Color me unimpressed... Blah hotel restaurants.

[politicat]

So the great Amtrak trip is off to a shitful start... The train was 5 hours late coming into Denver, so I missed my Chicago connection, so Amtrak is putting me up for the night at the Swissotel in Chicago. (and the fact that it would cost Amtrak far less in the long run to just repair the tracks and run the damn system on time than to appease late passengers is another story altogether, one which all three of my congress critters heard last night in GREAT detail. Cambodia has better trains than we do. I have a serious case of India envy right now.)

I have a lovely view of Navy Pier and other than a disgustingly early call that won't let me go drool my way through the Field Museum, it's a nice enough place to stay. But the hotel restaurant leaves much to be desired. It's one of the Palms, and I'm so disappointed.

The midwest is known for two things: the quality of its meats and the quality of its produce. I don't expect the fish to be great -- it's inland, after all -- but I do expect fabulous produce in season. Illinois and Indiana tomatoes are platonic ideals of tomatoes... so why the hell are they using California baseballs in their ensalata caprese? In JUNE? This is the best time of year to be using local produce. But when I asked about why my caprese tasted like cork, the sous chef came out and told me that he likes the color of the Californias better than the color of the locals.

Um... it's food?? Taste trumps appearance, right?? No. (Let's leave aside the fact that local tomatoes, in June, are beautifully red and regular...)

And the peppering of the meats.... not so much, please. Some food with my pepper is a good idea. (By the way, peppercorning does not mean dredging the filet in the contents of a cracked pepper jug from Costco. Just so you know....)

The bread basket was nice. The grape bread was a little... breakfasty, but the baguette was nice, and they use a good quality olive oil.

Oh, and banish the smokers. Cigars and good food do not, contrary to popular opinion, go together. There's a reason the Victorians had SMOKING rooms and didn't do so at the table. Duh.

I need more gin.

[mike_c]

1. LOL-- I'm sorry, but we've all had similar experiences...

...and you described it SO well! And good lord, someone smoked a cigar at their table while others were eating? That is what pitchers of ice water and fire extinguishers are for!

Once, when riding the train overnight from Washington DC to Chicago I was in a sleeper and one of the door hinges vibrated UNCEASINGLY at the precise pitch and volume of my alarm clock at home. Naturally I'd taken the sleeper to ensure that I arrived more or less rested. Uh-huh. The porter registered my complaint, promised to fix the hinge, then avoided me all night long. Maybe it got fixed the next day. I spent most of the night in the club car trying to avoid the alarm clock droning in my sleeper cabin.

[eridani]

2. Not using Midwestern tomatoes?

Jeebus! Grew up there and miss those tomatoes! Lots of berries and other good stuff in the Pacific Northwest, but on the wet side it doesn't matter if you plant Early Girl or Big Early starts every two weeks until June--you still get them all finally ripe at once on September 15th, and nowhere near the flavor of those beefsteaks. Those hot humid nights that make it impossible to sleep well in the Midwest are glorious for tomatoes.

[grasswire]

3. you should have eaten at Union Station...

....because the food vendors there are pretty damn good, in my experience.

I believe the tracks belong to the freight companies, not to Amtrak, and so not only is maintenance not something Amtrak does, but Amtrak trains also must defer to freight trains. And that's why they're often late.

Some people I know had a horrible trip last summer. They started the return trip in Portland OR, and were five hours late arriving in SF, which meant they lost a day's sightseeing there. Then they boarded again for Chicago, and on that leg the toilets went out and sewage backed up, someone had a heart attack and the trains had to wait on an ambulance for hours, and a couple of other long delays put them in a real "holiday" state of mind.

On the other hand, I have had nothing but wonderful experiences in long-distance Amtrak travel.

[politicat]

7. Everything was closed by the time I got into Union Station.

There's a restaurant up near the Great Hall that makes my tummy rumble every time I walk by, but alas, I got in at 10:00 pm and they had closed. I was lucky I got the Palm to serve me anything.

