new menus posted, with calorie counts

[Devil's Advocate]

I thought we were comparing Amtrak to a generic diner. My local Jim's doesn't have fresh flowers or "china" or glassware or suits or locally sourced anything. What it does have is freshly prepared French toast, eggs cooked however you want, and omelets made with fresh vegetables instead of frozen. It also has two or sometimes three cooks covering up to 150 guests. If I were comparing Amtrak to a Ritz-Carlton meal I could see why folks would think I was being unfair, but we're talking about a generic chain diner here. The kind that a well trained chef should be able to work circles around.

Does your local Jim's rock and roll at 90 mph on rough track?

Nope.

Then again neither do any Amtrak trains that pass through Texas. If the Texas Eagle and Sunset Limited were flying along at nearly a hundred miles per hour then I could presumably reach my usual destinations before getting hungry enough to eat reheated frozen leftovers. I would assume that improved sourcing and preparation of today's AmChow is an easier prospect than vastly improving track speeds but I'd be happy either way.

 

[D.P. Roberts]

The reasons eggs are only scrambled is because there is only one cook and it simplifies the process. When was the last time you were at a restaurant with a kitchen the size of Amtraks, that only had one cook, yet had to feed 50 or so passengers a seating on a rocking car.

If I visit a stationary restaurant that handles 150+ people with two or three cooks on duty is it really that different? Are the cooks and/or food being violently tossed around by the movement of the train?

Well, yes, they are being violently tossed around. Or, more specifically, they CAN be violently tossed around. The possibility of this happening greatly limits the type of equipment they can have. Things like open flames (grills), deep fryers, etc. are not onboard.

Think about just the deep fryer - half the stuff on a menu at Denny's, McDonald's, or Friday's are deep fried.

From what I've read here, some chefs go the extra mile, & bring their own spices (which they apparently pay for with their own money), or take an extra step like grilling (griddling?) the French Toast after putting it in the convection oven.

There's not much we or Amtrak can do to change the equipment onboard. However, I think one major step Amtrak could take would be to find out which of these "little" things make a big difference, and implement them across all the trains.

 

[PRR 60]

The reasons eggs are only scrambled is because there is only one cook and it simplifies the process. When was the last time you were at a restaurant with a kitchen the size of Amtraks, that only had one cook, yet had to feed 50 or so passengers a seating on a rocking car.

If I visit a stationary restaurant that handles 150+ people with two or three cooks on duty is it really that different? Are the cooks and/or food being violently tossed around by the movement of the train?

Well, yes, they are being violently tossed around. Or, more specifically, they CAN be violently tossed around. The possibility of this happening greatly limits the type of equipment they can have. Things like open flames (grills), deep fryers, etc. are not onboard.

Think about just the deep fryer - half the stuff on a menu at Denny's, McDonald's, or Friday's are deep fried.

From what I've read here, some chefs go the extra mile, & bring their own spices (which they apparently pay for with their own money), or take an extra step like grilling (griddling?) the French Toast after putting it in the convection oven.

There's not much we or Amtrak can do to change the equipment onboard. However, I think one major step Amtrak could take would be to find out which of these "little" things make a big difference, and implement them across all the trains.

Amtrak chefs were warned recently that using non-commissary supplied food or ingredients is prohibited, and that violators of this rule are subject to discipline up to and including termination.

 

[D.P. Roberts]

On another train of thought, back to the new menus...

I haven't been on Amtrak for a while, but several of the menu items seem new. Are these new, and if so, has anyone tried them, or have any pictures of them?

Specialty Sandwich............................................... $9.75

A traditional grilled pork bratwurst, served on a

pretzel roll with made to order lettuce-tomato slaw.

Served with a dill pickle and kettle chips. (490 cal.)

Vegetarian Gemelli Pasta ...................................$16.00

Amtrak Culinary Advisory Team chef, restaurateur

and author Sara Jenkins inspired this recipe for

gemelli pasta with spinach, and mushrooms in a

light garlic cream sauce. Topped with crumbled feta

cheese and served with a vegetable medley. (690 cal.)

Healthy Option, Light Entrée.............................. $16.75

A healthy, flavorful option that is both light and

balanced for those watching calories, fat and salt

intake. Today’s choice features an eye round of

beef topped with red wine sauce, served with pearl

couscous and baby carrots. (310 cal.)(This entrée

contains 310 calories of which 15% are derived from

fat, with a sodium content of 500 mg.)

