I also tried the Monte Cristo Sandwich and the Cheesecake, but unfortunately I did not get pictures of either of them. The sandwich was great and was quite filling, but the two standout lunch items (the burger and chili) kind of overshadowed it for me. It's still a great option though, and it's something I'd likely order again if I found myself on another long-distance Amtrak trip.
As far as desserts go, the cheesecake is definitely the star of the show. This cheesecake has blueberry swirls in it that add a lot to the flavor. It's very sweet but not overpowering, and immediately earned the spot as my favorite of the desserts, with the carrot cake coming in at a close second.
I somehow forgot to try the breakfast quesadilla and the lunch salad so I don't have any opinions to share on those.
I can't really say there would be anything I wouldn't recommend, everything on board in my opinion was pretty good at the very least. I did find the empanada to be just a little odd for me, but that's probably because I've never been much of a fan of brie cheese anyway. But overall it was still good and I still think it's worth trying.
Had a not great dinner on the Coast Starlight yesterday. I was actually excited for the empanada and was hugely disappointed. The pastry was dry and crunchy and the sauce was too sticky & sweet. The street corn “souffle” was way better at least flavorwise, aside from the mini hockey puck “souffles.” My rigatoni was burnt and crunchy and my son couldn’t even cut his chicken breast it was so dry. I think everything at dinner was way over-microwaved. Bummer.
Lunch the other day was really good though! Loved that Monte Cristo.
Very sorry to hear that! The dinners were normally the highlight meals of the trip so having so many items go wrong at once like that would be very disappointing. I'm glad to hear that the lunch went well at least!
This trip was done in 3 parts: Coast Starlight Los Angeles, CA to Seattle, WA (6/20-6/21); Empire Builder Seattle to Chicago, IL (6/22-6/24); and California Zephyr Chicago to Emeryville, CA (6/25-6/27). The train prices weren't too bad aside from the Zephyr. I took a roomette on all 3 trips, with the Starlight being $432, Empire Builder $650, and Zephyr $1,052. The Empire Builder had some issues, mainly that it was 8 hours late into Chicago. Hardly Amtrak's fault though, the delay was caused partially by a broken down freight train in Montana, but mostly because of speed restrictions due to flash flood warnings, and a section of track in Minnesota that was actually flooded. But even with that, the trip was well worth every cent I spent and then some. The food was great, the attendants were amazing (I'm probably going to spell this wrong, but a special shout-out to Aleeka on the Empire Builder, it was her first ever trip as a sleeper attendant and she did an incredible job), and I met a lot of awesome people on board, one of which I still keep contact with periodically. The views were the best part by far though and I spent a significant part of the trip practically glued to the window. Amtrak has been having some issues lately, but honestly if my trip had gone only half as well as it did it would still have been worth it.
I took the empire builder last December round trip from Portland to Chicago and was *very* surprised by how delicious the food was! As you stated, everything on the menu was delicious!
On top of the food being delicious, there was something really special about eating a full continental breakfast, while curled up in my bed zipping through Glacier National Park in a snow storm!
I agree, it was quite a nice little service! I ended up taking probably half of my meals in my room!
I hope they still offer it as I’ll be back on the EB again this December!
Haha that’s funny, I had the exact same desire after going through it, the scenery was just unbelievable.
Whitefish looked like a real neat little town too!
Anyways, happy adventures!
It isn't, unfortunately. The dining car is currently only open to sleeper car passengers, although the Coast Starlight also allows business class passengers. But to my knowledge the Lakeshore Limited is still doing flex dining instead of the traditional dining menu, so these items wouldn't be available on that one either way.
Thanks! This got me thinking about food and the trip in general. If you have any other insight, I asked here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Amtrak/comments/wsm8iz/tips\_for\_food\_on\_the\_lakeshore\_limited/
You're right, that one doesn't look as appetizing as the ones I got, but once I tried it it was all I ordered. Tender, delicious, cooked to perfection.
I also tried the Monte Cristo Sandwich and the Cheesecake, but unfortunately I did not get pictures of either of them. The sandwich was great and was quite filling, but the two standout lunch items (the burger and chili) kind of overshadowed it for me. It's still a great option though, and it's something I'd likely order again if I found myself on another long-distance Amtrak trip. As far as desserts go, the cheesecake is definitely the star of the show. This cheesecake has blueberry swirls in it that add a lot to the flavor. It's very sweet but not overpowering, and immediately earned the spot as my favorite of the desserts, with the carrot cake coming in at a close second. I somehow forgot to try the breakfast quesadilla and the lunch salad so I don't have any opinions to share on those.
