According to this AP story, the City of New Orleans is now featuring regional cuisine, including shrimp remoulade and redbeans 'n rice, in its dining car. From the way the story is written, it sounds as if the food is prepared "Diner Lite" fashion off the train and reheated aboard.
Has anyone experienced the new eats?
I am thinking about hopping aboard the CNO just to try them out.
Posted by Henry Kisor (Member # 4776) on :
Woops. Forgot to provide the link to that AP story:
I attended the TRAC conference in San Diego recently, and the man in charge of that new menu and on-board amenities was present at the meeting. He said that they used a world-class-chef (he gave his name, but I don't recall) to come up with the new menu. He said the news media and the first groups of passengers to try out the new food gave it a "thumbs up".
I have mixed feelings on the new Cross Country Cafe. I see many good things with it, and a few bad things with it. In order to sort those all out in my head, I will need to do exactly as you are planning.......a trip on the City of New Orleans! I've got some AGR miles sitting in my account that are just yearnin' to be used. Posted by Henry Kisor (Member # 4776) on :
Hmm, Smitty, that menu doesn't feature redbeans 'n rice, remoulade or jambalaya, as the AP story implied. Was that a pilot menu for Amtrak nationally? I would hope that Amtrak will allow regional differences as the article said.
This needs further research, of the hands-on-with-knife-and-fork type.
Posted by smitty195 (Member # 5102) on :
Hey, you're right! I have a brochure for the new Cross Country Café, and the brochure mentions that they offer specialties in the diner:
Jambalaya Bread pudding Red Beans and Rice
I'm not sure why the brochure mentions it, but not the menu? Definitely sounds like hands-on research to me!
Posted by ehbowen (Member # 4317) on :
I wonder what the "regional cuisine" would be for the Sunset Limited, especially if it were to be reinstated east of New Orleans. Collard greens? Red beans & rice? Barbeque? Enchiladas and tamales? Avocados?
(Perhaps the whole list. What an Amtrak menu that would make!)
Posted by aircrest7 (Member # 5548) on :
I was on the Sunset about 7 years ago and Shrimp Creole was on the menu for lunch. It was great
Posted by Henry Kisor (Member # 4776) on :
(I presume the following meets the site's standard for discussion of fares. It is entirely hypothetical.)
I went onto the Amtrak website just now to check out the current fares on the City of New Orleans from Chicago -- the sleeper charges are still pretty low. The bucket gave this fare as of 6 a.m. November 17 for a February 1 departure, February 3 return:
$108 basic fare $92 roomette Total $200 one way. Return the same. With the geezer discount, the entire round trip ticket would come to $367.
Of course the bucket shifts the fares as time goes on, but this ain't too bad. It does suggest that demand for the CNO from Chicago to NOL is still fairly modest. Hmmm. Maybe I will plan a late winter/early spring trip on the CNO just to research the redbeans and rice . . .
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Mr. Kisor, the prohibition on discussion of fares is only at Railroad.Net - and I'm the guy to blame for it as I imposed such during my first term as Moderator and my successors have chosen to keep such in place.
Even if I think it is unwise to have discussion of a specific fare (especially at Railroad Net with that site's 'rather official sounding" name, as distinct from discussion of the fare structure, that call is of course made by this site's administrators, if any.
Posted by Henry Kisor (Member # 4776) on :
I think the stricture on fare discussions is a good idea -- all too many people will get upset when they can't score the same fare even one day later than someone else.
But when it's clear that the fare quoted is far in the future and can change at any moment, and the purpose in discussing the fare is a larger one -- i.e., to plumb the currrent demand for sleepers on a particular route -- perhaps it's OK to talk about them.
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