Poole’s Downtown Diner
Hook’s 3-Year Pimento Cheese with Crostini
Macaroni au Grautin
Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Honey and Thyme
Lobster & Dumplings – Potato Gnocchi, Stewed Tomatoes, Butter Beans, Ginger Butter
Lime Madeline Cake with Roasted Pineapple and Coconut Cream
Exiting Beasley’s with full bellies and snow now blowing in the street it was much to my mother’s dismay that I suggested a visit to Poole’s Downtown Diner was non-negotiable considering our otherwise packed dining agenda, and although the roads were a bit slick while ordering was limited the visit turned out to be largely worth the effort – particularly as nearly every place in town was closed the following day causing us to miss out on two previously planned meals.
Open since 2007, and consistently one of the city’s most jammed-packed and desirable dining destinations, it was just after 8pm that we stepped through the walk-in-only space’s doors and finding the Christmas-light strewn room no more than one-quarter filled a sizable four-top was offered halfway between bar and kitchen, our lovely young server briefly highlighting the chalkboard menu before leaving us to make tough decisions, an eventual order of one appetizer, two sides, and a main slowly trickling forth from the kitchen as per our request.
Treated to sounds of the late 60s and 70s while we waited for our food and perused the room, suffice it to say that the ‘diner’ layout and lack of fanciful flatware is really the only indication that Poole’s is truly a ‘diner’ and with a menu decorated in several luxury ingredients the first bites of the evening were enjoyed in the form of Hook’s 3-year Cheddar converted to sharp pimento spread served alongside copious crostini, each bite offering plenty of spice and great texture with a portion easily sharable by a group of four, the ‘signature’ elbow macaroni baked to golden brown potentially capable of feeding even more considering both the size and richness as tender noodles teamed with several cheeses ranging from surprisingly-sharp to milky-mild.
Largely underwhelmed by mains, the majority more ‘French brasserie’ than upscale southern, it was eventually on the Lobster & Dumplings that we decided and although the crustacean itself was a fine example the broth itself was far too tomato-y while gnocchi ‘dumplings’ were overcooked and rubbery, the ginger butter and beans helping to prop up an otherwise poorly executed plate outshined by a simple side of roasted sweet potatoes tinged in honey and thyme.
Equally uninspired by a dessert menu that struck both of us as far less fun than the quartet tasted at Beasley’s it was with good fortune our server immediately suggested the Madeline-cake I’d been eyeing when asked for her opinion and although not particularly “North Carolina” specific in the least both members of the table were taken aback by the warm almond flour base tinged with citrus atop key-lime curd and topped with pineapple chips plus a dollop of reference standard coconut cream – each bite a study in tropical balance, and particularly ironic given the brewing ice storm outside.
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