"I was taken across the country, learned about some of the buffoons who populate Washington, fell in love with two ladies, filled my belly with mouthwatering gourmet food and high-class liquid refreshments, and enjoyed the antics of an admirable young man who learns about life and love, all in a luxurious dining car. A glimpse into a life we all dream about, it's also an entertaining, engaging read, with a deft touch of humor." -- Rick Browne, Host of PBS' "Barbecue America" and author of 17 books on cooking, travel, restaurants, and the good life "The Dining Car is an unforgettable tale of Horace Button, a Falstaffian character whose appetite for food and drink is without bounds. With his wickedly sharp tongue, Button dismisses family, friends, and total strangers with equal abandon. In the tradition of Wallace Stegner's Angle of Repose, Eric Peterson links California with the East Coast as Button journeys across the country with his butler and chef in their elegantly appointed railroad car. The Dining Car will be devoured with relish by all who appreciate good food, and the voice of Horace Button will long linger in the ear of its readers." -- William Ferris, author of The South in Color: A Visual Journal "Though set in contemporary time, The Dining Car reads like history, due to the near-cinematic attention to detail on every page--not just the small architectural touches that can be found on a vintage private railroad car, but fabulous descriptions of fine cuisine and top-notch wines. I appreciated the interplay between a well-known food writer and a celebrity chef, and found myself nodding at the oh-so-familiar magazine staff infighting. The plot is well-paced, and the many colorful characters feel as real as the cross-country train journey. The Dining Car is a damn fine novel." -- Thomas Shess, San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles "The Dining Car's appeal lies in probing Jack's evolving life, which reaches out to embrace a puzzlingly foreign world right in his own country. Readers who appreciate novels of growth and discovery on different levels which delve into the lives of the rich and expose undercurrents of agony and angst will find The Dining Car a vivid, engrossing novel that's hard to put down." -- Diane Donovan, Reviewer's Choice, Donovan's Bookshelf