Sure, you may have heard of the critically acclaimed film, Snakes on a Plane, but have you ever heard of steaks on a train? Maybe on fancy trains in Europe or other countries. Lo and behold, there is a decent steak, along with other meals, on the rails within the United States. Who would have thought? Not me!
Eating full meals on a train was a first-time experience for me while taking a 35-hour journey on the Coast Starlight train.
Last post I mentioned the room I stayed in. Meals being included in room fare was well worth the cost. Otherwise, folks without rooms were having to pay anywhere from $30-45 per meal. Yikes! The dinner service may have been worth paying for, but I would not recommend paying for the train meals separately.
Our first meal service on the Coast Starlight train was lunch. Oh, before I get too far. . . I forgot to take pictures of most food items. Scroll down to see some delicious French toast though. Back to the post! Lunch was a Monte Cristo sandwich with chips and a light dessert. Still being post-covid times, First Class guests could choose to be seated with other guests, request a table as a single party, or request meals brought to the room. I opted for seating with other guests and ended up with some folks who were originally from North Carolina. Small world!
The couple I ate with were enjoyable company and we talked for a while after our meal. They were intrigued by my current journey and where I was headed. Spoiler: at that point I did not know where I was going. We exchanged contact information so we could coordinate dinner plans later that day.
Dinner occurred as we were moving through the mountains of Oregon. It was a beautiful scene as we ate, drank, and exchanged in conversation. My meal was the steak. This wasn’t a Waffle House steak. This wasn’t a Longhorn Steakhouse steak. This was the appropriate in-between which surpassed my expectations. Not only did the kitchen have a decent cut of meat, but the meat was cooked to order and was actually medium-rare. A train that can serve up a decent dinner service is a train worth eating on in my book. Plus, dinner included a drink (obviously) but also an alcoholic drink for those who partake. That’s a $6-15 savings.
Although breakfast was abbreviated, we still had an opportunity to have something from the kitchen. I ordered the French toast and received a piece of art. This beautifully prepared and presented egg-coated, cinnamony, pan-fried dish had me aching for more. It is atypical for me to order French toast dishes because I’m more of hardy eggs and bacon type of person. Having worked in food service, I had a sneaky suspicion that a train’s scrambled eggs would be re-hydrated powder. Wasn’t having that. No thanks.
Overall, I was highly impressed by the Amtrak’s ability to put on a decent meal service. There were some well prepared steaks on a train for crying out loud! Did you appreciate that picture of the French toast? It was awesome. Would I book another overnight train just for the meals? No. However, because meals are included in First Class and there are Amtrak itineraries that peak my interest, I would absolutely book another room on Amtrak. Bring it on.
Signing off from Emeryville, CA.
A Couple New Things 
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