1) On the Lateshore Limited ride west, there was no dining car, only a Cafe Car. When you have a sleeper, how do they determine what a "complimentary meal" is? I take it you pick and choose from the snackbar menu.
2) I have some limitations and cant have some foods for medical reasons, most notably spicy and tomatoes. Naturally the ravioli and other Italian style foods are out, but what about that lamb dish they had on the SW Chief? What dishes are usually offered on the Capitol Ltd which might fall into the "edible for supper" category for me?
3) If #2 means nothing on a dining car menu is edible, can one resort to Snackbar choices? The SWC's cold chicken and cole slaw was actually quite good for what it was.
Thanks!
DD
Posted by train lady (Member # 3920) on :
D.DAvid,On the Capital as on the other trains with a diner,you have a choice of poultry,fish, meat,vegetarian,or chef's special. Usually the chicken dishes are tomato free. I have a specific allergy so if I have any doubts I ask the server to check with the chef. If you click on to the Amtrak site you can find a link to the menu selections and that will give you some idea. Also if there is nothing you can eat ask if you can have the children's meal. If you are in a sleeper you can have a lounge car meal in place of the diner. We have done this for lunch at times when all we wanted was a sandwich. Just check with your car attendent.I hope this helps
Posted by D. David (Member # 4055) on :
Thanks it's very helpful! Going to dig into their site for the menus...
-- wow I can just imagine ordering grilled veal and a chocolate bombe LOL
I won't have anything to worry about.
Posted by train lady (Member # 3920) on :
as a matter of fact the veal is/was excellent and the desserts are mostly sinful. The cornish hen is also good if that happens to be on the menu. There are 4 or 5 different ones.
Posted by sbalax (Member # 2801) on :
I have had some very good meals on Amtrak. Especially the steaks and desserts. The "Chocolate Pyramid" on the Coast Starlight is exceptional.
We just did our first cruise (Vancouver to San Francisco) and while there is no comparison in galley size, staffing, etc, I am now well and truly hooked. This was a "repositioning" cruise so it was incredibly inexpensive but you would not have known it from the quality of the food and the level of service.
Frank in cloudy (We had thunder, lightning and rain today!) SBA
Posted by CoastStarlight99 (Member # 2734) on :
Twin Medallions, Delmonico, T-bone, and New York Strip are all highly reccomended. As well as the cheesecake and chocolate bundt cake.
I am very suprsied the late for sure had no dining car!
Posted by sojourner (Member # 3134) on :
The Lakeshore Ltd had a dining car when I traveled east on it just a month ago (also, it wasn't late, wonder of wonders). Are you sure you have the right train?
Also, I did not know the menus were attached to particular routes; I thought they rotated.
I agree about the chocolate pyramid and cheesecake! I also like the pork shanks and the NY strip steak (unless it is overcooked). I also usually get the corn as one of my side veggies, but I think that has pimiento or something in it you may not be able to eat. For breakfast, I like the railroad French toast.
Posted by D. David (Member # 4055) on :
quote: The Lakeshore Ltd had a dining car when I traveled east on it just a month ago (also, it wasn't late, wonder of wonders). Are you sure you have the right train?
Yes. I thought that was strange for a long distance train that ended up taking 25 hrs. Ran out of food pretty much. I have a very cynical review of my travels both ways last month which covers the intimate discomforts of the Viewliner experiences.
quote: Also, I did not know the menus were attached to particular routes; I thought they rotated.
I agree about the chocolate pyramid and cheesecake! I also like the pork shanks and the NY strip steak (unless it is overcooked). I also usually get the corn as one of my side veggies, but I think that has pimiento or something in it you may not be able to eat. For breakfast, I like the railroad French toast.
Had the RR French Toast and Cheesecake on Southwest Chief. Nothing exotic on my return trip on Lateshore because I was in coach and had to pay up front
One would think regional - midwestern trains will probably see more steaks etc. - would determine some dishes.
I am asking all these little nitpicky questions because I plan to do railing right and for a vacation (last month's venture was for business; the company buckled and let me take the train instead of fly). I saw the potential for a really great experience, and I've always wanted to do it. I'm learning from all of you. Thanks again!
Posted by sbalax (Member # 2801) on :
I forgot to mention that on our cruise the second day's featured breakfast item was "James Beard's Santa Fe Railroad French Toast". It was coated in crushed corn flakes. It was good but I think it had much more to do with James Beard than the Santa Fe Railroad. The recipe I have that was reprinted in the LA Times years ago is really just ordinary French Toast made with thick slices of egg bread. What makes it different is that it is baked in a hot oven after being fried. That causes it to puff up.
Frank in Sunny SBA
Posted by train lady (Member # 3920) on :
don't worry about asking questions. That is one of the great things about this forum. Everyone tries to help everyone else. Anyway if a question is important important enough for you to ask it is important enough for an answer. The various trains used to have regional dishes, trout in Colorado,pork in the mid west and the best crab cakes I have ever eaten on the Crescent. But Amtrak changed to the same food on the whole system to save money. Supposedly you should have a different menu on each train so you don't get the same one twice on the same trip. However it doesn't always work that way. I have had the same menu choices on the CZ many times. Have a great vacation. Amtraking is a wonderful way to meet people and see the country.
Posted by sojourner (Member # 3134) on :
Amtrak's schedule says that the Lakeshore Ltd, both E and W, has a dining car, and in my experience it does (except I believe not for the special Albany-Boston leg). It is a smaller dining car than on the western trains, about half the size. Are you sure there was no dining car, or maybe you were just not made aware of it because you were traveling coach?
On the eastbound train, which leaves 7:50PM from Chicago, there is time for only one dinner seating, so maybe the dining car is open only to sleeper passengers. Also, on the eastbound train I took, which was (miraculously) nearly on time, the dining car was open only briefly for lunch, closing after Schenectady, so even sleeper passengers who did not make it in by 11:30 or so did not get lunch. I imagine it was not open to coach passengers either. I don't know about breakfast but the crowd seemed small; maybe they open the dining car to sleeper passengers only.
However, this is the eastbound train I'm talking about. Westbound, the train leaves NYC in the afternoon, and I would think the dining car should be open to all and cannot imagine why it was not. Did you come on the Boston leg, or get on west of Schenectady??? Maybe for those coach passengers, it is not available.
Posted by D. David (Member # 4055) on :
We were a full contingent eastbound and there was a dining car. Westbound I am sure there wasn't, and have no idea why there would be different resources.
Posted by chrisg (Member # 2488) on :
Stay away from the Prime Rib. In August while eating dinner with David Gunn we had a decussion about how bad it is. The directions call for it to be microwaved not grilled. But the freezing and refreezing dries it out. I stay with the fish or steaks when I travel.
![[Wink]](wink.gif)