What was your best meal aboard an Amtrak train?

What was your best meal aboard an Amtrak train?

The Lake Shore Limited served me a memorable meal in 1998. Best meal I ever had was a grilled fish entree served to me aboard a real NYC stainless diner as we sped along the Hudson River and a setting sun. somewhere north of Rhinecliff. The guy who sat across from me smelled like he worked at a garbage dump, but for some reason, I didn't mind that much.

-otto-

Breakfast: Bacon and Eggs on the SW Limited (1977).

Supper, olden days: Steak sandwich on the Daylight heading home from college at Christmastime (1975, 76, 77)

Supper, new times: Mountain trout on the CZ dropping down the Rockies into Denver.

The best meal I've ever had on Amtrak was dinner on the "Southwest Ltd" on a trip from Chicago to Kansas City in 1981. Graham Claytor had just hired H. Rex Holland, former catering chief for Cunard, to improve Amtrak food service. I had roast leg of lamb with freshly made mint sauce, roasted potatoes, and a vegetable (I forget what vegetable), and washed it down with red wine. This was also my first trip in Superliners, and I thought they were terrific.

The next year it was all gone, as Congress mandated cutbacks in food service. But it came back a few years later. The best *lunch* on Amtrak was red beans, rice, and sausage on the Sunset, between San Antonio and New Orleans, in 1988.

For breakfast, I'd pick any 1970s breakfast on a NY-Florida train, where the crews continued the SCL tradition of grits with every order, and fresh-baked bran and corn muffins on every table.

I had a really good cheeseburger on the LSL and a great breakfast sandwich on a regional.

Dinner - a steak with garlic mashed potatoes on the Silver Star in 2001, probably because it was my first meal in a dining car.

Dessert - Strawberry sundae on the Southwest Chief it was amazing!! in my opinion the chief had the best food and best service that I had ever experienced on Amtrak. I traveled the whole route in January 2002.

The most memorable meals I have ever had on Amtrak have taken place on the Coast Starlight having dinner south of SLO watching the sun set over the Pacific Ocean. I've had some nice dining experiences in the old MetroClubs and also in First Class onboard the Acela Express. Dinner onboard the Empire Builder as the train departs LSE crosses over the Mississippi to continue along the shores of Lake Peppin is also pretty hard to beat.

I know some on this board will be surprised to hear me say this, but I recently traveled with a colleage from Albany to Rochester on the Lake Shore Limited. We had dinner along the Mowhawk which was really quite pleasant.

I had the lamb shank; my colleague, chicken. Both of us found the quality of the meal to be excellent.

Apart from the excellent meal and service in the dining car, I regret to report that the LSL has become somewhat of a pitiful train. Our consist was three coaches and two sleepers. The Boston section could not have had more than about 30-50 passengers. The number of people dining was very light.

Anyone ever have the "Real Railroad French Toast?"

-otto-

Yes, I had the real railroad french toast on Amtrak. It was 1972 or 73 on the Super Chief. Amtrak had not dumbed it down to the point tha ATSF made them stop using the name. Still had all ATSF dining car crew - it was great.

Surprisingly, the best dinner I've had was a couple months ago on the City of New Orleans. The chef was from New Orleans and loved to cook. The special was catfish and it was outstanding. He also produced eggs cooked to order the next morning, in spite of SDS.

I had the most tender and big pork chop in a raisin sauce on an eastbound California Zephyr in February of 2003. I ordered it on a whim as I am not usually much for pork chops. It is one of the few meals that I still think about and wonder where I can find something similar. I have yet to be satisfied.

great topic!

My best meal was on my best trip: late summer 1983 coast to coast trip from California to NY; I was returning to college and loving the rail adventure.

On the CZ as we passed through Rockies, maybe around Glenwood Springs, they announced they were picking up fresh trout for the dining car. I ordered it that evening and found it delicious. The whole experience was wonderful: scenery, food, new Superliners...this is what train travel is all about.

I loved the Salmon on a trip on the Auto Train last year. Was a 4 star meal, and the dessert was excellent too (something chocolate).

Traveling from Emeryville to Chicago on the CZ in 2000, my wife and I loved the turtle pie served every evening for dessert.

My best Amtrak meal was a great steak dinner with a cooked to order
baked potato on the Auto Train maybe 5 or 6 years ago southbound after
a quick trip to Raleigh and Connecticut.
Noel Weaver

Ok, I'll start with:

Any meal I had with my wife on or honeymoon. Can't top that.

One of the most memorable was lunch on the Southwest Chief on said honeymoon as older gentleman across the table was commenting how smooth the ride was and how in the "old days" the water glasses would never be filled so high.

Within a minute we were grabbing said glasses while listening to dishes in the galley crash to the floor as the Engineer missed the speed restriction on the curve.

Conductor halted the train and we waited 5 hours for a replacement crew.

Now... food wise..
There's this New York Strip Steak I had a few years back on the LSL that was just about perfect.