RandyJay
Train Attendant
Just returned from a R/T on the Sunset, SAS-NOL, NOL-SAS. Had my first experience with Simplified Dining and have to say it was not all gloom and doom, although there were some low points. As is well known, cooked to order eggs and steaks are gone from the menu, as are grits and bacon. The new menus did not have "cycle" numbers at the bottom, so I am assuming there is only one menu now, or they are least so similar as to not need identifiers. As you might expect, the checks are new as well, and whoever designed them gave you almost no room for your signature and your car and room number! I was looking forward to this trip to sample the new simplified dining concept menu, and to see how the reduced staffing in the diner was working out. I am doing my best to keep an open mind about the changes . . . . . .
For breakfast on #2 I had my usual french toast, and really couldn't say it was any better or worse than in the past. They were still the thick slices, and had good flavor and texture. Lacking the bacon choice, I opted for sausage patties, and found them to be small, bland, and "microwave gray" in color. The new plasticware was not bad, far above paper plates, and they are still using regular silverware at least. Gone are real glasses for beverages with thin clear plastic cups in their place. I would have expected some type of custom Amtrak logo cups! My tablemate tried the Bob Evans scramble and was not impressed. It did look a bit "soupy" to me.
Lunch was my biggest disappointment however. My standard order is the Angus Burger; and while it is still on the menu it is but a shadow of its former self. In the past it was served open-faced on a toasted bun, complete with lettuce, tomato and onion. Mine arrived with the bun "glued" to the patty with cheese, and NO garnishes at all, just a few potato chips. While the beef was apparently the same as before, the whole assembly had obviously been microwaved (no mistaking microwaved bread!) and without the veggies (and bacon) it just wasn't the same burger. My tablemate had the "Ham and Cheese on a Hoagie" selection and it was the same story; sliced ham and a little cheese microwaved on an oversize hot dog bun, with no toppings. I had a nice long talk with the LSA, and he stated that was part of the change, no veggies for the burgers, etc. He urged me to "write letters" and it was obvious that he wasn't at all happy either and had many other guests with the same reaction as mine. Apparently lettuce, etc. is deemed too expensive or too much trouble.
Passenger loads on this train east of San Antonio are still relatively light, and there was no need for reservations at any meal period. I was surprised to learn that the single SA (waiter/waitress) was not on the train east of Houston, so for all of my meals it was the poor LSA handling the diner by himself. Only the front half of the diner was being used, and there were generally no more than about four tables occupied at a time, so it wasn't that much of an issue, but if ridership increases much this summer I don't see how it's going to work well. This train did get its full sleeper car back recently, so Amtrak must be anticipating more riders as New Orleans continues to recover. Also, I can't figure out why the SA is put off (to save a few $$$ probably), and especially in Houston; San Antonio would be the
logical place since there is no meal service between those two cities and there is no longer a crew base in Houston.
Now on to my biggest complaint of all - No Ice Cream! That's right, ice cream has been dropped from the menu. Neither myself or the LSA could figure that one out. But I had always looked forward to a scoop of that good Amtrak vanilla ice cream as a light dessert, and it was sorely missed. The cheescake was the standard Amtrak cheescake (which is to say not at all bad) and the other offerings were chocolate cake or mixed fruit, neither of which I tried. While I had tolerated breakfast, I left lunch feeling pretty depressed.
The return trip on #1 gave me second shot at lunch, and my tablemate this time advised I avoid the chicken pizza based on his prior experience. So I opted instead for the tuna sandwich. Again I had fond memories of the "old" tuna sandwich with a generous portion of tuna on toasted bread with lettuce, tomato and swiss cheese. It was not to be. I received a "vending machine" sandwich, just a scoop of tuna salad between two pieces of wheat bread, obviously prepared well in advance. I'll admit that it tasted merely "OK", but it really paled in comparison to what I was used to. It looked like I was striking out completely on lunch under the new menu!
Dinner, though was surprisingly much better. I decided to roll the dice and try the braised sirlon, with mashed potatos and carrots. The beef portion was large and was very, very good! I know, that's hard to believe. Tender enough to cut with a fork, and with great flavor too. The sides were standard Amtrak, which I fully expected, and were not at all bad (I don't think the preparation of the mashed potatos and veggies has changed at all). The salad portion did seem noticeably smaller than usual, and was just Iceberg lettuce and a tomato wedge (but more than I got with my burger!). I may have just lucked out here, as previous reports on the beef have not been favorable. Other items on the menu included Lamb Shank, Seared Salmon, Cheese Ravioli, and the "Special", which was Country Fried Steak. Still, after two negative lunch experiences, this meal made me realize that things aren't necessarily ALL bad with the new system. I'm willing to stay open-minded on this for the time being; on future trips I will sample the other offerings and be in a better position to draw conclusions.
The LSA was only seating four tables at a time at dinner (I can't blame him!) so while there were no advance reservations, there was a small waiting list for a table within a half hour after the diner opened. It was by coincidence the same LSA as on my outbound trip, and my hat is off to this guy for keeping up with everything at once. Service, like drink refills, was great and he received a generous trip from me at each meal. I appreciated his willingness to talk openly and offer his comments. He was optimistic enough to suggest that simplified dining is still a work in progress, and that there were already rumors of changes in the works, like bringing back eggs and the other grill items. I'll continue to keep my fingers crossed on that one. My next trips on the Sunset will be in early and late April and I look forward to trying the yet untested menu items and reporting back on them.
