Vino Volo

By airport standards, this is a 4. Outside of an airport, this would be more in the range of a 3.

Given the limited dining options available in this terminal, Vino Volo is the best bet around. They have a menu of small bites, as well as some portions that are only slightly more substantial. They have a decent selection of wines with a sampler offered for wines of either the same region, or same varietal. The samplers usually run only a couple of dollars more than getting a glass, so it's a great way to try some new wines, if you're in the mood for that.

I settled on a Duckhorn Zinfandel which was just fine, properly jammy, while my companion had the Sangiovese which  tasted of strawberries and she thoroughly enjoyed. For bites we got a sampling of the menu to go with our wine.
The olives are a mixed variety of both green and purple with some herbs- basic, but tasty.
The cheese plate at the time came with three cheeses - A semi soft blue, an aged Vermont cheddar, and Camembert. All the cheeses were lovely with just a smear of the fig jam provided atop some toasted soft baguette slices.
The Marcona almonds with rosemary were sweet, which I wasn't expecting, but they were still tasty after they were off the heat for a few minutes to return to their crunchy state.
The green salad with Dijon vinaigrette was just your standard mixed greens, the dressing comes on the side, but doesn't have as much of a zip as authentic french Dijon dressings do.

Sit down for a glass of wine, a little cheese, and before you know it it'll be time to board. The wine definitely helps with mid-flight naps, too.

4 stars for the food (strictly within an airport setting), 5 stars for the wine experience, 5 stars for the ambiance.

I was at AA's Terminal 8 and had time for a more leisurely lunch as well as a craving for actual good food. Vino Volo didn't disappoint. I stopped by their wine store near the terminal entrance to ask for directions to the restaurant and received a free cheese platter.

The cheese platter included a decent variety of three cheeses but was a bit too small for two people; not sure if I'd order it on my own. The chicken salad was good by airport standards and so was their mac n' cheese. Not terribly memorable, but enjoyable as far as airport food comes. The half portions allow you to taste and match at reasonable prices; kudos for that. As I noticed going through other Yelp reviews, the menu changes on a given basis. It's a bit limited but adequate.

But wine is where they truly stand out. I enjoy wine a lot but am still a bit illiterate. Vino Volo makes it approachable by making solid recommendations based on your food selection. I was able to have generous tastings of three different wines for $9. Vino Volo provides a solid description of each wine (from a taste description to the full name and year); these are paper and detachable so you can easily find the wine at another place later.

At the table itself you have enough space to keep your luggage at hand, and the staff is accommodating even if your bags become a little cumbersome.

Will definitely be back if I have a long layover at an airport; solid food and exceptional wine.

Solid airport food - will definitely return here next time I'm at JFK.  The cheese plate was awesome but far too small - but the chili was really standout... will order that again hands down.  Braised pork tacos left me wanting though - they tasted completely out of place and mostly the slaw.  The corn tortillas needed toasting.  Skip the tacos... get the chickpea chorizo chili.  

Wines come with little card describing the region they are from and some information on your choice - very nice flights... between flights.  ;)