This year I had the special opportunity to spend Thanksgiving weekend in France. One of my Boston friends fell in love with a Parisian and after their engagement they swiftly decided to get married in the City of Light the Saturday of Turkey Day break.
After sheepishly calling my parents and asking for a pass on Thanksgiving in Miami this year, I booked my tickets and start fantasizing about walking along the Seine.
I convinced a friend to take the trip with me (her parents also graciously gave her the out) and on the Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving Day we arrived at Logan Airport as giddy as could be.
Both the check in and security lines moved so quickly that we found ourselves in the terminal waiting area with two and a half hours to kill.
We decided to have dinner at one of the two sit down restaurants in the international terminal (Terminal E). We picked the one called Vino Volo.
Vino Volo is a wine bar and it has a very luxurious feel despite being located in the middle of a busy airport terminal.
Wooden beams create an "outdoor" seating area with excellent people watching.
There is also a bar, perfect for those traveling alone.
We waited about fifteen minutes for a table and once seated, began to peruse the wine menu. Each category of wines on the list has a clever name like "Que Syrah Syrah" and "California Kings."
There are three wines in each category and you can order by the glass, or a flight of all three wines in the group.
In the full vacation mentality, my travel buddy went for all three. She selected the variety called Autumn Whites which was a Grenache Blanc, a Riesling and a Chardonnay.
Beneath each glass is a card explaining the elements and flavor profiles of the wine.
After sipping all three she decided the Riesling was her favorite, followed by the Chardonnay.
I went with the Pikorua Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand which according to the card accompanying it is meant to taste like grapefruit and gooseberry.
To start our pre-flight meal we shared the cured olives. They had a real punch to them, especially the green olives, which I inhaled.
For her entree, my friend selected the smoked salmon rolls. You'll see as I review each place we ate in France that she often opts for salmon.
After a few bites she shared, "The crostini are perfectly toasted. The crab meat aioli under the fish was the ideal compliment to the consistency of the chewy smoked salmon. The fish was definitely fresh. I'm a connoisseur of salmon and this was really excellent."
I had a tough time deciding on my dinner because there were barely an vegetarian options. I wound up defaulting to the penne and cheese. For some reason, because of the dish name, I thought it would be penne with tomato sauce, topped with cheese. It actually turned out to be macaroni and cheese.
The penne was mixed with white cheddar, smoked gouda and truffle oil, then topped with toasted bread crumbs. After two bites I knew everyone on the plane was going to smell the truffle oil on me the entire flight. Whoops. Sorry!
The mac and cheese was quite tasty. It was the perfect portion size and the bread crumbs added a fantastic crunch to eat bite.
We were about to ask for the check when our very friendly waitress suggested that if we had the time to stay a bit longer we share the chocolate torte. As if we needed convincing.
When the dessert arrived it was small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. We each lifted the twirled piece of chocolate off the cake, clinked them together in a "Cheers!" and bit in.
The cake itself was super dense and rich. It wasn't quite as dense as a piece of fudge, but bordering on it. My friend tasted it and said, "That first bite just changed my life."
This is what happened to the cake:
Our waitress also suggested we order a glass of red wine to pair with the chocolate dessert. We got a Carmenere for her and a Malbec for me.
Our waitress was right, the chocolate torte was heavenly and it was elevated by a glass of red to go with it.
Vino Volo is not your average airport restaurant. The space is elegant, the wine selection is superb (plus, you might actually learn something!), the food is wonderful, the servers are kind and knowledgable and I even loved their dishware!
The thing that really sets Vino Volo apart is the vibe at the restaurant. Because it's in the international terminal, everyone dining there is going somewhere exciting and exotic. Every patron seemed to have a bright, happy energy about them and it was infectious.
If you're planning to travel abroad and you're taking off from Logan, be sure to toast to the start of the trip at Vino Volo.
Over the next week I'll be sharing with you all of my adventures in Paris - the sights, the shopping and of course, the food!
