From St. Paul to Milwaukee and Chicago, here's where to eat if you're traveling by train

"We're glad you're here." The sign that greets guests in the foyer of Lou Mitchell's might as well be the Windy City's official welcome mat.

The Chicago diner, which celebrated its centennial last year, claims to have invented many of the hallmarks of a classic American morning meal: an all-day breakfast menu; egg dishes that come out to the dining room in little cast-iron skillets; complimentary containers of house-made orange marmalade on every table; and bottomless cups of really hot coffee.

All around the angular counters and rows of booths-for-two hang Route 66 paraphernalia that hearkens to a grand time for automobile travel. The iconic route originally passed right by the diner's front door. For travelers arriving in Chicago from the coast and the plains, or getting ready to embark on a journey out West, this diner was the place to fuel up for, or replenish after, a long trip.

It still is. Though vintage top-down Mustangs don't regularly roll past anymore, Lou Mitchell's is only a block away from Union Station, where Amtrak's new Borealis passenger train from St. Paul arrives in Chicago.

The new route gives Minnesotans a convenient, inexpensive ride between two Midwestern metropolises, with stops along the way in cities including Winona, La Crosse, Wisconsin Dells and Milwaukee. It also gives us choices: The introduction of the Borealis marks the first time in almost 50 years that the Twin Cities has had twice-daily service to Chicago. That makes it possible to get off at one stop to explore and get back on a later train the same day, or to have more options when planning an overnight stay, as I did.

For my early summer journey to Chicago, I boarded the Borealis at 11:50 a.m. at St. Paul's Union Depot. (The long-distance Empire Builder, coming from Seattle, passes through St. Paul at 8:50 a.m.) I rode about six hours along the Mississippi and across Wisconsin to Milwaukee, where I exited and stayed the night.

Milwaukee was heavily featured in the most recent season of "Top Chef," and the city is settling comfortably into its reputation as an Upper Midwest food-and-drink destination. The break in the trip afforded me time to get to know the city the quickest way I know how: through the food. I crammed into my Milwaukee trip a happy hour, dinner, late-night drinks, breakfast and a brewery before moving on to Chicago, one of the most dynamic food cities in the country.

Getting there was a different culinary story. Amtrak is stocking up the Borealis with a few regional snacks, including canned Caribou cold brew and Surly and Leinenkugel beer, but none were available yet on my train. A premixed brandy Old Fashioned was promised but still in the works. A breakfast sandwich, according to my cafe car attendant, was "recalled." Otherwise, there was a Campbell's soup cup, a microwaveable stromboli, and lots of candy. My best bites came from a packaged Wisconsin cheese plate.

The ride itself was as comfortable as one might expect from a commuter train; forget a dreamier vision of long-distance trains with dining cars and panoramic views. On the Borealis, there's decent legroom but cramped tray tables; the freedom to move about, but nowhere to go other than the basic cafe car or the bathroom. The scenery can't compare to what you'd find out your window in Montana or along Lake Erie. But at only $60 each way, no need to go through TSA lines or to drive my own vehicle, plus the opportunity to stop and explore the food scene along the way, I'd ride it again in a heartbeat.

Only next time, I'll pack my own train snacks.

If you're riding the rails, here's where to eat and drink near the train stations in Milwaukee and Chicago (and St. Paul, too).

Near Milwaukee's Intermodal Station

Milwaukee's train station isn't in the most welcoming of areas, but there are two vibrant neighborhoods just a few minutes away by rideshare or bus. The Historic Third Ward is Milwaukee's arts district, which, with its galleries and restaurants in converted brick warehouses, feels like an eastern extension of Minneapolis' North Loop and Northeast neighborhoods.

Here, you'll find the Milwaukee Public Market (milwaukeepublicmarket.org), an indoor assortment of local eats. We stopped at the long counter at West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shoppe (westallischeese.com), where my friend picked up a packet of Parmesan nubs that we nibbled on during our walks the rest of the trip. She dubbed it "purse cheese," and I can't think of a more Wisconsin souvenir.

We started the evening with truffle fries and creative cocktails at the bar at The Edison (edisonmke.com), a stylish restaurant that melds modern design with a supper-clubby menu. We roamed the neighborhood, peeking into restaurants that spilled out onto the sidewalks and into parks, such as Third Ward Beer Garden in the public art-filled Catalano Square (thirdwardbeergarden.com).

Being out on a Saturday night without a reservation, we were out of luck at two hot spots on my list: Bavette La Boucherie (bavettelaboucherie.com), a combination wine bar and European-style meat and cheese shop; and DanDan, where "Top Chef" runner-up Dan Jacobs and co-owner Dan Van Rite pay homage to the Midwestern Chinese food they grew up eating. Fortunately, I did snag a dinner reservation a car ride away in the cool Bay View neighborhood at the Dans' tasting menu restaurant EsterEv, esterev.com, where many of Jacobs' out-there "Top Chef" creations appear on the menu.

Just across the river from the Historic Third Ward, the buildings are lower and the sky is bigger in Walker's Point, a more spread-out neighborhood with a high concentration of quirky bars and bites. Stop by Shaker's Cigar Bar (shakerscigarbar.com), in a former brothel, for ghost stories the staff is more than happy to share. Don's TV & Repair (donsmke.com) is a speakeasy-style burger-and-shakes diner hidden behind a faux electronics repair shop, where we played pinball while sipping from an actual Crock-Pot filled to the brim with a brandy Old Fashioned for sharing. It's a vibe.

