Happy Nowruz and Moby Dick

Happy Nowruz! It doesn’t feel like it because both my husband and I are Covid bound since last Thursday. We managed to escape this horrible thing after being so careful for four years only to get it now - ten days after being vaccinated/boosted. Earlier last week we had ordered  a place holder for two Moby Dick Sabzi Polo Mahi special dinners to celebrate the holiday. Now we don’t even have a sense of taste or smell anymore and it’s a chore to force something down. So last evening we put on our masks and hobbled down to the car to drive and pick up the special fish dinners. Usually we get all sorts of other fixings but just didn’t have an appetite. But we will have enough to cover two meals and not have to worry about making dinner. So we are trying to take this virus day by day, hoping it continues to improve. There are the obvious ebbs and flows and anger and frustration and sense of loss for the simple things. I know it could be a lot worse and we are thankful for that. Unfortunately it started on our anniversary, continues through the holiday and my husband’s birthday, and ruined our planned weekend getaway to visit family in central Virginia. Spring was always such a season of promise. It’s a little different this year. 

Moby Dick Rewards?

We have been going to Moby Dick House of Kabob since we moved to DC seventeen years ago. We used to drive to Arlington from DC for pick up. When we moved to northern Virginia four years ago there was a Moby Dick located about a block away. We have also been using the app consistently. Last month we earned silver status which translates in to a seventy five dollars coupon. So when we ordered last week we used the coupon. When my husband went to pick up the order they didn’t have it, so he reordered and came to get me to clarify what happened. So I went in to show them the email confirmation and the app. For whatever reason the transaction misfired. We ended up getting our tip refunded, but we added another tip for the new order. Following this episode we received another coupon saying we earned another ten dollars off and the following day we got another email saying we earned another five dollars off. All of these credits are supposedly added on the app somewhere. I’m not sure what will happen the next time we order. Technically there is a ninety five dollars credit in total available to use. I have a feeling something else will go wrong. We should actually get the next order for “free” but that’s what I thought the last time.

Moby Dick Silver Status

It was a nice day yesterday. My sister moved from Maryland to Florida at the end of January. She loved in the DC area for many years! She was visiting in Virginia for about two weeks to go to a seminar and then stay with a friend that she’s known since college. It turned out yesterday would be the best day to meet up for brunch before she drives back home today. So we decided to make a go of it at the Virginian restaurant in Vienna. We haven’t been there since the pandemic but had gone there many times before that - including a couple times with her and my brother/SIL who have also lived in DC for many years. it was a nice visit/brunch and after that we all decided to come back to our house for a bit. The last time we were all together at our house was Thanksgiving 2019. After that my mom passed away in February 2020 and then the pandemic ruined so many things. So yesterday was the first time we all were together at our house since then - over three years! My brother/SIL had to leave around three to get to a Nationals baseball game, but my sister decided to stay for dinner. So we needed to figure out what we wanted and thought Moby Dick Persian food would be great to pick up and bring home. I ordered on line using their app like we do every time we go there. Moby Dick is one of our favorite places. It was a nice surprise when I got a message that we hit “silver status” - which meant we had earned a seventy-five dollar credit to spend on anything we’d like. So the next time we go to Moby Dick it will be on the house so to speak. I wish my sister had stayed in the area so we could all get together at least once a month like we used to. I suppose as long as she is happy is all that matters. So when we go to Moby Dick the next time we will think of her. 