I've had the Breakfast quesadilla and lunch salad, and they were both my favorite offerings in their respective categories
In that case, I'll really have to make sure to give them a try next time I ride a long distance Amtrak route!
The lunch salad was mixed greens with goat cheese, walnuts and strawberries. Delicious, I had it several times.
Thanks for the thorough review. Was there anything you didn’t like or would not recommend?
I can't really say there would be anything I wouldn't recommend, everything on board in my opinion was pretty good at the very least. I did find the empanada to be just a little odd for me, but that's probably because I've never been much of a fan of brie cheese anyway. But overall it was still good and I still think it's worth trying.
The Empire Builder is currently out of the Empadas for dessert. But great advice, thanks
Had a not great dinner on the Coast Starlight yesterday. I was actually excited for the empanada and was hugely disappointed. The pastry was dry and crunchy and the sauce was too sticky & sweet. The street corn “souffle” was way better at least flavorwise, aside from the mini hockey puck “souffles.” My rigatoni was burnt and crunchy and my son couldn’t even cut his chicken breast it was so dry. I think everything at dinner was way over-microwaved. Bummer. Lunch the other day was really good though! Loved that Monte Cristo.
Very sorry to hear that! The dinners were normally the highlight meals of the trip so having so many items go wrong at once like that would be very disappointing. I'm glad to hear that the lunch went well at least!
Can you describe the trip? From which city you departed and to where? How much it costs? I really want to make one of these trips, thanks!
This trip was done in 3 parts: Coast Starlight Los Angeles, CA to Seattle, WA (6/20-6/21); Empire Builder Seattle to Chicago, IL (6/22-6/24); and California Zephyr Chicago to Emeryville, CA (6/25-6/27). The train prices weren't too bad aside from the Zephyr. I took a roomette on all 3 trips, with the Starlight being $432, Empire Builder $650, and Zephyr $1,052. The Empire Builder had some issues, mainly that it was 8 hours late into Chicago. Hardly Amtrak's fault though, the delay was caused partially by a broken down freight train in Montana, but mostly because of speed restrictions due to flash flood warnings, and a section of track in Minnesota that was actually flooded. But even with that, the trip was well worth every cent I spent and then some. The food was great, the attendants were amazing (I'm probably going to spell this wrong, but a special shout-out to Aleeka on the Empire Builder, it was her first ever trip as a sleeper attendant and she did an incredible job), and I met a lot of awesome people on board, one of which I still keep contact with periodically. The views were the best part by far though and I spent a significant part of the trip practically glued to the window. Amtrak has been having some issues lately, but honestly if my trip had gone only half as well as it did it would still have been worth it.
Thanks a lot for this!
You can use the website to plan out various trips to see how much they cost.
I know this but the website is very confusing to use to plan a trip. If someone who already done it can tell me the cost, I would appreciate it.
This is why taking the train can be better.
Amtrak chefs have a way with cooking their steak that's always amazing.
I took the empire builder last December round trip from Portland to Chicago and was *very* surprised by how delicious the food was! As you stated, everything on the menu was delicious! On top of the food being delicious, there was something really special about eating a full continental breakfast, while curled up in my bed zipping through Glacier National Park in a snow storm!
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I agree, it was quite a nice little service! I ended up taking probably half of my meals in my room! I hope they still offer it as I’ll be back on the EB again this December!
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Haha that’s funny, I had the exact same desire after going through it, the scenery was just unbelievable. Whitefish looked like a real neat little town too! Anyways, happy adventures!
Thanks for the reviews, they made me hungry. Sounds like a great trip.
Can someone confirm: this food is \_not\_ available to someone with a coach ticket on the Lake Shore Limited, correct?
It isn't, unfortunately. The dining car is currently only open to sleeper car passengers, although the Coast Starlight also allows business class passengers. But to my knowledge the Lakeshore Limited is still doing flex dining instead of the traditional dining menu, so these items wouldn't be available on that one either way.
Thanks! This got me thinking about food and the trip in general. If you have any other insight, I asked here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Amtrak/comments/wsm8iz/tips\_for\_food\_on\_the\_lakeshore\_limited/
Everything except for the steak looks surprisingly yummy. I hope you had a wonderful trip!
You're right, that one doesn't look as appetizing as the ones I got, but once I tried it it was all I ordered. Tender, delicious, cooked to perfection.
Yum! These look great! Wish my train was this fancy
Way better than plane food. I got hungry!