New menus - nothing vegetarian on the Cardinal?

[Triley]

Just to put this topic fully to rest, I managed to track down an electronic copy of the food guide for the OBS staff for the Cardinal. I will paraphrase it, but it mentions the kids meal happens to be vegetarian macaroni and cheese. Then it also mentions the Pad Thai with Rice Noodles will be available upon request, and says that it may be a popular option for vegetarians (think they mean vegans) as there is no vegetarian entree served for dinner.

Pad Thai would not normally qualify as vegan or vegetarian due to the inclusion of eggs, shrimp, and fish sauce as typical ingredients. Then again I can only imagine what sort of meal Amtrak's food service would attempt to call "Pad Thai" with a straight face.

Gotta love this. Going in to the club car we have something titled "Vegan Meal: Vegetable Pad Thai", with a description of rice noodles with tofu, carrots, scallions, and Thai peanut sauce.

Then of course it says it contains possible allergens such as: eggs, fish, milk, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

Oh thanks for the breakdown.

The possible allergens list is from cross contact with other food items that are prepared in the kitchen. Standard legal disclaimer.

You can get food from certified kitchen, such as peanut, tree nuts free. However commercial bakery are making so many type of food the legal disclaimer is there to CYA.

 

[JoeBas]

I am on the Silver Meteor right now and they have started using the new menus. New pasta dish, different lunch salad, same seafood , french toast, different desserts (including scoop ice cream instead of in cup and greek yogurt cheesecake). My biggest disappointment was that the lunch special is no longer grilled cheese.

The dinner specials have the same (I think) vegetarian/vegan options.

Grilled cheese should always be on the menu in my opinion and not just on the kids menu. Not sure why, but it tastes the best on the train. Especially on the last day after you've had everything else on the menu already for the past 2 days.

Throw a big slice on onion on that bad boy and give it a side of tomato soup and you have a PERFECT Lunch. The soup is likely not going to show up on Amtrak but I have gotten the Chef/Cook to put onion on them before (possibly scavenged from remaining salads?).

I've had soup on other trains so I'm not sure why it's never offered on Amtrak. Maybe Aramark's commercial soups are considered too expensive or having to heat/serve soup breaks some obscure union rule, or maybe they're worried hot soup would melt the cheap plastic dishes they use. I like the idea of adding more to a sandwich than just cheese and bread. Cheese and bread is the definition of the generic kids version, which I honestly loved as a child, but as an adult a bland and dry kid's sandwich leaves a lot to be desired. I think Amtrak could do a lot to improve the experience by offering their grilled cheese with a slice of onion and/or tomato and/or ham/turkey just as a matter of preference without having to beg/plead/finagle it by special request. I guess it's easier to just remove it rather than improve it.

My Grilled cheeses on #5/#11 last month came with onion and tomato. No begging, pleading or finagleing involved.

 

[JoeBas]

Its really no different than the airlines.

That's not a good thing...

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I am on the Silver Meteor right now and they have started using the new menus. New pasta dish, different lunch salad, same seafood , french toast, different desserts (including scoop ice cream instead of in cup and greek yogurt cheesecake). My biggest disappointment was that the lunch special is no longer grilled cheese.

The dinner specials have the same (I think) vegetarian/vegan options.

Grilled cheese should always be on the menu in my opinion and not just on the kids menu. Not sure why, but it tastes the best on the train. Especially on the last day after you've had everything else on the menu already for the past 2 days.

Throw a big slice on onion on that bad boy and give it a side of tomato soup and you have a PERFECT Lunch. The soup is likely not going to show up on Amtrak but I have gotten the Chef/Cook to put onion on them before (possibly scavenged from remaining salads?).

I like the idea of adding more to a sandwich than just cheese and bread. Cheese and bread is the definition of the generic kids version, which I honestly loved as a child, but as an adult a bland and dry kid's sandwich leaves a lot to be desired. I think Amtrak could do a lot to improve the experience by offering their grilled cheese with a slice of onion and/or tomato and/or ham/turkey just as a matter of preference without having to beg/plead/finagle it by special request. I guess it's easier to just remove it rather than improve it.

My Grilled cheeses on #5/#11 last month came with onion and tomato. No begging, pleading or finagleing involved.

