Last Summer trip on the Eagle an New Flex

[drdumont]

Got back yesterday from our last Summer trip DAL-CHI on the Eagle.
SCA and Food Service Attendants Northbound were great. Happy, helpful, good humor, Although late arriving in Dallas, we were 20 mins early into Chicago.
On a good note, there are now TWO FSAs, so the snack bar can remain open when "dining" operations are happening. Apparently someone somewhare had a rare flash of common sense.
The Return trip on Sat/Sun was another matter. Food service was slow and indifferent, even with the reduced workload. The SCA was - well - lethargic. On time from departure to arrival.
The new FLEX menu is just another attempt to polish a - well, a fragment of scat. "New" pasta was a smashed mass of pasta under some ho hum sauce. Salads were all white bitter lettuce and a couple of tomatoes.
The "New" beef was a few chunks of mystery meat in a big puddle of instant mashed potatoes surrounded by a ring of mushy carrots and pearl onions (I guess) in some sort of brown sauce.
My daughter tried the salmon, which she said was"OK, but dry".
Breakfast omelette was as advertised but dry and bland. Fortunately I carry Cholula sauce.
Both trips at lunchtime the FSA announced that the Hot Dogs and Hamburgers from the snack bar were available to us. Served with a "salad" (more white, bitter, at the stem bits) , chips, drink, condiments - very nice. I am particularly fond of the Hebrew National hot dogs and they did not fail.
Since we carry an electric cooler and coffee maker, we had hot and cold snacks which were the envy of the others in the sleeper. The scent of the fresh coffee attracted the notice of the other folks. The coffee urn upstairs was not working.

It is a crying shame that AMTRAK treats the Eagle (and the Crescent and City of New Orleans) like rented mules. The sleepers are almost impossible to book, and the coaches were completely full Southbound. We fear that every trip we take might be the last. The FLEX garbage certainly doesn't help.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Got back yesterday from our last Summer trip DAL-CHI on the Eagle.
SCA and Food Service Attendants Northbound were great. Happy, helpful, good humor, Although late arriving in Dallas, we were 20 mins early into Chicago.
On a good note, there are now TWO FSAs, so the snack bar can remain open when "dining" operations are happening. Apparently someone somewhare had a rare flash of common sense.
The Return trip on Sat/Sun was another matter. Food service was slow and indifferent, even with the reduced workload. The SCA was - well - lethargic. On time from departure to arrival.
The new FLEX menu is just another attempt to polish a - well, a fragment of scat. "New" pasta was a smashed mass of pasta under some ho hum sauce. Salads were all white bitter lettuce and a couple of tomatoes.
The "New" beef was a few chunks of mystery meat in a big puddle of instant mashed potatoes surrounded by a ring of mushy carrots and pearl onions (I guess) in some sort of brown sauce.
My daughter tried the salmon, which she said was"OK, but dry".
Breakfast omelette was as advertised but dry and bland. Fortunately I carry Cholula sauce.
Both trips at lunchtime the FSA announced that the Hot Dogs and Hamburgers from the snack bar were available to us. Served with a salad, chips, drink, condiments - very nice. I am particularly fond of the Hebrew National hot dogs and they did not fail.
Since we carry an electric cooler and coffee maker, we had hot and cold snacks which were the envy of the others in the sleeper. The scent of the fresh coffee attracted the notice of the other folks. The coffee urn upstairs was not working.

It is a crying shame that AMTRAK treats the Eagle (and the Crescent and City of New Orleans) like rented mules. The sleepers are almost impossible to book, and the coaches were completely full Southbound. We fear that every trip we take might be the last. The FLEX garbage certainly doesn't help.

Those of us on the Eaglette Route "Feel your Pain!"

 

[drdumont]

Those of us on the Eaglette Route "Feel your Pain!"

I commuted from FTW to AUS for a couple of years on The Eagle. Except for dealing with one FSA crew I saw once in a while, it was a treat to go to work. The Cafe just under the overpass in Taylor would deliver BBQ trainside.
And now this...

 

[CHImdw1522]

Thanks for the report - which, unfortunately, is not a surprise.

I am headed out this weekend for the long trip on the Eagle all the way from Chicago to Los Angeles. I am looking forward to the traditional dining on the Sunset portion.

At least if the SCA and the Food Service Crew are good, the Flex dining is....ok.

 

[Bob Dylan]

I commuted from FTW to AUS for a couple of years on The Eagle. Except for dealing with one FSA crew I saw once in a while, it was a treat to go to work. The Cafe just under the overpass in Taylor would deliver BBQ trainside.
And now this...

The Old Man that owned Taylor Cafe next to the Station where the BBQ you mentioned came from passed away, its Now Closed!

Was featured in several Movies and Videos as The Bright Red BBQ Joint next to the Train Station in Taylor,Texas!

 

[drdumont]

Thanks for the report - which, unfortunately, is not a surprise.

