344 replies to this topic

[Jacques Gastreaux]

I received this email today from the staff at Galileo:

Yesterday Roberto worked on a new item for the Grill this week... HOT DOGS! He's making his own rolls, ketchup and sauerkraut.

He is also changing the PIZZA, it will now be round with thin crust. Tomorrow he's planning to make it with tomato, cheese and broccoli rabe.

The grill will be open this Wednesday the 20th and Thursday the 21st at 11:45 a.m. until everything is gone (approximately 1:15 p.m.).

For pre-orders call 202-293-7191 - PREORDERS WILL BE TAKEN UNTIL NOON.

Outdoor seating will be available in our courtyard and inside the weather's iffy.

We look forward to seeing you this week!

MENU

Hot Dogs $3.50

Sandwiches and Ribs  $5

Pizza  $5

Meatballs  $6

Soup of the Day  $3

Sodas  $1

Sweet Ricotta Cannoli  $2.50

Italian Country Bread  $3



Add to your sandwich:

Provolone $1

Broccoli Rabe    $2



Other Sandwich Toppings:

Green Peppers and Onions

Mustard

Green Sauce

BBQ Sauce

Lettuce

Homemade Ketchup

Sauerkraut

[Tweaked]

Yum, I'm going Thursday

[Jacques Gastreaux]

It sure was crowded in there today. I got there shortly before noon and the line was just beginning to snake around to where Donna stands. When I left, it was out the door and snaking around towards the patio door. I could not see the end of the line. Anyway, the moral of this story is, get there early. I had the meatball sub (burp) and a bowl of the soup. The soup is pretty good; this is the first time I have had it. The meatball sub was great.

edited to add: And the soup was ministrone.

[Tweaked]

Last week I think it was ministrone as well...lots of veggies but a lot of celery (one of my least favorite veggies)...not bad for a couple bucks

[Nadya]

Last week. Standing in line at Galileo Grill, watching the line grow, being tortured by delicious smells of pork shoulder grill drippings, swallowing every so often and cursing self for not thinking about calling ahead. Oh well.

Bored in line. Looking at the stack of ready orders awaiting pick-up. Hmmm. Wonder who are all the smart bottoms who thought about calling ahead. Very casually scan the names on the plastic bags of lucky bastards.

Whoooooaaaaa!! A bag with a sky-high stack of sandwiches says clear as daylight:

"VIDALIA. JEFF BUBEN. SIX ORDERS."

Last night at Bis. Walking through the floor with a deliberatedly casual look. Carefully picking the time when all the line cooks (come from the same pool as Vidalia) congregate near the pick-up area, eagerly awaiting the next dispensation of wisdom from the mouth of chef de cuisine.

Very casually walk by. Clear throat.

"Sooo.....I hear YOU PEOPLE CAN"T MAKE YOUR OWN SANDWICHES????? CALL YOURSELVES BLOODY LINE COOK MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE. MWA HAHAHAHAHA!!!!"

Turn around and walk back, basking in the glory of catcalling and yelling behind own back.

Totally worth the treatment for the rest of the night.

[Tweaked]

Pork Shoulder, green sauce, onion, peppers, broccoli rabe, provolone cheese.

devine!

even received the Donna nod of approval..."that's the only way to have it"

[jasonc]

This is my favorite kind of food - simple and undeniably delicious.

[Jacques Gastreaux]

Just got the email. The grill will be open Wedensday and Thursday of this week.

[shogun]

Finally got over there for a hot dog. Homemade hot dog, homemade saurkraut, homemade condiments: how can you go wrong? You can't, man. You can not.

[Jacques Gastreaux]

Tuesday and Thursday, but not Wednesday, this week.

[FunnyJohn]

Got there early enough to just make it in front of a group of 20 or so who all came in at the same time, so I made it up to the chef, got the goods and was out inside of 5 minutes. Came away with one meatball sandwich -- just consumed (SMACK, SMACK) in our cafeteria, many heads turning admiringly, one sausage sandwich -- to be consumed later, and one canolli -- calling to me gently as I write this.

One thing about the meatball sandwich -- definitely deserving of the praise others have given on this thread -- is that the longer it goes before being eaten, the soggier the bread gets. Not a criticism, just an observation and advice to either eat it quickly or be prepared to use a fork.

[Jacques Gastreaux]

Got there early enough to just make it in front of a group of 20 or so who all came in at the same time, so I made it up to the chef, got the goods and was out inside of 5 minutes.  Came away with one meatball sandwich -- just consumed (SMACK, SMACK) in our cafeteria, many heads turning admiringly, one sausage sandwich -- to be consumed later, and one canolli -- calling to me gently as I write this.

One thing about the meatball sandwich -- definitely deserving of the praise others have given on this thread -- is that the longer it goes before being eaten, the soggier the bread gets.  Not a criticism, just an observation and advice to either eat it quickly or be prepared to use a fork. 

I wonder if some of the sogginess could be ameliorated by having them put the provolone on first to form sort of a moisture barrier between the bread and the sauce. My meatball sandwich got soggy on me last week as well.

