Pool Boy

Went there several times over the years and largely enjoyed it all. Kinda bummed they are gone.

We ordered their 5 course take out date night this past Friday. Everything was labeled and marked so well. They even email you with final plating and assembly instructions. The only clustfcuk was managing the 20 or so folks all instructed to show up at the same time to pick up orders, but in the end all was well.

Let me tell you, it was quite fine. That said, for two people, indulgent stay at home date night or not it was way to much for two people, both of us helthy eaters. No matter, it mde for a good snack the next day and a warmed up delicious lunch earlier this week.

I'd do it again but just order what I wanted instead of So.Much.Food.

My company orders lunch for everyone twice a week (pre-covid19) and these guys were one of my favorites - man I miss this.

This is perhaps their best track on their latest album
 

Used a delivery app for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Weird.

We made lentil soup. My wife wanted to make it a little like minestrone but we had no greens except for rapini, so we used that and it worked. We tried it with (incorrectly sized) pasta on Monday and it was too much. I had it straight today and then did the thing my German mother did with lentil soup and added a very small amount of vinegar to it. Delicious.

Oh....damn. I am so sorry to read this. I always enjoyed his posts so much. I was not expecting this. Man. Fcuk.

I have pretty much not left the house since my last day in office on the 11th and even then to only meet some new folks from the company that acquired the one I work for otherwise my last in office day would have been the 6th.

Anyway, I say pretty much since I have walked several times around my neighborhood. I am facing having to go to the doc for a scheduled appt on Friday. I kind of need to stop and see if I can score a few things on the way home but probably won't. There is WholeFoods/Amazon and Instacart and then Chewy for my cats. Take everything delivered in and immediately wash hands and so on immediately after. It's not that I want to go out and be among people, but I am going to want some wine, cheese and yes a bit of toilet paper (doing fine there for now thanks). And PRODUCE. Maybe a really early morning foray in to Super Best.

I am at a point in my life where, if I want to, I can spend $x to go do the thing I want to do. Like go see a concert. With really good seats. Possibly even if it involves overnight stays. Travel. Another country. If I want to. The thing is, most of me thinks 'This is crazy - all the expense this would be for what - a concert?!'

But then I think some of the people I want to see are getting on in years. Other people are potentially fleeting and awesome. Why not? How many chances will I get?

And yet still I mull and dither.

When do you pull the trigger?

We likely will not dine out in restaurants at least for some unknown amount of time. In the meantime, we'll be cooking a lot. And risking maybe one carry-out meal here and there

I worked from home most of this week. I will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. We continue to stockpile things in the freezer as well as shelf stable things. I am slightly embarrassed as to how large my grocery tab was last weekend. 

The only reason I am keenly focused on this is that, well, I got Lyme disease about 8 years ago. Ever since then, any time I get a cold it transforms in to something much worse. Case in point, About a month ago, my wife and I both caught the same thing within a day or two of each other probably from the same source. She got over it from beginning to end in about a week with no trip to the doctor. It took me two visits to the doc, two rounds of antibiotics, a declaration of 'hey this time it is not pneumonia!', a round of steroids and three weeks to get over it.

I say this all too, in that I have no confidence in the leadership of this country and its ability to deal with this pandemic. I would normally have some hope, but not with this current in denial administration. Clearly the rest of the world thinks the same damn thing.

Good luck everyone.

On 3/5/2020 at 1:17 PM, mtureck said:

The pretentiousness (or creativity, depending on where you stand) of the menu has been vastly toned down since the preview menu I saw before it opened. 

Compare the original (attached) with today.  

https://annabelledc.com/dinner

Dinner-Menu-12.27.19.docx 904.53 kB · 73 downloads

Simpler is definitely better - I am sure Frank finally convinced folks that if you just put damn good for on the table people will come - no gimmick necessary.

Keep the ideas flowing - I did not think about paper products and flour, salt and booze. Gah!

The man is a gift.
 

I have a co-worker whose food voice I trust that was very pleased with his experience here. I will have to check it out.

I know I am in the minority. But I had Lyme disease about 8 years ago. Ever since, colds and flus are.....worse. Pneumonia. Bronchitis. Ugh.

I was at the grocery store this weekend and decided to stock up. Soups. Broths. Grains. Lentils. Other shelf stable substances that would not require a grocery store visit and thus avoid people.

I know. Paranoia. But still, I have to take precautions given my ody's ability to fight off unusual viruses, colds and infections.

Is anyone else stocking up or am I the only loonie?

On 2/27/2020 at 12:08 PM, DPop said:

You didn't like it?  It was a little mixed when we went (I wasn't enamored by the gnocchi), but I thought the Consumme, Duck Breast, and Chicken were all outstanding.  What did you get?

The consommè is back?!?!?!?!

OK here's my report (sorry no photos this time).

We were going pre-theater ('A Thousand Splendid Suns' - very much recommended) but gave ourselves plenty of time. It's the Wharf and parking is ridiculously expensive (yes, we'd tried to reserve parking at Arena Stage when we bought the tickets but they were sold out) - $38 for the 4+ hours we were surely going to be there for dinner and the performance. But you are paying for the Wharf. 

