I read about Poste Brasserie's "20 Bites with Chef Robert Weland" and was intrigued. Modern American cuisine with a focus on sustainability and locally-farmed foods, always a good thing. The menu on the website was, well, not much of a menu. It just stated that the menu changes daily, depending on what ingredients the restaurant had on hand that day. Sounds like another potential Komi experience. Squeal! When I went through the reservation process, I felt like I was applying for clearance for a government job. Not that I would know, since I'm Canadian, and definitely am not allowed to work for the U.S. government. I had to fill out a reservation form that all but asked me what my bra size was (3... ha, like I'd tell!)! Okay, info faxed, done deal.
With these food excursions, the best people to experience them with are those who have adventurous tastebuds. The first person who came to mind was DC, since he was the one who took me to Komi. I know that he enjoys the pigging out process as much as I do and taking him here would have been payback. Alas, the Mayor's re-election campaign is taking up a lot of his time, plus he hasn't knighted me, so he was out. So I thought of Professor, but he is being a little stubborn about heading East. Then I figured, why not my bestie Dibby? She can be a little picky with her food, but as long as I don't tell her what she's eating ahead of time, I think she'll be alright. It will be like a mini-experiment! A couple of texts later, I got my 20 Bites partner.
The entrance from the street reminded me of a castle. The actual restaurant was housed in what looked like a greenhouse. How appropriate, since Poste has a garden on-site! We were led to the open kitchen, where we were going to dine. Since the counter was so high, the barstools also had to be high. Dibby and I equated them to death traps, since we needed a boost to get on them. Luckily, Adam the GM was on hand to assist. The dining experience is open to four, and we found out we were dining with a married couple. The more, the merrier!
Adam stepped up and introduced our server, Mary, to us. He also went ahead and explained the progression of the meal. Afterwards, the four of us grinned at one another, convinced of the culinary masterpieces that we were about to have. The first plate was set down and we dug in...
Bite 1: Duo of oysters
Bite 2: Sampler of pickled vegetables
Bite 3: Cucumber sorbet
Bite 4: Almond and carrot salad
Bite 5: Eggplant terrine
Bite 6: Hamachi with blood orange
Bite 7: Salmon tartare in five spice cone
Bite 8: Bresaola carpaccio
Bite 9: Crispy pig's tail
Bite 10: Seared and torchon foie gras
Bite 11: Asparagus
Bite 12: Chickpea-crusted halibut
Bite 13: Salmon with artichokes
Bite 14: Blood orange vodka shot
Bite 15: Pig trotter
Bite 16: Veal schnitzel
Bite 17: Baby goat shoulder
Bite 18: Stuffed dates
Bite 19: Strawberry-rhubarb cake
Bite 20: Chocolate bread pudding
Bite 21: Petit fours
The whole meal was such a great experience, though there were a couple of very minor service shortcomings. Our server was not always sure of what the plate was or kept on forgetting components, so once in a while, the four of us played a short game of "Let's guess what this is". Poste did manage to save itself by presenting us with a complete list of the offerings afterwards. Also, the pacing of the plates was not always consistent; at times we felt hurried and at other times, we waited for the next bite. In spite of all this though, "20 Bites with Chef Robert Weland" was a success, and quite possibly the best meal I have had in the District! And that is a statement that I am willing to commit to. For now.
Poste Brasserie
555 8th Street NW
Washington, DC
202.783.6060
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