Steak Lovers Beware!

[sunchaser]

It's Amtrak food...nothing should ever surprise you. For the prices charged on board in the dining car...it's all pretty sad. I always go sleeper, which is good, because I would have a huge problem with the prices.

I hope it's a temporary issue-all the more reason to go earlier for dinner. I made a big note on my list weeks ago to get early rezzies for dinner to avoid such things as them running out of selections we may want. I am not pleased with the prices either, and that did figure into going with the sleeper too. That way we don't have to worry about extra $$$ for food. Still expect to have a good time!!!!

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

The Flat Iron Steak

Is it really the best cut of Beef?'

It starts off "Though a flavorful and relatively tender cut of meat, the top blade roast has a serious flaw in the middle of it; an impossibly tough piece of connective tissue running through the middle. "

Possibly, some food vendors aren't as good as some others in preparing this cut of beef?

 

[caravanman]

When in sleeper, I feel duty bound to eat the most expensive items. The steaks are pretty good overall. When in coach it tends to be the burger option! I don't eat much meat at home, so don't claim to be an expert, but I would be astounded if a "shank" was in fact the item substituted.. It would not look anything like a steak.

Mind you, having seen that poor animal, I might go back to being vegetarian again..

Ed B)

 

[Neil_M]

Mind you, having seen that poor animal, I might go back to being vegetarian again..
Ed B)

Hell no, that's not the answer. If we are not meant to eat cows then why are they made out of steak then?!

 

[amtrakwolverine]

yeah we eat meat deal with it. i would like to see BABY BACK RIBS if they ever bring back full dining service.

 

[sunchaser]

When in sleeper, I feel duty bound to eat the most expensive items. The steaks are pretty good overall. When in coach it tends to be the burger option! I don't eat much meat at home, so don't claim to be an expert, but I would be astounded if a "shank" was in fact the item substituted.. It would not look anything like a steak.

Mind you, having seen that poor animal, I might go back to being vegetarian again..

Ed B)

MMMM, rib steaks!!!!! Yum!

 

[catblue]

I am very picky about my steak. I only like the very lean cuts of steak and I am a well done kind of person but I still expect it to be juicy and tender. I usually stick to Sirloin or New York Strip. So could you describe Flat Iron to me?

Since no one described the Flat Iron Steak I looked it up on the Internet and this is what it says:The Flat Iron Steak (also know as a Top Blade Steak), though a flavorful and relatively tender cut of meat, the top blade roast has a serious flaw in the middle of it; an impossibly tough piece of connective tissue running through the middle. Flat iron steaks usually have a significant amount of marbling. In the normal grades, marinade is required to achieve tenderness on par with more expensive cuts, such as ribeye or strip steak. It is best if it isn't cooked too well beyond medium. Like I said I only eat WELL done meat so rethinking my thought of ordering it on my train trip.

 

[Upstate]

I am very picky about my steak. I only like the very lean cuts of steak and I am a well done kind of person but I still expect it to be juicy and tender. I usually stick to Sirloin or New York Strip. So could you describe Flat Iron to me?

Since no one described the Flat Iron Steak I looked it up on the Internet and this is what it says:The Flat Iron Steak (also know as a Top Blade Steak), though a flavorful and relatively tender cut of meat, the top blade roast has a serious flaw in the middle of it; an impossibly tough piece of connective tissue running through the middle. Flat iron steaks usually have a significant amount of marbling. In the normal grades, marinade is required to achieve tenderness on par with more expensive cuts, such as ribeye or strip steak. It is best if it isn't cooked too well beyond medium. Like I said I only eat WELL done meat so rethinking my thought of ordering it on my train trip.

You might as well just give up steak altogether if you only eat it well done.

 

[catblue]

I know many people think that but I happen to like it WELL done and am happy with what I get most of the time. To be perfectly honest if I am dining with someone who orders their steak anywhere beyond a little pink I can't even look at it. I have a week stomach I guess.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Having worked as a meat packer I will say this-- there is no way that they could make a shank look like a steak-- at least not to the trained eye. You cannot cut a shank into a steak, by definition any part of the shank cannot be made into a steak-- a steak is higher grade meat taken from the hind quarter, the shank is not.

If somebody grilled shank and put it in front of you, assuming they deboned it properly, it would look like some large hunks of meat loosely connected by fat-- not a single cut.

That being said, are you sure they didn't say flank? Flank steaks are tough, and really shouldn't be grilled-- they're more for braising like shank meat, but unlike shank meat it can be taken from the hind-quarter and cut into steaks.

