Jump to content

Posto, in the Old Viridian Space at 14th & P St NW - Chef-Owner Massimo Fabbri Comes From Sister Restaurant Tosca - Closed


Recommended Posts

From today's TomChat:

NEWS AT THE TOP OF THE HOUR: The guessing game about who might move into the space formerly occupied by Viridian (1515 14th St. NW) in Logan Circle is over.

Paolo Sacco, the owner of the elegant Ristorante Tosca downtown, tells me he's signed a letter of intent for the location, which he plans to turn into Posto, a casual Northern Italian trattoria.

The 120-seat dining room will highlight a communal table (of course), a wood-burning oven (for pizza!)and a menu created by Tosca's chef, Massimo Fabbri. A sous chef from Tosca, yet to be named, will execute Fabbri's game plan.

Posto, says its creator, is Italian for "place" or "spot" Look for a late-summer opening.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Had dinner in the dining room on Friday night, about two hours after they had opened their doors for the first time. All the food we had was really terrific. Prices were generally reasonable in appearance, although the small portions (at least for what we ordered) means that you must order a few plates to complete a meal. We started with charcuterie and cheese -- prosciutto, a (very) spicy coppa and an Italian cow's milk cheese whose name escapes me. All three were very good, especially the cheese, although the plate was no bargain at $15. We split the Posto salad, also excellent, with a nice mix of salty cheese and crunchy walnuts. For entrees, the two of us each had pasta - tortelli and gnocchi. The flavors on each were great and I would not hesitate to order either, though the small portion size means that a starter is a necessity. Next time I'm going to try the pizza - a number looked really appetizing. For dinner we split the mascarpone mousse with coffee ice cream and chocolate "shot" which hit all the right (read: chocolate) buttons. All in all there was not a single miss with any of the dishes.

Service was definitely hectic and spotty, but being that the doors had been open for all of two hours it was more than acceptable.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

After sitting down at the bar at Posto last night, reading the menus, and sipping a glass of 2007 Val de Sil "Montenovo" Godello ($6 for a generous six-ounce pour), I was convinced that this restaurant would instantly be launched to the top of the Logan Circle section in the Dining Guide (which admittedly isn't saying much).

A first course of Maial Tonne' ($10) was cold, sliced pork loin in a tuna-caper sauce (similar to a vitello tonnato), with mache greens and celery hearts. A few bites into the course, which incidentally went beautifully with the Godello, I thought to myself, 'okay, not a great showing.'

Then I ordered a Polipo Pizza ($14) with tomato sauce, arugula, grilled octopus, potato, and black olives, and was similarly unimpressed, particularly by the crust which was surprisingly ordinary given Posto's pizza oven.

The three things that stood out as positives in this meal were the wine list, the quality of the oil used in the Maial Tonne', and the grill-job on the octopus - I'm going to assume (for now) that the bread basket was an aberration, because it needs to be a whole lot better than it was last night.

I saw a couple courses coming out - the salmon in particular - that looked more promising than what I ordered, but my overall first impression of Posto is surprisingly neutral-to-negative. Given that they're going to be packed with crowds, I'm hoping that last night was simply opening jitters, and not an indication of things to come. I want to like this place.

Cheers,

Rocks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

surprisingly ordinary given Posto's pizza oven.
Rocks,

What was it about the oven that made you expect more from the pizza?

I know this is a vacuous response, but ... the prominent placement in the dining room.

(Sorry.)

Incidentally, I enjoyed the pizza more this morning, at room temperature - the potatoes really stood out as being a central item in the pie, whereas last night I barely noticed them at all (they're diced similarly to the octopus).

"Cold octopus pizza for breakfast?!"

Yup.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Had dinner Saturday night at Posto after Grey Gardens at the Studio. After a slow start service was attentive and showed genuine interest in our welfare. The bread basket was filled with a flavorful seasoned flat-bread, much like a pizza crust that didn't even need the olive oil. The arugula salads were generous with the Parmesan. The pheasant ragu over tagliatelle had a real depth of flavor. My partner had a pizza. The crust was thin, crisp and slightly charred. The toppings were tasty.

Will definitely go back.

-Ed

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Got in here for dinner today. Overall, I enjoyed the secondi more than the primi. Split the Pesce Spada and Polenta with my ladyfriend. While the polenta came with some tasty and hearty sausage, the polenta's gelatinous consistency was kinda unappealing. The swordish wasn't really doing anything for me.

For secondi, I got the braised veal cheeks and my companion got ravioli. I only tasted one ravioli, but it was nice and meaty as were my veal cheeks, which had no problems at all. These were just really nice rustic dishes for the cold weather we've been having.