Moby Dick Chicken Special

We ordered it for Persian New Year a couple of years ago from Moby Dick. It’s called zereshk polo - a really tasty and mouth watering chicken dish made with zereshk berries or barberries. It’s a nice change from the typical kabobs. I happened to mention to my Iranian hair stylist how much I liked it and was sorry that Moby Dick didn’t have it routinely on their menu. When she told me that they serve it on Thursday - and that it usually sells out early in the afternoon - I knew what we would be having for dinner this week. You can’t order it on line because it is the Thursday special. You have to call your order in - or in our case - we drove over to the restaurant after our morning walk and ordered it in the store so we would have it for dinner later in the day. The entree didn’t look anything like the dish we were served before. I was surprised to see that it was a half chicken served on rice with the barberries in a separate container. When we had it last time the chicken was already cut in to small pieces and mixed in with the rice and barberries. It was a bit disappointing. But in the end it was just as tasty, but we don’t typically buy boned chicken. I’m glad we had the option to try it again. So I took the leftovers and mixed everything up and we will have the rest this evening. We always get barley soup and the eggplant appetizer to make the meal last longer. We may need to try this same dish at the competitor Maman Joon that just opened. We have three Persian restaurants within walking distance from our house. The food is always healthy and very delicious. 

Washington Radiology and Moby Dick

We have been there twice already this year, and we had to go again yesterday. We have had appointments every day this week - something I don’t care for since they are all for health care reasons. It’s going on six weeks that my husband has been getting tested to try and figure out what ails him. And it’s not obvious whatever it is. After spending the morning getting blood work at Virginia Hospital Center, we took a ride to Washington Radiology for an ultrasound in the afternoon. Of course you can’t eat or drink anything either. After we arrived I walked in with him, but had to turn around and wait in the car because they still don’t allow anyone else but the patient in. I tried texting him to get an update but he didn’t answer. So while I waited I ordered an early supper from Moby Dick - our favorite Persian take out place. Aside from that I just sat there and watched the leaves fall. It was somewhat peaceful. The sun was shining and I just didn’t want to do anything but stare out in to space. The test was done in short order and everything was fine. That was wonderful news, but we still don’t know what ails him. We’ve come to the conclusion that it isn’t anatomical so that means it must be a chemical imbalance of some sort. All of the lab work results were good too. So that will mean more doctor visits and tests but I have no idea for what. So yesterday afternoon we picked up and feasted on Moby Dick. It’s tough bobbing on the water. Hopefully a conclusion will be reached soon. 

Gaviscon and Moby Dick

We love Moby Dick. Not the whale - the persian kabob place we have been going to since we moved to Capitol Hill several years ago. When we moved to northern Virginia a while back we were really happy to know there was a restaurant about a block or two away. Where we always had to drive to Virginia for pick up, now we drive a block. So convenient! My husband has been having upper GI issues lately that necessitate taking a prescription Med, gaviscon tablets or liquid, Gas X pills, and a big change in diet and meal frequency. It so happened that we went to Moby Dick on Friday for our usual fare that includes a barley soup. By Sunday he was in the mood to have more barley soup. So we first went to the pharmacy to pick up more gaviscon and gas X, then went back to Moby Dick for two more servings of soup that also come with flat bread. It’s been an adjustment to eat a few small meals per day rather than our usual two. And giving up caffeine, sugar, cookies, chocolate and tomatoes is terrible. Hopefully things will begin to resolve and perhaps small amounts of some things may not be all bad. When we mention the situation to people we know most of them have the same condition - we just never knew. The next item to consider purchasing is a wedge to put on the bed to keep his head raised at night. We’ll just take things one day at a time. But if we liked Moby Dick before,  we like it even more now. 

Moby Dick House of Kabob Delivery via Uber Eats

We love Moby Dick. It’s a strange name for a Persian primarily take out place. We have been picking up kabobs and eggplant appetizers since we moved to DC. We always had to drive in to Arlington because there were no restaurants in our Capitol Hill neighborhood. When we moved to northern Virginia last year, a Moby Dick is about two blocks away. What a treat! And we have gone there many times to pick up our favorite dishes. Since we essentially haven’t left the house since March 13, we thought maybe it was time to have food delivered to the condo. So last Saturday I searched for all the food delivery apps and decided to try Uber Eats. We didn’t want to pick up the food for a variety of reasons - maybe that will come later. Within twenty five minutes the order arrived and we got a call from the lobby to come pick it up. One of the main reasons we like doing it this way is to not only support the restaurant, but also to support the drivers. It’s a small way to help everyone working during these weird times. We are so thankful for our circumstances. Having Moby Dick reminded us of the old times and we got enough for three dinners, including dessert. Things are changing, and hopefully Moby Dick survives. 

