By Brian Leaf
ROCKFORD — Airport restaurants usually serve captive audiences. So they often sell mediocre, overpriced food to people worried more about destinations than dinner.
So it was satisfying to find quality, affordable food at Airmenities Cafe at Chicago Rockford International Airport.
I visited Airmenities on Jan. 10 with fellow Register Star reporter Greg Stanley.
I’d been here once before. Greg hadn’t and couldn’t find the cafe, which has no sign and is tucked behind an open glass door near the baggage carousel.
But the visibility of Airmenities is likely to ascend soon when it expands service upstairs in the airport’s boarding gate area. Details are still being worked out. But if our lunch visit is an indicator, the food will be a hit with ticketed passengers.
“Our overall philosophy is we want high quality ingredients, flavorful food at reasonable prices and quick service,” said restaurant owner Colene Vivian.
Airmenities, which includes a small gift shop, is an order-at-the-counter kind of place. A chalk board menu lists breakfast items, sandwiches, salads, soup and beverages, including beer and wine. Everything is under $7.
We were the only customers this day, understandable because there were no midday flights. Alberto Espinoza took our order. We joked about salad, then went for guy food — shaved prime rib, pulled pork, cheeseburger, breakfast pizza, fries and two bottles of water. The bill: $24.50.
We had just settled into metal patio chairs at tables near the baggage claim when Espinoza brought the food. We cut everything in half and shared.
Greg went after the cheeseburger ($3.50). “I’m for it,” he proclaimed. I found it adequate, but nothing set it apart from other cheeseburgers.
I liked the battered fries ($2). They were hot and crispy. One order was enough for two.
The breakfast pizza ($4.50) was tasty — egg, bacon, sausage and cheese on a thick pita-sized flatbread that had a crunchy, toasted edge.
Our shaved prime rib with grilled onions ($7) flowed over the French roll it was served on. A mild horseradish sauce on the side was a nice addition. The meat was tender, moist and tasty. I like horseradish, but I craved a little au jus, a light sauce for beef.
But the star of the meal: The pulled pork sandwich ($5). Vivian said it is slow cooked for five hours, then piled high on a hamburger bun with commercial BBQ sauce on the side. The pork was tender and juicy, not greasy.
“There’s your moneymaker right there,” Greg said, noting that he’d order it again.
When I go back to Airmenities, and I will, I’ll try a steak or chicken wrap.
The restaurant is at the airport, so parking is free. Enter the terminal’s north doors.
You’ll see the airport’s baggage carousel, and behind it a restaurant that’s worth a trip, even if you’re not going anywhere.
Airmenities Cafe
Address: Chicago Rockford International Airport
2 Airport Circle, Rockford
Hours: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Also opened two hours before every scheduled flight. Takeout is available.
Phone: 815-987-9647
Story and Photos: http://www.rrstar.com
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