Interesting space. Open and catches the light. Our seats were along one of the expanses of windows and the banquet had a higher seating level than the chair opposite - a little odd but I got over it. Before I get to the food, I'll get to the prices - they are high for what you get it is true. But it s the Wharf and you have to know going in that it is going to be expensive because anyplace in the Wharf has got to pay the rent.

We had good service throughout and no issues with any questions we had or anything. Food came out as they explained (whenever it was ready) - it worked out just fine. We had some cocktails which were just ok. Given the current prices of DC cocktails and having a list of your own concoctions you sort of expect more (and more effort). Next time I think I'll pass. Had a glass of Valpolicella later which was forgettable, especially given the price.

Crispy Shrimp and Pork Fried rolls - delicious - I could eat a lot of this, but at five bucks a pop....hmm.

Korean Style Steak Tartare - this was enjoyable mostly for the spice. The puffed crispy tendon was fun. But the knife work on the beef was horrifyingly bad - someone needs to brush up on their knife skills (unless if is supposed to be very poorly shredded with very long spindly bits that is). The taste was good though!

Crispy duck confit with Garlic, Bay Leaf and Lemon (and garlic) - this was quite good, but the skin was very salty (and I *love* salt). Fortunately, the saltiness did not permeate the flesh that much and, in eating with a bit of rice, you could balance it out. Maybe the cook is a smoker?

Heritage Pork Belly, Gochujang, Caramelized Onions - I really enjoyed this dish a lot. I would gladly order it again.

There was also this really delicious hand cut noodle dish with shrimp and sausage that was the dish of the night - really, really good.

Summary - We will be back (ideally when we do not have to park at the Wharf garage to save the $$), if only to try some of the Thai dishes. But we will not be running back or going out of our way to get there ASAP. It is expensive for what it is. There were arguable two dishes that were worth the cost, while the others did not meet that criteria. If I were going on someone else's nickel I'd be happy to go.

I have to remember to get back here. It's really been a long time since I have been there.

On 2/13/2020 at 10:07 AM, Bart said:

I've been a number of times before shows at the Anthem, and have to agree on the service.  I've never found it bad, but just kind of clueless.  Ask a question on the wine list ("is this an oaky Chardonnay?") and get either a confused look, or get an answer that I had no confidence in the accuracy.  The other issue I had with the service is the language barrier.  Every server I've ever had speaks English as second language and had difficulty communicating or describing dishes or answering questions on the dishes.  Not passing judgement on them......they all speak at least twice as many languages as I do(!!), but it's been repeatedly frustrating to have every single question essentially go unanswered.

The first time I got this dish, it was amazing.  The second time it was completely forgettable.  I'll get it again the next time I go.....Hope springs eternal, plus it's pretty cheap.

Stir Fried Greens, Ginger, Garlic, Chili “Pad Pak Ruam” 9

Relooking at the menu, I'm a little shocked at the prices.  They say each person should order 2-3 dishes, but most of the dishes are in the mid $20s range.  I mean, those are Kinship level prices, but the dishes and the staff and setting don't come close to the quality you receive at Kinship.  On the other hand, Kaliwa seems like one of the few middle of the road places on The Wharf.  Somewhere between Shake Shack and Del Mar!

Yeah a co-worker has some friends that have been and they were largely unimpressed. They indicated the Korean dishes were the best, in general. I'll post once I have gone - like I said, main thing was to avoid having to deal with the Wharf offerings because most of them are too loud. Del Mar is, IMHO not really a pre-theater kind of place but that's just me.

On 2/13/2020 at 1:00 PM, MsDiPesto said:

Great band. A former neighbor was Joe's roommate at Kent State, and he told me about Joe borrowing his 12 string to go play in coffeehouses. 

The live performances I have listened too are great. I wished I was old enough to have had the chance to see them live.

On 2/13/2020 at 8:28 PM, deangold said:

You know I like you but this is wrong. Triplum yes or some other interesting orange thing. But the 1-1-1-1 gin world is amazing from Corpse Reviver to Last word. Actually, shold the Last Word should precede the Corpse Reviver?

It's not a 1-1-1-1 for the True Syrum - it's 2-rye, 1-cointreau, 1-green chartreuse and 1-lime -- It's a bolder drink than the Last Word, and I love the Last Word for different reasons Dean.

Gonna give this a try this weekend before a show at Arena.

Over the last 5 or 6 years, after investigating and experiencing cocktails as a transition from seating to menu to perusal to expectation, my wife and I have built a cocktail cart to recreate some of the things we have had over the years when the mood hits us. Here is a favorite of mine that is a riff on The Last Word that I think is an improvement on same--

"True Syrum" by mojo1229 on kindredspirits.com

Rye and cointreau instead of gin and maraschino liqueur. It's great after a long hard week at work. Best with Rittenhouse Rye. Enjoy.

I was introduced to Joe Walsh back in the day by a good friend. He later discovered Joe spent some time with the James Gang. They have a lot of great music, but I really love this piece.