July Changes to Lake Shore and Capitol Limited Dining

[iplaybass]

Update: got the short rib. Better than beef on most domestic first class flights, although the polenta could use more moisture from. Dining car was packed, so steward bagged up my meal and I'm eating in my room. Veggies are green and wax beans with round baby carrots. There is also a small salad with mixed greens, carrots and a few cherry tomatoes. They include Newman's balsamic vinaigrette, but the steward had a few loose packets of ranch for those who asked. I don't eat cheesecake, so no review. I'm having the salad for dessert.

I'm pleasantly surprised, but this review wouldn't be so positive if I were stuck with the antipasto salad.

I'm also including a picture of the free drink for those who were wondering how that works. I'll try to get a better photo of the food on Sunday's return trip. If you're wondering about the drink, as someone who loves rum and ginger beer... the rum barely makes an impression, as you might expect from a canned mixed drink.

 

[tommylicious]

Thank you for the review and photos.

 

[Palmland]

Good to see the new menu has some redeeming features. My wife will like the ginger and beer, aka a Dark and Stormy, if made with Gosling’s Black rum and ginger beer from Bermuda.

 

[Maverickstation]

As part of this discussion it had been brought up that ACELA First Class provides meal service with pre made entrees reheated on board.

Here is an example of a breakfast entree.

 

[Dakota 400]

Amtrak Meal.jpg

As part of this discussion it had been brought up that ACELA First Class provides meal service with pre made entrees reheated on board.

Here is an example of a breakfast entree.

Looks good. Was it?

 

[Maverickstation]

Amtrak Meal.jpg

As part of this discussion it had been brought up that ACELA First Class provides meal service with pre made entrees reheated on board.

Here is an example of a breakfast entree.

Looks good. Was it?

. Omelette with Boursin Cheese and Broccoli, mushrooms and potatoes.

 

[cpotisch]

Amtrak Meal.jpg

As part of this discussion it had been brought up that ACELA First Class provides meal service with pre made entrees reheated on board.

Here is an example of a breakfast entree.

Looks good. Was it?

. Omelette with Boursin Cheese and Broccoli, mushrooms and potatoes.

I think he was asking if it was good, rather than what it actually was.

 

[Maverickstation]

Amtrak Meal.jpg

As part of this discussion it had been brought up that ACELA First Class provides meal service with pre made entrees reheated on board.

Here is an example of a breakfast entree.

Looks good. Was it?

. Omelette with Boursin Cheese and Broccoli, mushrooms and potatoes.

I think he was asking if it was good, rather than what it actually was.

. Yes it was good, VIA rails meal service on its corridor business class is superior, but this was good.

 

[JRR]

My experience exactly.

 

[iplaybass]

Good to see the new menu has some redeeming features. My wife will like the ginger and beer, aka a Dark and Stormy, if made with Gosling’s Black rum and ginger beer from Bermuda.

No such luck. My wife and I are quite familiar with that particular combination, and this wasn't close.

 

[iplaybass]

I spoke with the steward at breakfast and declined the breakfast box. She said they were working on a hot choice for breakfast, maybe quiche or egg bites (makes me think of Starbucks' sous vide ones.) She also said to keep writing in. We ran about two hours late into DC, so they kept "breakfast" open an hour longer.

On a related note, #30 had a Diner-Lounge instead of a Superliner Diner.

 

[snvboy]

My gut tells me that Mr. Anderson, with an airline frame of mind, came in and looked at the diners and exclaimed "Are you ****** kidding me? Three plus people to turn out this slop!?!?"

Everything about this experiment leads me to believe this to be true, and that dining for sleeping car passengers will quickly fall into line with what is served to Acela first class passengers. Essentially some variation of what you will get on a mainline first-class airline ticket. And I'm really, really OK with that.

The dining car has been so hit-or-miss for so many years. And when it's good, it's just OK. When it's bad, it's embarasingly bad. And there is no consistency to it at all: the food, the service, all of it.

Is it any wonder that Anderson would flip the lid on this? After all, an airline flying thousands of flights per day pulls off decent service and half-decent meals and doesn't need a "Food Service Speciality" to do it. The FAs pop the hots in the oven, plate it up with the colds, pour the booze and everybody is happy.

Ye who yearn for a "chef" in the diner are 30+ years too late. Don't kid yourself, virtually nothing in the diner is "prepared" by the chef. I chuckle every time somebody bemoans the loss of the "railroad" french toast, and remember the time that mine came still frozen in the middle.

I welcome the change, and hope that it continues to be successful.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Ye who yearn for a "chef" in the diner are 30+ years too late. Don't kid yourself, virtually nothing in the diner is "prepared" by the chef. I chuckle every time somebody bemoans the loss of the "railroad" french toast, and remember the time that mine came still frozen in the middle. I welcome the change, and hope that it continues to be successful.

