The chance to ride the new Columbia Star Dinner Train sounded undeniably romantic. Four-course dinner, the gentle sway and rock of the rails, moonlight beaming, pastoral Missouri countryside rolling by. This past summer, as soon as I heard about the new culinary offering that was finding a home station in Columbia, I fully expected this outing to be an experience to savor.
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In Title: Columbia Star Dinner Train offers excursions between Columbia and Centralia in central Missouri.
Above: A Missouri sunset accompanies dessert and coffee.
Below: Crème brûlée with berries is a nice finish to a meal on the Columbia Star. Columbia Star photos |
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While my husband chose a St. Louis Cardinals televised game over the romantic dining opportunity, a good friend of mine from the Lake of the Ozarks joined me. Three hours on the train–traveling from Columbia to Centralia and back–plus a leisurely gourmet meal equal a great chance to catch up on girl talk.
An attentive staff,
unmatched ambiance
Making its inaugural run in Columbia in mid-July, the dinner train attracts a special occasion crowd. It’s a popular option for marriage proposals, anniversaries and birthdays (a group of four celebrating a 70th birthday sat near us on our excursion). The 1950s streamlined passenger locomotive serves gourmet cuisine to guests aboard vintage 1930s and ’40s passenger cars.
Dinner trains enjoyed their heyday in the late 1990s, according to Greg Weber, general manager and co-owner. He’s been involved with the operation of 14 dinner trains during his mixed railroad/food-and-beverage career. You’ll find the other owner, Mark Vaughn, at work as engineer, steering the course.
According to Weber, approximately 100 dinner trains ran the rails in the 1990s, while only 30 to 40 remain in operation today.
“The Columbia Star Dinner Train is one of only two or three that cook on board,” Weber says.
Reservations must be made in advance. While the train features a full kitchen, the close quarters mean limited storage space. Quantities must be known prior to pulling out of the station as the crew stocks only what is needed for each run.
With our reservations secured, my friend and I agreed to meet at the station, located on Columbia’s industrial side of town on Brown Station Road. It’s an inauspicious location that reveals the train’s weekday job: hauling freight. The railroad is owned by the City of Columbia, a rare situation for a dinner train, according to Weber, but one that contributed to the Dinner Star finding its home in mid-Missouri, thanks to the stable municipal ownership.
At boarding time, blue and gold ribbons between stanchions seemed a bit out of place in the gravel parking lot, but the gleaming locomotive couldn’t help but stir nostalgia and excitement as I took my place in line with the other ticket holders.
Ahead of me, the staff greeted and guided guests up the steps into the train when I got a call from my friend that she was running late. The first rule of the dinner train experience is to make reservations in advance. The second rule is to not be late, because this restaurant runs on a tight schedule. Luckily, she made it in time.
We boarded the train with a warm welcome and a steadying hand, a positive first impression and a precursor of what was to come. Throughout the ride, the staff was friendly and attentive. As soon as we stepped inside the passenger car, the station’s industrial, utilitarian environment outside fell away.
Jazz played in the background and rich padded velvet panels on the walls provided soft contrast against gleaming wood trim. White tablecloths covered the tables of our dining car, one of four that can accommodate up to 224 guests on each run. Two dining cars flank the kitchen car in the middle, so staff members serve from either side of the kitchen. Once in motion, servers work with orchestrated grace to deliver drinks and food, having been trained for train-legs to accommodate the rocking motion.
Chef Scott Hampton brings culinary experience from Columbia’s Upper Crust and The University Club on board. He leads his team in preparing a four-course meal for each guest that features an appetizer, house salad, entrée and dessert. At the time of reservation, guests choose from chicken, salmon, prime rib or a vegetarian plate. Menu selections vary based on season.
A Menu on the Move
Our meal started with pita bread, hummus and spanikopita (Greek spinach and cheese pie) followed by sweet pepper corn bread. A Greek vegetable salad with pesto dressing preceded the main course of roasted chicken with braised cabbage and mushroom risotto. For dessert, orange crème brûlée was topped with blueberries and raspberries. Although we did not select any, there are meal add-ons–including a jumbo shrimp and avocado cocktail–available for about $10.
Disappointingly, the cuisine was adequate, but not spectacular. The crème brûlée, appetizer and salad stood out above the main course. The food, however, is only half of the train’s attraction, and the views and overall experience were still worthwhile.
Running between Columbia and Centralia, the dinner train offers a relaxing view of Missouri countryside, slipping past a few backyards and into more field and wood-lined settings. As the sun sets, the Missouri sky delivers a romantic vista. Weber says that guests should watch for deer, fox and other wildlife on the journey.
This fall, the ride should reveal some spectacular foliage scenes.
The Columbia Star Dinner Train proves to be an experience beyond your typical fine dining restaurant, and the train’s comfortably elegant and social atmosphere, combined with romantic, countryside views, made the ride worthwhile.
Jennifer Bondurant is a contributor from Auxvasse, Mo.
