Amtrak Dining and Cafe Service discussion 2024 H1

[flitcraft]

I had several amtrak waiters ask me if I wanted bacon on mine... the regular riders knew that was the best thing on the lunch menu! Of course cheese is still vegetarian so that's not unusual.

Well, cheese isn't necessarily vegetarian. If it is clabbered with animal rennet, it isn't vegetarian, but if it is made with microbial enzymes, it is. British labeling of cheese makes it easy to tell the difference, using the label term Suitable for vegetarians when no cow's rennet was used.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

Well, cheese isn't necessarily vegetarian. If it is clabbered with animal rennet, it isn't vegetarian, but if it is made with microbial enzymes, it is. British labeling of cheese makes it easy to tell the difference, using the label term Suitable for vegetarians when no cow's rennet was used.

Oh I see... I guess it's different definitions. I know many "vegetarians" that eat cheese no questions asked but I didn't really stop to think about it!

That is another disappointment for taking baked potatoes off the menu - that's a good vegetarian item for lunch and dinner. While not every amtrak crew would allow it... a side salad and a baked potato can be a nice dinner if the limited entree items don't sound appetizing.

 

[MARC Rider]

Reading these posts, it strikes me that no matter how much effort is put into the food, presenting a limited menu is going to end up not satisfying everybody. This is true on the Candian, with better food service than Amtrak, it was true when I did my ride on Hockory Creek, with very good cooked-on[board food, and, come to think of it, it was true when I was in college. Out dining hall had pretty good food dished up by ARA, but they only had 3 entree choices. If you didn't like the choices, tough luck, either pick one, or call for pizza delivery to your dorm room.

Thus, I do not expect some sort of sublime culinary experience when I'm fed on a mode of transport like a train or a plane. As long as the food is edible and I get reliably fed during a long trip, I'm fine. I can save the fine dining experience for a real restaurant when I get to my destination, or when I get home.

 

[Amtrakfflyer]

Vegan and vegetarian are very different terms.

Vegan=no animal products at all such as cheese, milk, etc and by strict definition honey as well.

Vegetarian for the most part means no animals were killed in producing the product.

My comment regarding the menus is bring back the black bean burgers!

 

[crescent-zephyr]

Reading these posts, it strikes me that no matter how much effort is put into the food, presenting a limited menu is going to end up not satisfying everybody.

Yes, and no. I get what you are saying but the more thought and effort is put in to the menu the more that people will be satisfied. The current dinner menu is pretty limited but it does have some good options that will please most guests. I'd still love to see a return of the specials like the Grilled Mahi Mahi and Lamb Shank - by the far the best meals I've ever had on any train! Those were the days!

 

[Sauve850]

Grits being served with breakfast used to let you know you were in the South!( see "My Cousin Vinny" with Joe Pesci for a good discussion about Grits.)

I used to have them on the Sunset,Eagle,CONO and Crescent when eating Breakfast in the Diner.

Always liked Amtraks grits!

 

[Rasputin]

I recall being a bit surprised to find grits on the menu for the Lake Shore and the Empire Builder as those were northern trains where one would not expect grits to be in demand but there they were. I don't think the New York Central or Great Northern offered grits on these same routes years ago.

In looking at a few Amtrak menus in my collection it appears that grits probably disappeared from the Lake Shore menu when the Diner Lite service was started. This is what I gather from looking at a 10/2017 Lake Shore diner-lite menu. Menus from a few years earlier when the heritage dining cars were in operation show grits being included with several breakfast selections on the Lake Shore.