Amtrak meal photos?

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D.P. Roberts

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Guilder & Florin Scenic Railroad
Is there a thread, blog, or web page somewhere that shows photos of Amtrak dining car meals? Sometimes it's hard to tell what a meal is from the descriptions. I often find myself walking very slowly towards my assigned table, checking out other meals along the way. I think it might be better if I could plan ahead & see what looks good before I board.
 
Is there a thread, blog, or web page somewhere that shows photos of Amtrak dining car meals? Sometimes it's hard to tell what a meal is from the descriptions. I often find myself walking very slowly towards my assigned table, checking out other meals along the way. I think it might be better if I could plan ahead & see what looks good before I board.
There are a few in this thread at Flyertalk.
 
Probably a good idea for a thread in our very own Train Photography subforum!
Aloha

Actually, if one wanted a thread of food from Amtrak pictures it would belong here. The Train Photography sub-forum is a section to discuss Photographic Techniques in getting good pictures of trains while being safe around trains.
 
i think having the meal pictures somewhere on the board is a good idea. however, i encounter such differences in presentation from train to train and crew to crew (not to mention differences in warmth) that the reliability of the meal pics might not be the greatest.
 
I don't recall whether we have photos that show our food, but we've eaten in the dining car of the Crescent many times. I would say our meals looked like those in an average, not upscale and not greasy spoon, restaurant. French toast, bacon, eggs, sausage, etc. about like you'd expect at a good IHOP or Cracker Barrel, large hamburger with lettuce, tomato, and pickle spear, and meat and veggies all very "normal" looking. Seems like the side salads are small ones, though, with little packets of salad dressing. Unless you expect gourmet fare, I don't think you'll be disappointed, especially if you are in a sleeper with the meals included. :) Most of the menu prices weren't too bad, with some of the dinner items perhaps being a little more pricey. I usually got the cheesecake for dessert, and it was like a slice of the cheesecakes that you can purchase for around $15.00-$20.00 in delis. I think they are probably pre-packaged and brought aboard. Hubby usually got the ice cream, which was one of the premium brands, can't remember which.

We always looked forward to the experience of the dining car. If we ever had a really bad meal, I've forgotten about it. Service was almost always good. On one trip, the attendant brought our meals and never reappeared to ask if we needed drink refills, but that was the exception, and they were very crowded and busy. We tipped based on menu prices and service.

I know a description is not what you are wanting, but I hope it helps some. Happy travels, and Merry Christmas!
 
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i think having the meal pictures somewhere on the board is a good idea. however, i encounter such differences in presentation from train to train and crew to crew (not to mention differences in warmth) that the reliability of the meal pics might not be the greatest.
Agreed. I do enjoy seeing photos of the food but I too have found that presentation style varies greatly from train to train. I always try to take note of little details such as dinner rolls being warm when they are brought to the table, hamburger buns being toasted, and little garnishes like a dusting of powdered sugar on cheesecake. Of course, the last time I rode the Capitol Limited, they were unable to provide (even after being asked) the cocktail style sauce which is usually served with the crab cakes.
 
Personally, I find many "amateur" pictures of food, makes the food look a lot less appealing that it does in reality.

In professional pictures, like those we are so use to seeing in ads, use food that has had "makeup" or "styling" done on it.

If one wants to publish food pics here, please see (and use) http://www.pixiq.com...od-photo-tricks .
 
Personally, I find many "amateur" pictures of food, makes the food look a lot less appealing that it does in reality.

In professional pictures, like those we are so use to seeing in ads, use food that has had "makeup" or "styling" done on it.

If one wants to publish food pics here, please see (and use) http://www.pixiq.com...od-photo-tricks .
Most professional "food" pictures the food is inedible and sometimes not even food.
 
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Forgive the grainy photo, but it was a dark dining car and this was a cell phone photo. That said, this was the best meal (crab cakes - chef's special on CZ westbound) I have had on Amtrak - and, if on a report card, I would still maybe grade this a B- or a B. For some reason, people on this board really seem to think of the meals served on Amtrak trains as something special. I have not found that to be the case. I would grade this above the average meal served in first class on an airline, but if this were a restaurant, they'd be out of business.

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I always like to order the special, rather than the standard menu, despite comedian Jim Gaffigan's warning that "if it's so special, why isn't it on the menu?" This was described as a chicken pot pie. That is an insult to chicken pot pies. This was nearly inedible. The LSA came by and asked me if I liked it and I was absolutely honest about my opinion. She told me that she had been considering ordering one for herself - until she saw what was on my plate. She offered me another meal, but I declined, as I was sure I'd be eating again in a few hours. She did tip me off to one of Amtrak's finer dessert offerings....

