An Entrepreneur Brings Upscale Restaurants to Airports The terminal case of sorry sandwiches that travelers must suffer through in most airports may finally be sent packing.

The knives give it away. Constructed from TSA-mandated plastic, not steakhouse steel, they dispel the illusion that my New York strip is being served at a top-tier Manhattan restaurant and remind me that we're just past security at LaGuardia Airport's Terminal D.

Everything else here at Michael Lomonaco's Prime Tavern, from the solicitous service and extensive wine list to the quality of the beef, would pass muster at Lomonaco's Porter House, the critically acclaimed carnivorium in Manhattan's glittery Time Warner Center. And why shouldn't it? The celebrity chef helped create the Prime Tavern concept, train the staff and write the menu. I'm told he even turns up occasionally to cook the food.

As a frequent business traveler, I'm accustomed to suffering through airport meals from bland national chains that all seem to offer the same four appetizers and entrees. So the idea of getting housemade condiments and nightly specials, never mind a shot at finding a famous face actually working in the kitchen, is a pulse-quickening thrill.