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Beyond the Burger

"Not just Your Average \Hundred-Dollar Hamburger" is what it says atop the menu at Nancy's Air Field Cafe. I stumbled upon this gem of a watering hole recently while traveling on business.

The airport, Stow/Minute Man Air Field (6B6), is just outside the Boston Bravo airspace. An aging nontowered field with self-service fuel, its hard-surfaced runway has been patched so many times that it's a tad rough for the shock discs in my Mooney, but is no problem for oleo or spring gear aircraft. I chose this field because it's minutes away from my customer's facility.

Arriving late in the day, the sole FBO was closing, and they had arranged for a rental car from the local Ford dealer. The gent dropping it off was a retired CFII, so the whole hookup was pleasantly pilot-oriented. Next day, at my customer's site, I inquired about a different place to eat. Two people recommended the airport restaurant at Stow. I didn't even know that they had one on the field.

Heck, I thought, if non-pilots will drive out to a dingy little airport for a meal, I've got to check it out.

I took two clients there for lunch, and I was very impressed. I travel 60 percent of my business year and eat out all of that time. I've been traveling for a living for over 15 years, so I've gotten pretty choosy about what I ingest for fuel while on the road. This place was unreal.

The decor was upscale, akin to what you would see in a downtown major-city bistro, with classical music in the background. No propellers, aircraft memorabilia, nor NASCAR posters adorn the walls, which is a welcome change. I know that this sounds formal, but the staff and customers were in shorts and T-shirts, and the local carpenters and plumbers were there en masse. I immediately felt at home.

As soon as we were seated at our runway-side table (with real linen tablecloths) our server produced a silver tray with steaming shot glasses. "It's our tradition at Nancy's to give you a taste of our (made from scratch) soup of the day," said our waitress. It was chicken and rice, and it definitely wasn't Campbell's.

At Nancy's they make everything from scratch, including sauces, coleslaw, baked goods, and desserts.
They use local produce, and their cheese is made locally on a dairy farm. On the road, I have sworn off dessert in favor of maintaining my boyish figure, but based on the lunch, I had to sample the apple berry cobbler, which was baked for me while I waited. My dining mates had the blueberry bread pudding. They were both nonpilots and are savvy world travelers, and they could not stop talking about the food.

I'll not go on to describe the menu, go here to see for yourself: www.nancysairfieldcafe.com. The cafe serves breakfast, lunch, and Sunday brunch. According to locals and the staff, the line is out the door all morning, starting at 0700, and most of the patrons are non-pilots. This is another good sign.

We pilots will eat anything put in front of us, as long as we get to fly there in formation with fellow pilots. Many times the fare is, well, let's put it this way, if the restaurant were in a town, it would go out of business due to lack of creativity/ quality. Burgers and fries you can get anywhere. We go to airport cafes to talk flying and have something to eat, and the food is secondary.

Nancy's Air Field Cafe, on the other hand, is run by a real gourmet cook, and her place just happens to be on an airfield. Sure, you can get a burger, but you can also get a lamb burger or turkey burger, and they'll come with homemade sweet potato french fries cooked in peanut oil. They'll also come with a side salad of field greens topped with caramelized chipotle walnuts and cafe maple-balsamic vinaigrette. I can't believe that I have flown all over the Northeast and have not discovered this little gem until now.

If you live anywhere near the Boston area, and want to take your non-pilot wife out to an airport meal-and not be embarrassed-this is a place. You will enjoy sitting with a view of the runway, and she will rave about the food and atmosphere.

Oh, and did I mention the prices? Very reasonable, small airport-type prices. Also, save some cash for buying a T-shirt. On the back you'll see very classic art of a Stearman landing at 6136, a picture of which is on the website.

I'll be back for sure. Perhaps I'll see you there. Good flying and good eating.
Arthur Treff
RV-8 and Mooney M20C
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