David C.
Yelp
My wife and I are heading down the East Coast from Maine to North Carolina, savoring the flavors of local cuisine along the way and participating in local events. An activity we enjoy immensely is a cruise on the water. Everywhere we stay for more than a day, we are certain to book passage on a boat for on hour or so of fun and sights we would not otherwise see.
We also love dinner cruises and so I started looking for one and found this cruise; a land cruise in a refurbished train. I love trains and miss the times when steam engines regularly roared past my childhood home. The thrill of hearing the distant wail of the whistle was our cue to run down to the track and watch the train speed by as we waved to the engineer who would give us an obliging toot-toot on his whistle. This was a time when passenger rail service was the stuff of romance, intrigue and thrilling excitement.
There are four classes of service on the Cape Cod passenger train that makes a 3-hour, 50 mile round trip between Hyannis and Village of Sandwich. We booked the Platinum Class excursion which is traveled in the plush comfort of a dining car on a former Santa Fe full-length dome car build in the 1950's. Tables for four and two larger booths are arranged so that all passengers can enjoy premium views.
While waiting to board the train, a man played classic songs on a saxophone to begin setting the mood. When our boarding group was called, we were led to our car by a smartly dressed conductor who obviously enjoyed his job immensely. We boarded the train and were shown to our table adorned with a small vase of flowers.
The table tops were set with flatware meticulously laid in the order we would use the utensils. The table was covered with a linen tablecloth and of course, cranberry colored cloth napkins. Also on the table was the first offering of our 5-course dinner consisting of a salmon and cream cheese piped dollop, celery, carrots, cherry tomatoes, grapes and crackers. Our server, David, stopped by our table, introduced himself and took our cocktail orders.
Music from the Big Band era played softly over the speaker system, further setting the atmosphere. While snacking on the appetizers, the train whistle blew and we were on our way.
Over the course of the next two hours, we were served a delicious selection of food. The second course was a delightfully rich corn chowder. By this time, the rhythmic sounds of klickety klack, klickety klack, klickety klack and the gentle swaying of the train cars had begun.
The third course was a fresh garden salad, plated beautifully with a fun carrot that had been artfully julienned, cherry tomatoes, mangoes and avocados drizzled with a refreshing oil and vinaigrette dressing.
The train moved through small villages, passed by cranberry bogs, salt marshes and stately homes, with brief glimpses of the Cape and the Atlantic.
The train followied alongside the 107-year-old Cape Cod Canal, dredged between Cape Cod Bay in the north to Buzzards Bay in the south. The canal is seven miles in length which cuts through the narrow point of the Cape Cod peninsula, saving 65-166 miles of sometimes dangerous travel around the tip of the Cape.
The fourth course was a butterflied tenderloin, cooked to medium rare, drizzled with a chimichurri sauce and garnished with petite asparagus spears. By this time, we were approaching the Cape Cod Canal Bridge, a draw bridge built in 1935. We paused before crossing while a large ship passed through the raised draw bridge platforms and then we were again on our way.
The fifth course was a delicious freshly made Italian waffle (pizzzelli) piped with Mascarpone cheese, garnished with strawberries and blueberries, served with coffee to complete the delicious and beautifully prepared 5-course meal.
We stopped as the crew changed positions (there was an engine at both ends of the 6-car train) and then the train's whistle announced the beginning of our return trip. This leg of the trip was a faster speed and by now, the sun had set. By the time we arrived back at the depot, three and a half hours later, night had already fallen.
As my wife and I disembarked the train with thoughts and conversation about our trip, we agreed that we felt as if we had savored a time in the past, experiencing the luxurious and wonderful train ride of the glorious age of rail travel. We will never forget this excursion and will speak of it for years to come.
As our world is changing so quickly, it is refreshing to be able to set aside a time of peaceful and enchanting reflection of how it used to be.