![The service at JFK's The Palm really needs improvement. I was happy that the hostess seated me near an electrical outlet, as I had requested. My first visit was at a table. My server seemed to be engrossed in her own conversations with another server and each step took forever. I ordered iced tea and was never able to get a refill! It took 30 minutes for me to get my check! I kept trying to signal her and if I had been in a hurry, I would have had to walk over -- rolling my bag and purse -- and tapped her on the shoulder.The second time I visited, I asked again for a table near an outlet, but this hostess huffily told me that there were outlets under each seat at the bar. I hate sitting at bars. I was tired and didn't feel like a confrontation. When I told the bartender I'd "at least start out with water," (as I was dehydrated and their wine by the glass list didn't seem all that special) he removed the wine glass in a huff. It really dampened the mood. I really had to speak up, too, to get a refill on my water.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/hash/eb/31/eb3163f5fcb9ae6ca293b519eb874a92.JPG?itok=4bZNoToz "The service at JFK's The Palm really needs improvement. I was happy that the hostess seated me near an electrical outlet, as I had requested. My first visit was at a table. My server seemed to be engrossed in her own conversations with another server and each step took forever. I ordered iced tea and was never able to get a refill! It took 30 minutes for me to get my check! I kept trying to signal her and if I had been in a hurry, I would have had to walk over -- rolling my bag and purse -- and tapped her on the shoulder.The second time I visited, I asked again for a table near an outlet, but this hostess huffily told me that there were outlets under each seat at the bar. I hate sitting at bars. I was tired and didn't feel like a confrontation. When I told the bartender I'd "at least start out with water," (as I was dehydrated and their wine by the glass list didn't seem all that special) he removed the wine glass in a huff. It really dampened the mood. I really had to speak up, too, to get a refill on my water.")
![When I first saw that there was a Palm at JFK, I got all excited . . . like, should I use up most of my souvenir money and try the steak? When will I be at a Palm again, after all? But, I got hold of my senses and decided to go for the 837 Club Burger: 12 ounce prosciutto di parma, roasted red peppers, pesto aioli and fontina cheese ($17.50). After all, they noted on the menu that Palm “USDA Prime SteakBurgers to rival Palm Steaks! All Palm SteakBurgers are made with USDA Prime Beef." Plus, let's face it -- $17.50 ain't a cheap burger.I almost didn't order their specialty burger and was leaning towards something plain and simply-cooked. I like to keep to my Midwestern plain-food standard under stress or just before a long, overseas flight. However, I'm glad I did! The burger was excellent and huge. Two hungry people could definitely share it. It did have rich, steak flavor. The aioli was added with a nice, light touch, not goopy. The prosciutto added pleasant saltiness without overwhelming. I will say that the tomato had a distinct, sad "winter tomato" quality to it and I was surprised that a restaurant with a reputation like The Palm would send it out. The cheese on the burger was quite plentiful.I had a choice between hand-cut fries or horseradish slaw with my burger. I went for the slaw. It's a good choice, because the horseradish aspect adds more of a steakhouse quality to the burger. It has light, slightly sweet dressing.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/hash/a9/6a/a96aa12a47d1fa576c6a4a0c4050f8ef.JPG?itok=hLtI1cqb "When I first saw that there was a Palm at JFK, I got all excited . . . like, should I use up most of my souvenir money and try the steak? When will I be at a Palm again, after all? But, I got hold of my senses and decided to go for the 837 Club Burger: 12 ounce prosciutto di parma, roasted red peppers, pesto aioli and fontina cheese ($17.50). After all, they noted on the menu that Palm “USDA Prime SteakBurgers to rival Palm Steaks! All Palm SteakBurgers are made with USDA Prime Beef." Plus, let's face it -- $17.50 ain't a cheap burger.I almost didn't order their specialty burger and was leaning towards something plain and simply-cooked. I like to keep to my Midwestern plain-food standard under stress or just before a long, overseas flight. However, I'm glad I did! The burger was excellent and huge. Two hungry people could definitely share it. It did have rich, steak flavor. The aioli was added with a nice, light touch, not goopy. The prosciutto added pleasant saltiness without overwhelming. I will say that the tomato had a distinct, sad "winter tomato" quality to it and I was surprised that a restaurant with a reputation like The Palm would send it out. The cheese on the burger was quite plentiful.I had a choice between hand-cut fries or horseradish slaw with my burger. I went for the slaw. It's a good choice, because the horseradish aspect adds more of a steakhouse quality to the burger. It has light, slightly sweet dressing."){kind=small}
The famous steakhouse, The Palm, has a location now at NYC's JFK Airport. Located in Terminal 4's 3rd floor, it's the best eating option pre-security, for sure. I've never been to their other famed locations, but I well remember eating about them in Washingtonian's steakhouse guide. Looking back, I would have done well to remember the magazine's notes on The Palm's spinach.
