ELGIN, OREGON__The Eagle Cap Excursion Train announces a very special addition to its fall schedule.  The Roaring 20s Dinner Train departs from Elgin October 3, at 4 p.m. This trip is all about marvelous 1920s cuisine, featuring fresh, locally grown ingredients, and prepared and served in style.  And, it just happens to all take place while traveling by rail along the beautiful Grande Ronde and Wallowa Rivers of northeast Oregon in the friendly atmosphere that is typical and traditional in a railway experience.  

 

Below is the menu and a description of its origins. Passengers may choose to wear period costumes from the 1920s. Seating is very limited so don't delay in making your reservations. Call 800-323-7330 or 541-963-9000 for reservations. The cost for dinner and the train ride is $85 adults and $80 for seniors. Add $10 to include Northeast Oregon wine or beer with your meal. Choose locally grown chicken or lamb for your main course.

 

ROARING 20s DINNER TRAIN

Eagle Cap Excursion Train

October 3, 2009

 

Ripe Local Tomato

Stuffed with Oregon Bay Shrimp Salad

Deviled Cheese Crisps

 

Cream of Cauliflower Soup

Potato Rolls

 

Supreme of Chicken Washington

(the most popular dish on the Milwaukee Line)

locally grown pasture fed roasted chicken with fresh corn stuffing

served with Mushroom Sauce Supreme

Mashed Acorn Squash 

 

 or

 

Lamb en Casserole, Caramello

Lean chunks of Sexton Ranch lamb roasted with

 eggplant, leeks, green pepper, and tomatoes

Potatoes Parisienne 

 

Baked Pear Custard

with Lemon Sauce

 

Coffee or Tea

Milwaukee Fudge

 

 

From the earliest days of passenger travel, railroads sought the services of leading chefs to create menu items for their dining cars. In 1928, George Rector, who was already famous for his Rector's restaurant in New York City and who had trained extensively in Paris himself, was hired by the Milwaukee Railroad to direct its newly created department of cuisine. George Rector trained all of the chefs on the Milwaukee Line in how to carry out his creations in the dining cars. He also published a cookbook with many of his recipes. It was distributed to some lucky passengers on the rail line.  

 

In 1930, the grandmother of Sandy Sorrels, who is the chef for our historic dinner, took a trip from Seattle to New Orleans on the Milwaukee Line and was given one of the cookbooks, which she treasured.  She gave the special book to her granddaughter twenty years ago. The book is amazingly sophisticated and has been a wonderful resource for this dinner. Sandy also used a book by James D. Porterfield called Dining by Rail that has recipes from trains that traveled in the Northwest, such as the Great Northern and the Union Pacific.  

 

Fresh ingredients were important to the train chefs. A lot of great produce was available along the lines in the Pacific Northwest and the railroad chefs took full advantage of it. Most of the food served for this dinner is grown in Northeastern Oregon.   

 

To add a little bit of extra fun to the trip, 1920s costumes are encouraged. A Best Costume award will be given to the popular favorite. Don't miss this unique opportunity to savor Oregon's Bounty, relive the splendor of rail travel in the early twentieth century, and enjoy the magnificent autumn colors and rugged scenery along the Grande Ronde and Wallowa Rivers of northeast Oregon. To book your dinner train or other excursion ticket, contact Alegre Travel, 800-323-7330 or travel@alegretravel.com. For more information and a full fall schedule for the Eagle Cap Excursion Train go to www.eaglecaptrain.com. For things to see and do while visiting the area, go to www.visitlagrande.com and www.wallowacountychamber.com.

 

The Eagle Cap Excursion Train is owned and operated by Wallowa Union Railroad (WURR) on a stretch of the historic "Joseph Branch". WURR is assisted by the Friends of the Joseph Branch, a non-profit organization that preserves and presents the history and enjoyment of the century-old rail line in Wallowa and Union Counties. Sandy Sorrels is the owner and chef of Ten Depot Street in La Grande, Oregon.

 

 

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