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The icing on the chocolate bundt cake was still warm when served. It helped wash away the taste of that befouled chicken pot pie.

I also tried the cheeseburger, which most folks around here find to be one of the better options for lunch. It was weak. I wasn't expecting a gourmet burger, but this was weak even for banquet food standards. Unfortunately, the burger was absent on photo day.
 
Personally, I find many "amateur" pictures of food, makes the food look a lot less appealing that it does in reality.
I'm tempted to say most of the food photos I've seen on here look a heck of a lot more appealing than anything I've seen while actually riding on Amtrak.

Most professional "food" pictures the food is inedible and sometimes not even food.
True. I've heard stories from folks who were part of advertising shots who were warned not to actually eat anything they were holding because it was so heavily doctored as to be seriously harmful if ingested.

Seriously? Possibly only the silliest thread behind the "have you found the soap in Amtrak restrooms" thread.
Nobody who has posted in here cares if this thread is personally approved by Taco Bell. Seriously.
 
I don't have any pictures, but Amtrak food is not too bad. They often look and taste like just some regular chow put on a plate but not a big mess, either. The specials are hit-or-miss, seafood not very good (except crab cakes), and the desserts are almost always decent.
 
This was described as a chicken pot pie. That is an insult to chicken pot pies. This was nearly inedible. The LSA came by and asked me if I liked it and I was absolutely honest about my opinion. She told me that she had been considering ordering one for herself - until she saw what was on my plate.
This is precisely why I wanted a thread like this! Many times, something sounds good on a menu, but once you see it you completely change your mind.

Thank you all for your photos so far. I do agree that photography skills & preparation on each train will make for some variety in the photos vs. what one may find on the train, but being slightly informed is better than not being informed at all.

For example, the westbound EB has "Vegetarian Linguini with Peppers". This dish is composed of "Linguini pasta with sweet peppers, onion, garlic and spiced tomato sauce, topped with parmesan cheese and served with a vegetable medley." This sounds kind of like a stir fry of vegetables with pasta, or "menu code" for spaghetti with marinara. A picture would enable one to tell the difference. So no, I don't think this thread is "silly".

I find that when I'm on a train, there's not much to look forward to except meals. So, although the food is often mediocre, the anticipation somehow makes it taste better. So, I might as well pick a good meal...
 
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After my run in with the lukewarm crab cakes on the Crescent recently, i doubt I will eat them again.

That ham melt doesnt look that bad, Id try it.

This thread isnt silly at all. If you find this thread so silly, why post in it?

I didnt know you could get bacon on the burger. I may have to try that next time Im on Amtrak.
 
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Seriously? Possibly only the silliest thread behind the "have you found the soap in Amtrak restrooms" thread.
Nobody who has posted in here cares if this thread is personally approved by Taco Bell. Seriously.
If you took a moment to actually read carefully, you would have see that post was by a Ted Bell, not from Taco Bell. :rolleyes:

I guess it would be fair to now say that nobody should care about posts from Texas Sunset anymore. :angry2:
 
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Seriously? Possibly only the silliest thread behind the "have you found the soap in Amtrak restrooms" thread.
Nobody who has posted in here cares if this thread is personally approved by Taco Bell. Seriously.
If you took a moment to actually read carefully, you would have see that post was by a Ted Bell, not from Taco Bell. :rolleyes:
Yeah, that was the essence of the joke kiddo. If my posts aren't bugle-worthy to you then stop wasting my time with your no-name replies.
 
I have a decent amount of pictures of amtrak food on my blog at http://trainsacrossamerica.blogspot.com.

Here are some examples.

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Very late train = bringing on KFC for dinner

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Emergency rations on a very late train (this was inedible)

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Ribs for dinner on the EB

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Strawberry dessert in the PPC on the CS

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Breakfast on the Acela in the FC car
 
Hi- When people are concerned about the warmth of the food on Amtrak- why not have them heat it up if it isn't warm enough?
 
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Seriously? Possibly only the silliest thread behind the "have you found the soap in Amtrak restrooms" thread.
Nobody who has posted in here cares if this thread is personally approved by Taco Bell. Seriously.
Speaking of Taco Bell...

When my daughter and I took our LD trip last year, I told her we should take pics of the food as I had seen people do here on AU. Well, the only pic we ended up taking was her Taco Bell lunch at WAS during our layover. :D
 
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