To close out - a couple of other bits of good news: both trains were on time into and out of San Antonio and New Orleans, the full sleeper is back, and yipeeeee - the Magnolia Room first class lounge is once again open at NOUPT. On the down side the Sunset still continues to run most days without a Sightseer Lounge car. Guess you can't have it all.
Randy
For breakfast on #2 I had my usual french toast, and really couldn't say it was any better or worse than in the past. They were still the thick slices, and had good flavor and texture. Lacking the bacon choice, I opted for sausage patties, and found them to be small, bland, and "microwave gray" in color. The new plasticware was not bad, far above paper plates, and they are still using regular silverware at least. Gone are real glasses for beverages with thin clear plastic cups in their place. I would have expected some type of custom Amtrak logo cups! My tablemate tried the Bob Evans scramble and was not impressed. It did look a bit "soupy" to me.
Lunch was my biggest disappointment however. My standard order is the Angus Burger; and while it is still on the menu it is but a shadow of its former self. In the past it was served open-faced on a toasted bun, complete with lettuce, tomato and onion. Mine arrived with the bun "glued" to the patty with cheese, and NO garnishes at all, just a few potato chips. While the beef was apparently the same as before, the whole assembly had obviously been microwaved (no mistaking microwaved bread!) and without the veggies (and bacon) it just wasn't the same burger. My tablemate had the "Ham and Cheese on a Hoagie" selection and it was the same story; sliced ham and a little cheese microwaved on an oversize hot dog bun, with no toppings. I had a nice long talk with the LSA, and he stated that was part of the change, no veggies for the burgers, etc. He urged me to "write letters" and it was obvious that he wasn't at all happy either and had many other guests with the same reaction as mine. Apparently lettuce, etc. is deemed too expensive or too much trouble.
Passenger loads on this train east of San Antonio are still relatively light, and there was no need for reservations at any meal period. I was surprised to learn that the single SA (waiter/waitress) was not on the train east of Houston, so for all of my meals it was the poor LSA handling the diner by himself. Only the front half of the diner was being used, and there were generally no more than about four tables occupied at a time, so it wasn't that much of an issue, but if ridership increases much this summer I don't see how it's going to work well. This train did get its full sleeper car back recently, so Amtrak must be anticipating more riders as New Orleans continues to recover. Also, I can't figure out why the SA is put off (to save a few $$$ probably), and especially in Houston; San Antonio would be the
logical place since there is no meal service between those two cities and there is no longer a crew base in Houston.
Now on to my biggest complaint of all - No Ice Cream! That's right, ice cream has been dropped from the menu. Neither myself or the LSA could figure that one out. But I had always looked forward to a scoop of that good Amtrak vanilla ice cream as a light dessert, and it was sorely missed. The cheescake was the standard Amtrak cheescake (which is to say not at all bad) and the other offerings were chocolate cake or mixed fruit, neither of which I tried. While I had tolerated breakfast, I left lunch feeling pretty depressed.
The return trip on #1 gave me second shot at lunch, and my tablemate this time advised I avoid the chicken pizza based on his prior experience. So I opted instead for the tuna sandwich. Again I had fond memories of the "old" tuna sandwich with a generous portion of tuna on toasted bread with lettuce, tomato and swiss cheese. It was not to be. I received a "vending machine" sandwich, just a scoop of tuna salad between two pieces of wheat bread, obviously prepared well in advance. I'll admit that it tasted merely "OK", but it really paled in comparison to what I was used to. It looked like I was striking out completely on lunch under the new menu!
Dinner, though was surprisingly much better. I decided to roll the dice and try the braised sirlon, with mashed potatos and carrots. The beef portion was large and was very, very good! I know, that's hard to believe. Tender enough to cut with a fork, and with great flavor too. The sides were standard Amtrak, which I fully expected, and were not at all bad (I don't think the preparation of the mashed potatos and veggies has changed at all). The salad portion did seem noticeably smaller than usual, and was just Iceberg lettuce and a tomato wedge (but more than I got with my burger!). I may have just lucked out here, as previous reports on the beef have not been favorable. Other items on the menu included Lamb Shank, Seared Salmon, Cheese Ravioli, and the "Special", which was Country Fried Steak. Still, after two negative lunch experiences, this meal made me realize that things aren't necessarily ALL bad with the new system. I'm willing to stay open-minded on this for the time being; on future trips I will sample the other offerings and be in a better position to draw conclusions.
The LSA was only seating four tables at a time at dinner (I can't blame him!) so while there were no advance reservations, there was a small waiting list for a table within a half hour after the diner opened. It was by coincidence the same LSA as on my outbound trip, and my hat is off to this guy for keeping up with everything at once. Service, like drink refills, was great and he received a generous trip from me at each meal. I appreciated his willingness to talk openly and offer his comments. He was optimistic enough to suggest that simplified dining is still a work in progress, and that there were already rumors of changes in the works, like bringing back eggs and the other grill items. I'll continue to keep my fingers crossed on that one. My next trips on the Sunset will be in early and late April and I look forward to trying the yet untested menu items and reporting back on them.
To close out - a couple of other bits of good news: both trains were on time into and out of San Antonio and New Orleans, the full sleeper is back, and yipeeeee - the Magnolia Room first class lounge is once again open at NOUPT. On the down side the Sunset still continues to run most days without a Sightseer Lounge car. Guess you can't have it all.
Randy