 

[catblue]

If Amtrak is having a hard time getting enough Flat Iron Steaks or getting quality steaks why not just print on the menu that if they run out of Flat Iron Steaks they will be substituting a "?? steak", what ever that steak is. They should pick a steak that would be comparable and use it every time to substitute. Then the servers should tell you when you order which they are serving so you can pick something else if that is what you want to do. Seems so simple to me.

 

[wayman]

Sorry, folks--I might not try the steak this trip. The crab cakes are so good I'm tempted to order them again on the return!!! Dining staff and food are top class on 91 today. I'll post a trip soon... just had to rave about the crab cakes, and this great crew, now

 

[sunchaser]

I am very picky about my steak. I only like the very lean cuts of steak and I am a well done kind of person but I still expect it to be juicy and tender. I usually stick to Sirloin or New York Strip. So could you describe Flat Iron to me?

Since no one described the Flat Iron Steak I looked it up on the Internet and this is what it says:The Flat Iron Steak (also know as a Top Blade Steak), though a flavorful and relatively tender cut of meat, the top blade roast has a serious flaw in the middle of it; an impossibly tough piece of connective tissue running through the middle. Flat iron steaks usually have a significant amount of marbling. In the normal grades, marinade is required to achieve tenderness on par with more expensive cuts, such as ribeye or strip steak. It is best if it isn't cooked too well beyond medium. Like I said I only eat WELL done meat so rethinking my thought of ordering it on my train trip.

You might as well just give up steak altogether if you only eat it well done.

If you go here http://www.amtrak.com/pdf/menus/SampleMenu1_10-2-2008.pdf

and read the description, flat iron steak is described as being marinated. That should help with the tenderness issue.

Since this one is marinated, it may be ok ordered medium. You won't know unless you try it.

I like mine med rare, sometimes medium depending on the cut.

 

[user 683]

I've ordered flat iron steak and it was wonderful!

I've had the Flat Iron Steak several times and all were pretty good! I am surprised by the substitutions. I would think they would simply indicate an item is not available when you order and give you the opportunity to make a second selection. This is what restaurants do.

 

[TrackWalker]

I had one this week on the CZ and it was good.

Ordered one on the Coast Starlight Tuesday night and 2 showed up on my plate. Who am I to complain?

 

[amtrakwolverine]

I had one this week on the CZ and it was good.
Ordered one on the Coast Starlight Tuesday night and 2 showed up on my plate. Who am I to complain?

as long as they didn't charge you for the extra yeah 2 for 1. eat one and take the other to your seat or room for a snack later.

 

[GoldenSpike]

I've never been victimized by the old switcheroo, but after 3 inedible flatirons on 3 different trains I'll never order an Amsteak again.

How did you order it cooked? I read a good review on a rare steak, but that was the only one.

I always ask for medium, and the Amsteaks were all medium as requested. Bad meat was the problem. Poor quality. USDA Industrial or something.

Amshanks, on the other hand, have been pretty good on several occasions. They're braised. Braising is a low and slow form of cooking that works well for breaking down connective tissues even in tougher cuts, such as shank and brisket. I use liquid braising in the oven for corned beef, and it always comes out falling-apart tender.

I can certainly understand jim55's discomfiture, which would apply to any kinda surprise switch. Asterisk or no, he shoulda been notified as menus were distributed. In my experience the servers have never failed to inform when a dish was no longer available.

Amshanks? Sounds like the title of a prison train movie: The Amshank Redemption

 

[Guest]

Since no one described the Flat Iron Steak I looked it up on the Internet and this is what it says:The Flat Iron Steak (also know as a Top Blade Steak), though a flavorful and relatively tender cut of meat, the top blade roast has a serious flaw in the middle of it; an impossibly tough piece of connective tissue running through the middle. ...

Scroll back up a bit from your post, and check out post #27.

 

[catblue]

Since no one described the Flat Iron Steak I looked it up on the Internet and this is what it says:The Flat Iron Steak (also know as a Top Blade Steak), though a flavorful and relatively tender cut of meat, the top blade roast has a serious flaw in the middle of it; an impossibly tough piece of connective tissue running through the middle. ...

Scroll back up a bit from your post, and check out post #27.

Yes I saw that post. Sorry I repeated the part about the tough tissue running through the middle.

