The Washington Post has a review of Amtrak's new eastern menu:

https://wapo.st/3T56760

Ugh. Instead of these odd menu options that don't work well coming from a microwave, why not offer simple basic food that does work well out of a microwave.

40 years ago, my favorite Amtrak meal was the pepperoni hot pocket.

I wonder how many people more than 100 miles from NY know what a bialy is.

I wonder how many people more than 100 miles from South Philly know what a stromboli is.

Phil Mulligan

Scranton is just over 100 miles from South Philly, and strombolis are well-known there

But how many of Amtrak's patrons fall into those two groups?

Probably a sizeable chunk. They know their audience.

Finest Stromboli in Pennsylvania can be found in Altoona. Brothers Pizza, formerly in the old Station Mall now located at the corner of Jaggard Street & Pleasant Valley Boulevard.

Best served after sitting for about four or five hours on top of the lube oil cooler or Michiana tank of a mainline helper.

Absolutely the best!

EBL

Also in the men's room photos of the M1's going to scrap around the E&M circle at Juniata.

I have to admit that since 2016, my opinion of a certain segment of the American population can not be low enough to match reality. Still, the odds of such folks being Amtrak customers is also not something that I can under expect.

Bialys and especially Strombolis are dishes that I have reheated in microwave ovens countless times, and they come out just fine.
Those convection ovens that every Subway, Wawa, Sheetz, Butters, Turkey Hill, Royal Farms, Get Go, and countless Mom and Pops do better, but they take longer.

Perhaps I'm too cynical, but are you implying that the American public can only relate to food they've seen mass advertised and personality consumed?

I guess I'm a retired old fart, but part of what keeps me young is trying things I've never heard of. I admit to being especially biased, because since I've retired, cooking "strange new world" dishes has proved especially rewarding.

Brian

Not that far from what the airlines used to foist upon passengers, when they fed you on trans cons. Looks like I'll have to brown bag day trips.

So is the premise for this thread to see how we can preserve the menu for future generations?

I just posted it without really thinking about an objective - but many of us offer a food service and it offers something to compare.

It reads as though the best meal available is the microwaved cheeseburger. Even my husband won't eat that anymore...

I would get a bagel with cream cheese and a large coffee from a vendor at 30th St. (outpost of a Center City bakery). Theoretically, not much different from the Ambialy but I'll bet a lot fresher. Always ate it before Wilmington.

Phil Mulligan

From what I've seen on videos of train service in Europe of late, most trains under a three or four hour trip usually do not have any food service, maybe a few vending machines and a complimentary bottle of water, so a full cafe menu on the corridor is more than a lot of those countries offer. Apparently a lot of the changes happened because of/during the pandemic. The Poles and a couple of other central and eastern European national systems still offer fully-cooked dining car meals - in a more informal setting than most here will remember. It's a different era.

I want them to bring back the 'Am and Cheese Sandwich' (but not the name!) that used to be served on the corridor trains between New York and Philadelphia in the early to mid '70s. Fresh, thick, plenty of condiments... it, and the accompanying can of Coke with tall cup filled with pebbled ice was all that was needed for satisfaction.

The best airline food on short flights was served on post-Lorenzo Continental; again, it was fresh sandwiches, in this case overstuffed and on hero-type rolls. In my opinion it shouldn't be difficult to have a 'ghost kitchen' type outfit that makes these up just-in-time for departing trains, or to strategically refill those running low for some reason enroute. Central storage via the commissary system produces... well, the kind of results you're observing.