meal service on silver service

[amymaree]

hye there all,

i know you have all been asked this millions of time but here goes another question, how is the meal service on the silver meteor and silver star? when we traveled to ny back in 96 i enjoyed the view as i ate and the meal was made or so i think in the kitchen.

what do you all think about it and what about kids meals? i plan to bring pb on the train and some other things but i was not sure about what they serve and any suggestions as to what to stay away from and what to enjoy will be grateful.

13 days to go till we board and head to d.c.

until i read again,

amy

 

[AlanB]

Amy,

You can find the three current menus that Amtrak is using on its trains by clickinghere to go to Amtrak's website. You'll need Adobe Acrobat Viewer to see the menus, but most new computers brought in the last few years come with Adobe already installed. There will be know way for you to know which particular menu will be on your train on the day you travel.

Scroll further down that page for a brief description about the kids meals.

As for the meals themselves, by and large they are not wonderful, but they are also not terrible. I personally would equate them to eating out at Dennies. Most of the meals served these days on Amtrak are prepared off the train, pre-plated, and then warmed in a convection oven in the kitchen. Very little is fresh cooked in the kitchen these days, something that we can thank Congress for.

 

[rmgreenesq]

I can comment on the kid's meals. My four year old daughter thought the kids meals were good. She especally enjoyed the french toast at breakfast and the potato chips at lunch. You might have to ask for the kids menu. It is a seperate yellow piece of paper and is not included on the adult menu.

Not every train my daughter and I have ridden had a paper kids menu on board. Even if they do not have a kids menu on the train, you can still order off it. Ask the server to read the choices from the order ticket. Amtrak uses a standard meal ticket with the meal choices pre-printed on it. By reading the ticket, the server will be able to tell you what's on the kids menu without the yellow paper.

One last thing on the kids menu: the prices are significantly lower than the adult menu. Most meals on it are in the $4 to $7 range. Not sure if you are in a sleeper or are going out of pocket on this, but I appreciated the lower price when we were in coach.

Rick

 

[Mike S.]

With exception of the snack car food, I'll the food I've eaten in the dining cars has been the new SDS food. Honestly, all has been fine and I'm a picky eater! I've had a few burgers, the raviloli, and a breakfast quiche. All were were really good!

 

[Joe]

Alan,

Do you know which one of those 3 menus is used on the Auto Train?

Joe

 

[Guest]

Alan,
Do you know which one of those 3 menus is used on the Auto Train?

Joe

Joe:

Auto Train is a different situation, since only Dinner and a Continental Breakfast is served. Dinner is generally a choice of Steak, a chicken dish, fish or some sort of vegetarian meal. Breakfast is definitley only continental, since you arrive early in the morning and there is no time for a full meal service. All passengers on Auto Train - whether coach or sleeper class - are provided meals.

 

[AlanB]

Alan,

Do you know which one of those 3 menus is used on the Auto Train?

Joe

Joe:

Auto Train is a different situation, since only Dinner and a Continental Breakfast is served. Dinner is generally a choice of Steak, a chicken dish, fish or some sort of vegetarian meal. Breakfast is definitley only continental, since you arrive early in the morning and there is no time for a full meal service. All passengers on Auto Train - whether coach or sleeper class - are provided meals.

The Auto Train, like the Empire Builder, is exempt from the SDS procedures and therefore doesn't use those menus. For that reason, they actually do cook the steaks on board, as well as some of the other food. You'll also find that the AT provides free wine with your dinner, if you like wine.

 

[amymaree]

hey there,

thanks for the advice. now i am jealous of those riding the auto train and getting fresh coooked meals. well i will continue to read others comments on meal service. just wanted to thank those that have given advice.

next question: i thought i read where there is a hq for amtrak in d.c. if so can the general public tour it?

until i read again,

amy

orlando to d.c. 12 days to go.......

 

[Dental Wiz]

hey there,thanks for the advice. now i am jealous of those riding the auto train and getting fresh coooked meals. well i will continue to read others comments on meal service. just wanted to thank those that have given advice.

next question: i thought i read where there is a hq for amtrak in d.c. if so can the general public tour it?

until i read again,

amy

orlando to d.c. 12 days to go.......

Quite honestly,

We rode the Silver Service in February and I've been riding these trains regularly since the 1970's. That said, although today's meals are not up to the cooked on board quality, they certainly are quite acceptable. We found the pasta dishes at dinner quite good and Amtrak was very generous with the vegtables. The fish was a bit dry but it usually was when it was cooked on board too. The cook usually through the veggie burgers on the grill with the rolls before serving them and that really helped. For breakfast, the omelets are cooked on board. The spanish omelet is excellent. They'll also make a cheese omelet or scrambled eggs as an alternative if you don't like the mix for the day. Unfortunately, the eggs come premixed so eggs any style are still out of the question. My daughter had the french toast. Again although it was cooked off site, the cook grilled the french toast before serving. I tasted it and it was excellent.

The bottom line is that the crews are doing their best with this situation to produce a good product for the passenger and I feel they are succeeding. Perhaps with the new Congress things might improve in the future. I hear Amtrak wants to showcase the Capitol in the east similar to the Builder in the west. Their only problem is the OTP. They need to get CSX and NS performing better before they make the investment. If they do this I think you'll see an upgrading of services on the Cap.

Have a wonderful trip!

Steve

 

[Anthony]

Amtrak's DC headquarters aren't much to see, unless you're into cubicles and office space There are no tours as far as I know.