I'd say Posto is worth a gander and I'd like to go back and try the pizzas and maybe some of the other first plates. It's a good addition to a great dining neighborhood.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Three of us had dinner at Posto last night. Well-made drinks (two Manhattans, one Negroni), just okay bread. Two of us had Primi--mine was black-eyed pea soup, a special, a good cold-weather dish but nothing extraordinary, the other was polenta with sausage, which I didn't taste, but my dining partner liked. For Secondi, the tagliatelle with duck ragout was a good, rich dish--fresh al dente pasta and a bit of cream in the sauce. The roasted scallops with lentils looked good--three medium-size bivalves on a bed of saucy legumes; the spaghetti with seafood looked like a bit of a hodge-podge--again, didn't taste either of these. A nice Sangiovese was a good accompaniment, and we ended with a couple of desserts--my cranberry/mixed berry cobbler with vanilla sorbet was quite juicy, and a bit hard to eat in its coffee cup, but good. With tip, it came out to just over $200.

So, while I liked the food overall, and I guess the price was okay, what might hold me back from returning, at least on a Friday night, is that this space is LOUD--much more so than when Viridian was there. The tables don't seem to have the foam baffling underneath them anymore, and it was really hard to carry on a conversation. Surely they can keep the good sense of energy that the place carries and still make it a more pleasant dining experience--this may be the loudest place I've been to in D.C.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

not only loud, but cold, too, don't you think? We were sitting well away from the door Thursday night and felt chilly the whole meal.

Our experience with the food was similar to yours...pretty good, but nothing that's making us crazy to go back (except maybe to check out the pizzas...neither of us had pizza, and they looked pretty good).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Was reaching out to see how other people on here view Posto's menu, service and wine...

the service stands out, and they go out of their way to be friendly. based on one meal, i would notch up the food to neutral to positive, removing the pizza from the equation, about which there have been ample warnings. the maial tonne seemed to be all there but wasn't quite robust enough, the pork and whipped tuna sliced and spread a bit thin. a special cauliflower soup brightened with a dollop of mushroom was good but leaning toward blandness, creamless and reminiscent of the previous resident, viridian, in its early days. a tortelloni special was good, not glorious. the galletto was darker than i expected, the chicken a bit more grown up than it should have been but still tender though overly reliant on the butter in its sauce. the kale it was roosting on was cooked long enough to draw out its bitterness, something i avoid, but not entirely out of place and executed far better than a rancid memory of this from my grade-school cafeteria. the desserts are deconstructed and come with edgy accents, such as a sweet squash chip. the drinks are fortified, the seats hard. i actually like this place and had an enjoyable time, but dinner for two added up to about $170, which puts you in reach of tosca -- only about a 15 minute walk away if you live in posto's neighborhood.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Had a nice meal for 3 at Posto on Saturday night with some hits and misses. Started with a pizza with tomato sauce, mozzarella, roasted peppers and bits of goat cheese which was pretty good, but not super great. The pizza was a good size app for 3-4 people to eat get a slice or two and was good as an app, but I don't think I'd go there just for the pizza with all of the many better choices in the city (i.e. 2 Amys). I had the tagliatelle pasta with pheasant ragout which was pretty good, but lacked a reall depth of flavor to make it great. Also the pasta was clearly made in house, but I think could have been cooked a bit longer (it seems a bit tough) and I like al dente pasta. On the other hand, my 2 dining companions both had the tortelli with spinach and walnut filling in a light parmesan sauce which was awesome. They were super happy with their choice and I agree after my wife was nice enough to give me a taste. This was a really good dish, worth going out to dinner for. For dessert, our friend had vanilla gelato which she liked. My wife and I shared the mixed berry cobbler with port reduction which both didn't like that much. It comes in a tea cup and the cranberries and port sauce were too tangy making the dish taste off, instead of a sweet dessert and there was so much sauce that the "cobbler" was really a thick creamy berry soup with a bit of crunch instead of a crust. The space is nice and table spaced well, but it is all open so it was a bit loud. Service was just fine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

After sitting down at the bar at Posto last night, reading the menus, and sipping a glass of 2007 Val de Sil "Montenovo" Godello ($6 for a generous six-ounce pour), I was convinced that this restaurant would instantly be launched to the top of the Logan Circle section in the Dining Guide (which admittedly isn't saying much).

A first course of Maial Tonne' ($10) was cold, sliced pork loin in a tuna-caper sauce (similar to a vitello tonnato), with mache greens and celery hearts. A few bites into the course, which incidentally went beautifully with the Godello, I thought to myself, 'okay, not a great showing.'

Then I ordered a Polipo Pizza ($14) with tomato sauce, arugula, grilled octopus, potato, and black olives, and was similarly unimpressed, particularly by the crust which was surprisingly ordinary given Posto's pizza oven.

