Breakfast. How do you screw up breakfast?

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Bjartmarr

Service Attendant
Joined
Aug 17, 2014
Messages
130
I think I'm done with the dining car. I had heard that breakfast was better than the other two meals; I am sorry to say it isn't so.

For sixteen dollars I was served a flat, tasteless "omelet" with no filling other than a small slice of cheese (which costs extra). It was supposed to be cheddar, but it tasted more like Kraft singles. The roasted potatoes were little dehydrated pebbles, unseasoned except for a hint of mold flavor in the odd bite. At least the coffee was decent.

I understand that there are limitations to dining car cooking, but they can do better. Fry mushrooms and onions with thyme and black pepper, freeze it, then spoon that into the omelets. Use Tillamook sharp cheddar. Use quality potatoes, roast them with rosemary and olive oil, then reheat. Quality ingredients go a long way, and would easily pay for themselves by drawing additional diners.

But they're not going to do any of that, so I'll bring sandwiches on my future trips. Sigh.

I wish I had a sandwich.
 
Maybe I've been spoiled by Jersey diner breakfasts (one of the few really nice things we have in our state), but I have found the dining car breakfasts (I've only been in the Silver Meteor and Silver Star when it had a diner, so don't know about the others) to be acceptable but not great. They used to have nice cinnamon raisin toast but that's been gone for a while.

And I agree--I can poach eggs in the microwave and heat up some hash browns from the convenience store, and it still comes out about even in quality with the dining car breakfasts. However, I have never had one that sounds really bad like Bjartmarr had--certainly not with mold on the potatoes!
 
Hmm, that's supposed to be one of the BETTER ones for food! I've had a bad omelet breakfast on the LSL, but not usually on western LD trains.

Why I usually choose the Continental with oatmeal. Oh, right, I've had cold/under-cooked oatmeal, too. (on the SL).
 
Man, that does sound horrible. Fortunately I've had better breakfasts. Generally the potatoes are one of my favorite items, but I've seen some not so good ones too.

I'd definitely complain.
 
That sounds awful. I have generally had good breakfasts on Amtrak. I have always liked the potatoes though every once on a while I have had them served lukewarm or even cold. And the filling in the omelets hasn't been as substantial the last couple of times I've ridden as in the past. I wouldn't be happy either.
 
On a recent trip on Capitol limited had the grits and egg bowl with andouille sauce. It was great. Then had French toast on SWC and it was good as well.
 
I agree that the grits,which are an acquired taste, are better than the potatoes when butter or syrup are added! ( Dan Quail spelling!)

I used to eat the French Toast or the Omelete with Bacon and the English Muffin, till the Bean Counters turned them into tasteless,rubbery things!

I now usually order the Continential with Special K, or the Breakfast Sandwich, since I consider Oatmeal to be Nursing Home food! YMMV
 
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On some other train a while back I had something else for breakfast and at it all with no regrets. :blink:
 
Jersey diner brekkies da best....steak n' eggs w/A-1

Mystic River Dragon said:
Maybe I've been spoiled by Jersey diner breakfasts (one of the few really nice things we have in our state), but I have found the dining car breakfasts (I've only been in the Silver Meteor and Silver Star when it had a diner, so don't know about the others) to be acceptable but not great. They used to have nice cinnamon raisin toast but that's been gone for a while.

And I agree--I can poach eggs in the microwave and heat up some hash browns from the convenience store, and it still comes out about even in quality with the dining car breakfasts. However, I have never had one that sounds really bad like Bjartmarr had--certainly not with mold on the potatoes!
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Over all the years, the only disappointing breakfast I ever had on a LD train, was when Amtrak was featuring a "Bob Evans Bake" on their menu, and it was nothing at all like the Bake you could get in a Bob Evans restaurant.
 
The potatoes can be hit or miss. When they're cooked properly, I love them. I've had some that were cold or "off", though, so I get what you're saying.