Moby Dick House of Kabob

It’s not the reason we moved to Virginia, but it could be counted as a side benefit. When we first relocated to DC thirteen years ago, we discovered a “take out” Persian food restaurant in Georgetown. It was called Moby Dick and we really liked it. The kabobs, bread, and eggplant side dish were great and the price was even better. Since then we usually picked up the Persian food in Arlington about every six weeks or so because it was the closest shop. They didn’t deliver that far away and never put a restaurant on Capitol Hill - although it was talked about but never materialized. We would also pick up dinners when we had out of town as well as in town guests. Since our Capitol Hill family members moved four years ago we sometimes pick up a smorgasbord of treats and bring it with us when we visit for special occasions. There are a few other sit down Persian restaurants in the area as well. We like Yekta in Rockville the most. But Moby Dick actually tastes the best - but they don’t serve alcohol and it’s more for pick up than sit down. So when we moved to Virginia we knew Moby Dick was hardly two blocks away from our new condo. And we have gone there a few times already in the last two months. So it was sad to learn the owner of the 15 or so francises died this week. He certainly wasn’t very old. It felt like a friend of ours was gone. Hopefully it won’t affect the restaurants and his legacy continues to live on. It’s become a staple for us. 

A Second Walk in the Neighborhood

It’s been almost three weeks since we moved from DC to Virginia. Finally I can see a light at the end of the tunnel related to all the paperwork that needs to be processed, but the list of things to do remains quite long. I am someone who prefers a routine, and it has been nothing like that for the past few months. So today we decided to try and get back in to our daily walking habit. Rather than go north to the park, we headed south in to town. We stopped by the auto shop to see about the safety and emissions testing we still need to get done. Then we just kept walking to find out what else was in the neighborhood. We came across two potential restaurants we might want to try. One was a French place called Cafe Tatti, and the other across from it was Assaggi Pizzeria. We were reminded that it was still spring - the dogwoods and what seemed like cherry blossoms were still so beautiful in spite of the fact the spent flowers were covering the sidewalk. We passed by our favorite Persian food place - Moby Dick House of Kabob. The azaleas were just lovely and the fountain in front of our building was turned on for the season. It’s going to take a while to get used to the change in scenery. So far it’s going very well. 

Moby Dick Swag Shop

We love Moby Dick! Not the book, the Persian food. Ever since we moved to DC eleven years ago, we have been picking up food from Moby Dick. It's not exactly a sit down eating spot - they don't serve alcohol. But they have the best kabobs in town and have several sites all over the DC area. We've been to Georgetown, but prefer the shop in Arlington and McLean. Unfortunately they don't have a location on Capitol Hill and we don't live in a delivery service radius. We used to go to Reza's in Chicago several times a year when we lived in the Midwest. So this is a great Persian food fix for us if we want something casual.  As a matter of fact we picked up Moby Dick last night for dinner and we have ordered and taken it out of town for special occasions. We have even picked up the house specialties for friends so they wouldn't have to cook when we went to visit them. The big family platter works well for those events. We got an email last week saying Moby Dick now sells ready to wear in their new swag shop. So I looked at the offerings and found some merchandise we hope will bring a smile to some folks we know who moved from DC three years ago. They also loved Moby Dick and there is no Middle Eastern cuisine in their neighborhood. It's more of a joke than anything else, but we are hoping it will bring a smile to their faces. I'm not really sure what this name has to do with Persian food, but it hardly matters. They just opened a new restaurant in Baltimore. If you have never had a kabob you don't know what you are missing! Now you can have a t shirt to match!