The three things that stood out as positives in this meal were the wine list, the quality of the oil used in the Maial Tonne', and the grill-job on the octopus - I'm going to assume (for now) that the bread basket was an aberration, because it needs to be a whole lot better than it was last night.

I saw a couple courses coming out - the salmon in particular - that looked more promising than what I ordered, but my overall first impression of Posto is surprisingly neutral-to-negative. Given that they're going to be packed with crowds, I'm hoping that last night was simply opening jitters, and not an indication of things to come. I want to like this place.

Cheers,

Rocks.

A second dinner at Posto tonight leaves my opinion unchanged: They are indeed packed with crowds, and my impression of the food remains neutral-to-negative.

A San Giacomo ($11) was a depressingly bland, bi-colored scallop tartare, done in two short-stack cylinders, mixed with well-diced cucumbers, served alongside red watercress dressed in lemon. I don't ask for salt and pepper very often, but when I do, it's nice to have it served in elegant little mills like Posto does, and a small application woke the dish from its torpor.

Unlike (the excellent) Tosca, half-portions of pasta are not available here, so I went straight for the Guance ($21), three chunks of soft veal cheek served with seemingly frozen spinach and garlic mashed potatoes in a bitter, powdery, almost Hungarian sauce. A good-looking side order of Funghetti ($5) should have balanced this dish out, but was overheated, and just wasn't anything special on the palate.

The bread is only slightly better than it was last time, but I'll also repeat that I really like the wine program here - it really is one the best in the city. That alone makes Posto worth a repeat visit.

Cheers,

Rocks.

P.S. Two more things: The napkins stink, and if there's a single good restaurant in the Logan Circle area, I'd love to know what it is.

P.P.S. This is not a trashing; this is a meh. Based on the strength of its wine program, I'll leave Posto at the top of the Logan Circle Dining Guide, but I want to like this place more than I do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

P.S. Two more things: The napkins stink, and if there's a single good restaurant in the Logan Circle area, I'd love to know what it is.

Luckily for the neighborhood residents, we have Cork and Bar Pilar, which while technically not Logan Circle are certainly close enough.

I was at Posto last week as well, finally getting a table after trying several times and told that there would be a long wait (one Friday night was 2 hours and 45 minutes!). I found the Piccante pizza to be good, but the Granchio (lump crabmeat, red & yellow peppers, mayonnaise, mustard, fresh chives, red pepper sauc) was a goopy, boring dish and my wife's Guazzetto (clams, calamari, shrimp, white wine, garlic, green beans, saffron) needed defibrillation paddles, they were about as lifeless as you can make a dish that sounds that good on paper.

We were so disappointed after having so many great meals with Massimo and Jay at Tosca. Hopefully Posto finds its legs at some point, but until then we probably won't be back. We did not find it to be worth it for the relatively steep price tag.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm surprised that there are no comments posted for 2010. The clean, modern design of the space, highlighted by large backlit photos is very attractive. The full room is noisy, however, so beware of this if planning a conversational dinner with long missed friends. The couple of times we have been there recently, the pastas ordered have been excellent. (Note to self: post while details are fresh.) The last visit, the chestnut flour pappardelle with pheasant ragu was wonderful. The wine list is not overly large so one can skim it before having to decide and not hold up the meal. Wines by the glass have met my expectation for being interesting as well as good examples of the type.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"The Nationals Just Became The World Series Favorite With A Monster Contract For Free-Agent Pitcher Max Scherzer" by Cork Gaines on businessinsider.com

Although I don't think any one team in Major League Baseball can be called "a favorite" to win the World Series (in the post-season, anything can happen in a short series), the Nationals probably *did* become a prohibitive favorite to win the National League Eastern Division in the regular season (they probably were before this signing as well).

But this shows how dramatic the addition of one key player can be, and so it is in the world of restaurants.

Chef-Owner Massimo Fabbri, who has been at Tosca since it opened, is now cooking full-time at Posto, and for the first time in its history - since it opened over six years ago - Posto is now rated in Italics in the Dining Guide. Taking over as Chef de Cuisine at Tosca will be Matteo Venini, who began as a pastry chef, and clawed his way to the top.

Like Venini, Fabbri started out as a line cook working with Cesare Lanfranconi, worked his way up to Sous Chef, and then to Chef de Cuisine at Tosca where he was making arguably the greatest Italian Food, and certainly the greatest pastas, in the area. Note that this is before the return of Roberto Donna, and the Italian Renaissance in general.

However, his presence as the full-time Chef de Cuisine at Posto is a game-changer, and not only have they been raised to Italic, but they've moved up numerous slots in the 14UP neighborhood. It can not be overstated how important of a change this is.