My grilled cheese sandwiches over the last year or two arrived lukewarm and dry with nothing on them but mild cheese and long shelf life bread. I guess I missed the part where the staff or menu gave any indication whatsoever that there was any other way to order it.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

DA... you continue to have the worst luck with Amtrak food. Everytime I've ordered grilled cheese on Amtrak it's come with tomato. I remember getting onion as well... but I don't remember onion being served each time. "Everytime" is like 3-5 times total? I know I've had it on the Lake Shore, Empire Builder, and Coast Starlight over the years. When made properly, it's very good.

 

[pennyk]

DA... you continue to have the worst luck with Amtrak food. Everytime I've ordered grilled cheese on Amtrak it's come with tomato. I remember getting onion as well... but I don't remember onion being served each time. "Everytime" is like 3-5 times total? I know I've had it on the Lake Shore, Empire Builder, and Coast Starlight over the years. When made properly, it's very good.

I have had excellent grilled cheese sandwiches on sourdough bread while I was traveling on the Silver Meteor and Crescent, all served with tomato and no onion.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

DA... you continue to have the worst luck with Amtrak food. Everytime I've ordered grilled cheese on Amtrak it's come with tomato. I remember getting onion as well... but I don't remember onion being served each time. "Everytime" is like 3-5 times total? I know I've had it on the Lake Shore, Empire Builder, and Coast Starlight over the years. When made properly, it's very good.

On the other hand I've been extremely lucky avoiding serious delays or extended interruptions. ^_^

I have had excellent grilled cheese sandwiches on sourdough bread while I was traveling on the Silver Meteor and Crescent, all served with tomato and no onion.

Was choice of bread and vegetable offered or did it just come like that or did you simply know to ask for it? After watching the vast majority of my food preparation requests repeatedly ignored or dismissed I simply stopped asking.

Most of the time my Amtrak ordering goes something like this...

Server: Put your car/room/signature here. Pens are over there.

Me: Fills out document as instructed.

Server: What will you have? [having explained nothing about anything]

Me: Can you describe this/that/other menu item?

Server: Exact same blurb as the menu

Me: How about the special?

Server: Vague reply like "turkey sandwich"

Me: Does it come with/out this/that/other?

Server: Maybe/don't know/probably/don't think so.

Me: Ok then I guess I'll have this/that/other

There is rarely any effort expended trying to explain anything, clarify anything, or provide the option to modify anything.

 

[pennyk]

I have had excellent grilled cheese sandwiches on sourdough bread while I was traveling on the Silver Meteor and Crescent, all served with tomato and no onion.

Was choice of bread and vegetable offered or did it just come like that or did you simply know to ask for it? After watching the vast majority of my food preparation requests repeatedly ignored or dismissed I simply stopped asking.

It came like that. After I ordered, a couple of the servers stated "it comes with a slice of tomato, is that ok?" I said yes. I knew in advance that it was prepared on sourdough bread. I am very disappointed that the grilled cheese lunch special is no longer offered.

I had steak the other night on the Capitol Limited, and asked for the steak without the sauce, which comes on the side (but I knew I would not eat it). The meal was served to me with the sauce but without the vegetables.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

DA... you continue to have the worst luck with Amtrak food. Everytime I've ordered grilled cheese on Amtrak it's come with tomato. I remember getting onion as well... but I don't remember onion being served each time. "Everytime" is like 3-5 times total? I know I've had it on the Lake Shore, Empire Builder, and Coast Starlight over the years. When made properly, it's very good.

I have had excellent grilled cheese sandwiches on sourdough bread while I was traveling on the Silver Meteor and Crescent, all served with tomato and no onion.

I imagine you have to ask for the onion, and I suspect if it is provided, it may be scavenged from something else. In the cases Grilled Cheese was not on the "Adult" Menu, I was able to pick it off the Kid's Menu and had to ask for the Onion to be added.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

All this talk about grilled cheese sandwiches....I just made one for myself. No tomatoes or onions and probably not enough cheese for most of y'all.

 

[FriskyFL]

Ketchup is a vegetable?

 

[Palmetto]

All this talk about grilled cheese sandwiches....I just made one for myself. No tomatoes or onions and probably not enough cheese for most of y'all.