I ate at the restaurant both leaving the US and coming back. JFK's doing a lot of remodeling -- I've been told that they are "always" under construction -- and because of that, a lot of the eating options out front and my "secret" phone charging stations seem to have disappeared. Thus, I ended up eating at The Palm twice in a week and needed to do it on a budget.
Read my list below to find out the hits, misses and why the service really, really needs to improve. JFK is a gateway for most of the world's international flights, so if you travel frequently, you'll appreciate the insight.
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![When I first saw that there was a Palm at JFK, I got all excited . . . like, should I use up most of my souvenir money and try the steak? When will I be at a Palm again, after all? But, I got hold of my senses and decided to go for the 837 Club Burger: 12 ounce prosciutto di parma, roasted red peppers, pesto aioli and fontina cheese ($17.50). After all, they noted on the menu that Palm “USDA Prime SteakBurgers to rival Palm Steaks! All Palm SteakBurgers are made with USDA Prime Beef." Plus, let's face it -- $17.50 ain't a cheap burger.I almost didn't order their specialty burger and was leaning towards something plain and simply-cooked. I like to keep to my Midwestern plain-food standard under stress or just before a long, overseas flight. However, I'm glad I did! The burger was excellent and huge. Two hungry people could definitely share it. It did have rich, steak flavor. The aioli was added with a nice, light touch, not goopy. The prosciutto added pleasant saltiness without overwhelming. I will say that the tomato had a distinct, sad "winter tomato" quality to it and I was surprised that a restaurant with a reputation like The Palm would send it out. The cheese on the burger was quite plentiful.I had a choice between hand-cut fries or horseradish slaw with my burger. I went for the slaw. It's a good choice, because the horseradish aspect adds more of a steakhouse quality to the burger. It has light, slightly sweet dressing.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/profile_large/hash/d7/9e/d79efe5200eb3c6de8167768c1a20636.JPG?itok=yswUhaS2 "When I first saw that there was a Palm at JFK, I got all excited . . . like, should I use up most of my souvenir money and try the steak? When will I be at a Palm again, after all? But, I got hold of my senses and decided to go for the 837 Club Burger: 12 ounce prosciutto di parma, roasted red peppers, pesto aioli and fontina cheese ($17.50). After all, they noted on the menu that Palm “USDA Prime SteakBurgers to rival Palm Steaks! All Palm SteakBurgers are made with USDA Prime Beef." Plus, let's face it -- $17.50 ain't a cheap burger.I almost didn't order their specialty burger and was leaning towards something plain and simply-cooked. I like to keep to my Midwestern plain-food standard under stress or just before a long, overseas flight. However, I'm glad I did! The burger was excellent and huge. Two hungry people could definitely share it. It did have rich, steak flavor. The aioli was added with a nice, light touch, not goopy. The prosciutto added pleasant saltiness without overwhelming. I will say that the tomato had a distinct, sad "winter tomato" quality to it and I was surprised that a restaurant with a reputation like The Palm would send it out. The cheese on the burger was quite plentiful.I had a choice between hand-cut fries or horseradish slaw with my burger. I went for the slaw. It's a good choice, because the horseradish aspect adds more of a steakhouse quality to the burger. It has light, slightly sweet dressing.")
![The service at JFK's The Palm really needs improvement. I was happy that the hostess seated me near an electrical outlet, as I had requested. My first visit was at a table. My server seemed to be engrossed in her own conversations with another server and each step took forever. I ordered iced tea and was never able to get a refill! It took 30 minutes for me to get my check! I kept trying to signal her and if I had been in a hurry, I would have had to walk over -- rolling my bag and purse -- and tapped her on the shoulder.The second time I visited, I asked again for a table near an outlet, but this hostess huffily told me that there were outlets under each seat at the bar. I hate sitting at bars. I was tired and didn't feel like a confrontation. When I told the bartender I'd "at least start out with water," (as I was dehydrated and their wine by the glass list didn't seem all that special) he removed the wine glass in a huff. It really dampened the mood. I really had to speak up, too, to get a refill on my water.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/profile_large/hash/71/04/71041ea7c5c7e3268772a44e58c1ba8b.JPG?itok=6ytfAXE- "The service at JFK's The Palm really needs improvement. I was happy that the hostess seated me near an electrical outlet, as I had requested. My first visit was at a table. My server seemed to be engrossed in her own conversations with another server and each step took forever. I ordered iced tea and was never able to get a refill! It took 30 minutes for me to get my check! I kept trying to signal her and if I had been in a hurry, I would have had to walk over -- rolling my bag and purse -- and tapped her on the shoulder.The second time I visited, I asked again for a table near an outlet, but this hostess huffily told me that there were outlets under each seat at the bar. I hate sitting at bars. I was tired and didn't feel like a confrontation. When I told the bartender I'd "at least start out with water," (as I was dehydrated and their wine by the glass list didn't seem all that special) he removed the wine glass in a huff. It really dampened the mood. I really had to speak up, too, to get a refill on my water.")
