Cardinal Food Service

[Green Maned Lion]

I was under the following impressions:

The car is a diner-lounge. Half of it is used as a lounge at all times of the day, while the other is used as a diner during dining hours, off-limits at other times of the day. As if it were two separate cars, essentially. I am also under the impression that coach passenger can order snacks and such during any point that they could do so in a standard lounge car, using the standard method.

And I further am under the impression that Coach passenger can eat in the dining section of the car if they want to and manage to get a reservation, paying for their meals as on other trains. Is any of this inaccurate?

 

[Long Train Runnin']

You have it right. There is a standard Cafe Counter in the middle of the car where it acts as a regular cafe. Coach paxs just ask the cafe attendant about having a meal. Lunch had the best choices IMHO.

 

[the_traveler]

I rode the Cardinal twice - both times in a sleeper.

On my October trip, they took all the sleeper passengers (at least for dinner and lunch) all at the same time. On my March trip though, the SA told me upon boarding that I could go to dinner anytime I want before 9:45! The next day at lunch, I sat with someone from coach, so I know coach passengers can also have meals.

LTR is correct that the car is half cafe & half diner. There are seats on the cafe side and the counter is in the middle of the car.

 

[ns4eva]

Good info to hear for my July trip starting out of PRC to ESM. Not to hijack the thread, but what is the menu like? Is it more of a sandwich and snack menu or are the meals such as on other trains?

 

[Joel N. Weber II]

Does the average person who has never ridden Amtrak before manage to figure out this weirdness about how there are two different menus depending on which half of the car they want to sit on?

 

[the_traveler]

Good info to hear for my July trip starting out of PRC to ESM. Not to hijack the thread, but what is the menu like? Is it more of a sandwich and snack menu or are the meals such as on other trains?

It's basically the same as on any other LD train. The difference is that since there is no stove, there are no "cooked to order" items like steak. Everything is heated in a convection oven.

 

[Joel N. Weber II]

Good info to hear for my July trip starting out of PRC to ESM. Not to hijack the thread, but what is the menu like? Is it more of a sandwich and snack menu or are the meals such as on other trains?

It's basically the same as on any other LD train. The difference is that since there is no stove, there are no "cooked to order" items like steak. Everything is heated in a convection oven.

The LSL is no different from the Cardinal in this respect (though we're hoping the combined / New York City portions of the LSL will be upgraded to traditional full dining cars soon, and that the Boston section will get upgraded to a pretend dining car with a convection oven, very much like the Cardinal).

 

[Shanghai]

I think the food on the Cardinal is the same as the LSL.

I haven't been on the Cardinal since 2007.