Celebrity Chef Todd English has expanded his Figs concept from an original base of four restaurants in the Boston area to LaGuardia Airport's Central Terminal. Just steps from the terminal's food court, Figs will seat you at its well-stocked bar or give you a comfortable table, allowing you to remain relaxed amid all the bustle of this busy airport.

Figs' menu is broad. Appetizers are standard American fare and include chicken fingers, buffalo wings, and mozzarella sticks. The remainder of Figs' offerings have a decidedly Mediterranean touch: white bean soup with prosciutto and shaved pamesan; seared chicken Caeser salad on a parmesan flatbread ring with buttermilk and walnut dressing; eight varieties of panini; eight types of flatbread pizza (fig and prosciutto, anyone?); ample main courses like spaghetti and shrimp or oven baked chicken and rigatoni. I had a dish they call Garganelli: "Seared boneless chicken, white beans and bacon, fresh broccoli rabe tossed with pasta and grated Parmesan." My wife Monica enjoyed the Fresh Tomato and Spinach Soup: "A cream based soup of fresh tomatoes, whole leaf spinach, and orzo pasta in a chicken broth thickened with polenta and shaven parmesan."

Both Figs and the Food Court outlets in Central Terminal are pre-security, though Figs has a snack and sandwich outlet post-security in the terminal's "D" concourse.

Paul McGinn, President of MarketPlace Development, a major developer of retail spaces in airports, writes: "A Japanese, full service Sushi Bar and Lounge, Akoya satisfies the craving so many travelers have for something exotic and different. The Lounge features a full traditional sushi and seafood menu made on-site with only the freshest ingredients. The dramatic bar entices the traveler with vibrant magenta and purple tones, intricate serpentine detailing, and state-of-the-art 42 inch flat-screen, plasma televisions."

Thanks, Paul, since I'm always looking for restaurants that serve good sake.