I just returned from a trip to Arizona and I gotta say that JetBlue, which has long been my favorite airline, has gotten even better especially if you fly out of NY. This was my second time flying out of their new terminal T5 at JFK airport. Bright and modern with bold splashes of color even in the baggage claim area, they did a really nice job designing the entire terminal. And speaking of excellent design, there’s also a Muji in there, the uber-cool Japanese store featuring products designed with an emphasis on simplicity and usability (with manufacturing and packaging emphasizing earth-friendliness to boot).

But of course no rave of mine would be complete without a nod to food of some sort and this is no exception. I eyeballed the menus of all the restaurants in T5 and the variety and quality of choices was so good I really had a tough time deciding. Everything from escargot to yakitori was available there. I finally settled upon the tapas restaurant Piquillo. If you go, be advised that Piquillo has no signage, being anonymously nestled between 5iveSteak and Aeronuova. But it is certainly worth looking for. I only sampled two dishes but both were exceptional. I started with one of my all-time favorite things, Pulpo a la Gallega, the simple octopus dish with olive oil and pimenton. Their version was as good as any I’ve ever had; remarkable for airport fare. Equally impressive was their Rabo de Buey, a braised oxtail dish. The oxtail meat was falling off the bone, rich and deeply flavored by the red wine braise and aromatic veggies. Service was quick too; I was in and out in less than 25 minutes. Not bad for a quick pre-flight bite, eh?

And I should add that the flights themselves were terrific too. My outbound flight landed in Phoenix a full hour ahead of schedule and my return flight arrived 10 minutes early with a smooth landing despite the fact that it was snowing and the runways were icy. That is pretty much unheard of at JFK. Suffice it to say, my love affair with JetBlue continues.