Crescent Southbound from WAS - Dinner??

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I'm thinking it most likely has to do with the fact the kitchen is supplied out of NYP, but it seems backwards to me that the quintessential Southern passenger train has a dining car crew based out of NYP.

Q) What do Yankees know about Southern cookin? :unsure:

A) Judging from the catfish I was served on the Crescent one time, not much! :p
 
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Boarding in WAS Southbound at 6:30pm, is dinner served in the diner?
Yes, Dick. We have ridden the Crescent to NOL a couple of times and each time the SCA told us to go directly to the diner to have supper. I believe they try to feed the New York passengers earlier or later and save some open spots for people boarding in WAS on their dining reservations. Never had to wait for a table and it is a nice ride across the Potomac in the dining car.
 
What is interesting about the Crescent is that it has a NYC based dining car crew and a NOL based Conductor and SCA crew. You cannot argue that NYC is the culinary capitol of the USA, so perhaps that entered into the thinking, but I must say that NOL has a big cooking culture. There are some great chefs in NOL.. Last time we were on the Crescent, the dining car was serving Crawfish Etoufee. We were told that it was a chefs special selection. NYC chef or not, it was very good.
 
I think they close the dining car in WAS for the change over from electric to diesel. After it departs, it opens back up again. Same with the cafe car.

Well I booked our trip to NOL in December in a Roomette using AGR points so I am looking forward for my first trip that I will be on a train greater than 24 hours.
 
What is interesting about the Crescent is that it has a NYC based dining car crew and a NOL based Conductor and SCA crew. You cannot argue that NYC is the culinary capitol of the USA, so perhaps that entered into the thinking, but I must say that NOL has a big cooking culture. There are some great chefs in NOL.. Last time we were on the Crescent, the dining car was serving Crawfish Etoufee. We were told that it was a chefs special selection. NYC chef or not, it was very good.
The Conductors that work this train are not New Orleans based to my knowledge, and they definitely don't work the entire length of the trip. To my knowledge it's a WAS crew from WAS-CVS, CLT crew CVS-CLT with a switch at CLT for CLT-ATL, MEI crew ATL-MEI with a switch at MEI for MEI-NOL.
 
The SCAs and CAs are NOL based. The dining car crew, and I believe the LSA in the cafe car, NYP based. The operating crew - conductors and engineers change over the course of the route.

Dinner from ALX, like WAS, is as soon as one boards and drops one's luggage in their room.
 
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What is interesting about the Crescent is that it has a NYC based dining car crew and a NOL based Conductor and SCA crew. You cannot argue that NYC is the culinary capitol of the USA, so perhaps that entered into the thinking, but I must say that NOL has a big cooking culture. There are some great chefs in NOL.. Last time we were on the Crescent, the dining car was serving Crawfish Etoufee. We were told that it was a chefs special selection. NYC chef or not, it was very good.
Isn't most of the food pre-cooked and packed anyway so all the on-train chef does it heat it up and arrange it on a plate?

Maybe I'm being cynical, but I don't think it takes a great knowledge of culinary tradition to do that, or that there is any reason somebody based in NYC should be better or worse at that than somebody based in NOL.
 
The best steak I've ever had on an Amtrak train came out of the diner on the westbound Sunset East bouncing through north Florida one evening in 2002.

We were at the table nearest the serving station and during our meal the chef, a very large man, hoisted himself to the top of the stairs. One of my new friends called out to him and in a mock-quarrelsome voice says "Did you cook this steak?" and the chef says "What about my steak?". My table-mate points to me and says "This guy here just said it was the best steak he has ever eaten on an Amtrak train."

With that the chef breaks into a million dollar grin showing a couple of gold teeth and says "Well, I'm from New Orleans, what did you expect?"
 
The best steak I've ever had on an Amtrak train came out of the diner on the westbound Sunset East bouncing through north Florida one evening in 2002.

We were at the table nearest the serving station and during our meal the chef, a very large man, hoisted himself to the top of the stairs. One of my new friends called out to him and in a mock-quarrelsome voice says "Did you cook this steak?" and the chef says "What about my steak?". My table-mate points to me and says "This guy here just said it was the best steak he has ever eaten on an Amtrak train."

With that the chef breaks into a million dollar grin showing a couple of gold teeth and says "Well, I'm from New Orleans, what did you expect?"
Touche'! :giggle:

And how many Yankees do you know who take pride in their grits? :unsure:

Mmmm Hmmmm. :)
 
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I think they close the dining car in WAS for the change over from electric to diesel. After it departs, it opens back up again. Same with the cafe car.

Well I booked our trip to NOL in December in a Roomette using AGR points so I am looking forward for my first trip that I will be on a train greater than 24 hours.
At least on my last trip on the Silver Meteor a few weeks back, the Diner was not closed in Washington during engine change. All that they did was let the folks who were waiting for their steaks know that it would be a few minutes late as without power they cannot cook it. They did serve us dessert while power was out and we continued eating through the engine change. And then power came back and folks got their steaks, and we finished our dessert as we pulled out into the First Street tunnel.
 
At least years ago the diner being closed on the Meteor was true during the Northbound journey. Since most of the breakfast foods required the griddle they did have to stop service. You were still seated and offered a beverage during the road power change, but the kitchen had to come to a halt. The cafe being closed is more of a function of the cash register being down without HEP.
 
Is dinner available for southbound passengers boarding at Charlottesville, or should we eat first? Thx Bryan
Well, I answered my own question - on the southbound Crescent, dinner is not available to those boarding after 8:30 PM... and the Crescent arrives in Charlottesville at about 8:50 PM.
 
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