Steak Lovers Beware!

[Neil_M]

Exactly what do you consider 'slightly contaminated'? If you are referring to e-coli, salmonella, botulism, etc., as contaminates, there is really no such thing as 'slightly contaminated'. All of these will at the very least would make you quite ill, if not kill you. Once in the human system, they multiply rapidly and make you ill quite quickly, within hours.The reason for the undercooked meat warning is that there is a risk that IF the meat does have these bacteria in it, you could get sick if it is undercooked.

Exactly. Eating raw or rare meat won't kill you, but eating meat not cooked long enough to kill any nasties like e-coli etc might.

 

[PetalumaLoco]

Plus little things like section 623, "Exemptions from inspection requirements... Pizzas containing meat food products. " How in the world did Pizza get a specific exception written into the law?

If you think that's silly, USDA changes Swiss cheese hole diameter regulation.

 

[AlanB]

How in the world did Pizza get a specific exception written into the law?

They were probably just going round and round on that one. :lol: :lol:

 

[AlanB]

If you think that's silly, USDA changes Swiss cheese hole diameter regulation.

Well some of those inspectors do have a wholier than thou attitude. :lol: :lol:

 

[sunchaser]

Plus little things like section 623, "Exemptions from inspection requirements... Pizzas containing meat food products. " How in the world did Pizza get a specific exception written into the law?

If you think that's silly, USDA changes Swiss cheese hole diameter regulation.

I guess the feds had their eye on the cheese on that one!

And we wonder where our taxes go? To regulate holes in cheese!

I guess we will all sleep better knowing the feds are on the job, monitoring the cheese.

 

[PetalumaLoco]

Plus little things like section 623, "Exemptions from inspection requirements... Pizzas containing meat food products. " How in the world did Pizza get a specific exception written into the law?

If you think that's silly, USDA changes Swiss cheese hole diameter regulation.

I guess the feds had their eye on the cheese on that one!

And we wonder where our taxes go? To regulate holes in cheese!

I guess we will all sleep better knowing the feds are on the job, monitoring the cheese.

Hey, it's a shovel ready job!

 

[GG-1]

Plus little things like section 623, "Exemptions from inspection requirements... Pizzas containing meat food products. " How in the world did Pizza get a specific exception written into the law?

If you think that's silly, USDA changes Swiss cheese hole diameter regulation.

I guess the feds had their eye on the cheese on that one!

And we wonder where our taxes go? To regulate holes in cheese!

I guess we will all sleep better knowing the feds are on the job, monitoring the cheese.

Hey, it's a shovel ready job!

Well some of those inspectors do have a wholier than thou attitude. laugh.gif laugh.gif
They were probably just going round and round on that one. laugh.gif laugh.gif

Aloha

Guess this tread tells us AU'ers are not Kosher, mixing meat and cheese

 

[sunchaser]

Plus little things like section 623, "Exemptions from inspection requirements... Pizzas containing meat food products. " How in the world did Pizza get a specific exception written into the law?

If you think that's silly, USDA changes Swiss cheese hole diameter regulation.

I guess the feds had their eye on the cheese on that one!

And we wonder where our taxes go? To regulate holes in cheese!

I guess we will all sleep better knowing the feds are on the job, monitoring the cheese.

Hey, it's a shovel ready job!

Well some of those inspectors do have a wholier than thou attitude. laugh.gif laugh.gif
They were probably just going round and round on that one. laugh.gif laugh.gif

Aloha

Guess this tread tells us AU'ers are not Kosher, mixing meat and cheese

Definitely a goy, but do enjoy a good kosher pastrami or corned beef sandwich on rye w/ a pickle!!! yumm!!!!

 

[GG-1]

Definitely a goy, but do enjoy a good kosher pastrami or corned beef sandwich on rye w/ a pickle!!! yumm!!!!

Me too, now if we could enjoy this on a train (rail content )with coleslaw and Lemonade. Yum!

 

[RRrich]

Plus little things like section 623, "Exemptions from inspection requirements... Pizzas containing meat food products. " How in the world did Pizza get a specific exception written into the law?

If you think that's silly, USDA changes Swiss cheese hole diameter regulation.

I guess the feds had their eye on the cheese on that one!

And we wonder where our taxes go? To regulate holes in cheese!

