Amtrak introduces three new menu items for first-class passengers

From lobster mac and cheese to beef bourguignon, first-class Amtrak passengers traveling on the Acela along the Northeast Corridor will be treated to new menu offerings.

The new offerings are part of a collaboration with the Starr Restaurant Group, a James Beard award-winning restaurateur that operates restaurants in Philadelphia, New York, South Florida, Washington, D.C. and Paris. Some of the group's notable establishments include New York's The Clocktower and Le Coucou as well as Washington, D.C.'s Le Diplomate — an upscale French restaurant frequented by presidents, senators and celebrities.

Amtrak's collaboration with the Starr Restaurant Group started in May, introducing a rotation of four seasonal menu items for first-class Acela Northeast Corridor passengers throughout a six-month spring/summer cycle.

In total, Amtrak is adding three new menu items that will be part of the rail carrier's seasonal rotation every three weeks. These new dishes include lobster mac and cheese from The Continental Mid-town, a restaurant in Philadelphia; beef bourguignon from Parc, an upscale French restaurant also located in Philadelphia; and Le Diplomate's St. Tropez Salad, which includes cucumber, feta, chickpeas and couscous doused in a mustard vinaigrette and served with shaved carrots seasoned in olive oil lemon.

Past dishes from Amtrak's collaboration with Starr include black pepper beef from Buddakan — an Asian fusion restaurant with locations in New York and Philadelphia — along with chilled sesame noodles from The Continental Mid-town.

Eliot Hamlisch, Amtrak's executive vice president and chief commercial officer, said the new additions allow Amtrak to improve its experience for first-class passengers.

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"Expanding our partnership with the Starr Restaurant Group shows our continued commitment to enhancing the Acela First Class onboard experience," Hamlisch said in a statement.

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