Amtrak's New "Fresh Choices" Dining on CL & LSL

[keelhauled]

Children's meal makes me want to puke. Dear god.

Yeah and it's a real shame how they tie you down and force you to eat it.

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

Looking at the page, I'm not sure I like the new menu layout. It's kind of hard to read, and looks odd compared to all the other real menus.

Probably part of their self-proclaimed commitment to "making your dining experience with us even better."

Children's meal makes me want to puke. Dear god.

Oh, I don't know--they also say they want us "to experience your journey with no boundaries," and I see a lot of things in the children's menu that they could just pick up and throw across the roomette or down the hallway or at somebody (yogurt stick, juice box, etc.). They should have lots of fun with the kid's meal!

But really, what a lot of PR garbage.

 

[cpotisch]

Looking at the page, I'm not sure I like the new menu layout. It's kind of hard to read, and looks odd compared to all the other real menus.

Probably part of their self-proclaimed commitment to "making your dining experience with us even better."

Children's meal makes me want to puke. Dear god.

Oh, I don't know--they also say they want us "to experience your journey with no boundaries," and I see a lot of things in the children's menu that they could just pick up and throw across the roomette or down the hallway or at somebody (yogurt stick, juice box, etc.). They should have lots of fun with the kid's meal!

But really, what a lot of PR garbage.

Yeah! I'm gonna Go-Gurt Anderson's office! YOLO!

 

[Ryan]

I'm not sure I get the hate on the kids meal. If you were to ask my five year old what she wanted to eat, this is literally exactly what she would ask for (except she only likes cheese sandwiches without meat. I could literally go downstairs and assemble this kids meal from what we have in the kitchen because that's what the girl eats (constantly, if we would let her).

 

[keelhauled]

I'm not sure I get the hate on the kids meal. If you were to ask my five year old what she wanted to eat, this is literally exactly what she would ask for (except she only likes cheese sandwiches without meat. I could literally go downstairs and assemble this kids meal from what we have in the kitchen because that's what the girl eats (constantly, if we would let her).

I agree. The whole point of a children's meal is to be mild and inoffensive. Just cause the overlap between forum members and the target market is probably zero doesn't make it a bad choice.
Actually now that I think about it, I eat an awful lot of sandwiches even as an adult, so I for one will not be throwing any stones here.

 

[tommylicious]

That menu stinks. All the "fresh" branding and green ink are nothing more than a silk hat on a pig. It's such a letdown from cooked food in a dining car experience. I will never again ride the CL or LSL, nor any LD route which purveys this stuff, no matter how they try to spin it. It's a sack lunch. I will fly instead.

 

[KmH]

Gosh. I guess I've missed out most of my life. I've never had a sack lunch as fancy as the entreé offerings in that menu.

A once per trip complimentary choice of a beer, wine or spirit with an entreé on an LD train is a nice touch.

Now they need to update the LSL's Food Facts page.

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

Vegan dinner, does not look like anything a vegan can eat for breakfast. Fresh Fruit is the only guaranteed item.

A plate, two salads, a wrap.

Good thing I normally board in Utica, so dinner is before train time. Will be interesting the stock levels. If the pre-order feature was available now, that would be helpful.

The lack of a breakfast....

 

[Steve4031]

The breakfast is still the weakest. No choices.

 

[jis]

The breakfast is still the weakest. No choices.

It is a backhanded way of increasing F&B revenues - get the Sleeper passengers to go to the Cafe and get themselves a Jimmy Dean's Sandwich or a Breakfast Wrap

Sigh....

 

[Steve4031]

The breakfast is still the weakest. No choices.

It is a backhanded way of increasing F&B revenues - get the Sleeper passengers to go to the Cafe and get themselves a Jimmy Dean's Sandwich or a Breakfast Wrap

Sigh....

That's exactly what I would do. And st cheese filled pretzel.

 

[jis]

The breakfast is still the weakest. No choices.

It is a backhanded way of increasing F&B revenues - get the Sleeper passengers to go to the Cafe and get themselves a Jimmy Dean's Sandwich or a Breakfast Wrap

Sigh....