Chef’s Evening Marketplace Special ................. $19.75

Amtrak Culinary Advisory Team chef, restaurateur

and author Michel Richard inspired this fork-tender

Dogfish Head Ale braised turkey shank with pearl onions

and bacon. This savory entrée is served bone-on with

garlic mashed potatoes and vegetable medley. (740 cal.)

(Enjoy this dish with one of our fine vineyard selections.)

Wild Caught Mahi-Mahi Fillet........................... $23.25

Amtrak Culinary Advisory Team chef, restaurateur and

author Roberto Santibanez provides the inspiration for

this dish. A grilled to order mahi-mahi fillet served with

a roasted poblano salsa verde. Garnished with diced tomato,

citrus wedge and parsley, served with three grain rice pilaf and

vegetable medley. (405 cal.)(This main course will harmonize

admirably with our food-friendly, chilled Pinot Grigio.)

Specialty Sandwich............................................... $9.75

Griddled gruyere and smoked cheddar cheeses

with sliced tomatoes and whole grain mustard

on multigrain bread. Served with lettuce, tomato,

dill pickle and kettle chips. (733 cal.)

Chef’s Marketplace Special................................. $11.75

Penne pasta and meatballs with tomato cream

sauce. Served with a small garden salad,

choice of dressing and a roll. (807 cal.)

 

[yarrow]

From what I've read here, some chefs go the extra mile, & bring their own spices (which they apparently pay for with their own money),

Amtrak chefs were warned recently that using non-commissary supplied food or ingredients is prohibited, and that violators of this rule are subject to discipline up to and including termination.

another brilliant amtrak administrative move

 

[roadman3313]

The Brownie is now packed in a plastic circular container with plastic wrap over it. It was no longer a cake slice. On the EB last night it was in the plastic container but heated. On the CS today it was still in the package. Granted both times were eating in the room but it really depends on the staff on how it is presented. Warmed tastes like it a whole other (better) dessert.

 

[Nathanael]

if anyone doesn't already have it here is the site with the menus and nutrition info:http://www.amtrakfoodfacts.com/

This is a godsend for my friend with the milk allergy and the calorie-counting diet.

 

[pennyk]

The reasons eggs are only scrambled is because there is only one cook and it simplifies the process. When was the last time you were at a restaurant with a kitchen the size of Amtraks, that only had one cook, yet had to feed 50 or so passengers a seating on a rocking car.

If I visit a stationary restaurant that handles 150+ people with two or three cooks on duty is it really that different? Are the cooks and/or food being violently tossed around by the movement of the train?

Well, yes, they are being violently tossed around. Or, more specifically, they CAN be violently tossed around. The possibility of this happening greatly limits the type of equipment they can have. Things like open flames (grills), deep fryers, etc. are not onboard.

Think about just the deep fryer - half the stuff on a menu at Denny's, McDonald's, or Friday's are deep fried.

From what I've read here, some chefs go the extra mile, & bring their own spices (which they apparently pay for with their own money), or take an extra step like grilling (griddling?) the French Toast after putting it in the convection oven.

There's not much we or Amtrak can do to change the equipment onboard. However, I think one major step Amtrak could take would be to find out which of these "little" things make a big difference, and implement them across all the trains.

Amtrak chefs were warned recently that using non-commissary supplied food or ingredients is prohibited, and that violators of this rule are subject to discipline up to and including termination.

Since I am allergic to garlic, I would be very upset if a chef "added" garlic to a menu item that ordinarily does not contain garlic.

 

[PRR 60]

From what I've read here, some chefs go the extra mile, & bring their own spices (which they apparently pay for with their own money),

Amtrak chefs were warned recently that using non-commissary supplied food or ingredients is prohibited, and that violators of this rule are subject to discipline up to and including termination.

another brilliant amtrak administrative move

The problem is the FDA. Amtrak has been dinged several times by the FDA for food storage and preparation issues. No matter the good intentions, having a chef use food or ingredients from non-official sources places Amtrak at risk of a regulatory beat-down.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

A traditional grilled pork bratwurst, served on a pretzel roll with made to order lettuce-tomato slaw. Served with a dill pickle and kettle chips. (490 cal.)

I have no idea what this actually looks like, but it sounds great at first glance. Made to order lettuce tomato slaw sounds interesting. The pickle would be great if the limp spears were replaced with crisp slivers. The kettle chips don't really interest me. How about some sauerkraut and a nice mustard selection? I'm not sure about the result but there would seem to be some honest potential here.

Vegetarian Gemelli Pasta. Amtrak Culinary Advisory Team chef, restaurateur and author Sara Jenkins inspired this recipe for gemelli pasta with spinach, and mushrooms in a light garlic cream sauce. Topped with crumbled feta cheese and served with a vegetable medley. (690 cal.)