[mdt]

I wonder if some of the sogginess could be ameliorated by having them put the provolone on first to form sort of a moisture barrier between the bread and the sauce.  My meatball sandwich got soggy on me last week as well.

I am sure you can find someone with an 'in' at Galileo to submit the suggestion.

[Jacques Gastreaux]

I am sure you can find someone with an 'in' at Galileo to submit the suggestion.

I'll make the request on Thursday when I order my sandwich.

[bookluvingbabe]

How do you know when you've gone over the edge???

When you schedule a doctor's appointment with the hope that just maybe the Grill will be open...

Keeping my fingers crossed for Tuesday the 10th...

Jennifer

[bookluvingbabe]

Just Thursday this week.

Sigh...

Jennifer

[dcfoodie]

Who do I have to assassinate to get on that mailing list??!

[monavano]

Go to www.galileodc.com

Look under events and scroll down to find a link to sign up for the email updates.

[dcfoodie]

Hmm. I thought I was on that list, but I'll try again. I thought maybe this was a double-secret foodie list, that I was just not privy to. Thanks.

[shogun]

Might just have to give it time. I know it took two weeks or so before I started getting newsletters.

[bookluvingbabe]

I did it the old-fashioned way--I called and asked what the schedule was this week.

[shogun]

Grill will be open Tuesday and Wednesday this week.

[Al Dente]

I need a little masterpiece-o of a lunch,
Metro man, Metro man, can you make this thing go faster?
Pork shoulder and ice tea-very very tasty, si
Galileo... Galileo,
Galileo... Galileo,
Galileo Figaro,
Magnifico-o-o-o
Mama mia,mama mia,mama mia let me go-
Roberto Donna has a sandwich put aside for me, for me, for MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

<Commence vigorous headbanging a la "Wayne's World">

Left my office at 11:30 and was back at my desk in under 90 mins. The pork shoulder is indeed all it's cracked up to be. It should be the featured exhibit at the sandwich hall of fame! How cool is it that you can walk into one of the greatest kitchens in the country and get a humble yet magnificent sandwich from the man himself? Pretty damn cool.

Pizza ain't half bad either...

Edited by Al Dente, 17 May 2005 - 12:36 PM.

[The Doctor]

Well, tomorrow will be a moment of truth for me at the Galileo: a return to the pork shoulder, and a second chance at a first impression for one of my friends.

I posted this at e-gullet a while back:

Don't you hate it when you try to showcase something for a newcomer and the place has an off day? This was the first time in the 6 or 7 visits that I was a little disappointed. All the ingredients were there, they just somehow failed to become more than the sum of their parts today. Oh well, better luck next time.

and later:

think I'm beginning to realize what was off for me today. The sandwich wasn't as sloppy as usual. This was the first time none of the ingredients fell out or were even in danger of falling out, nor the juices (either from the pork or the green sauce) in danger of soaking through the top and bottom of the sandwich.

I've been back since and had the hot dog and enjoyed it very much, but the shadow of the last pork shoulder disappointment has lingered. It seems the bread they're using is now a smaller and more uniform size, and Roberto is more careful with the meat. Back when they first started, he apologized on several occasions for putting too much on.

So not only do I have to try to impress my friend again, I need to impress myself. I'll report back.

[Stretch]

Screw it. I'm gonna go tomorrow with the baby strapped to my chest. If pesto drips on his head, we'll just consider it an early education in Italian cuisine.

[DonRocks]

A new book by Gabriel Garcia Marquez:

The shadow of the last pork shoulder disappointment has lingered.

[dcfoodie]

AARRGGHHH!!!

I'm so pissed that I work in Largo (otherwise known as Foodie Hell!)

Why, oh why, can't I work downtown??!

[Jacques Gastreaux]

My pork shoulder sandwich was a little on the subpar side today. I kept biting into little pieces of gristle and I had a little pile of them on my foil at the end. I'm sure that if I had been one person sooner or later in the line that my sandwich would have been just fine. I happened along just as Chef Donna was slicing into the part where the gristle was hiding. cjsadler appeared to enjoy his meatball sandwich though.

Where in the heck was everyone else?

[laniloa]

Where in the heck was everyone else?

People keep scheduling meetings that cut into my culinary excurisons. I'm going to have to think of some code to add to my schedule so I can block out that time.

[FunnyJohn]

My pork shoulder sandwich was a little on the subpar side today.  I kept biting into little pieces of gristle and I had a little pile of them on my foil at the end.  I'm sure that if I had been one person sooner or later in the line that my sandwich would have been just fine.  I happened along just as Chef Donna was slicing into the part where the gristle was hiding.  cjsadler appeared to enjoy his meatball sandwich though.

Where in the heck was everyone else?

Went yesterday. My meatball sandwich lacked enough sauce. Maybe when I asked the Chef to put the cheese on the bottom, he thought I was overly concerned with the bread becoming soggy by the time I ate it.

[The Doctor]

The shadow has been lifted.

Showed up about 12:15 and Roberto was very cheerful. I could tell it was going to be a good day. My friend, who was still leary of the pork shoulder, went with the sausage and was very impressed (thank goodness).