That's exactly what I would do. And st cheese filled pretzel.

But of course. Given Amtrak's excellent inventory management, they will run out of them by 6:53am!

 

[cpotisch]

I'm not sure I get the hate on the kids meal. If you were to ask my five year old what she wanted to eat, this is literally exactly what she would ask for (except she only likes cheese sandwiches without meat. I could literally go downstairs and assemble this kids meal from what we have in the kitchen because that's what the girl eats (constantly, if we would let her).

I get what you're saying, but I just think a cold cheese sandwich, Go-Gurt, and string cheese is a catastrophic step down from what was offered before. For the very young kids (like your five years), this could be a decent option, but for the slightly older kids (like 10 years old), I think the microwaved mac n' cheese or hot dog was much better.

 

[TiBike]

I like what I see. The dinner menu (as described, at least) is 100% better than what's offered in the diners on the Starlight and Zephyr. I'd take any item on there (including the kid's meal

) over anything on the the current menu.

Same with breakfast. Yogurt and fruit is how I started the day this morning. I realise people love eggs, meat and heavy starch, but the new breakfast is completely adequate. And some of us actually prefer it.

The drinks menu is fine. Looks more like what I'm used to seeing in the Capitol Corridor cafe. It might not be all that different from what the Starlight has now, though. Stone is a decent West Coast IPA; the wines are worth drinking. The cocktails look like they're aimed at a younger audience, which is a smart move.

Huge bonus: I don't have to share a table with some old geezer beyatching about how his steak is cooked.

 

[cpotisch]

I like what I see. The dinner menu (as described, at least) is 100% better than what's offered in the diners on the Starlight and Zephyr. I'd take any item on there (including the kid's meal

) over anything on the the current menu.

Where does it show dinner?

 

[TiBike]

Two kinds of entree salad, a meat/cheese/veggie plate, a veggie wrap or a turkey sandwich. That's what I eat for dinner 6 or 7 days a week anyway.

 

[cpotisch]

Two kinds of entree salad, a meat/cheese/veggie plate, a veggie wrap and a turkey sandwich. That's what I eat for dinner 6 or 7 days a week anyway.

Not showing up for me.

 

[snvboy]

I'm willing to give these a try and hold off my judgement until I do (which will be on a Capitol Limited trip in just a few weeks). The quality in the dining car has just been going slowly and steadily downhill, and if these items are what I imagine them to be (similar to the meals out of Portland on the Empire Builder) then I'll be perfectly happy with them on these 1 night trips. Frankly, I think a lot of what the dining car has been sending out in the past 2 years is a small step above hog slop - particularly the breakfast and the sides. I'd rather have a tasty cold meal that a crappy hot one.

And for my wife this is a much more appealing Vegan selection.

 

[PRR 60]

For wine people, the free 1/2 bottle each is a nice perk. A "free" dinner in the conventional dining car for my wife and me sets us back about $40. This will cut at least $32 off that.

 

[Rheavon]

Definitely interested in seeing what these look like now. They sound fancy, but I'm skeptical.

 

[CAQuail]

Based on this menu, which is filled with things I don't like, I will be flying home for Thanksgiving and Christmas. That's about $1,500 in lost revenue.

 

[railiner]

Not much on that menu to satisfy me. I will continue my current practice of mostly bringing aboard food of my liking, supplemented by some items from the cafe.

While it will certainly diminish the overall pleasure of riding a long distance train, it will not deter me from riding...

 

[jis]

It is only on the Lake Shore Limited and Capitol Limited for now. Other than those two and of course, the Star which has no Diner, the other LD trains continue to have their current Diner service at least for the time being.

 

[chrsjrcj]

I dont drink alcohol, so the 1 free drink does nothing for me. I can already get free sodas in the dining car as it is.

Chicken caesar salad is okay for lunch, but breakfast and dinner do nothing for me. At least include some of the nuked meals from the cafe car as an option, if they arent going to reduce prices (like on the Star).

 

[jis]

I am left wondering how much fund is going to be transferred from the operations account to the F&B account for each of these meals served. Or is there going to be a set amount transferred irrespective of whether a meal is actually served.