This would seem to be one of those dishes that could come out great with fresh veggies. In the past "vegetable medley" has generally meant frozen veggie bricks but maybe this time it's different. Otherwise why bother with a celebrity chef?

Healthy Option, Light Entrée. A healthy, flavorful option that is both light and balanced for those watching calories, fat and salt intake. Today’s choice features an eye round of beef topped with red wine sauce, served with pearl couscous and baby carrots. (310 cal.)(This entrée contains 310 calories of which 15% are derived from fat, with a sodium content of 500 mg.)

Doesn't sound terrible but doesn't really get me excited either. Maybe it tastes better than it sounds.

Chef’s Evening Marketplace Special. Amtrak Culinary Advisory Team chef, restaurateur and author Michel Richard inspired this fork-tender Dogfish Head Ale braised turkey shank with pearl onions and bacon. This savory entrée is served bone-on with garlic mashed potatoes and vegetable medley. (740 cal.)

I like what I'm reading until I get to the mashed potatoes and vegetable medley part. Those words leave me remembering the powdered potatoes and frozen veggies from many a disappointing meal.

Wild Caught Mahi-Mahi Fillet. Amtrak Culinary Advisory Team chef, restaurateur and author Roberto Santibanez provides the inspiration for this dish. A grilled to order mahi-mahi fillet served with a roasted poblano salsa verde. Garnished with diced tomato, citrus wedge and parsley, served with three grain rice pilaf and vegetable medley. (405 cal.)(This main course will harmonize admirably with our food-friendly, chilled Pinot Grigio.)

Grilled to order sounds good to me. Poblanos are tasty peppers but I'm not familiar with seeing them made into salsa. Personally I'd prefer a disharmonizing food-antagonistic wine to pair with my meal.

Specialty Sandwich. Griddled gruyere and smoked cheddar cheeses with sliced tomatoes and whole grain mustard on multigrain bread. Served with lettuce, tomato, dill pickle and kettle chips. (733 cal.)

This is the one I think has the best potential to hit it out of the park on a regular basis. Not too complicated with an improved but entirely achievable goal. The one thing I would replace are the kettle chips. They're both boring and fattening. That's the worst combination I can think of.

Chef’s Marketplace Special. Penne pasta and meatballs with tomato cream sauce. Served with a small garden salad, choice of dressing and a roll. (807 cal.)

Doesn't sound bad. The main problem I see is that Amtrak tends to call virtually anything with lettuce a salad and that the dressing doesn't belong in the description unless it's freshly prepared or otherwise unique in some way. The roll is another reminder of cold, dry, and largely flavorless bread provided as filler for many an uninspired AmChow meal.

 

[D.P. Roberts]

Specialty Sandwich. Griddled gruyere and smoked cheddar cheeses with sliced tomatoes and whole grain mustard on multigrain bread. Served with lettuce, tomato, dill pickle and kettle chips. (733 cal.)

This is the one I think has the best potential to hit it out of the park on a regular basis. Not too complicated with an improved but entirely achievable goal. The one thing I would replace are the kettle chips. They're both boring and fattening. That's the worst combination I can think of.

This does sound intriguing - fancy grilled cheese is trendy now. The part I don't understand is why a sandwich that has tomatoes in it is served with... more tomatoes?

I agree completely that the roll is bad and boring. They do have a convection oven - couldn't they bring "take and bake" rolls onboard & heat them in batches in the convection oven? They'd be loads better, and they'd make the whole car smell good too.

 

[yarrow]

From what I've read here, some chefs go the extra mile, & bring their own spices (which they apparently pay for with their own money),

Amtrak chefs were warned recently that using non-commissary supplied food or ingredients is prohibited, and that violators of this rule are subject to discipline up to and including termination.

another brilliant amtrak administrative move

The problem is the FDA. Amtrak has been dinged several times by the FDA for food storage and preparation issues. No matter the good intentions, having a chef use food or ingredients from non-official sources places Amtrak at risk of a regulatory beat-down.

so amtrak can't have chefs but rather "food reheating specialists". too bad

 

[yarrow]

looking at the cs menu on the amtrak food facts page am i reading it correctly that there is no longer a separate ppc menu?

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

looking at the cs menu on the amtrak food facts page am i reading it correctly that there is no longer a separate ppc menu?

No, they still have a separate Menu; you need to go to the actual page for the Coast Starlight where the various Menus can be pulled up. That includes the Northbound and Southbound Wine Tasting Menus as well.

