Was the golden age of air travel really tastier than today’s premium meals? To answer that, 150 diners and aviation fans gathered at Loyal Legion PDX, the pre-security beer hall overlooking Portland International Airport, for a seven-course dinner that recreated iconic inflight dishes from 1919 through Concorde’s final flight in 2003.
Emmy-winning former Simpsons writer Bill Oakley curated the meal, researching vintage airline menus and introducing each course with its aviation backstory. Loyal Legion culinary director Marcus Hilliker and his team aimed to balance historical accuracy with flavors people would actually enjoy. Alaska Airlines sponsored the night and provided a Jet Set beer; Portland’s Straightaway Cocktails supplied themed drinks — Airmail, Arctic Service, Paper Plane and Aviation cocktails — plus a bespoke “Greatest Martini of the 20th Century” made with Portland-sourced Aviation Gin and dry vermouth.
The seven-course lineup and its inflight inspirations:
1. First course — Hamper sandwich duo
Inspired by the first sold inflight meal on Handley-Page Transport’s 1919 London–Paris run. With no exact recipes recorded, Oakley and a food historian recreated a delicate cucumber-and-cress sandwich and a pickled beef-tongue sandwich on Pullman loaf with mayonnaise and fine herbs.
2. Second course — Kangaroo tail soup
A signature of Qantas from the late 1950s into the 1960s. For authenticity, the dinner used free-range kangaroo in a traditional tail soup fashioned after that era’s offering.
3. Third course — Cheese, beer and pretzels
A nod to Mohawk Airlines’ 1960s “Gaslight Service,” which catered to men with Victorian-style interiors and staff in 1890s costume. Passengers were served beer, cheese and pretzels, with cigars sold aboard for a few cents.
4. Fourth course — Caviar, blini, hard-boiled egg and crème fraîche
Modeled on Alaska Airlines’ 1970s Golden Samovar Service for charters between Alaska and the Soviet Union. Flight attendants dressed in Cossack-style outfits; a golden samovar — borrowed from Seattle’s Museum of Flight for display — recalled the era’s theatrical service.
5. Fifth course — Lobster salad
A take on Pan American World Airways’ Lobster Americaine, an upscale inflight staple served during Pan Am’s heyday (roughly 1957–1972).
6. Sixth course — Chateaubriand with truffled foie gras
An homage to Trans World Airlines’ first-class chateaubriand, a premium roast often carved tableside from a rolling trolley on late-1950s-to-1970s flights.
7. Seventh course — Buttermilk panna cotta with berries
A recreation of the dessert served on British Airways’ final Concorde flight on Oct. 24, 2003.
Many attendees flew in using miles just for the event. Encouraged by the turnout and interest, Oakley plans to stage similar aviation-history dinners at other airport venues, museums and classic hotels, with a next event planned for Seattle and a possible future showing at the Museum of Flight. Menus may be refined, but the blend of historical research and surprising, nostalgic choices will remain central.