Skewers by Morimoto - Los Angeles

The compulsory pre-flight meal. We lack the foresight to plan for breakfast so we always find a combination of something aggressively mediocre or just awful at LAX.

Japanese breakfast bowls seem to be a better option than soggy pancakes or generic egg sandwiches, and the Breakfast Ramen has some potential. The broth is decently rich, but it's hard to taste through the pound of pickled ginger. The fried egg on top promises a hangover solution, but the pork it sits on is chewy like the eraser on a pencil, back when we actually used pencils. 

Which came first? The chicken or the egg? Doesn’t matter in the Oyako Don, somehow both have the same texture and taste, that of sweet, soy-brushed gravel. 

Not the worst airport food, but when you're paying a premium for something carrying Morimoto's stamp of approval, you expect more than this.

Osteria by Fabio Viviani - LAX, Los Angeles

Oh good lord, what is this nonsense? I've been a die-hard fan of Fabio Viviani for a full decade now, and I even drove to Moorpark for Cafe Firenze. When I saw another of his creations at LAX, I knew I had to bite.

First bite and I knew I'd made a huge mistake. What is this pasty-white, mushy breading on the Fried Calamari? There's some detectable salt and pepper, but otherwise it's like crumbled wonderbread stuck to some frozen-not-fresh rings of immature (and tiny!) squid.

The Chicken, Pesto & Cherry Tomato Pizza has a solid thin crust, and the toppings are a combination of comfort food with lighter options. The chicken is tender, the the tomatoes are fresh, and the pesto is a nice blend. Overall not bad for a higher-end pizza, but this is really only a step above PizzaRev.

I expect airport food to be pricey, but you don't get what you pay for here. Even Panda Express is 1/4 the price but at least half the quality. The pizza isn't bad at all, but I expected so much more from Fabio.