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Hanno

OBS Chief
Joined
Sep 19, 2008
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584
Location
South Central PA
We will be taking the CL and the SWC in four weeks and I was curious if the menu shown on Amtrak's website is fairly accurate for the CL and SWC?

Thanks for your assistance!
 
Can't speak for the SWC but I'm pretty sure the online one is damn close.

Was on the cap no more than a month ago. The "sample" menu online was the exact same as the real deal.
 
take a look at NARP blog / it is up to date in my opinion

http://www.narprail.org/cms/index.php/narp...ining_car_menu/

A Look Inside Amtrak’s New Dining Car Menu

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Amtrak introduced new, expanded national dining car menus on October 1. Click here to see the menu (.pdf) (there’s also a new separate menu for the City of New Orleans Cross-Country Cafe).

The children’s menu is now included on the new three-panel menu, with specials recited verbally. Desserts are downsized, while some entrees are upsized. Some entrees utilize a new deep-dish plate. Several items are in rotations of three across the route system. Many of the items are supplied by new vendors. For example, the veggie burger is now Amy’s Organic and not Gardenburger. The Flat Iron Steak is packaged pre-marinated with garlic butter before it hits the griddle. The Buffalo Wings appetizer is back, and thankfully the menu specifies that it is not included in sleeper fares (which had been a source of conflict). Amtrak will re-evaluate its menus before the Summer 2009 peak season.

Below are notes on only the items that have multiple rotation cycles (one per train), which are not specified on the menu.

Breakfast

Chef’s Good Morning Special:

1) Breakfast burrito (scrambled egg, cheeze and chorizo)

2) Egg, broccoli, and bread Strata

3) Sourdough sandwich (scrambled egg, cheddar, Canadian bacon)

Today’s Omelet Selection:

1) Garden vegetable

2) Primavera

3) Mexicali vegetable

“Extra” Special: Eggs cooked to order, up or over (not printed on menu, available only on select trains with sufficient staffing).

Lunch

Chef’s Luncheon Special:

1) Chicken, leek, and mushroom ragu

2) Thai red curry coconut chicken

3) Pork chile verde with roasted peppers and corn

Today’s Warm Sandwich:

1) Garlic chicken with provolone on wheat berry bread

2) Smoked turkey and muenster on pretzel roll

3) Beef pastrami with swiss on rye

Freshly Made Specialty Salad:

1) Tropical pineapple chicken

2) Albacore white tuna

3) Smoked turkey with walnuts and cranberries

Dinner

Today’s Seafood Selection:

1) Wild Grilled Alaskan Salmon

2) Wild Grilled Mahi-Mahi

3) Whole Baked Idaho Trout

Chef’s Marketplace Dinner Special [route-specific]:

Capitol Limited, Coast Starlight: Phillips Seafood Coastal Crab cakes in Maine lobster sauce

Crescent: Chicken and Andouille Sausage Jambalaya (no side veggies or starch)

Empire Builder (westbound): Roast Chicken Breast in wild Morel mushroom dynamite sauce

Empire Builder (eastbound): Red Rosemary-braised Roasted Lamb shank

California Zephyr: Pan-roasted Pork Tenderloin in roast garlic balsamic fig sauce

Silver Service: Phillips Seafood Coastal Crab cakes in Floridian green chile tomatillo sauce

Southwest Chief: Chicken and Cheese Trio of Enchiladas brushed with Santa Fe adobo sauce in salsa verde

Sunset Limited: Texas BBQ Pit-Smoked Beef Brisket [same as on Texas Eagle Cross-Country Cafe, but with larger portion]

Vegetarian Pasta:

1) Spinach and ricotta rollatini in vodka sauce

2) Jumbo ravioli stuffed with ricotta and baked red peppers in pesto alfredo sauce

3) Three-cheese jumbo ravioli in herb marinara sauce

There are two types of side vegetable medley loaded on each train, with one served each night (3 cycles, for 6 types total).

Dessert

Chocolate Dessert:

1) Raspberry Chocolate Tango drizzled with white and dark chocolate

2) Three-layer Oreo Chocolate Dream Bar

3) Chocolate Caramel Peanut Torte

Nut/Fruit Dessert:

1) Lemon Crumb Cake

2) Lemon and Barry Creme Torte

3) Green Apple and Almond Frangiapan Bar

Cheesecake Dessert:

1) Cheesecake topped with fired brulee on graham cracker crust

2) Classic New York Cheesecake on graham cracker crust

3) Raspberry White Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake

Menu cycles are as follows:

Effective now:

Cycle 1: Trains 1, 4, 19, 91, and 98

Cycle 2: Trains 2, 6, 7, 11, 20, 29, 30, 92, and 97

Cycle 3: Trains 3, 5, 8, and 14

Effective February 1, 2009:

Cycle 1: Trains 3, 5, 8, and 14

Cycle 2: Trains 1, 4, 19, 91, and 98

Cycle 3: Trains 2, 6, 7, 11, 20, 29, 30, 92, and 97

Have you tried the new menu? What are your impressions? Is Amtrak successfully balancing the need to both improve its offerings and keep costs down?

--Matthew Melzer

Posted by NARP
 
Well it's obvious from my trip last month that they are not "cycling" all of the meals. The vegetarian pasta was on cycle #1 on trains 8 and 7. Also the wild grilled "Mahi Mahi" was the seafood selection on trains 7 and 8. The "Market Place Special" as listed on the above menu was correct however on the East and Westbound Empire Builder's I was on.
 
What, no burger? :angry:

I really liked an Amtrak burger for lunch.

What, no Häagen-Dazs ice cream? :angry:

I really liked taking a cup of it back to my room after diner.
 
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What, no burger? :angry:
I really liked an Amtrak burger for lunch.

What, no Häagen-Dazs ice cream? :angry:

I really liked taking a cup of it back to my room after diner.
Unless something has changed since last month, the Haagen_Dazs ice cream "cups" are still a part of the dessert menu. At least on the EB and the CL.
 
And if you get tired of all that amtrak standard fare, call 72 hours before departure and you will get the surprise menu in the way you would like it:

Amtrak's special meals

Going Kosher or Vegan for 2 days could be an interesting experience. ;)
 
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