in DeltaOne on one of Delta’s 767-300ERs. This meant we got Westin blankets and pillows, as well as Tumi toiletry kits. On longer flights, this makes all the difference in the world.
Lie-Flat Seats!Personal lighting, 110V outlet, and USB charging.Ridiculously comfortable bedding and the Tumi kitLumbar massage? YES PLEASE!Passive noise-cancelling headphonesThe Tumi KitOlder OS but the screen tilts!
For our snack, we were given spiced Georgia pecans. These were offered with our selection of water, orange juice, or champagne.
Champagne and JuiceSpicy!
We were then introduced to our purser and given our dinner menus. I opted for the lamb while Carrie opted for the fish.
Once we were in the air, we were given our three course meals: appetizers, main course, and our choice of dessert.
StartersCreole Blackened FishLamb!Wine for my lambCheese plate for dessertSnack!
We made excellent time thanks to some storms in the US giving us a very strong tailwind. The downside being that parts of the flight were bumpier than normal.
Zoom!
Closer to London, we were given the option of having breakfast. Unfortunately, they didn’t bring the cabin lighting up so we weren’t able to get a very good picture of it, but it was delicious!
London-Heathrow Sheraton Skyline
We planned a nice long layover in both London and Doha to give ourselves some padding for local customs, and time to leave the airport to find a local hotel. Here, we opted for the Sheraton Skyline. They offer discounted cabs to the hotel and since I had SPG Ambassador service, I was able to arrange everything well in advance!
London-Heathrow South Gallery
Upon returning to the hotel, we had plenty of time to relax at the South Gallery, as we were flying Club World to Doha. The WiFi was nice and fast, and the food was quite nice. The cheese and wine were probably my favorite – no surprise, there!
Though we were late in leaving for our plane, we made it with plenty of time thanks to heavy fog which delayed our departure by an hour. Once we were in the air, it was smooth sailing, though! This was my first experience with a Club World seat, and though we didn’t have Westin bedding, the seat itself was much more comfortable than on Delta (even without the massage).
The Boeing 777-200 we were on was divided into four cabins: First Class, Club World, World Traveler Plus, and World Traveler. The Club World cabin was arranged in a 2-4-2 configuration, which was a little cramped compared to the 1-2-1 layout of Delta’s 767. We also do not have direct aisle-access for all seats as we do with Delta. The nice thing was that since the seats were arranged facing each other, Carrie and I were able to talk to one another without having to turn constantly.
Conversations without twisting…Makes for happy necks!The seat!TV controlsFolding TV and tableSeat controlsBubbly!
Instructions for operating the seat!
As with our DeltaOne experience, we were given our menus by our purser and asked to select both our appetizer and main course. I opted for the steak while Carrie went with the chicken.
Mezze plate!Dessert!Delicious steak…Chicken!
A very cool feature of our Boeing 777-200 was that our in-flight-entertainment OS showed us what we were flying over from different angles!
Viewing OptionsOver-Wing View
Close to landing, we were given a very quick breakfast. Pastries, smoothies, and fresh fruit.
Pastries and fresh fruit!Buttermilk and oat smoothieMozzarella danish
Doha Airport
Upon landing in the Doha airport, we made our way to the arrivals area to collect our bags. I was lucky enough to notice a very distinct curved wingtip and was rewarded with a sight of one of Qatar Airway’s Airbus 350s! For an AvGeek like myself, this was a real treat!
A350!Another shot!
Doha Marriott
Since we had 13 hours in Doha, we opted to head to the nearby Marriott. Thanks to my status, I was able to guarantee a room for the same day! Gotta love it! The light poles we drove by were actually laser etched with the Qatari National Anthem, which I thought was a nice touch. They also change color periodically!
The beds!The TV and tableAmazing showerOpulent bathroom!The balcony!Balcony view at nightThey CHANGE COLOR!
DOH-COK
Our last flight was in economy on Jet Airways, on a Boeing 737-800. Since it was just 3 hours and 40 minutes, we thought we could tough it out. It was fairly cramped, but we were still given a full meal service and fresh tea, which was nice.
Overall it was a very positive experience, and I am decidedly pleased with my expenditure of miles!
After a day at the zoo, we realized we had yet to make our way to the beach. To rectify that, we opted for one of the more well known coastal areas of San Diego: La Jolla cove.
Don’t be this guy!
The guy above is crowding the sea lion. Not only is it against the law in San Diego, it is dangerous for both the man and the animal. As more people crowd the animal, the animal becomes more and more agitated and backs away (who can blame it?). This in turn prompts the humans to advance to get better pictures, and the cycle continues until either the animal leaves or the human gets bit. Don’t be like this guy. Respect the animal!
El Indio
After a day of sea-watching, we were craving some authentic Mexican food. Being this close to the border, we did some quick Googling and settled on El Indio.
Featured on Guy Fieri’s show, Diners, Dive-Ins, and Dives, El Indio has amazing food for ridiculously low prices. Hard to say not to that!
