Passenger Trains > Food in Dining Car .

I been in the Amtrak Dining Car Million times in past, but my big trip in coming up 7 days, i would like to know what to get on aboard, first Dinner that Beef Bourguignonne or Salmon, or Roast Chicken? Does amtrak serve fresh Eggs like Over Easy or Sunny Up? I know amtrak has best French Toast.I know about lunch.

Take a look at the menu.

http://www.amtrak.com/pdf/Dining_Car_Menu.r5.pdf

They have a couple of different versions that the change from day to day on the long distance trains and all of them are in this document

John

What train are you on?

The Capital Limited from Cov, Pa to Chicago,IL and Southwest Chief from Chicago to Kingman, AZ then on to Las Vegas, NV all in Sleeping Car and my Sister and my Mother are Fly to Las Vegas, because sister does not have that much time off of work.

They were suppose to test some new food on the Capital Limited and I love the Country Fried Steak. Breakfast, I guess the eggs/bacon.

The Capitol East Bound seems to have lamb shank...don't miss it for anything.
Cheers,
Nick

wa4umr Wrote:
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> Take a look at the menu.
>
> http://www.amtrak.com/pdf/Dining_Car_Menu.r5.pdf


I think that may not be the current menu. The notation on the bottom corner of each page seems to suggest April 2003 (0403), which would be before "Simplified Dining" came into use.

A few other hints suggesting it is not current:

* fresh eggs prepared to order for breakfast
* steaks cooked to order for dinner
* ice cream for dessert

I do not believe that any of these are now available in the simplified dining menus.

Second the lamb shank. Very good!

Had the Salmon on the Chief. Was pretty good.

meh Wrote:
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> A few other hints suggesting it is not current:
>
> * fresh eggs prepared to order for breakfast
> * steaks cooked to order for dinner
> * ice cream for dessert
>
> I do not believe that any of these are now
> available in the simplified dining menus.

As of my last big trip last Fall, you couldn't get a steak on any train except the Empire Builder and probably the Auto Train though I can't confirm the Auto Train since I've never rode it. I had the steak 2 nights in a row on the Builder and both times it was delicious!!! You can get pancakes on the Builder but as some others have noted in the past, the Builder and Auto Train are the only 2 LD's that didn't go to Simplified Dining Service and thus have those items available. The Railroad French Toast is very good and the Country Fried Steak was decent. I had the Pork Medallions dish on the Lake Shore back in 2003 and it was absolutely delicious!! I miss that menu item!!!

amtrak251 Wrote:
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> Had the Salmon on the Chief. Was pretty good.

Sounds like quite an endorsement.

Musta stayed down...

The Bob Evans Scramble might be pretty good - if you didn't have to look at it.

I think these days most if not all items are microwaved on board. Yet some of them can be fine.

Overall, to me, the food isn't as good as it was two or three years ago but then maybe it is just that, for me, the new has worn off for train dining.

ecm Wrote:
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> I think these days most if not all items are
> microwaved on board.

Nope. They mostly use a convenction oven, not a micro. The caterer for the dining car food is Gate Gourmet, although it's my understanding that Amtrak will be offering steaks cooked-to-order soon (or maybe they already do on some trains, not including the 2 that are not SDS).

Amtrak288 Wrote:
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> As of my last big trip last Fall, you couldn't get
> a steak on any train except the Empire Builder and
> probably the Auto Train though I can't confirm the
> Auto Train since I've never rode it.

Mr. Daley, you definitely can have a steak aboard the Auto Train. My most recent 'Voyage 16" or 53(23MAR) the steak was 'adequzately good". The Williamsburg Winery varietals offered "comp" are, well to be nice, 'drinkable" and definitely worth what you paid for them.

For "Voyage 17" or 52(27MAR), I somehow think Amtrak's purveyor got their order confused witht one for Hyde Park Grill, a Cleveland based USDA Prime steakhouse chain with a branch in Daytona Beach. That steak was THAT good!!!

Too bad Amtrak didn't have any of the oversized steak knives you see at restaurants such as Mortons (chain), Lugers (NY) Gallagher's (NY), Golden Ox (KC), and many others about the land.

Over many years, from many folks, the roast chicken seems to one item Amtrak does well with good consistency.

Well for me, the dinners aren't too bad, but I'm with Smitty's statment a few days ago, I miss how they used to do it!

ecm Wrote:
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> The Bob Evans Scramble might be pretty good - if
> you didn't have to look at it.
>
> I think these days most if not all items are
> microwaved on board. Yet some of them can be
> fine.
>
> Overall, to me, the food isn't as good as it was
> two or three years ago but then maybe it is just
> that, for me, the new has worn off for train
> dining.


No fresh cooked eggs on my rides aboard the California Zephyr last month.
I would recommend the Quiche or the Railroad French Toast for breakfast,
the hamburger or the grilled chicken sandwich for lunch, and the salmon or the
chicken for dinner.