We’ve previously seen a dinner menu for the Golden State Limited from about 1940 and one for the (the word “limited” was dropped from the train’s name after World War II) from 1955. This one has the same logo on the cover, though it is slightly simplified as the veins in the leaves no longer appear.
Click image to download an 848-KB PDF of this menu.
Although the Golden State was not as popular as the Super Chief or City of Los Angeles, and passenger trains in general had lost favor with the Southern Pacific (whose commissary produced this menu), the menu was still fairly elegant, albeit expensive. The main entrées on both the table d’hôte and a la carte sides were fried oysters, Cornish game hen, and a lamb-vegetable casserole. The game hen was $3.50 (about $28 today) a la carte and $4.75 (about $37.50 today) as a complete meal. The a la carte side also offered a charcoal-broiled sirloin steak for $4.75, but all side dishes except bread and beverage were extra.