I've never had a bad order of French Toast or bacon, and the omelets have always been good on the SWC, CZ, and EB. Maybe, to be safe, order the Continental breakfast next time? Most of that is pre-packaged/baked goods, so it's kind of hard to screw it up. You also get a ton of food. (Unfortunately, it's about 90% carbs.)

When I was on the Coast Starlight, I opted for the breakfast sandwich since I'd never had it. It was pretty good.
 
On the potatoes I've missed to many times and swore the last time I got crap potatoes (on the Sunset Limited last May) with my omelet it would be grits forever more.

I've not yet gotten a bad omelet, but I've only ever eaten breakfast in the dining car on 3 routes - California Zephyr, Southwest Chief, and Sunset Limited.
 
Breakfast is the most frequently screwed up thing anywhere, besides maybe hamburgers. My two favorites nowadays is the Full American (3 eggs, potatoes, bacon, toast) but 70% don't seem to get what I mean by "scrambled soft", the toast is often margarines (I specify buttered or dry) and the bacon is always crunchy- I don't know when that became a thing. Also peppers in potatoes as standard?

And the other is steak and eggs, but only Boscov's and a little cafe in Bristol PA (the Radcliffe) get what I mean when I say "Very, very rare, black and blue but skip the black!" By which I mean sear it lightly on one side, flip it, sear that side lightly, and put it on a plate.

Amtrak, oddly, was one of the few other places I could make that sort of request and have an odds on chance of getting it.
 
Green Maned Lion said:
Breakfast is the most frequently screwed up thing anywhere, besides maybe hamburgers. My two favorites nowadays is the Full American (3 eggs, potatoes, bacon, toast) but 70% don't seem to get what I mean by "scrambled soft", the toast is often margarines (I specify buttered or dry) and the bacon is always crunchy- I don't know when that became a thing. Also peppers in potatoes as standard?

And the other is steak and eggs, but only Boscov's and a little cafe in Bristol PA (the Radcliffe) get what I mean when I say "Very, very rare, black and blue but skip the black!" By which I mean sear it lightly on one side, flip it, sear that side lightly, and put it on a plate.

Amtrak, oddly, was one of the few other places I could make that sort of request and have an odds on chance of getting it.
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That's one of the most complicated orders I've ever heard, no wonder you hardly get want you want. By the way, crispy bacon is the way to go.
 
Because the potato quality can vary, I am going to be very, very brave on my way out west and try the grits (if they have them--or is that just the southern trains?). I looked them up and realize now they are made of corn--I always thought they were like cream of wheat, because they look awful.
 
The omelet was fine on the Crescent back in March. Potatoes were good although I have been disappointed at other times with them. Breakfast is my favorite meal on Amtrak just because it's so enjoyable to wake up in my roomette and casually stroll over to the dining car after a bit and get a nice cup of coffee and eggs.
 
I am going to say I haven't ever found Amtrak's breakfasts to be particularly good, but acceptable. I really like omelets and Amtrak's omelets are just okay. Their breakfast potatoes are marginal at best, and often shriveled little nuggets that are sort of identifiable as having been part of a potato at some point in the past. The bacon is good (it's bacon!).

I don't like sweet things for breakfast so never order French Toast or pancakes, so I can't comment on those but from what I've heard people generally like the best.

So I don't see their breakfasts as being recently degraded. They've never been particularly great IMHO. If you ask me, often lunch is the best meal in the diner.
 
Mystic River Dragon said:
Because the potato quality can vary, I am going to be very, very brave on my way out west and try the grits (if they have them--or is that just the southern trains?). I looked them up and realize now they are made of corn--I always thought they were like cream of wheat, because they look awful.
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Grits by themselves have no taste Patty. I like to put Butter and/or Syrup and some Black Pepper on them, aka "Southern Style."
All Diners should have then since Amtrak has adopted the (highly disliked by some of us) National Menu..

Now that Amtrak has the Breakfast Bowl I'd like to try it if it's still available in the Diner when I ride the Sunset/Eagle on the way to the Gathering in Sept.
 
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