Disappointed with meals

[Dakota 400]

Best Amtrak items: The Railroad French Toast was a winner. Usually, the steak served was also very good and I found the salad bowl served was fresh and tasty. A dependable item has always been the Burger Sandwich its accompaniments. The Macaroni and Cheese from the children's menu is also very good. I have seen more than one SCA eating that item.

Pre-Amtrak: I found the Lunches served on the Dakota 400, Rochester 400, and the Twin Cities 400 to be very good. Once, I took the Black Hills Special from/to Rochester to Rapid City. The diner was dropped at Mankato and a cafe/lounge was added (I don't recall the type of car). The meals provided during that section of my trip were good.

 

[Lonestar648]

Years ago, probably in the 1990's, I remember having delicious super thick pork chops over 1"' that melted in your mouth. I also remember some great fish meals, Salmon, Halibut, that the Chef on board cooked perfectly. I agree about the French Toast that was always made from scratch.

 

[Bob Dylan]

On the PPC was there a separate cook downstairs? I was always amazed at how good the meals were without an apparent kitchen and more than one attendant. Regardless, whomever is in charge of Amtrak's contemporary dining should take note of how it was done consistently with quality. It is possible.

The food in the PPC came from the Diner next door.

In the beginning it was served from a Steam Table in the PPC, but for the last few years it was brought from the Diner ( prepared by the Chef(s) downstairs) by the LSA in the Lounge and served @ the Table.

There were different choices for the Northbound trip LAX-SEA and the Southbound turnaround from Seattle to LAX.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

Other than the salmon and mahi mahi... I think all of the chef inspired meals were pre-cooked and warmed in the convection oven. (salmon and / or mahi might have been too, but also could have been cooked on board). That's why I always say it's not the cooking process.. it's the quality. Almost forgot to mention the Beechers Cheese pasta that was so good as well.

 

[ehbowen]

I still think that the best piece of fish I've ever dined on in my life was the broiled red snapper I ordered on the Broadway Limited while rounding Horseshoe Curve in June 1985.

 

[dlagrua]

Once again; as per info received over dinner this past May that we shared with Jim Mathews and Jonsie Stone from the RPA ; Amtrak's plan is to have Cardinal style meals on all the Eastern Routes. We were told the hold up has been the in the work scheduling to have the 24 slot convection ovens installed in the Viewliner diners at Hialeah. While I am not thrilled with Cardinal food, it is far better than the boxed fodder that we were served on the CL. That food was so bad that after a few bites I threw the box in the garbage.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I don't think it's realistic to expect today's Amtrak to match a fancy scratch-made culinary experience from thirty or forty years ago. I do think it's fair to expect a thousand dollar sleeper ticket to come with food that can at least approximate a made-to-order Denny's breakfast or Applebee's dinner, which is not how I would describe today's precooked pantry items and boxed meals. The "Chef Inspired" options weren't perfect but at least they were good enough for most of Amtrak's critics (including yours truly) and were a brief sign of better times ahead, before Congressman Mica's poisoned seed blossomed into yet another round of cuts and cost reductions.