I guess we will all sleep better knowing the feds are on the job, monitoring the cheese.

To monitor the holes, do they have to cut the cheese?

 

[Ryan]

Plus little things like section 623, "Exemptions from inspection requirements... Pizzas containing meat food products. " How in the world did Pizza get a specific exception written into the law?

If you think that's silly, USDA changes Swiss cheese hole diameter regulation.

I guess the feds had their eye on the cheese on that one!

And we wonder where our taxes go? To regulate holes in cheese!

I guess we will all sleep better knowing the feds are on the job, monitoring the cheese.

To monitor the holes, do they have to cut the cheese?

Aww, now that joke just stinks!

 

[catblue]

This topic has gone from getting good steak, to opinions as to how a good steak should be cooked, to contaminated meat, to holes in cheese and ending with cutting the cheese. Too funny!

But seriously we have no real way to know if or when we might get contaminated food till it is too late. I had rather not think about it too much or I will be afraid to eat anything.

Back to the steak discussion. If the steak was marinated in a good marinate and then cooked right it needs nothing more. No need to smother it in steak sauce. It will be good and tender even cooked well done.

Of course this is just my humble opinion.

 

[frj1983]

This topic has gone from getting good steak, to opinions as to how a good steak should be cooked, to contaminated meat, to holes in cheese and ending with cutting the cheese. Too funny!
But seriously we have no real way to know if or when we might get contaminated food till it is too late. I had rather not think about it too much or I will be afraid to eat anything.

Back to the steak discussion. If the steak was marinated in a good marinate and then cooked right it needs nothing more. No need to smother it in steak sauce. It will be good and tender even cooked well done.

Of course this is just my humble opinion.

You're right Catblue,

This whole (or shall I say hole) string has certainly run the gamut. Next thing you know, we'll be talking about the Veggie Burgers which Amtrak serves. I had mine with bacon last year on the CONO and the whole dining car went into gales of laughter about it. OK, I'm like Rick Bayless when he states: "I'm vegetarian except for bacon!" :lol:

 

[GG-1]

Aloha

Or we could include the "Philly" cheesesteak in this and cover it all including Amtrak to get to Philadelphia for the Steak Sandwich "Wiz" in true Philly style.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

*invokes Weber's Law*

Do you think they'll offer steak on the NOL-SAS stub train?

 

[sunchaser]

*invokes Weber's Law*
Do you think they'll offer steak on the NOL-SAS stub train?

Hey GML, I know it's off topic, but what is a 'stub train'? :unsure:

 

[Green Maned Lion]

*invokes Weber's Law*
Do you think they'll offer steak on the NOL-SAS stub train?

Hey GML, I know it's off topic, but what is a 'stub train'? :unsure:

It is a train which primarily exists to provide further service from a point on a trains route to a point it does not serve. For example, the train that ran from Boston to Albany to convey passengers to and from the Lake Shore Limited was a stub train. Now, of course, we have a through train that provides that service.

Weber's law is an old joke about how if a topic goes on for too long, it will eventually result in a debate about the Sunset Limited.

 

[sunchaser]

*invokes Weber's Law*
Do you think they'll offer steak on the NOL-SAS stub train?

Hey GML, I know it's off topic, but what is a 'stub train'? :unsure:

It is a train which primarily exists to provide further service from a point on a trains route to a point it does not serve. For example, the train that ran from Boston to Albany to convey passengers to and from the Lake Shore Limited was a stub train. Now, of course, we have a through train that provides that service.

Weber's law is an old joke about how if a topic goes on for too long, it will eventually result in a debate about the Sunset Limited.

Thanks, GML!!! But I'll leave the debate about the Sunset Limited in your capable hands, as I have no experience with the Limited!! The question should be then, has this topic gone on for too long yet?

 

[p&sr]

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...

That's pretty much my own thinking. Chicken on a Train is "old reliable". The steaks might be good, often times are not, so why risk it (especially in Coach, where Steak is the most expensive item on the Menu). Seafood is good in a Seafood Restaurant, but what can a Train understand of such things? BBQ is good at a Barbeque Restaurant, but probably too messy to really enjoy on a Train. And Vegetarian Lasagna is not really my idea of food.