I went with the pork. This time the pieces of bread were really big and the sauces & toppings heaped on without reservation. I would probably declare this the best sandwich I ever had there, but I got a lot of crispy burnt ends, which made chewing through the sandwich a little difficult. However, that's just a minor quibble. I didn't have any gristle. I'm happy to say the pork shoulder magic was back in full force.

This was also the first time I got a good look at the pizza. I'll probably try that on the next visit.

[Tweaked]

I had to laugh at the 50 or so people waiting in line at Chipotle as a walked by lovingly cradling my pork shoulder sandwich...suckers.

People in front of me in line when I walked into the Lab: 2

I still contend that the pork shoulder sandwich would be taken to new levels if there was a little rosemary backed into the bread

[mdt]

My pork shoulder sandwich was a little on the subpar side today.  I kept biting into little pieces of gristle and I had a little pile of them on my foil at the end.  I'm sure that if I had been one person sooner or later in the line that my sandwich would have been just fine.  I happened along just as Chef Donna was slicing into the part where the gristle was hiding.  cjsadler appeared to enjoy his meatball sandwich though.

Where in the heck was everyone else?

Since my new office is now near Old Town it is going to be a rare treat for me to get to the grill.

[Barbara]

Had my first experience with the grill today. I got there right around noon, there were only about four people in front of me, but nobody I recognized. I bought two of the pork shoulders and brought them home so Craig could have one.

While I didn't find any inedible bits in my sandwich, I was nevertheless somewhat underwhelmed. I added some salt and freshly ground pepper because the whole thing seemed awfully bland.

But, for $5, this is a very reasonable sandwich. And, it all held up nicely on the bus trip home. Might try the hot dog next time.

What I couldn't figure out was: who was cooking lunch for all those people in the restaurant, while Roberto and his crew were making sandwiches?

[Tweaked]

I also tend to agree that the pork shoulder meat could use a little seasoning...not sure what they do with the meat before they grill it...however toss on the brocolli rabe and provolone and you get a nice balance of flavors and seasoning.

[The Doctor]

I also tend to agree that the pork shoulder meat could use a little seasoning...not sure what they do with the meat before they grill it...however toss on the brocolli rabe and provolone and you get a nice balance of flavors and seasoning.

Am I correct in thinking that the simple addition of the cheese and rabe turns a $5 sandwich into an $8 sandwich, or am I reading the menu wrong?

[Tweaked]

yes it does, but worth it IMO

[Jacques Gastreaux]

If you ask for your pork shoulder sandwich with "everything" you don't get provolone and rabe, yoiu have to spcifically request it.

Does anyone have any thoughts on whether the pork shoulder sandwich is better with the green sauce or the barbeque sauce, or both?

[Tweaked]

BBQ Sauce v. Green Sauce v. Or Both...not sure but I'm willing to find out!

[shogun]

Grill is open this Tuesday and Wednesday.

[hillvalley]

Great. I planned my entire day off Thursday around getting to the Grill at noon. Figures it would be closed Grrrrrrr

[dcfoodie]

I wonder if it's open today. The weather is pretty bad out. Just my luck, I happen to be in GTown today...

[TedE]

I wonder if it's open today. The weather is pretty bad out. Just my luck, I happen to be in GTown today...

The grill hasn't actually been outside since the first half dozen or so incarnations. The neighbors complained of the smoke so they moved it into the Lab.

[shogun]

I thought it was the Fire Marshall complaining of the fire hazard of having the grill on the sidewalk, but either way, it'll be open today, with seating inside.

[TedE]

I thought it was the Fire Marshall complaining of the fire hazard of having the grill on the sidewalk, but either way, it'll be open today, with seating inside.

I think the fire marshall got them off of the front sidewalk. They then moved into the back patio where the smoke complaints probably arose. The next week when he moved in side I overheard a conversation between Roberto and presumably a denizen of the surrounding buildings, something about a fire alarm going off

[DameEdna]

Grill, wednesday, may 25 ...
Got the pork shoulder (with green sauce) ... gray and rainy weather added dash
of chaos, as patrons jammed into back dining room (employees dining room?).

I opted for the terrace, whch was beautiful. A few rain drops, then just gray.
Pork shoulder was excellent, much better than last time.

Last time I was down here (about two weeks ago), someone brought ordering
line to a halt:

"can I have my sandwich cut in half?"

"you want it cut in half?"

"yes"

"Chef, he wants it cut in half"

"(sigh) no, we can"t"

"I want to share it"

"(another sigh) OK" (just this once look)

No such incidents this time.

[Tweaked]

Pork Shoulder Sandwich and Canolli at Galileo Grill

[Jacques Gastreaux]

Openthis Thursday and Friday

[Al Dente]

Anyone know next week's schedule? Boss will be away Mon-Thurs, so I could definitely go for a looooong lunch.

[Jacques Gastreaux]

Anyone know next week's schedule? Boss will be away Mon-Thurs, so I could definitely go for a looooong lunch.

They seem to have switched to an every other week schedule. There was no grill this week so perhaps there will be one next week. I have not discerned any pattern with regard to which days they operate the grill, usually its two days during the middle of the week.