On The Cardinal

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Reno89502

Reno89502

Service Attendant
Joined
Jul 29, 2007
Messages
124
Location
Hartford, CT
Over the holidays, I will be making by bi-annual trip back home to see Mom in Kansas City. I always take the Capital Limited from DC to Chicago, but this time I decided to mix it up. On the return trip, I decided to take the Cardinal from CHI to DC. (Was surprised there was sleeper space available with only 2 weeks advance purchase) I know the Cardinal has the dreaded Diner-Lite car, but for those of you that have taken that train, in your opinion, how is the food? And am I correct that I will recieve dinner leaving Chicago & Breakfast and lunch the next day, maybe even dinner again if the train is running a little late.
 
A few years ago I had the pasta dish leaving Chicago, which was pretty good, but can't give a recent report. I hope you don't get the table for 2 with seats on one side and garbage can on the other. Really classy.
 
I was on the Cardinal earlier this year. It was a good ride, but I took an Ambus from CVS to RVR to get 97 home.

As I recall, we were served dinner leaving Chicago.
 
I live in Richmond, and it wanted me to get off the train in Charlottesville and take the AmBus, which I have no desire to do. The last train to Richmond is the Silver Meteor at 7:25pm out of WAS. The Cardinal gets in at 6:19 (In Theory). I will try to connect to that one. If I miss it, I guess I will overnight in DC and head back the next day.
 
I also was on the Cardinal earlier this year. The food was a step below other long distance trains, but still good and much better than going hungry. I was bemused by the one car attendant serving the tables sequentially: take all orders, prepare and deliver the food, move to next table, repeat.
 
I thought it would be a nice change of pace to take the Cardinal. Besides, after I take the Cardinal, all I have to do is ride the Empire Builder and I will have traveled every part of the Amtrak system.
 
That's what I was considering. Unfortunately the only connection that Amtrak will guarantee is taking the AmBus From Charlottesville to Richmond Staples Mill, and that I wont even consider. I want as much time on a train as I can get. People at work were asking me today why I would not consider flying to Kansas City. I told them that taking the train was my therapy. Nothing more relaxing than laying in a bed, reading a book, and listening to the clickity-clack of the rails.
 
Took the Cardinal two weeks ago. Mixed reaction on the food. The meat sauce lunch pasta was great... so was the pot roast per my wife. The dinner pasta looked liked vomit and didnt taste much better. Breakfast sandwich tasted like McDonalds.
 
Just wondering, if they start producing new baggage/dorms viewliners, and they are assigned to the Cardinal - is there a chance that with a little more revenue sleeper space, that they may add a real dinning car?
 
Wife and I rode the 51 to Indiana from DC and enjoyed the meals.I had a sandwitch on pretzel

bread for lunch that was terrific and my wife enjoyed the Pasta. Dinner I tried a dish I never order. Yankee Pot Roast and it was very good, my wife had Butter nut Lasagna she also enjoyed. Was off the train before breakfast.

The Chef was working by himself so it may have been a tad slow, but very enjoyable along with entertaining table company.
 
We have taken the Cardinal from PHL to CHI and CHI to PHL several times . Over all it was a good experience owing mainly to the courteous SCA's and food service person.

As for the food, the Chef/server/cleanup person has to prepare and serve everything for everyone in the dining car. Occasionally the SCA will assist but not always. We usually ask him for his recommendations and on our trip last summer the meals were satisfactory. The breakfast "everything" omlet's were good, as were the lunch crab cake sandwiches, Dinner was acceptable. I remember having a chicken breast dish with vegetables. All meals are cooked beforehand, wrapped and loaded into the cafe car refrigerator before the trains leaves CHI or NYP. The FSA asks you what you want , takes your order, and then places the meal in a convection oven to reheat it. The sleepers are comfortable (same as any other Viewliner) food is not terrible (if you make the right selection) but just not as good as what is served on other LD routes to and from Chicago. We have another Cardinal/CZ trip booked to CHI in late summer 2016.
 
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