I've had good luck with the French toast. Same with the sous-vide style chef inspired meals. Never had any that were frozen in the middle. These new box meals don't look like they're worth rail fares that cost substantially more than first class airfare. A single hot option in a tiny menu does not impress. I don't mind buying food along the way when I'm traveling in coach but when I'm paying for top dollar Amtrak sleeper fares having to buy or bring my own hot meals seems silly to me. If Anderson had split the savings 50/50 with customers I wouldn't be so disappointed but at this point nearly all of my recent Amtrak purchases have come from pending or potential losses and reroutes (PPC, SWC, CZ, etc) rather than any sort of enhanced service or improved value proposition. It's just sad that our only choices under Boardman and Anderson have been extremely inconsistent service or highly abbreviated meals. Losing the PPC was disappointing but hearing Anderson's threats to cut the SWC off at the knees and reroute the CZ over PTC is really discouraging.

 

[cocojacoby]

I've taken Amtrak for years between Boston and Florida and the famous "Railroad French Toast" disappeared years ago on the Silver Trains at least. Did have some very good crab cakes however. And the burgers were always pretty good.

Crew attitude was "contemporary and cold" often however.

 

[Manny T]

Board Amtrak CL at WUS 405 pm. On time departure. Head to dining car at 6:30. Seated by myself for a while, then another passenger arrives. Orders taken. Enjoy red wine and tossed salad. Choice of dressings. Dinner roll and butter available. On to perfectly cooked Amtrak steak. Sides are mashed potatoes and haricot verts (thin French green beans). Conversation and watch the passing scenery. For dessert order the pecan tart (from a variety of choices). Cup of tea. Linger for a while and then walk back to sleeper.

30 years too late? No, just earlier this year. January 8, 2018 to be exact. And it was far better than "just OK."

Kudos to those on board service personnel who did it right. I really appreciate their service.

Not sustainable? Maybe, maybe not. So many variables involved, it's really hard to say.

But to think getting handed a box with anything in it is in any way comparable is laughable.

 

[cpotisch]

On a related note, #30 had a Diner-Lounge instead of a Superliner Diner.

I'm pretty sure the diner-lounge has been the standard type used on the Capitol for many years now.

 

[PVD]

Not sure if it is all the time, but I had one on the last CL I was on. Doesn't make much difference, the train still had a SSL car with the cafe was downstairs.

 

[neroden]

The beef tenderloin salad was the only non-sugared meal. Apparently it was available for breakfasts before. But now, with no egg option for breakfast, there's nothing for the diabetic or low-carb eater. Unbelievably sloppy.

CORRECTION: the antipasto plate seems to be OK, if you throw out half of it. I guess it's that, over and over again. :-(

 

[neroden]

Amtrak Meal.jpg

As part of this discussion it had been brought up that ACELA First Class provides meal service with pre made entrees reheated on board.

Here is an example of a breakfast entree.

Bluntly this would be fine for the sleeping cars. Is there some reason Amtrak can't copy this? Hostility to passengers? Incompetence?

 

[neroden]

My gut tells me that Mr. Anderson, with an airline frame of mind, came in and looked at the diners and exclaimed "Are you ****** kidding me? Three plus people to turn out this slop!?!?"

Everything about this experiment leads me to believe this to be true, and that dining for sleeping car passengers will quickly fall into line with what is served to Acela first class passengers.

I would love to believe that, but they could have done that so much more easily by *actually copying the Acela First Class menu* that I have to ask why they didn't.

 

[neroden]

It's not crumbs when you're under a federal mandate to eliminate food and beverage losses.

Amtrak is also under a federal mandate to report *avoidable* costs for the long-distance trains. They have ignored this mandate for 10 years and Anderson continues to ignore it. Maybe they should actually get their accounting right before making business decisions...

 

[Maverickstation]

Here is the link to the ACELA First Class menus, there are (3) that are rotated.

If this was used as the basis for LD dining service, it should be cost effective enough to pass the mandate imposed on Amtrak for it's F & B service.

https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/projects/dotcom/english/public/documents/menus/routes/Acela-Express-First-Class-Menus-0418.pdf

 

[Steve4031]

Acela menus are a bit better. I don’t get the fascination with mixing so much in with eggs. Not everyone likes every ingredient. Just keep it simple.

 

[me_little_me]

Acela menus are a bit better. I don’t get the fascination with mixing so much in with eggs. Not everyone likes every ingredient. Just keep it simple.

So true. Nothing worse than a meal where you can't easily ignore or remove ingredients because of dietary or taste reasons unless of course you can request a customized version. For those of us that are vegetarians once-removed, as well as for regular vegetarians and anyone else with dietary issues or specific taste buds, it makes a lot of sense.

 

[Dakota 400]

Here is the link to the ACELA First Class menus, there are (3) that are rotated.

If this was used as the basis for LD dining service, it should be cost effective enough to pass the mandate imposed on Amtrak for it's F & B service.

https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/projects/dotcom/english/public/documents/menus/routes/Acela-Express-First-Class-Menus-0418.pdf

These menus sound very decent. I noted with interest that Crown Royal Canadian Whisky is availed on Acela. Being a Canadian Whisky drinker, it irks me that Canadian Whisky is not available on the LD trains. Anyone have an idea as to why?