Minneapolis' Indeed Brewing (indeedbrewing.com) has set up a Wisconsin outpost in Walker's Point, and its airy taproom offers a few only-in-Milwaukee brews. For a true Milwaukee drinking experience, venture a bit beyond the neighborhood to Bryant's Cocktail Lounge (bryantscocktaillounge.com), the oldest of an entire class of retro cocktail spots that keep the city's penchant for ice cream drinks alive.

The morning afforded us time for a couple last stops before we traveled onward. We began at the handsome black-and-gold-accented Vendetta Coffee Bar (vendettacoffeebar.com), which specializes in espresso (for both lattes and martinis, at any hour) and revelatory sheep-cheese-stuffed pastries that have been imported from Sicily and baked on site.

Finally, we waited in a line out the building to order creative takes on East Coast deli fare from Allie Boy's Bagelry and Luncheonette (allieboysmke.com). Their huge, chewy bagels were only the start of what I loved about this place. The pastrami chopped cheese, an open-faced bagel tartine shmeared with silky chicken liver mousse, and a potato latke pressed into waffle form might beckon me to ride the train back here again.

Near Chicago's Union Station

The train station that greets passengers in Chicago is a 1925 looker envisioned by Daniel Burnham, the famed architect who left his imprint across the city's skyline. Unfortunately, that's not the view I got upon arrival. With the train entering the station underground, and heavy construction on the street above, I was shuffled through low-ceilinged corridors and up a series of escalators until I made it outside, completely bypassing the Beaux-Arts waiting room. Luckily, I was in town for the James Beard Awards, which celebrated the American restaurant industry's highest honors with an after-party in the station's marvelous Great Hall.

Even without such an event, there are other ways to take in Burnham's talents, especially on an architecture-themed meander through Chicago's downtown Loop. Make time for stops at the hotel bar in the J.W. Marriott, Burnham's former Continental and Commercial Bank Building; for brunch at the Atwood restaurant in the Staypineapple hotel, also known as the Reliance Building, a landmark skyscraper; or — of particular note to nostalgic Dayton's fans — the Walnut Room (macysrestaurants.com/walnut-room). The handsome trailblazer in department store dining is in Macy's, which was once Burnham's Marshall Field and Co. Building. The 17,000-square-foot dining room with chandeliers and fountains doesn't hold back on grandeur or on ladies-who-lunch allure. My girlfriends and I played the part, luxuriating over an 1890 recipe for chicken pot pie, the familiar Mandarin chicken salad, and Frango (chocolate mint) Irish coffee.

If your travels are more food-focused than architecture-focused, the immediate area surrounding the train station, called West Loop Gate, has plenty of flavor, starting, of course, with Lou Mitchell's (loumitchells.com), the breakfast spot that tips its hat to the romance of travel. The Asian grocery chain H Mart (hmart.com) has a giddy selection of packaged ramen, seafood-flavored chips and other treats. And the Indian coffee shop Swadesi (swadesicafe.com) offers next-level chai, toasties and sweets.

Being a business district, the area is home to happy hours galore. Directly across from the station, I happened upon an urban pocket of green space, the Green at 320, which had a farmers market, live music and lawn games, an Italian eatery and Girl Scout Cookie-themed cocktails at Afterbar (afterbarchicago.com). A block away, the office-party-friendly Little Toasted (littletoasted.com) boasts one of the largest patios in the city, perfect for sampling their many whiskeys or a frosty glass of frosé.

Further afield but still walkable, the West Loop and Fulton Market are, together, a sizzling culinary district. "Top Chef" alum Sarah Grueneberg's Monteverde (monteverdechicago.com) was just named the best Chicago restaurant by Chicago magazine, and I certainly haven't stopped singing its praises since a fabulous lunch, where I devoured an unparalleled eggplant parmesan and watched chefs craft pasta in an angled mirror above the bar. "Top Chef" has had a rather strong imprint in this area, with three of Stephanie Izard's four Chicago restaurants located here (Girl & the Goat, Duck Duck Goat and Cabra, bokagrp.com).

At Time Out Market Chicago (timeoutmarket.com/chicago), you can sample bites from several Chicago eateries in one place, like the newly opened outpost of the famed Chinatown dumpling shop, Qing Xiang Yuan Mini (qxydumpling.com). We ended the night with drinks that showcase Latin-American spirits at Estereo (estereochicago.com).

Near St. Paul's Union Depot

Coming in August to Union Depot, the couple behind the Lake Elmo Inn will launch 1881 by Lake Elmo Inn (1881bylei.com), named for the opening year of both the station and the flagship Lake Elmo restaurant. It will be open for lunch, happy hour and dinner Wednesdays through Sundays.

If your train travels summon you to St. Paul on the weekend, the station is a short walk from the St. Paul Farmers Market (stpaulfarmersmarket.com), where you can stock up on fresh produce and plenty of snacks and prepared goods to take with you on the journey. Just across the street, look for the small-batch bakery So Yen Desserts (facebook.com/soyendesserts), which went viral for its brioche doughnuts. It's open Fridays through Sundays.

Lowertown's Big River Pizza (bigriverpizza.com) has New York-style pies with farm-fresh ingredients. And long-running Saint Dinette (saintdinette.com) is still turning out impeccable cheeseburgers and bologna sandwiches. Depending on your arrival time, there's no better welcome home than a good meal.