Lamb is good, and they may have some other good meat specialties from time to time. But you really can't go wrong with Chicken. Always good, often excellent, and should have plenty of White Meat to please picky eaters.

 

[amtrakwolverine]

i've gotten chicken once didn't like it too spicy. the build your own burger is nice.

 

[sunchaser]

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...

That's pretty much my own thinking. Chicken on a Train is "old reliable". The steaks might be good, often times are not, so why risk it (especially in Coach, where Steak is the most expensive item on the Menu). Seafood is good in a Seafood Restaurant, but what can a Train understand of such things? BBQ is good at a Barbeque Restaurant, but probably too messy to really enjoy on a Train. And Vegetarian Lasagna is not really my idea of food.

Lamb is good, and they may have some other good meat specialties from time to time. But you really can't go wrong with Chicken. Always good, often excellent, and should have plenty of White Meat to please picky eaters.

Is there such a thing as train food then?

It seems that there is an attempt to serve regional foods based on that train, like they used to do when trains first added diners. I would expect the regional choices should be fairly good if prepared correctly.

We went to a chain restaurant about a month ago & I had BBQ chicken. It was grilled with a squirt of sauce applied after grilling. Not very good, but what did I expect from a pancake house? I didn't want pancakes, I wanted lunch. Oh well.

 

[wayman]

Is there such a thing as train food then?It seems that there is an attempt to serve regional foods based on that train, like they used to do when trains first added diners. I would expect the regional choices should be fairly good if prepared correctly.

They used to stop and pick up the fresh, regional ingredients along the way. That was what defined "train food" in the golden era of dining cars--a restaurant where you could have absolutely fresh local specialty dishes from several different locales all in the same restaurant, because the restaurant itself moved from locale to locale. The first night on the westbound Empire Builder, you might get fantastic steaks brought on board from the Chicago stockyards, slaughtered that morning; the second night you might get fresh Montana trout, caught that morning and brought to a station that afternoon and loaded onto the diner. Then fresh apples from Washington for the final lunch, loaded on at Yakima. There's no way you could get that menu anywhere other than that particular train.

 

[NETrainfan]

Ok, here's some extremely current info, since I'm posting from the Silver Star in northern Florida, having just eaten the Flatiron Steak
First, there's no asterisk, star, or footnote on the current menu about beef entrée substitutions. Single asterisk is about alcohol and appetizer not being included for sleeper class passengers. Double asterisk is the FDA warning about rare steak. I can't speak for menus before Friday, or in the near future, but right now there's no such note.

Second, my server (an excellent 20-year veteran adept at carefully serving coffee over some of CSX's worst track) said steaks would be changing in June. They'll still be Flatiron, same caterer, but Amtrak has requested that the caterer do some pre-cooking to the steaks. This is temporary, just for the summer. The reason is that most people order steaks medium to well, and cooking them all that way takes a lot of time; they don't feel like they can handle that amount of cooking time per steak with only one chef during peak season. Steaks will still be "cooked to order" on board; but unfortunately, for lovers of rare steak, this means we may be out of luck for a few months. Nobody else should notice a difference. Again, this is a temporary measure for peak season, starting within the next month and probably lasting three or four months, according to my server.

Third, I had the steak tonight, prepared rare, and it was quite good. I think the other entrées are better nowadays, but I was very satisfied with my steak. It's no Peter Luger, Chicago Chop House, Amarillo Big Texan, etc, but that's fine by me--diner 8551 has better ambience, friendlier staff, and nicer scenery The corn and pepper vegetable medley was what shocked me--I'm used to the vegetables being dreadful, and these were tasty. And the baked potato was fluffy. It's nice that they're putting some care into the entire meal now.

Agree that they are putting more care into the entire meal. Had a very good chicken entree on our April train trip- included the corn medley which didn't shock me, but which was very tasty- kind of a memorable meal- even the lettuce salad was good.

 

[catblue]

I think I am a pretty good cook and any good cook can take what they have available and make it taste pretty good. Amtrak has "Chefs" so seems they could do the same. I am not expecting to have the very best meal of my life. I am hoping for something pretty good. Other than being a picky eater I am not hard to please.

 

[had8ley]

Maybe we can kill this one right here...I had the very best flat iron, medium rare, on #19 Wednesday night that you could ever sink your teeth into. The ice cream was terrific and even the salt was good!