AFFAICT progressively less and less is freshly cooked even in the Amtrak Diners, most unfortunately. But at least if they could get the ambiance right with the new Diners, that would be an improvement. of course nothing substitutes for getting back to the good old days of CIA (no not the spook CIA) trained chefs.
Since when? A few years ago, at the start of the "Enhanced Dining" or whatever it was called there was no food cooked to order at all. No steaks, no eggs (remember the Bob Evans Breakfast Scramble). The full service dining cars are in much better shape now then they were then.
About 2-3 years ago you could get some really great meals for Lunch and Dinner. The Crab Cakes, The Lamb Shank, Mahi Mahi Filet were all very good dinner entrees and the Beechers Cheese Macaroni and Cheese Pasta, and the fancy Grilled Cheese Sandwich were great lunch choices as well. It was also during that time I saw cloth table cloths, ceramic plates, and glassware on the Starlight, Empire Builder, and Capitol Limited (now it's just the Starlight).
I agree that the quality went downhill, the items I mentioned above are no longer available except for the Starlight Parlour Car Menu. (Unless the Crab Cakes on the current menu compare to the ones previous? I haven't tried them yet.) But that really doesn't have much to do with how the food is prepared.
