Category: Travel

General adventures and misadventures

Raleigh Restaurant: Capital Grille – Easter Brunch

Rawr!

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 Mimosa
I usually stay away from tequila… but I couldn’t say no to this!
Fire & Ice
Delicious 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.

Crème brûlée!
Super-smooth flourless chocolate cake

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.

Four Points by Sheraton (San Diego, CA) – Whirlpool Suite

After last week’s travel meltdown, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect on the road. I knew there would be some cascading issues that lingered with all the disruptions to Delta (which translated to a little more than an hour delay on my flight to San Diego), so I went in expecting the worst.

I couldn’t be more wrong.

Not only did Avis give me one hell of a fun car for the week (Camaro SS!), the Four Points I was staying at upgraded me to one of their suites. Being my first visit to a Four Points, I didn’t really know what to expect, but it was safe to say I was blown away by everything it had.

Surprise Number One

One of the nice things about having Avis First is that you get upgrades from time to time upon arrival at your rental location (not to mention the ability to pick out a new car if you don’t like the one you were assigned).

As I landed, I checked my email to see what I would be driving this week, and I definitely did a double-take. Though I’ve been given cars like Charger R/Ts in the past, this was my first Camaro, and to have it be an SS was icing on the cake.

Ooooh baby… that engine!

The Hotel

The Four Points has two restaurants (Citrus, where breakfast is served, and the Montfield Bar), a swimming pool and fitness center, and on-site golfing. Though located a fair distance from downtown, it is still quite well positioned for a variety of activities. There is even a shuttle to the airport (which is quite nice, as parking is not complimentary).

The interior isn’t particularly remarkable in terms of decoration, but it is very well-maintained. There are trees placed throughout as well, which is quite nice. The trees make it feel a lot more open and adds a nice touch. I’m not sure if other hotels could pull it off, but the Four Points does it well!

Surprise Number Two

I wasn’t too surprised as I entered the room, as it had fairly standard furnishings in the “living room” area, but as I made my way into the bedroom, I was wow-ed.

Entering the room: swanky!
Traditional King bed and another TV

In a nook to the side of the bed, on the way to the bathroom, was a Whirlpool!

Surprise! Whirlpool!

Continuing into the bathroom, I noticed that the trend of spacious elegance continued with the shower and counter area with the sink. There was even a bidet in a separate room with the toilet!

Swanky shower!
Lots of space on the counters
Bidet!

All in all, I was very pleasantly surprised this week and can definitely see myself coming back to this hotel.

New @Delta Serviceware by Alessi // @Matteo_Alessi

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

Sheraton Mission Valley (San Diego, CA) – Standard Suite Upgrade!

One of the awesome things about having Starwood Platinum status is the that when you check in you can be upgraded to a standard suite if there is availability. When checking in this week, I was pleasantly surprised with such an upgrade!

The entryway!
To the bedroom!
Not a Westin bed… but it’ll certainly do! ;D
A second TV
Another shot of the living area

Huge Changes All Around!

Wow – so many changes this week… busy busy!

  • Alaska Airlines released their plan for Virgin America on their blog, and while a lot of changes are promising, Virgin’s amazing First Class hard product will be missed.
  • There was confirmation that you can use your Alaska Airlines companion certificate on Virgin America routes, which is a surprisingly smooth integration of systems (not going to lie… I was not expecting it to go that well between their IT departments!). I have this card and I’m looking forward to taking advantage of it!
  • Massive LAX changes with Delta moving from T5 and T6 to T2 and T3, displacing pretty much everyone else. I usually avoid LAX simply because I spend more time on the tarmac than in the SkyClub, but this could make things interesting.
  • The Centurion Lounge in SEA-TAC was undergoing expansion earlier this year, and it has finally completed! I’ve been known to fly through there from time to time and I am very excited to go back.
  • One of the biggest changes to Delta was announced by René – you can now be upgraded even after boarding. It’s only a pilot program right now, but I truly hope it will be adopted system-wide.

Domestic #DeltaOne on a Boeing 757-200

Lie-Flat! Score!

For some travel I have coming up, I noticed that my usual plane from JFK to San Diego was replaced with an internationally configured Boeing 757-200. Though this means there are substantially fewer seats in First Class (down to 16 from 20 to 26 depending on configuration), there is an opportunity to fly Delta One domestically without any upgrade certificates!

To be safe I didn’t miss out on this opportunity, I went ahead and called Delta to apply a Regional Upgrade Certificate to my reservation. As soon as I was off the phone, I noticed that my reservation now had a note indicating I was wait-listed for my upgrade (since no upgrade space had cleared yet). I wasn’t worried, though, as using a Regional Upgrade Certificate moves you to the top of the list so you are only competing with others that are using them, or those who are willing to pay to upgrade.

History

Delta first introduced the lie-flat seat configuration for the Boeing 757-200 four years ago. Interestingly enough, my plane had the same BusinessElite branding as from all those years ago. Some things never change, eh? 😉

B757 Delta One Cabin

As you can see from the seat-map above, the DeltaOne/BusinessElite cabin is arranged into four rows of four seats. While that means no aisle-access for everyone, it is still a huge improvement over the standard first class product. Even with the older seats, being able to be completely flat goes a long way to being functional when you land.

My seat: 4D
One of the new Westin blankets!
Outlets and headphones, as well as a drink holder.

My only complaint with this configuration is that it is impossible to rest your left arm without hitting controls!

Seat controls and remote
Huge screens!
Updated IFE, complete with pinch-to-zoom and usable controls for media

Domestic Delta One Meal Service

When it came time for dinner, we were given an option of fish (poached salmon) or beef. I opted for the fish as I had a delicious steak for lunch. 😉 Though this was the same meal as offered on other domestic flights, the flavor of the dish was much nicer. The acidity worked quite well for it and it maintained its flavor at 35,000 feet.

Poached salmon on russet potatoes and mushrooms

Closing Thoughts

From what I can see, there are quite a few more opportunities for domestic lie-flat in my future, so I am quite excited. Since I have to be up early the next morning, being able to stay well rested makes a big difference. Having Ku-based GoGo is icing on the cake!

Ku, baby!

The Return of Free Meals! #KeepClimbing, @Delta

There has been a lot of 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.