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

[Palmland]

Here is the photo for those who don't wish to be part of Facebook's next brainwashing data breach.

AmtrakContemporaryColdMeal.jpgIt doesn't look horrible but it also doesn't look very filling. Looks similar to some of the purchasable airline snack packs I've seen over the years.

Reminds me of those party invitations where dinner isn’t served but ‘heavy hors d’oeuvres’ are offered. Guess this means we’ll be drinking more wine and eating less! Regardless, for us it’s all about the train ride and not the meals.

 

[PVD]

Just back from breakfast, new diner 68019. One slightly frazzled but friendly LSA. Occasional assistance from SCA. Decent coffee quickly, but in a paper cup. The breakfast box food quality was not bad, but I have to question some of the selections. A Kind bar and a Kashi bar. Personally I like both, but why have both? The fresh fruit was pretty good. Blueberry muffin and banana nut bread. Bread was good, I hate blueberries so that was not eaten. Perhaps a more generic muffin with a few different little packages of preserves and a pat of butter/spread would be better. Yogurt with fruit and granola (very good, 7 oz instead of the more common 5.3 that has taken over the industry) Toppings not mixed in, better in case you don't want them. Extensive nutrition and ingredients list packaged with the meal, appreciate the effort, but if they printed it on both sides of the card instead of cramming onto one, you could read it without an electron microscope. Missed the opportunity to chat with coach passengers that I used to enjoy on this train since many used to come in for breakfast, and yes I miss hot food (probably more so if this was a winter trip), calorie count, fats and carbs high, so some work on selections is in order.

 

[chrsjrcj]

How does ordering work? Since breakfast is always first come first served, do you just walk up to the kitchen to get your meal and drink?

 

[IndyLions]

Thanks for the report.

That is a a lot of food, but an unusual combination of items - especially two bars and two bread items. I can only surmise they expect people to eat part of it and save part of it for later.

What was the fruit?

 

[tommylicious]

Thanks for the report.

That is a a lot of food, but an unusual combination of items - especially two bars and two bread items. I can only surmise they expect people to eat part of it and save part of it for later.

What was the fruit?

Carbs are cheap. Protein is expensive.

 

[cpotisch]

Thanks for the report.

That is a a lot of food, but an unusual combination of items - especially two bars and two bread items. I can only surmise they expect people to eat part of it and save part of it for later.

What was the fruit?

Two bread items doesnt strike me as odd, just since a blueberry muffin and banana bread are relatively differentx However, I really dont get why they have two granola bars, from different brands. They seem to want to make the selection as narrow and limited as possible, just for the sake of it. If they want to include one granola bar, fine, but I dont want it to become half of the meal.

 

[PVD]

Cantaloupe, Honeydew, (main part) Strawberry, Blackberry, Raspberry (side part)

 

[cpotisch]

Cantaloupe, Honeydew, (main part) Strawberry, Blackberry, Raspberry (side part)

Could be worse. What do you think you're going to order for lunch? Also, is your Sleeper Lounge 68021?

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Cantaloupe, Honeydew, (main part) Strawberry, Blackberry, Raspberry (side part)

Could be worse. What do you think you're going to order for lunch? Also, is your Sleeper Lounge 68021?

He's not getting lunch - he's on 449.

 

[Thirdrail7]

Thanks for the report.

That is a a lot of food, but an unusual combination of items - especially two bars and two bread items. I can only surmise they expect people to eat part of it and save part of it for later.

It is quite obvious why they have two bars. You eat one at breakfast time. The other one is for when your trains is late and the cafe is out of supplies since the coach passengers are already sitting in the cafe and got to the counter at the first sign of trouble.

I can picture the conversation with the attendant now:

Passenger: I noticed we're very, VERY late. Are you planning on serving lunch prior to arrival?

Attendant: We do not have any meals for lunch.

Pax: Can we get something from the cafe car?

Att: I think they have two waters and a pack of M&Ms left...which they are giving out one at a time to coach passengers.

Pax: Something needs to be done. I paid a lot for this ticket!

Att: Well, don't you have one for your bars or muffins left?

Pax: No. I ate both muffins to make up for the Antipasto meal that only had 6 olives...2 of which I dropped on the floor. As such, I woke up hungry. I was planning on saving the Kashi bar, but the SCA ate it while my room was being cleaned. She said she arrived late, turned with the equipment and has been out here for three days with nothing but yogurt. She said it could be her tip. I felt bad and agreed.

Att: We should find her and see if she has any left.

