I realize the title sounds like a bit of an oxymoron these days, but as @crescent-zephyr has reminded in another thread, Amtrak dining has had its moments in the distant and not-so-distant past. There's been a lot of discussion about the current degraded state of dining, and hopefully it's just in the short term, but here's a chance to share memories of the better days. To start things off...
The Pacific Parlor Car on the Coast Starlight featured a rotating menu of items that could not be found elsewhere in the system. Although the meals were reheated prepared meals (as opposed to chef-made) they were pretty good and made it almost pointless to venture to the main diner, given the ambience of the space and the quality of the personal service. Among the best were the Lamb Shank (credit to crescent-zephyr) and there was this Korean beef dish that was so good I had it in both directions. Add the wine and cheese tastings in the afternoon to unique breakfast and lunch items that weren't offered in the diner and you had a Memorable Amtrak Dining Experience.
Also on my list are the short-lived hi-level ex-Santa Fe diners featured on the Desert Wind - by far my favorite Amtrak train. They featured a unique glassed-in almost "open" kitchen area with some meals that were not found elsewhere in traditional diners. For example, the breakfast "hash" of scrambled eggs, ham and potatoes and baked-on-board blueberry muffins. Yummy.
The Pacific Parlor Car on the Coast Starlight featured a rotating menu of items that could not be found elsewhere in the system. Although the meals were reheated prepared meals (as opposed to chef-made) they were pretty good and made it almost pointless to venture to the main diner, given the ambience of the space and the quality of the personal service. Among the best were the Lamb Shank (credit to crescent-zephyr) and there was this Korean beef dish that was so good I had it in both directions. Add the wine and cheese tastings in the afternoon to unique breakfast and lunch items that weren't offered in the diner and you had a Memorable Amtrak Dining Experience.
Also on my list are the short-lived hi-level ex-Santa Fe diners featured on the Desert Wind - by far my favorite Amtrak train. They featured a unique glassed-in almost "open" kitchen area with some meals that were not found elsewhere in traditional diners. For example, the breakfast "hash" of scrambled eggs, ham and potatoes and baked-on-board blueberry muffins. Yummy.
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