Newport Dinner Train is now The Grand Bellevue Rail Dining Experience — Restaurant in Newport

Where do I even begin...? My husband and I chose this experience to celebrate our four year anniversary and decided to accept the price of the tickets as this should've been an experience unlike any other. Being greeted and brought to our table was nice, the decor of the train car was very pretty, and the table/area was clean and well maintained. While we appreciated that attention to detail, we expected it considering the price of the tickets. Our appetizers, the brussel sprouts and flatbread, were entirely unexciting. There was nothing bad about them, the flavor was fine and the portion was good, but they were truly lackluster. The serving of berry sorbet between courses was a welcome treat. Our main entrees, however, were nothing if not a disappointment. I had the filet mignon, which was cooked correctly, but was soaked in a gravy/reduction that tasted exactly like the brown gravy powdered packets you buy at the grocery store and mix with water. I was disappointed to find that my husband's meal was soaked in the same thing, masking much of the flavor of his veal. Dessert was pudding. It was marketed as pumpkin creme brulee and a salted caramel chocolate mousse, but the texture and consistency of both was nearly identical to a poorly made pudding. The flavor wasn't even enough to make up for the lacking texture; two people who absolutely love dessert left many mouthfuls still in the dish. Now, our notes on the price. As if the tickets weren't expensive enough, we were frustrated by the required gratuity charge. I completely understand wanting your staff to get a fair wage, but that should mean that you pay them better, not require guests to pay for a service they've yet to receive. We hardly saw our server; she greeted us initially and brought out our cocktails, but she didn't serve us the sorbet or our dinner or bus our plates. We had to ask another server to put in an order for additional drinks. In my opinion, service like that doesn't qualify for a 20% tip. Then, on top of that, there was a reminder to tip again based on the drink tab. Whether that's going to the server as "additional labor" or to the bar staff, it seemed ridiculous to ask us to tip a second time. Lastly, the thing that was the worst part of the entire experience: the view. Why would you have people board the train and get moving around 6:30 just for it to be pitch black outside by 7? If we had had the foresight and realized this would've happened, we wouldn't have done this. It should be on your website, as you're booking tickets, that there will be absolutely no view when you're booking for dinner at 6:30. The meal should either be served much earlier or the rate should be discounted. If I wanted to eat a plain, disappointing meal in a moving vehicle without any sort of impressive view, I would've gone through a drive-through and saved myself A...

Save your hard earned money and don't bother dining on the rails with this organization. You are better off riding along on Thomas the Choo-Choo train instead. Even the trolley to the Neighborhood of Make Believe is a better experience than the Grand Bellevue. In fact, the Neighborhood of Make Believe is exactly where the managing staff exist thinking this is a fine dining theater experience. After months of looking forward to what was promised to be an elegant, upscale, nostalgic, and fun experience, this overwhelmingly overpriced sham of a "4 course" dining experience fell absolutely flat to feeling price gouged at $135 per person for what should be a $25 meal (no filet mignon option or surf and turf) and a $20 train ride. After seeing and hosting many Murder Mystery style interactive plays, I cannot say that the actors were any worse than adequately amateur. However, the major complaint is with the quality of food, overall price for what you get in return, and the incredibly poor management who cannot follow through on simple host requests. Further, the $135.00 plus tax and gratuity "4 course" meal consisted of a low quality soup shooter, followed by a small scoop of a raspberry sorbet which in and of itself should never be considered a course, but rather a palate cleanser between courses, followed by the main entree of a sirloin steak, small piece of dried overcooked halibut possibly cod in disguise topped with a small dollop of tastelessly bland cracker and crab stuffing akin to a baked stuffed shrimp, the ever cheap roasted half boneless chicken found at any hotel menu of catered wedding affair, or something that remotely resembled a duck breast. Each entree accompanied by the usual and boring green beans, single carrot, baby potatoes, asparagus, and bland creamed corn sprinkled with microgreens that were absolutely pointless. As if dinner was disappointing at best, lastly, the 4th course, namely what should be the crescendo of a so-called fabulously elegant meal, was the biggest let down of it all. Having a choice of key lime pie that tasted like it was right from the refrigerated case at the grocery store, to a creme brulee with unripened berries and a slice of orange, to a chocolate lava cake served like a warm dried out bland muffin coated with powder sugar and not an ounce of a molten chocolate center that makes Domino's Pizza's lava cake look like a gourmet dessert that is a thousand times better for a fraction of the cost!!!

All in all, I can honestly say that the nostalgic feel of the train itself was the only thing that did not feel like a first class rip-off. We are happy to pay for first class experiences, but this was a far cry from first class and felt more like the caboose in...

While the waitstaff on the dinner train was attentive and friendly, the overall experience fell drastically short of expectations, particularly for the $350 price tag we paid to celebrate our anniversary.

The charcuterie board, which was billed as a premium offering, was worth no more than $20 in terms of quality and portion size. It felt like a far cry from the upscale dining we were promised. Following that, a single, cold potato served with a type of “fancy ketchup” was disappointing, especially with no accompanying soup, salad, or bread to enhance the meal.

The main courses continued the trend of disappointment. The beef, priced at $120, was tough and full of cartilage and fat, making it nearly impossible to enjoy. For such a high price, I expected a well-prepared, premium cut of meat, which was not delivered. The chicken was acceptable but certainly not worth $100, lacking any special preparation or flavor to justify the price. The red wine sangria was poorly mixed and was served with a paper straw that shed as we drank—unacceptable for a supposed luxury experience.

Dessert was supposed to be the highlight, but unfortunately, a menu tipped over and broke a water glass that spilled onto the lava cake. Although the waitress noticed and replaced it, it took about 10 minutes, and by that point, we were wet and uncomfortable, which affected the remainder of our meal.

To add to the disappointment, the scenery during the train ride—which was advertised as scenic and romantic—was underwhelming. Our view consisted of neighboring backyards strewn with beer cans, dead trees, and a deflated soccer ball, not exactly the picturesque backdrop we had in mind for a special anniversary celebration.

In short, while the staff on the train did their best, the experience was simply not worth the $350 we paid. The quality of the food, ambiance, and overall attention to detail felt more in line with a $120 meal, at best. It’s disappointing that a unique setting like a dinner train couldn’t deliver the exceptional anniversary experience we...