Let the good times roll. Let's take a poll. How long until the Amtrak Black Market Food sales reemerges? The attendants, who are already being furloughed probably feel like they'll have nothing to lose by turning a blind eye to people selling I mean giving away food...for a "donation."

 

[cpotisch]

Cantaloupe, Honeydew, (main part) Strawberry, Blackberry, Raspberry (side part)

Could be worse. What do you think you're going to order for lunch? Also, is your Sleeper Lounge 68021?

He's not getting lunch - he's on 449.

Thanks. Sorry, trip was reversed in my head.

 

[PVD]

I won't be on this train for lunch unless something goes terribly wrong. Due to a dispatching computer outage we have been behind a slow freight for an extended period of time, but should be in around 11 AM. I left out pineapple in my listing of the fruit plate. 68019 is the diner, 48151 is the split club. When I get off I'll look at my car and the P42s, I got on after midnight and really did,'t care last night.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I've had good coffee and bad coffee. I'm not sure what decent coffee is but it sounds like a euphemism for bad coffee. I had all the granola bars I could ever eat as a child so those wouldn't be touched. Fresh muffins and banana bread are wonderful but this sounds more like prepackaged factory bread from last week/month/quarter. So that basically leaves a serving of yogurt, which is the kind of food I only eat when I'm in a hurry, and fresh fruit. I like the idea of fresh fruit, and that's an item that isn't easy to pack and carry long distances yourself sans refrigeration, but it takes a lot of fruit to satiate an empty stomach. You'd probably need to fill up the entire breakfast box with fruit to make a full meal out of it.

 

[cpotisch]

Right, so you're on the same train as Train_Freak. You two should meet up!

 

[Bob Dylan]

Well, the reports are starting to come in from the Rails on the forums and overall they aren't real positive.

The pics and reports I've seen don't sound like the meals are appetizing and the SCAs seem to be overworked trying to juggle their various duties along,with serving the meals to the Sleeper passengers.

I'm interested in the New additions to the Cafe Menu mentioned in some posts( Sandwiches)and hope that the Suits @ Amtrak are considering offering them as alternate choices,along with Hot items, to Sleeping Car Passengers that can't eat many of the items in the New and Improved "Fresh Choice" meals.( a misnomer for sure since there are no choices!)

 

[PVD]

Actually the Cafe LSA is young, enthusiastic, and very pleasant on the mic. Both the diner and cafe attendants are trying real hard. Seats in BC were tagged with passenger's names and welcome aboard (handwritten, nice touch) The OBS folks are trying their best in a sad situation.

 

[PVD]

For the average person I'll change the coffee description to good.It is certainly an item where tastes vary widely, I'm not sure any single blend could satisfy everyone. It was hot, and not watered down. At this point in time the baked goods were quite fresh, yes, packaged, but seemed better than typical mass production. It really wouldn't be practical to have the baked goods not wrapped, since the meals are pre boxed. Lets see what they are like a few weeks into this to see if they are buying small lots and wrapping them for the boxes, or they've purchased a years supply and in a month will taste like rubber. Too soon to tell. It's only day 2, nothing could be stale yet.

 

[cpotisch]

It's only day 2, nothing could be stale yet.

It's day 3, but I'm betting it's a year supply of soon-to-be-stale breads. Why not do that, right?

 

[wi-smb]

It could be that, or it could be the fresh-packaged-hours-before-departure meals one gets on airlines. Since some of the food on offer spoils anyway, Im fairly certain this is a contract with a company like Gate Gourmet, which does a decent job of packing meals for airlines.

 

[PVD]

Car has coffee, cranberry juice, and extra water bottles out at coffee station.

 

[PVD]

Today is day 3, but the train left Boston yesterday, which is why I said day 2

 

[cpotisch]

Today is day 3, but the train left Boston yesterday, which is why I said day 2

Fair enough. Did you mention how the food was served? Did you get it from a counter or through your SCA or what?

 

[PVD]

You sat down at a booth, the LSA offered you coffee, gave you the slip for car/room number and signature, brought you the box, and cleaned off tables and a car attendant came through and offered refills for folks who wanted them. I know that a number of meals were brought to rooms, not mine.

 

[chrsjrcj]

I wonder if any were offered to coach passengers for purchase.

 

[cpotisch]

You sat down at a booth, the LSA offered you coffee, gave you the slip for car/room number and signature, brought you the box, and cleaned off tables and a car attendant came through and offered refills for folks who wanted them. I know that a number of meals were brought to rooms, not mine.

So it was table service, then?