Boston – Boston Airport (Stephanie’s)

Stephanie’s is a restaurant which takes part in the Priority Pass scheme, where those who hold the lounge pass can get a restaurant meal instead of (or as well as) the more traditional lounge set-up. Stephanie’s is the only option at Terminal B for those with the card as there aren’t any other lounges in the scheme.

When I arrived at the restaurant I checked that my boarding pass would be OK, as I had just landed at Terminal B, but I was departing later that day from Terminal E. They didn’t seem too concerned though and they didn’t ever check my boarding pass anyway.

The staff member tried to seat the two parties in front of me at the bar, but they both refused and wanted a table. Not to be put off, the staff member offered me the bar area, and she was rewarded with my approval as I had no real preference. A member of bar staff came over promptly to introduce herself and give me a menu and it all seemed efficient.

The orange juice was freshly squeezed rather than coming from a carton.

I opted for the Eggs Benedict, which along with the orange juice came to $25. The lounge pass allows for a spend of up to $28, although that doesn’t include the tip and I left that separately in cash. It’s a little expensive for a drink and breakfast, but it is at an airport and not a great deal is cheap at airports….

The food was fine, although very heavily salted, although fortunately I can willingly tolerate this. The home fries, a concept I very much like, were crisp, flavourful and, as mentioned, salty. The eggs weren’t runny when I cut into them, which I would have preferred, and the Hollandaise sauce didn’t look overly appetising. However, the sauce tasted fine and the thick slice of bacon had a firm texture, rich taste and it was also, as mentioned, salty. The sauce didn’t have a particularly strong taste of anything and the muffin was a little soft and wet for my liking. Overall though, it was an acceptable breakfast, although at the price point charged it was really only just acceptable.

Overall, I very much like the Priority Pass scheme where restaurants offer this sort of deal. The meal cost me $4 as a tip, so this seemed excellent value for money, and it was clear that some other diners in the restaurant were also using their card. The restaurant wasn’t otherwise that busy, so they also seemed to be benefiting from the extra customers.

Oh, and I saw this review on TripAdvisor, so don’t go if you’re vegan. Although can anyone really be surprised that the restaurant didn’t let them in?

“EXTREMELY Vegan un-friendly. OK, so it is not the restaurant’s fault that at 5:30 pm, the last decent meal I had up to that point was breakfast at 8:00 am. It is the restaurant’s fault for not allowing me to have my dinner with my colleagues with food that I bought from another vendor at the airport because the only vegan offering at Stephanie’s is a plain green salad with oil and vinegar (not nearly sufficient). As my colleagues enjoyed their dinner provided by the restaurant, I was left drinking my iced tea with my stomach growling and feeling nauseous.”

I probably wouldn’t come here with my own money as a first choice, as there are some better value alternatives in the airport, but I’d certainly come again to take advantage of the Priority Pass deal.