Lake Shore/Capitol Limited Sleeping Car Menu Refresh 1/16/19

[MSP_Train_Hopper]

Looks like the new menus are posted. 4 choices for lunch/supper. 2-3 of them are hot (cant tell if the Asian noodle dish is served hot or cold). Breakfast has been completely reworked to include choice of cereals (hot & cold) as well as hard boiled eggs, a breakfast sandwich and 2 kinds of muffins. I am confused what is included for breakfast. All you can eat / all you can fit on one plate / one from each category / etc?

https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/projects/dotcom/english/public/documents/menus/routes/Capitol-Limited-Sleeping-Car-Menu-0119.pdf

 

[Thirdrail7]

In application of the Possible improvements to LSL/CL Dining thread, the new contemporary dining car menu has been loaded on the website. 

Lake Shore Limited/ Capitol Limited Sleeping Car Menu

It is the same menu for both trains.  The cafe car menu has also been updated much like before, I having trouble finding a public reference.

 

[Thirdrail7]

 What happened to the coloring book? I hope this is a misprint and it was left out by mistake!!! :wacko:

I still don't see the coloring book.  They swapped a hot breakfast sandwich for a coloring book? This hardly seems fair! ^_^

 

[cpotisch]

Looks like the new menus are posted. 4 choices for lunch/supper. 2-3 of them are hot (cant tell if the Asian noodle dish is served hot or cold). Breakfast has been completely reworked to include choice of cereals (hot & cold) as well as hard boiled eggs, a breakfast sandwich and 2 kinds of muffins. I am confused what is included for breakfast. All you can eat / all you can fit on one plate / one from each category / etc?

https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/projects/dotcom/english/public/documents/menus/routes/Capitol-Limited-Sleeping-Car-Menu-0119.pdf

Definitely an improvement, though I do have similar questions as you about the breakfast arrangement. From what I'm seeing, for the vegan/vegetarian "Asian Noodle Bowl", they literally just took the "Asian Shrimp Noodle Bowl" served on the Cardinal, but got rid of the shrimp. Looks tasty enough, though. I wonder if I can get the Breakfast Sandwich without the ham...

 

[pennyk]

Do you know if the full actual ingredients of these new meal options will be posted on-line or in the sleeper lounges?

 

[Thirdrail7]

The only thing I'm seeing is a description of the new entrees with allergen alerts and the usual nutritional facts.

I don't see anything listed for the new breakfast items.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

Now that is a decent looking menu offering, especially for breakfast.  I am assuming the Chicken, Beef and Noodle supper options are hot entrees...?

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I don’t see milk under beverages, but assume they have it if they’re offering cold cereal.

 

[VTTrain]

 I wish that the Asian noodle bowl had an option to add chicken.  Also, two pasta dishes is a bit much.  But it’s an improvement, for sure.  

 

[PRR 60]

Looks like the free half bottle of wine (375ml) has become a free single serving bottle (187.5ml).

 

[pennyk]

Looks like the free half bottle of wine (375ml) has become a free single serving bottle (187.5ml).

I noticed that immediately. 

 

[PVD]

The Asian Noodle Bowl is the vegan selection, the other pasta does have chicken... having it as an option for the Asian Bowl would mean keeping a separate supply, heating it, and adding it to the entree... Although it would be something I'd probably order, I could see why they want to avoid it.

 

[VTTrain]

Looks like the free half bottle of wine (375ml) has become a free single serving bottle (187.5ml).

Where do you see that?  I must be blind.  

 

[Ryan]

Look at the prices.  You're not getting a half bottle of wine for $8.50.

 

[Ryan]

Go look at the cafe car menu:

 

[VTTrain]

Go look at the cafe car menu:

View attachment 12169

Ah, I hadn’t looked at the Cafe Car menu.  Just the dining menu.  

Well, they do say that the first drink is on them - not the first two drinks.   :lol:

 

[glensfallsse]

When does the new menu start? This thread says 1/19; and earlier post had suggested Wednesday. I'm on the LSL Thursday, Albany to Chicago.

 

[OBS]

Looks like the free half bottle of wine (375ml) has become a free single serving bottle (187.5ml).

That didn't last long...LOL

 

[OBS]

When does the new menu start? This thread says 1/19; and earlier post had suggested Wednesday. I'm on the LSL Thursday, Albany to Chicago.

I'm sure 1/19 is now the official start date

 

[cocojacoby]

Why didn't they just start with this instead of the stupid cold menu?  Were they forced to make changes due to passenger complaints?

 

[VTTrain]

Are complimentary soft drinks throughout the journey offered to sleeper car passengers on other trains, or is this a benefit offered only to passengers on trains that have the "contemporary dining" menu?

If it is just for passengers on the contemporary dining trains, it's actually a pretty decent perk.  I very rarely have an alcoholic beverage, and doubt that I would want one on the train, so that perk isn't anything special for me, but it's another nice perk overall.

I still wish that there was more than one hot entree that was NOT pasta.  For those of us trying to watch our carb intake, there is really just one hot meal choice.  But, fortunately, this menu is only featured on trains that are one night in duration, so it's not a huge deal.

It's nice to see that Amtrak listened to passenger feedback.  This menu isn't as good as a real dining car's menu, but at least it is a step in the right direction.

 

[cpotisch]

 I wish that the Asian noodle bowl had an option to add chicken.  Also, two pasta dishes is a bit much.  But it’s an improvement, for sure.  

The whole premise of this is that they’re not putting stuff together onboard. So why would they have that option to add chicken to the one and only vegetarian option, when you also have a chicken and pasta dish? Considering I’ve been complaining for eight months about the lack of a decent vegetarian option, to be honest it kind of irks me for someone to be complaining about the inability to add meat to it.

 

[VTTrain]

Considering I’ve been complaining for eight months about the lack of a decent vegetarian option, to be honest it kind of irks me for someone to be complaining about the inability to add meat to it.

Why would it bother you if BOTH vegetarians and meat eaters are made to be happy?  Good customer service means making the maximum number of people happy.  It's really that simple.  I was under the impression that we all wanted Amtrak to offer the best customer service possible.  And personally, I am happy when the maximum number of people are made happy.  I've never seen that as something to be "irked" about.  Not everything in life needs to be made into some sort of competition.

I haven't suggested that anyone has to put things together on board.  All Amtrak would need is a few small trays of chicken ****** that get heated along with everything else in the convection oven.  The passengers that want to add chicken to the noodle bowl could be given a tray of chicken ****** and add it themselves.  Not hard at all.  Super easy, actually.  And lots of happy people - both vegetarians and meat eaters.

 

[cpotisch]

Are complimentary soft drinks throughout the journey offered to sleeper car passengers on other trains, or is this a benefit offered only to passengers on trains that have the "contemporary dining" menu?

It’s exclusive to the Late Shore and Capitol Punishment.

Why didn't they just start with this instead of the stupid cold menu?  Were they forced to make changes due to passenger complaints?

Seems like it. I imagine this costs a fair bit more to run than the original “contemporary” system, so the seemingly significant backlash to that probably forced them to make these changes.

 

[Ryan]

I think you put far too much stock in how much Amtrak pays attention to complaining on Internet forums.