I am headed out this weekend for the long trip on the Eagle all the way from Chicago to Los Angeles. I am looking forward to the traditional dining on the Sunset portion.

At least if the SCA and the Food Service Crew are good, the Flex dining is....ok.

I did LAX-DAL in April. Once you get on the Sunset leg SAS-LAX its like night and day. I even got up at 0630 just to have the breakfast!

I just can't handle the FLEX slop.

 

[drdumont]

The Old Man that owned Taylor Cafe next to the Station where the BBQ you mentioned came from passed away, its Now Closed!

Was featured in several Movies and Videos as The Bright Red BBQ Joint next to the Train Station in Taylor,Texas!

That is sadly true. He was a classic. Too bad the cafe is closed now, Taylor is buzzing with activity due to the construction of the Samsung plant. Traffic on the highway to Hutto is impossible now.

 

[ljclark]

Both trips at lunchtime the FSA announced that the Hot Dogs and Hamburgers from the snack bar were available to us. Served with a salad, chips, drink, condiments - very nice. I am particularly fond of the Hebrew National hot dogs and they did not fail

That's actually a rational approach. Two Flex meals in a row (lunch and dinner) is a bit heavy. My preferred Flex 2.0 lunch is the cafe's cheese/cracker tray along with the "normal" hot roll, salads (two if you ask nicely), desert, and beverage. I'll do this even if I have to buy the cheese/cracker tray out of pocket.

 

[drdumont]

So is practically every restaurant meal served in this country, even at the 5-star gourmet places. Traditional dining? The steak dinner and the rich desserts they serve probably have way more fat, salt, and sugar than the flex meals.

I get that maybe Amtrak could up the quality a bit, but the flex meals aren't any worse than what they used t serve in Domestic Coach on the airlines back in the days when they served meal in coach on planes.

I beg to differ.

Real restaurants don't slap substandard stuff together in one container, freeze it and store it for God only knows how long until it is taken from the store room to go aboard the train. I'm not concerned with the fat, salt, sugar, etc. I'm concerned that I don't get an appetizing, well presented, tasty meal, especially at the premium I pay for the accommodation, when the "Meal Service Included" is an inducement. Take the Eagle from CHI to LAX. Choke down the slop at lunch and dinner and then the next day after your car is attached to the Sunset and compare the breakfast, lunch and dinner. Then you will be able to compare.

Even the worst coach class airline meals weren't slopped together in one dish, were partially cooked fresh within hours of the flight and none - ever - was as bad as the FLEX stuff. I flew at least one round trip a week for about 35 years, and I have seen some doozies, but NOTHING was as bad. And airline meals were never touted to be how AMTRAK touts these abominations.

Great Day in the Morning, they could go to Kroger and buy Stauffer or Marie Callender or Hungry Man dinners and have a better product. I would love to know how much AMTRAK paid "experts" to research, design and set up a production line for this abomination.

 

[drdumont]

Well, Christi and I are headed to Chicago on Tuesday, DAL-CHI on the poor, mistreated Eagle. We'll return arriving Sunday. Last trip of the year for her. I may be accompanying my Aunt from DAL-TRE later this month. Might get a return on the Crescent out of the deal.
I keep hearing rumors that Congress <insert uncontrollable laughter emoji here> has mandated return of Dining to Long Distance trains, but I can find no evidence thus far.
So the Survival Kit is packed and ready, cooling down in advance.

 

[fillyjonk]

I travel next week and was hoping for news of traditional dining being back on the eastern leg of the Eagle, but oh well. I was willing to put up with it during the pandemic when fewer were traveling and we mostly ate in our rooms but now? the whole "slopped into a single bowl" thing, yeah. Also three of the items have carrots or celery as a main component (cannot eat: food intolerance that gives me bad GI symptoms) or cashews (allergic) so I guess I have the choice of the enchiladas or the chicken parm. Ah well. At least my mom has promised to get filet mignon for us for the first evening I'm up there....

 

[drdumont]

I travel next week and was hoping for news of traditional dining being back on the eastern leg of the Eagle, but oh well. I was willing to put up with it during the pandemic when fewer were traveling and we mostly ate in our rooms but now? the whole "slopped into a single bowl" thing, yeah. Also three of the items have carrots or celery as a main component (cannot eat: food intolerance that gives me bad GI symptoms) or cashews (allergic) so I guess I have the choice of the enchiladas or the chicken parm. Ah well. At least my mom has promised to get filet mignon for us for the first evening I'm up there....

My daughter has the salmon. Not my cup of tea but she says it is pretty good. The Chicken parm is tolerable, although usually squashed together. Do yourself a favor... Go to the diner and eat, show your support for the FSAs, who scarecely have time to deliver to the rooms.
You can order the (excellent) Hot dogs for lunch instead of the "entree". The Hebrew National dogs are First rate. Let us know how you get on!