A first-class ticket
on Amtrak’s Acela service between Boston and Washington, D.C., now
entitles passengers to a first-rate meal, too. This past fall, the
passenger rail company unveiled a new, expanded menu developed by a
culinary team led by Michel Richard, who runs two celebrated
restaurants in Washington, D.C., and who earned the prestigious
2007 Outstanding Chef award from the James Beard Foundation.
Instead of choosing dishes off a
catering menu, the chefs devised their own recipes, prepared using
the “sous vide” method, a process of cooking food in vacuum-sealed
plastic bags, a technique Amtrak -- as well as noted chefs in some
respected restaurants -- has used for more than a decade. Lunch and
dinner options include braised short rib with cheesy grits, polenta
cakes with mushroom ragout, chicken galantine, vegetable paella,
and duck terrine with Yukon Gold potato canapes. Each meal comes
with Ghirardelli chocolate.
Is this just another case of the rich
getting richer? An Amtrak spokesperson claims the designated
culinary team is now working to improve the regular cafe car
service, too.