The problem was actually not the tracks; copper is at an all-time price high, and some thieves have been at work stealing the signal lines; also, the Zephyr blew a generator coming through the Sierra Nevada and had to limp until they got to Colorado to fix it. The tracks were in fine shape and the schedule wasn't a problem.

I never have problems coming west... The Zephyr leaves out of Chicago on time and gets me home on time, no problems; but the Rockies are hard on trains (and cars, for that matter.)

I love Amtrak, and even with the frustrations, I'll continue to use them. I just get frustrated with the lack of funding for things like engine maintenance and staff salaries.

[Stinky The Clown]

4. I have a friend who is a train buff

In fact, he was born on a train - true story - and that was, he claims, the start of the notorious long distance train delays.

Anyway, he claims the best way to cross the continent by train is to go to Canada! The TransCanadian is supposed to be the catr's pajamas.

The Palm you ate at .... *The* Palm? As in the NYC Palm? If it is, they should be ashamed of themselves. Their two NYC places are excellent for steaks. Their DC location is very good, but not up to their NYC places. I know more than I ought to about The Palm. Theirs is a restaurant that never should have tried to expand; they're too dependent on the quality of the kitchen staff and the owners' attention to detail.

[politicat]

8. *The* Palm. Chicago.

The steaks were fine (though I've had better in Colorado; but the meat they use is produced on a farm about 17 miles from my house here, so I get it at the peak, just after aging, when it will never get better; they get theirs later.) But produce... that's silly.

[Warpy]

5. Next time, take the southern route

and come through New Mexico. Not only are the restaurants nonsmoking, but they all feature the local cuisine, toned down for tourist palates, along with the McFare you described so aptly at The Palms.

Cigars and food have NEVER gone together, which is why they were saved until the meal was over and combined with brandy.

Next time, room service?

[eyesroll]

6. Tomatoes aren't in season here yet.

I live in Milwaukee, and you don't see much before late July. Chicago is similar. I'm not sure how far south you'll need to go before hitting ripe tomatoes; would it still count as local?

We're still in greens/peas/radishes mode at the farmers' market.

[politicat]

9. I bought a wonderful one on Friday at the Springfield Farmers' Market.

My sis and I stopped there on our way out of town. I guess I consider that a LOT more local than California. Heck, Texas and Tennessee are more local than California.

[eyesroll]

11. More local, yes, but if it's not immediately local, it might as well be CA

They still have to ship the tomato from Springfield to Chicago. Small quantities can be had at popular Chicago farmers' markets (that attract farmers from hours away), but many chefs don't bother.

When you grow a tomato for shipping in trucks, you usually grow it rock hard but blemish-free and symmetrical. Pick it green and then chemically "ripen" it so it looks red (still tastes like cardboard).

[NMDemDist2]

12. here in PHX many of the Resort chefs have their own gardens on the

property for herbs and easily grown vegtables

it makes for an excellent dining experience and often one of the "activities" available is to walk the garden with the chef followed by a cooking class with the produce before you head off to the day spa or pool :)

[politicat]

13. Must be the differences in locations... out here, 200 miles is nothing.

So yes, we get "local" produce that's grown on the other side of the state. I keep forgetting that in the Midwest, 20 miles is a long distance that requires an overnight stay.

[TygrBright]

10. Well, for starters, the tomatoes are JUUUUUUUUuuuuust starting...

...to come in in most of the midwest. They don't usually come in in quantities sufficient for restaurants, etc., to use them until mid-July. Then it's Katy bar the door until frost, plenty tomatoes, want some, take some, PLEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?

As for fish, you need to be a bit further north to get the good stuff. Walleye and lake trout, abundant and yummy in WI and MN. But further south you're better off sticking to the ham and beef, it's true.

Hope the rest of the trip shapes up alright!

informatively,
Bright