What I was really wanting to know was what the steak was like cooked since I have never ordered it. Meaning was it a lean cut or a marbled cut, which means some traces of fat, which I do not like. I would never order a ribeye for instance because it has fat, also I don't eat ribs because they have fat, and so on. I am a VERY LEAN, NO FAT at all, WELL DONE person with all my meat choices. With the exception of a good lean chuck or sirloin burger. I am aware there are "rare steak" lovers. I am just not one of them. I'll go ahead and "jump in front of the train" so to speak and add I don't eat seafood either. So depending on what the Chiefs Choice is, the only other option seems to be chicken and I only eat the white meat of chicken. So yes I am a picky eater but I am sure I am not the only picky eater here.

Anyway I appreciate reading about what to be prepared for. There is a lot of good info on these forums.

 

[nferr]

Since no one described the Flat Iron Steak I looked it up on the Internet and this is what it says:The Flat Iron Steak (also know as a Top Blade Steak), though a flavorful and relatively tender cut of meat, the top blade roast has a serious flaw in the middle of it; an impossibly tough piece of connective tissue running through the middle. ...

Scroll back up a bit from your post, and check out post #27.

Yes I saw that post. Sorry I repeated the part about the tough tissue running through the middle.

What I was really wanting to know was what the steak was like cooked since I have never ordered it. Meaning was it a lean cut or a marbled cut, which means some traces of fat, which I do not like. I would never order a ribeye for instance because it has fat, also I don't eat ribs because they have fat, and so on. I am a VERY LEAN, NO FAT at all, WELL DONE person with all my meat choices. With the exception of a good lean chuck or sirloin burger. I am aware there are "rare steak" lovers. I am just not one of them. I'll go ahead and "jump in front of the train" so to speak and add I don't eat seafood either. So depending on what the Chiefs Choice is, the only other option seems to be chicken and I only eat the white meat of chicken. So yes I am a picky eater but I am sure I am not the only picky eater here.

Anyway I appreciate reading about what to be prepared for. There is a lot of good info on these forums.

I love ribeye steak, there's a good reason why it's expensive. Ribeye and porterhouse are my favorites, NY Strip is good too. I find that steak cut with no fat is usually tough and has no flavor.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Okay, for those of you who don't know what I am talking about with USDA regulations.. see my earlier post...

I just checked with a butcher friend of the family. I'm the son of a meat packer, a former meat packer myself, and my grandfather was a locally famous meat cutter.

The USDA definition for "steak" is indeed a cut of meat prepared from the hindquarter... the shank is NOT part of the hind quarter. You can of course eat shank meat, but it would never be passible as steak because of look, texture, and flavor. It would also be against the law, and the USDA can impose fines on eateries that mislabel their products. The FDA can shut down eateries if they find the transgression serious enough.

Again, talking to out local butcher (who works for a family run farm) he suspects that flank steak seems like a likely solution to this problem. When prepared, flank steak is flat and lean-- two qualities of flat irons. It can also be cut rectangular by slipping the knife across the tail and tking away that part of the cut. In addition the flank steak is not well grilled, it would be tough and tasteless-- much like the meat the OP describes having.

So if the OP is right about a shank substitution, Amtrak has some issues with the USDA and FDA. However, it may perhaps be safer to assume (since Aramark has been in the business of supplying steaks for years... and would know regulations about how to label "steak") that somebody along the line mistook "flank steak" for the incorrect "shank steak".

 

[arubafanatic]

Do you have to order your food in advance? How does that work exactly? Interested to know.

 

[amtrakwolverine]

Do you have to order your food in advance? How does that work exactly? Interested to know.

you talking about eating in the dining car. it works like a sit down restaurant. a person comes and ask you want you want then you get your food. if in sleeper food is free if in coach you have to pay and you get 2nd dibs after the sleeping car paxs get there reservations first.

 

[arubafanatic]

you talking about eating in the dining car. it works like a sit down restaurant. a person comes and ask you want you want then you get your food. if in sleeper food is free if in coach you have to pay and you get 2nd dibs after the sleeping car paxs get there reservations first.

Yeah, I'm in the sleeper. I didn't know if was a sit down restaurant or what. Thanks for clearing that up. OK...I thought I read somewhere that you had to make reservations.

 

[amtrakwolverine]

you talking about eating in the dining car. it works like a sit down restaurant. a person comes and ask you want you want then you get your food. if in sleeper food is free if in coach you have to pay and you get 2nd dibs after the sleeping car paxs get there reservations first.

Yeah, I'm in the sleeper. I didn't know if was a sit down restaurant or what. Thanks for clearing that up. OK...I thought I read somewhere that you had to make reservations.

someone from the dining car will go around and ask what time you want lunch or dinner. breakfast is first come first serve.