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Capital One Venture X Cuts Priority Pass Restaurants
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While not the end of the world, this is still a sad development…
Venture X cutting some Priority Pass access in 2023
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has become one of the most popular premium travel credit cards, since launching just over a year ago.
While the card has a $395 annual fee, there are so many reasons to get this card, from the excellent welcome bonus, to ongoing perks like a $300 annual travel credit, 10K anniversary bonus miles, and much more.
The Capital One Venture X has offered an extremely well rounded lounge access benefit, all of which apply to both the primary cardmember and authorized users:
Unfortunately as of January 1, 2023, a change will be made to the card’s Priority Pass membership — the card will no longer offer credits or experience at Priority Pass’ non-lounge airport experiences, including Priority Pass restaurants, spa discounts, and more.
As far as premium credit card Priority Pass memberships go, this aligns the Capital One Venture X with the policy of The Platinum Card® from American Express (review) rather than that of the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card (review).
My take on this Capital One Venture X lounge access perk change
It goes without saying that this is a negative change, and I’m sad to see this. This now makes the Chase Sapphire Reserve the popular premium card that continues to offer Priority Pass restaurant credits, at least for now (hopefully Chase doesn’t make the same change).
While this is of course disappointing, to me it doesn’t fundamentally change the value proposition of the Capital One Venture X. The way I view it, the card’s $395 annual fee is still more than covered by the $300 annual Capital One Travel credit plus the 10,000 anniversary bonus miles.
Everything else is the icing on the cake, and this remains the best premium card for families, as you can add up to four authorized users, and they all get lounge access as well. Also keep in mind that unlike the Chase Sapphire Reserve, the Capital One Venture X offers access to Plaza Premium Lounges and Capital One Lounges.
Bottom line
As of January 1, 2023, the Capital One Venture X is changing its Priority Pass benefit. Priority Pass memberships issued through the card will no longer offer non-lounge airport experiences, such as Priority Pass restaurants and spa treatments.
What do you make of this Capital One Venture X card benefit change?
Austin’s best Egyptian-inspired BBQ food
A sampling of the food at KG BBQ. Photo courtesy Maurice Chammah
On a recent rainy night I grabbed dinner with friends at KG BBQ, the mouth-watering, newly opened fusion brainchild of Egyptian emigre Kareem El-Ghayesh.
- El-Ghayesh told me he moved to Austin in 2016 to learn the ways of the city’s great pitmasters, putting in time at Lamberts, Interstellar, Kerlin and Valentina’s before striking out on his own.
The scenes: The food trailer is stationed at Oddwood Brewing, a pizzeria-brewpub with at least a half-dozen shaded, outdoor picnic tables and plenty of cozy indoor seating.
Just a taste: We tried the grilled chicken kebab, marinated in sumac, garlic, thyme and honey — and it’s tender to the teeth; the pink buttermilk potato salad, a Texas classic dressed up in a roasted beet puree, with fresh dill and jalapeños — y’know, the kind your grandmother use to make; a golden, aromatic rice cooked with turmeric, bay leaf and cinnamon, tossed with candied nuts; and classic smoked brisket served, in a typical twist, with a pomegranate-infused barbecue sauce.
Excellent moves: Serving smoked meat with a chimichurri sauce of mint, parsley and Serrano chilies, with garlic, onion and cumin.
Three-word reviews: A smorgasbord of yumminess.
What we’re still thinking about: The cardamom and pistachio rice pudding.
- Do not leave KG BBQ without buying this rich dessert, finished off with pistachio butter and topped with whipped mascarpone and halvah.
if you go: KG, located at 3108 Manor Road, by the intersection with Airport Boulevard, is open Thursday through Sunday, 11am to 8pm — or until sold out.
Michelin added 18 new stars to its California guide, including eight restaurants in LA
One of the world’s most prestigious dining guides announced its annual California accolades this evening, revealing a new class of coveted star- and Bib Gourmand-award inductees. Michelin, which employs a team of anonymous international inspectors to visit and rate restaurants, fanned out across the country and found only one restaurant newly deemable of three stars — the highest level of rating within the company — though garnered 17 new accolades of one star. Two of these were also awarded green stars, signifying sustainable practices, and 15 other restaurants gained notice for their high quality at good value.
