New Dining Car Menus Nov. 4

[BCL]

Oh, now I see. Well, doing that does not produce an aerosol of blood or anything else. It simply spreads around contaminants from a chicken if it's washed like you were washing your car. IMHO, the video is nothing more than the usual "the sky is falling" blather from health pundits.

Even so, the gist is that minimal handling of raw meats would be advisable in tight quarters. Granted a nicely seasoned patty can be made ready in a commissary or even requested from the meat supplier.

I've been to fish and meat markets, and they're often washing down and even bleaching/disinfecting the surfaces. I think another deal is that they're not actually cooking any of it near there.

 

[JackieTakestheTrain]

Hi. No new menu posted for The Cardinal on Amtrak's website.

Can anyone offer any experiences since new menu?

Thanks!

 

[TinCan782]

Hi. No new menu posted for The Cardinal on Amtrak's website.

Can anyone offer any experiences since new menu?

Thanks!

All the posted menus I've seen on Amtrak's website are still 05/15...nothing new yet. I have yet to see a menu dated Nov 4!

 

[peconicstation]

Hi. No new menu posted for The Cardinal on Amtrak's website.

Can anyone offer any experiences since new menu?

Thanks!

The Cardinal always has a different menu, as it has limited facilities and the food is all heat and eat.

The food facts site has the current offerings available on The Cardinal.

http://www.amtrakfoodfacts.com/lp.do?sk=7A78346AD5FE47F9F6EE86E679B2E833E071FE1085C26D7C&EV=2

Ken

 

[Palmetto]

I'm surprised at the amount of salt in some of these offerings. For example, in Acela First for the scrambled eggs and bacon there's 101% of your daily requirement. Yikes!

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

Hi. No new menu posted for The Cardinal on Amtrak's website.

Can anyone offer any experiences since new menu?

Thanks!

The Cardinal always has a different menu, as it has limited facilities and the food is all heat and eat.

The food facts site has the current offerings available on The Cardinal.

http://www.amtrakfoodfacts.com/lp.do?sk=7A78346AD5FE47F9F6EE86E679B2E833E071FE1085C26D7C&EV=2

Ken

At least from the pictures and descriptions the Yankee Pot Roast and Roast Chicken w. Sage Dressing look pretty good, even if the portions seem small.

 

[oregon pioneer]

Hi. No new menu posted for The Cardinal on Amtrak's website.

Can anyone offer any experiences since new menu?

Thanks!

The Cardinal always has a different menu, as it has limited facilities and the food is all heat and eat.

The food facts site has the current offerings available on The Cardinal.

http://www.amtrakfoodfacts.com/lp.do?sk=7A78346AD5FE47F9F6EE86E679B2E833E071FE1085C26D7C&EV=2

Ken

At least from the pictures and descriptions the Yankee Pot Roast and Roast Chicken w. Sage Dressing look pretty good, even if the portions seem small.

I traveled on the Cardinal a couple of weeks ago, and had the beef. It was good, and the chicken that others had looked good. Service was slow due to equipment limitations, but we ordered wine to help us pass the time in good spirits (hey, we didn't have anywhere else we needed to be!). Had a very good time, LOL. The crew was outstanding, and they made sure we knew the chocolate mousse tart was available too! :wub:

 

[JackieTakestheTrain]

Hi. No new menu posted for The Cardinal on Amtrak's website.

Can anyone offer any experiences since new menu?

Thanks!

The Cardinal always has a different menu, as it has limited facilities and the food is all heat and eat.

The food facts site has the current offerings available on The Cardinal.

http://www.amtrakfoodfacts.com/lp.do?sk=7A78346AD5FE47F9F6EE86E679B2E833E071FE1085C26D7C&EV=2

Ken

Hey, thanks for pointing this out!

The photos really help. I actually had feared far worse for choices...but then again, it was already pretty bad on the Cardinal the lately. Can only improve.

Since I am traveling on Christmas Day, I am hoping my sugar-free Strawberry Jello might come with maybe some green Jello, too! Haha!

 

[Devil's Advocate]

The Cardinal always has a different menu, as it has limited facilities and the food is all heat and eat.

Besides the eggs and steak is anything on Amtrak not heat and eat?

 

[crescent-zephyr]

The Cardinal always has a different menu, as it has limited facilities and the food is all heat and eat.

Besides the eggs and steak is anything on Amtrak not heat and eat?

It depends on your definition. If you mean totally prepared on board the train, I'm not even sure if the steak qualifies, does it actually come as raw pieces of meat? Or are they partially pre-cooked, heated, and then further cooked for well done?

 

[HenryK]

Amtrak's suppliers use the sous-vide method of cooking. That's quite a bit more involved than just freeze-and-heat. In fact, many good restaurants use sous-vide viands.

Here's a good explanation of sous-vide cookery: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sous-vide.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Amtrak's suppliers use the sous-vide method of cooking. That's quite a bit more involved than just freeze-and-heat. In fact, many good restaurants use sous-vide viands.

I believe the sous-vide preparations were limited to the meat portions of "chef inspired" meals that have since been discontinued. The sous-vide process creates an especially tender and flavorful result by lowering the cooking temperature and preventing loss of moisture. Actual sous-vide meals stand in stark contrast to the dry texture and bland flavor meals that Amtrak serves today.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

Devils Advocate - im guessing you may be right, the lamb shank was the best thing I've had on any train ever. It used to be one of those specials. It was still available in the Parlor Car of the Coast Starlight this summer.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Yep, Amtrak always did Lamb well, and depending on the chef, Steak and fish also!

I too miss the lamb along with the old deserts that used to be so tasty! ( the Bourbon Pecan Pie on the Crescent and City of New Orleans was fantastic served a la mode!

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

Instead of which, we have Greek yogurt cheesecake on the Cardinal. Yuck.

 

[MARC Rider]

Amtrak's suppliers use the sous-vide method of cooking. That's quite a bit more involved than just freeze-and-heat. In fact, many good restaurants use sous-vide viands.

I believe the sous-vide preparations were limited to the meat portions of "chef inspired" meals that have since been discontinued. The sous-vide process creates an especially tender and flavorful result by lowering the cooking temperature and preventing loss of moisture. Actual sous-vide meals stand in stark contrast to the dry texture and bland flavor meals that Amtrak serves today.

Actually, the chicken I had on the Meteor last month was moist and flavorful. The rice pilaf had a bit too much salt, though

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Amtrak's suppliers use the sous-vide method of cooking. That's quite a bit more involved than just freeze-and-heat. In fact, many good restaurants use sous-vide viands.

I believe the sous-vide preparations were limited to the meat portions of "chef inspired" meals that have since been discontinued. The sous-vide process creates an especially tender and flavorful result by lowering the cooking temperature and preventing loss of moisture. Actual sous-vide meals stand in stark contrast to the dry texture and bland flavor meals that Amtrak serves today.

Actually, the chicken I had on the Meteor last month was moist and flavorful. The rice pilaf had a bit too much salt, though

Sous-vide is all about coaxing the fullest natural flavor profile out of the meat itself. In my experience Amtrak's chicken entree is more about overwhelming any remaining nuances with heavy seasoning that overpowers the other flavors. I'm not anti-seasoning per se, and in fact I enjoy spicy chicken as much as the next guy, but if Amtrak's chicken is really sous-vide then I think they're completely missing the point.