"airport" news and stories

Todd Coleman, the food editor of Saveur magazine, caused a 3-hour shutdown and evacuation of the Tallahassee, Florida airport yesterday. His bag, which contained honey, an oyster shell, seasoning rub and various recording equipment, apparently sparked security concerns, with the police department and bomb squad believing that the combination of organic and inorganic matter looked as though it could be a homemade bomb. Coleman was detained by security, but released once a robot had inspected the bag's contents.

Coleman was in town writing a piece on food in Apalachicola. The honey was a jar of local Tupelo honey and the spice rub was Bad Byron's Butt Rub, so think twice before packing them on your next trip.

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Finding something edible in the airport can be a challenge, especially if you don't want to break the bank. Sure, there are some highly rated restaurants, but most of the eating options involve fast food chains that seem to charge twice as much as their non-terminal bound counterparts. Sick of bland muffins and bags of chips, the best way to find something tasty is to look for the less common options. For example, the delicious, chewy soft pretzels pictured here are from Jay's Pretzels in the Philadelphia International airport. At $1 a piece (or 3 for $2.50), they were a great snack and had a regional flair. At California airports, look for smoothie stands the will serve up your "5 a day" in a cup that even at $4 or $5 dollars will keep you full for a whole flight. Aiming for regional favorites is the most likely way to find a good deal. Look for hot dogs in Chicago or pizza in New York, but if you want your snack to be reasonably nutritious, some airports are known for having healthier food than others, so just taking a stroll around - or keeping your eyes peeled as you dash to your gate - will help you find a filling snack.

[Photo by Nicole Weston]

USA Today recently collected a list restaurants with high Zagat ratings near major U.S. airports. Their top pick was Chez Nous, less than 15 minutes away from Houston's George Bush Intercontinental. While the list offers one or two recommendations for about 20 U.S. airports, Zagat was stumped for good places near the terminals in Philly, Orlando and Detroit. On a similar note, Ask Metafilter today featured a thread about which airports around the world have the best food. So far, it doesn't look like anyone has mentioned Miami International's La Carreta, an excellent Cuban cafeteria in Concourse D.

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