The stars are the most impressive of Michelin’s various accolades, where one star signifies “a very good restaurant in its category,” two stars “excellent cuisine, worth a detour,” while a three-star rating translates to “exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey.”
In 2022 Addison, in San Diego, is the only restaurant in California to newly garner three stars — marking the increase by one star from last year’s awards, and representing the first three-star restaurant in Southern California since Michelin’s return to the state in 2019. The guidebook took one year’s hiatus due to the pandemic, then returned last year.
“First and foremost, when we’re looking at a restaurant in the star category, we are evaluating the restaurant on five very specific criteria,” said a chief Michelin’s inspector who has served as such for more than a decade. “We’re looking at the quality of the products that are featured, we’re looking at the harmony of flavors, we’re looking at the mastery of cooking techniques, we’re looking at the personality of the chef as it comes through in their cuisine, and we’re looking for consistency between each visit.”
Of the 18 additions to the statewide guide, this year’s new one-star awardees include eight restaurants in the LA area, though Kato — included as a new addition — previously held one star. Representatives for Michelin shared with The Times that the “new” designation refers to the restaurant’s move to a new location and slight reformatting. Representatives could not divulge how many inspectors are employed, but said that numerous inspectors based globally are flown to North America for visits considered for the California guide, and vice-versa.
Other local awardees include 715 Sushi and Camphor, both in the Arts District; Citrin in Santa Monica (whose sibling concept, Mélisse, maintained its two-star rating from 2021); Gwen in Hollywood (Maude, its sibling restaurant in Beverly Hills, maintained its star award); Hatchet Hall in Culver City; Manzke in Pico-Robertson; and Sushi Kaneyoshi in Little Tokyo. The beverage team at Manzke also garnered the Michelin Exceptional Cocktails Award this evening.
In 2022 no LA restaurants were newly awarded two stars. With the exception of Vespertine, which is currently closed, all area restaurants that held two stars in 2021 — Hayato, Mélisse, n/naka, Providence and Sushi Ginza Onodera — maintained them in 2022. Restaurants that did not maintain their one-star rating from 2021 includes Bistro Na’s, Cut, Le Comptoir, Pasjoli, Rustic Canyon, Shunji and Sushi Inaba.
In Montecito, developer and recent mayoral candidate Rick Caruso’s restaurant Caruso’s — housed within the Rosewood Miramar Beach hotel complex — earned one star as well as a green star. Farther up the coast, new one-star additions include Cyrus in Geyserville; Localis in Sacramento; Nisei in San Francisco; Osito in San Francisco; Press Restaurant in St. Helena; the Restaurant at JUSTIN in Paso Robles, also awarded a green star; San Ho Won in San Francisco; and Ssal in San Francisco.
On Nov. 29 Michelin added 15 new Bib Gourmand winners to its California guide, 10 of which were in the Los Angeles region. The value-driven accolade denotes the ability to order an appetizer and entrée, as well as either a glass of wine or dessert, for $49 or less, sans tax and gratuity. New awardees include All Day Baby, Caboco (currently closed in the Arts District, though owners are hoping to reopen in a new location), Chulita, Flavors from Afar, Ipoh Kopitiam, Lalibela, Moo’s Craft Barbecue, Pijja Palace, Pizzeria Bianco and Saffy’s .
Christian Davis, standing, and Meymuna Hussein-Cattan are co-founders of Flavors from Afar on Fairfax Avenue. Last week the restaurant garnered a Michelin Bib Gourmand award.
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
To Christian Davis, co-founder of Little Ethiopia’s Flavors from Afar, the Bib Gourmand news came as a welcome surprise. Davis learned from his restaurant’s award by way of his friend, who had texted congratulations that morning. The restaurant never realized he’d been visited by a Michelin inspector, nor did he know his business could be considered for an award beyond Flavors from Afar’s general inclusion of notable spots announced earlier in the year.
The nod not only confirms their choices in and out of the kitchen, he says, but also