Amtrak dining and cafe service

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jebr said:
And/or increase the options available from the cafe car. Ever since I've started traveling on Amtrak the western LD trains have had a quite poor cafe car menu, espeically if you're traveling over multiple meal times. The dining car (with semi-reasonable prices) helped that somewhat - at least you could get something beyond very basic convenience store food. Adding a few options for fresh salads/sandwiches would help a lot, along with some sort of fresh-ish fruit option (even a mixed fruit cup would be appreciated!)
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For many average Coach passengers, having been an experienced one, back in my student days, I think it really is more important to have a good and well priced Cafe offering than necessarily getting access to the Diner. Of course getting access to the Diner is better, but back in my Coach days on a two day trip I would use the Diner maybe twice, if that. It was just unaffordable.

zephyr17 said:
That was a long, long time ago.
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...in a Galaxy far far away :D. Just couldn't resist.
 
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Mailliw said:
This is great news, but coach passengers should be allowed to advance purchase meal plans.
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I think they should just allow access once community seating is resumed and charge coach passengers for their meals. That is how it always had been done.

Jis pointed out the problem with pre purchased meals. Most coach passengers only eat a couple meals in the diner. They should be able to continue to

I don't disagree with a meal plan, Santa Fe offered one with their One Price Ticket, but you could pay individually for your meals, too.
 
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Devil's Advocate said:
I noticed that the steak no longer says cooked to order and none of the items has the FDA cooking advisory next to it. The Chef Inspired items were never cooked to order and still tasted good but this would appear to be a downgrade from traditional dining service we used to know.
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I would hope the steak would be cooked to order,as it always had been. I eat mine medium rare. Certainly hope the steak will still be cooked the way you want it.
 
Devils advocate mentioned there was no longer a "cooked to order" statement next to the steak.
 
chrsjrcj said:
Chili and grilled cheese added to lunch menu will make my mother happy, but I'm sure many will be sad to see the veggie burger and mussels go.

Dinner looks mostly the same, although if you want the equivalent of the land & sea combo you have to forgo the salad as an appetizer. Honestly looks like a lot food anyway.

As long as my burger is there for lunch, I am happy. Will be interesting to see what changes they come up with for the east coast trains (eventually).
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Not having the Veggie Burger is crazy, but Alas, some Desk Jockey or Committee in Washington convinced the Suits it wasn't needed!🥺🤬
 
Sidney said:
Devils advocate mentioned there was no longer a "cooked to order" statement next to the steak.
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That doesn't mean it isn't. The auto train's menu doesn't say cooked to order but yet it is. And the FDA message about eating raw or undercooked food is there - just not after each item it's listed off to the side on the first page.
 
Tlcooper93 said:
As a vegetarian, I’m sad to see the veggie burger go. I’ve never experienced western LD traditional dining, but I am hopeful. Everything else looks to be great.

Will the veggie burger be available in the cafe car, even if it’s not served in the e dining car?
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As a non vegetarian, I am sorry to see that veggie burger go. It was tasty.
 
I am impressed with the new menus. Seeing that there will be some choices added to some foods, i.e. the egg dishes, says to me that there will be some "cooking to order". I noticed something called Terra Chips as a side for some lunch items. I had to google that. Not familiar with this brand of chips, but I have had some of that type of chips made by different brand. Promising and, if they are good, will be a welcome change from the Kettle Chips that I never really liked.
 
I noticed the prices were listed for the alcoholic beverages. Maybe my memory is incorrect, but I think the prices for wine--by the glass as well as by the bottle--are higher than what I remember paying in 2019.
 
Dakota 400 said:
I noticed the prices were listed for the alcoholic beverages. Maybe my memory is incorrect, but I think the prices for wine--by the glass as well as by the bottle--are higher than what I remember paying in 2019.
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Prices are like Entropy. It always goes up no matter what :D
 
Dakota 400 said:
I noticed the prices were listed for the alcoholic beverages. Maybe my memory is incorrect, but I think the prices for wine--by the glass as well as by the bottle--are higher than what I remember paying in 2019.
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Surprised?
 
Dakota 400 said:
I noticed the prices were listed for the alcoholic beverages. Maybe my memory is incorrect, but I think the prices for wine--by the glass as well as by the bottle--are higher than what I remember paying in 2019.
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Looking at a 2017 menu from the Starlight, Single serving of wine was 7 and a half bottle was 16.

When comparing to a 2010 (give or take) menu from the Sunset, a single serving was 5;50 and a half bottle was 14.
 
I usually bring a four pack of those little bottles of wine with me. Usually the price runs from $7 to $8. A single bottle on Amtrak is $8.
 
Tlcooper93 said:
Will the veggie burger be available in the cafe car, even if it’s not served in the e dining car?
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The veggie burger in the cafe is not nearly as good as the veggie burger in the dining car. In the cafe the whole thing comes in one plastic package that is microwaved. This means the bread is usually soggy and sticks to the veggie patty. The only condiments to add are the mustard, ketchup, and relish.

In the dining car the patty was grilled and a good chef would also toast the buns on the grill. Plus you got fresh lettuce, tomato, and red onion.

Dakota 400 said:
No. I wish Amtrak could offer a bit more of a selection, but, I realize that there's only so much storage space for different wines and liquors.
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The storage space is there and has been used in the past to offer a larger and better selection.
 
The new traditional dining might not be identical to our old favorites but it sounds reasonable on paper and a nice upgrade from the casserole meals.

french-toast.jpg


lordsigma said:
The auto train's menu doesn't say cooked to order but yet it is. And the FDA message about eating raw or undercooked food is there - just not after each item it's listed off to the side on the first page.
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Fair point. We'll just have to see what happens once the new program is up and running. All things considered I'm cautiously optimistic for now.
 
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My friend and I are very excited about the real menu's coming back. I was happy to see the Tamale as a choice. But, I am uncertain about the ''hatch green chille'' in it. I cant do spicy. Does anyone know if it they are spicy or mild or just a '' flip of the coin '' for how it will be. Other than that every thing offered is fine with me.
 
Tlcooper93 said:
As a vegetarian, I’m sad to see the veggie burger go. I’ve never experienced western LD traditional dining, but I am hopeful. Everything else looks to be great.

Will the veggie burger be available in the cafe car, even if it’s not served in the e dining car?
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I just noticed on the Amtrak site at Lunch that the Chile is Vegan and you can have it in a Baked Potato with options. All is not lost for you ;)
 
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