Me too, except probably too much cheese for some of you!

 

[Devil's Advocate]

All this talk about grilled cheese sandwiches....I just made one for myself. No tomatoes or onions and probably not enough cheese for most of y'all.

Me too, except probably too much cheese for some of you!

Too much cheese?

That's not a phrase I recognize. Either the transmission was garbled or it's in a language with which I am unfamiliar.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

All this talk about grilled cheese sandwiches....I just made one for myself. No tomatoes or onions and probably not enough cheese for most of y'all.

Me too, except probably too much cheese for some of you!

Too much cheese?

That's not a phrase I recognize. Either the transmission was garbled or it's in a language with which I am unfamiliar.

Perhaps stacked like a triple-triple w/o the burger. https://waybackburgers.com/wp-content/themes/wayback/images/the-triple-triple-burger.jpg

 

[Triley]

All this talk about grilled cheese sandwiches....I just made one for myself. No tomatoes or onions and probably not enough cheese for most of y'all.

Me too, except probably too much cheese for some of you!

Too much cheese?
That's not a phrase I recognize. Either the transmission was garbled or it's in a language with which I am unfamiliar.

Perhaps stacked like a triple-triple w/o the burger. https://waybackburgers.com/wp-content/themes/wayback/images/the-triple-triple-burger.jpg

I'll have what she's having.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

All this talk about grilled cheese sandwiches....I just made one for myself. No tomatoes or onions and probably not enough cheese for most of y'all.

Me too, except probably too much cheese for some of you!

Too much cheese?
That's not a phrase I recognize. Either the transmission was garbled or it's in a language with which I am unfamiliar.

Perhaps stacked like a triple-triple w/o the burger. https://waybackburgers.com/wp-content/themes/wayback/images/the-triple-triple-burger.jpg

I'll have what she's having.

https://waybackburgers.com/locations/ I believe there's at least one up your way.

 

[Triley]

I'll have what she's having.

https://waybackburgers.com/locations/ I believe there's at least one up your way.

So there is! One opening right along my way home too, apparently. Never heard of it, but will have to check it some time. Thanks!

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I'll have what she's having.

https://waybackburgers.com/locations/ I believe there's at least one up your way.

So there is! One opening right along my way home too, apparently. Never heard of it, but will have to check it some time. Thanks!

Be sure to try their milkshakes too. That's what I go there for mainly. :wub:

I drive by the original (was originally called Jake's) every day. It's still the same small place.

When they began to expand they found there were other "Jake's" so they changed their name.

 

[JackieTakestheTrain]

So sad what is happening to the Cardinal menu.

There are literally 3 things I can eat now which makes it tough if they are out.

I am just wondering what thought processes go into making a continental breakfast with a cinnamon bun, fruit and yogurt versus cereal/oatmeal and fresh fruit and offering a chicken patty sandwich versus an egg sandwich?

The dessert choices of a brownie, cookie or overgrown rice krispy lacks imagination or even trying!

I guess I am traveling this trip with some shelf-stable Silk milk , some cereal (breakfast), a pouch of tuna (to put over my salad for some protein) and a jar of peanut butter (because I always carry pb!)

I was so irritated with the food choices after my last trip on the Cardinal, I complained and received a $50 voucher each for my husband and I. Too bad, i can't start complaining now to someone who would listen!!!

 

[tommylicious]

So is the french toast real griddled french toast or is it made in a dark corner of a Shenzen chemical factory then shipped here in a non-climate controlled container on a rickety freighter of questionable repute?

 

[Johanna]

I've just returned from my trip, so I thought I'd offer an update in case it's of use to anyone. As I finished my salad for lunch, I asked the dining car attendant what my vegetarian options would be for dinner. She said that even though it's not mentioned on the menu, the train stocked both the tofu Pad Thai and the vegetable enchiladas - the same dishes offered as gluten-free vegan options on all the other trains. I opted for the enchiladas, which were very tasty but not a lot of food. (Unlike on the other trains, there was no option for a salad or vegetable side dish, although the server offered me seconds on bread and butter.) I also saw another passenger get the lunchtime salad (albeit with chicken) for dinner, so that would have been another option.