 

[dlagrua]

On the Crescent back in 2010 heading out of New Orleans, the chefs special for lunch was Crawfish Etoufee, which was quite good. I was led to believe that this was specially cooked by the chef aboard. This leads me to wonder if in fact the chefs occasionally cook something special on their own and offer it as the "chefs special". Has anyone else been served Crawfish Etoufee on the Crescent?

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

I'm surprised by how few calories are on the menu actually... The children's menu, however, is atrocious. Amtrak would be wise to figure out a healthier one.

 

[yarrow]

On the Crescent back in 2010 heading out of New Orleans, the chefs special for lunch was Crawfish Etoufee, which was quite good. I was led to believe that this was specially cooked by the chef aboard. This leads me to wonder if in fact the chefs occasionally cook something special on their own and offer it as the "chefs special". Has anyone else been served Crawfish Etoufee on the Crescent?

yes. a couple years ago and it was great. also, had shrimp and grits on the menu. if amtrak were to regionalize the menus and have specific dishes for each train it would be wonderful. but i fear those days are gone forever.

 

[SeeBuyFly]

On the Crescent back in 2010 heading out of New Orleans, the chefs special for lunch was Crawfish Etoufee, which was quite good. I was led to believe that this was specially cooked by the chef aboard. This leads me to wonder if in fact the chefs occasionally cook something special on their own and offer it as the "chefs special". Has anyone else been served Crawfish Etoufee on the Crescent?

I would guess that the operative word is "led". A lot of food service, much like wine sales, is based on selling a fantasy.

 

[yarrow]

On the Crescent back in 2010 heading out of New Orleans, the chefs special for lunch was Crawfish Etoufee, which was quite good. I was led to believe that this was specially cooked by the chef aboard. This leads me to wonder if in fact the chefs occasionally cook something special on their own and offer it as the "chefs special". Has anyone else been served Crawfish Etoufee on the Crescent?

I would guess that the operative word is "led". A lot of food service, much like wine sales, is based on selling a fantasy.

maybe a fantasy but both the crawfish and shrimp were delicious and i've never seen them on another train or, alas, again on the crescent

 

[TVRM610]

maybe a fantasy but both the crawfish and shrimp were delicious and i've never seen them on another train or, alas, again on the crescent

I remember traveling around that time and having "Jambalaya" on the crescent and hearing mention of the crawfish on either the Crescent or City of New Orleans (can't remember which for sure) so I think it was an Amtrak dish.

 

[TVRM610]

Regarding grilling, it's interesting that Amtrak regulars have so many different versions of how food is cooked on board the LD trains. Are passengers ever allowed downstairs to look for themselves? Probably not.

You can look into the kitchen of the single level dining cars. The cars with the Tirimosa (sp?) rebuild even have an open window into the kitchen where a counter with stools is (this counter is never used... but would have been an awesome place to sit and watch the diner crew in action.).

That's how i know for sure that the eggs are fresh and scrambled to order... cause I've seen the eggs being beaten up, you can hear it too. ha.

Depending on where you sit.. you can have a decent vantage point of part of the kitchen. Nothing too exciting but it gives you an idea.

 

[yarrow]

looking at the cs menu on the amtrak food facts page am i reading it correctly that there is no longer a separate ppc menu?

No, they still have a separate Menu; you need to go to the actual page for the Coast Starlight where the various Menus can be pulled up. That includes the Northbound and Southbound Wine Tasting Menus as well.

this link appears to be to the ppc menu which is the same as the dining car:http://www.amtrakfoodfacts.com/lp.do?sk=119AAF67B64F7EFD53C6EA1A763F916FB73F81DBE02F5C7E&EV=2

 

[yarrow]

looking at the cs menu on the amtrak food facts page am i reading it correctly that there is no longer a separate ppc menu?

No, they still have a separate Menu; you need to go to the actual page for the Coast Starlight where the various Menus can be pulled up. That includes the Northbound and Southbound Wine Tasting Menus as well.

this link appears to be to the ppc menu which is the same as the dining car:http://www.amtrakfoodfacts.com/lp.do?sk=119AAF67B64F7EFD53C6EA1A763F916FB73F81DBE02F5C7E&EV=2

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

I love the term "Chef Inspired" - now just what that mean?

 

[SeeBuyFly]

I love the term "Chef Inspired" - now just what that mean?

The chef is paid some money to lend his/her name to a recipe that is then modified by the food service company for production at the lowest possible labor cost and with the cheapest ingredients.

I occasionally get to travel business class on airlines, and some airlines have chefs do their menus. The food is still produced by Gate Gourmet or equivalent and is not the equivalent of the chef's own restaurant..