PPC Dinning Question

I have dined in the PPC many times & have always had the table to myself! Is this SOP, have I just been lucky or do I have a personal problem? LOL!!!

Thanx

My wife and I had lunch and dinner at a table to ourselves. All of the tables just had couples or families. They must let you spread out if the demand is low to dine in there.

Because the PPC has less diners (by choice), the table seating is for 1or 2! (If there are like a family of 4, they will seat 4 in there. I've seen it.)

Yes, that is normal. They do not practice "community" seating as does the regular diner. Individuals or couples get the booth to themselves AFAIK.

Had the booth to ourselves when D4 and I traveled last September.

They reserve the table for just your party but when we last rode, we were having such a nice conversation we invited the gentleman to sit with us while we ate.

Last week at lunch in the PPC, I was sat with a nice lady. Before, however, William (the attendant) asked both of us if it was alright to sit together. The demand for meal seating in the PPC was high that day.

There were very few people in the PPC during my trip, so I was seated by myself every time. It was awesome.

I as well was seated alone. Everyone is cordial, but never had any joiners. I was seated once on a side seat which I found a little cramped. Always a pleasent time in the PPC.

Unlike the others, I have been seated with a stranger as a party of 1 in the PPC. But the PPC was full and personally, I would rather eat with a stranger (aka new train friend!) rather than be told no availability.

I tell the attendant that I'm willing to share a table at the time reservations are taken. That way no one's put on the spot by being asked in front of the proposed tablemate.

This summer I will be connecting from the SWC to the CS and as a solo traveler looking forward to dining in the PPC. My question is the reservation process. Is it the same attendant who takes the dining car reservations or someone else?

It's the same. The LSA will ask "Dining Car or PPC?" then give you the available reservation times for your choice.

I had a very nice turkey sandwich on a cranberry roll on Friday for lunch. The other choice was some type of salad. There were several empty tables in the PPC when I ate my lunch.

For dinner I had the braised shortribs (no bones). This is the best cut of beef on any Amtrak train anywhere IMO. The reservation for lunch was collected at the door of the roomette before we got to SBA.

As I left lunch I stopped at the bar to see Jay for my dinner reservation since I knew what I wanted.

Yesterday morning I had my GPS out and watched the sun rise from the lounge car before we got to Dorris, CA. When we came out of the second tunnel into Oregon, I took the GPS back to the roomette and went back to the dining car. I got to sit with 3 other people as we pulled into the KFS station about 7:25AM. Soon after I sat down they started taking names at the doors from both coach and sleeper passengers as the dining car was full. No breakfast was served in the PPC. We left KFS exactly on time (8:17) and got to my stop at CMO at 9:29. I got off with one other sleeper passenger. I told the one coach passenger not to worry that they would get him on at a coach car. The train pulled out at 9:33. I don't know how may coach passengers got off.

The SWC arrived 1:05 late on Friday but I watched then back the CS into track 10 about 10 minutes after we pulled into track 12 with the SWC.

There was a meeting in LA about saving the route of the SWC over Raton Pass. I had breakfast with one of the meeting participants. I hope the governors involved can make a long term agreement to save the line. He felt that the SWC would die soon after it started going through Texas.

It seems that Amtrak is standardizing all of their menus in an effort to cut costs. Is there anywhere where the menus for the PPC are available for perusal?

George K said:

It seems that Amtrak is standardizing all of their menus in an effort to cut costs. Is there anywhere where the menus for the PPC are available for perusal?

Click to expand...

Scroll down to "Menus"

http://www.amtrak.com/coast-starlight-train

When I was on the CS last July, what was being served in the PPC did not correspond to the published PPC menus.

FrensicPic said:

George K said:

It seems that Amtrak is standardizing all of their menus in an effort to cut costs. Is there anywhere where the menus for the PPC are available for perusal?

Click to expand...

Scroll down to "Menus"

http://www.amtrak.com/coast-starlight-train

When I was on the CS last July, what was being served in the PPC did not correspond to the published PPC menus.

Click to expand...

Thanks!

When I rode it in September (Southbound - boarded at PDX) there was a Salmon Caesar Salad that D4 had. Not on these menus, either. Yeah, she photographs her food.

The hot plate/steam table in the PPC is no longer used. The LSA brings the food from the Diner next door and serves you @ the tables.

You make your selection ( two choices) when making your rez, the food is always good to excellent and a nice change from the standard Amfood served in the Diner!

In the PPC there are only 2 choices for each meal. I'm staying away from any fish on Amtrak as the tilapia I had on the eastbound CZ was the worst Amtrak meal I've had in years.

The choices are announced for the PPC after you board and if you don't like what they are serving, go one car back to the dining car. On the lower right of each page of the dining car menu is the code 1014 (October 2014). I was told that the standard menu will be changing in the next 6 weeks.

The oven for PPC#4 shorted out and there was a bad odor soon after we left SBA on Friday. Jay had to use the oven in the dining car for the great beef dish.

The refurbishment that was visible in the PPC was a stainless steel plate on each side of the door windows (Probably required by FRA) and the upstairs seats were reupolstered.

The 20 seats for the theater downstairs were not changed.

The food prep area in the PPC has at least one refrigerator and a large cutting board and a microwave in addition to the regular oven.

Jay was kind enough to give me a can of Canada Dry tonic water to drink before bed. It prevents leg cramps (quinine)for me and many other people.

I see from your info you're close to Chemult. Is the CS ride over that double loop (?) between Oakridge and Odell Lake as neat on the train as it appears to be on a topgraphic map? https://www.topoquest.com/map.php?lat=43.66353&lon=-122.23289&datum=nad83&zoom=32&map=auto&coord=d&mode=zoomin&size=xl Looks like the grade of about +1.5% going up from Oakridge to the lake might make the Southbound CS slower - but in fading daylight. That section of the route stands out nicely on Google Earth because of the stark contrast between the winding roadbed and the green trees: http://s129.photobucket.com/user/niemi24s/media/travel/DoubleLoopOakridgeORa.jpg.html One of these days I've just got to get a sleeper and go that entire route.