I spent a good twenty minutes chatting with Massimo on the phone today, and he is hell-bent on making Posto the best restaurant in 14UP. Only time will tell, but he certainly has the background and skills to do it - whether or not the higher-volume structure of Posto will permit it is another story, and so the verdict is out for now. But Massimo is there, full-time, right now, so Posto should be high on your to-do list, and this is the first time I've ever said this - even when Kathy Morgan designed their opening wine list (remember? :)), the food never lived up to its promise. I was disappointed the very first time I ate there, shortly after it opened (despite it having one of the best wine lists in the city), and I've yet to have great meal at Posto, but now I'm expecting more - a lot more.

All pastas are house made except for one.

Southern 14UP around Logan Circle has underperformed over the years, but perhaps that's about to change because the stakes have just been raised.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting. I haven't been back for about five years, in part because the food was only so-so, but more because the noise there was so enervating. In some ways, for me it was the first restaurant where the noise issue became a major issue (and it does seem like this became more of a general topic of discussion in DC restaurants around that time also; didn't Sietsema start doing his decibel ratings around then?). Glad to hear the food is being upgraded; but has it improved on the noise score at all?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Unfortunately, the noise is still an issue, or at least it was on Saturday night at 9 when my wife and I stopped in to dine.  It wasn't as bad as Le Diplomate or Two Amys at its peak, but it's not a quiet relaxing dinner.

That said, Massimo was in the kitchen on Saturday, and much to our delight, Jon (former Tosca bartender) has come along with him to work the bar and floor.  While in many ways, it still felt like the Posto of old (packed to the gills, loud, somewhat slow service), Jon helped bridge some of the issues on the floor by stopping in to see us and the tables in our vicinity and Massimo has definitely turned around the pasta menu from what we had experienced previously.

Don't come here expecting Tosca Part Deux, though.  There are no pasta dishes featuring uni and caviar, or lobster risottos, or even carrot pappardelle.  The pasta menu here fits what I think was the initial concept of this restaurant; approachable, simple ingredients executed by a deft hand.  Only now, unlike 5 years ago, there is a deft hand in the kitchen.

The Pappardelle (tomato sauce, pecorino cheese, carmelized onions, house-cured pancetta) was not going to knock anyone's socks off.  The flavors in this dish are very familiar, but for me this is not always a bad thing as some of the best pastas I had in Italy two summers back were simple with great ingredients and execution.  While I wouldn't say this dish was "great", it was certainly better than anything I had in my prior visits to Posto.

The pasta special of the night, a Tagliatelle with Rabbit Ragu was much more Fabbri and certainly to my taste.  The ragu was light and subtle, only slightly buttery with the well seasoned rabbit packing an herbaceous kick to wake up the dish a bit.  A really nice winter dish that wouldn't weigh one down, this would be the one thing I would recommend to someone (if they still had it) heading to Posto.

All in all, this was a nice value ($85 after tax, tip, and corkage), especially when you consider that you can get half orders of any of the pastas for $10-12 like at Tosca.  I think they will continue to pack this house with the weekend 14th Street crowd, but if the kitchen continues to trend positively, I can see myself becoming a weekday regular.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Had a pretty good meal here on Saturday night with my mom, aunt, and cousin. My mom loves really good housemade pasta and since she came here on short notice my options for Italian reservations were limited. I wanted Osteria Morini since my wife and I have enjoyed several meals there and the setting is so lovely, but alas, nothing doing. Didn't want to break the bank at Fiola/Mare and Casa Luca was full. I saw Posto had plenty of times available on Open Table which made me a little cautious, but remembering that the chef moved over from Tosca I was hopeful.

Our waitress was very pushy about wine and appetizer orders basically as soon as we sat down and hadn't had a chance to look at the menu (my mom and I arrived separately so we were exchanging pleasantries with the other 2 in the party). And she came by probably another 3 times in the the next 5 minutes. Finally, we did order wine and a pair of bruschetta plates. Annoyingly, it was only when she brought out the wine did she tell us of the specials, including a lovely sounding zucchini blossom appetizer, which would have been helpful to know about in one of her previous visits to the table as we surely would have done that and one bruschetta.

Our appetizers, however, were good, with one plate having very fresh summery tomatoes with basil and ricotta while the other was roasted peppers with tons of almonds. I preferred the former to the latter as the flavors married much better. At $8 for 2 pieces of bread per order, however, not sure if that's a great deal. But the table seemed to like it.

We all ordered pastas as our mains. My aunt got "Tagliatelle"” spinach tagliatelle, free range veal Bolognese, tomato sauce, fresh herbs, parmesan cheese 20," my mom and cousin got "Finferli"”  taglierini with chanterelle mushroom ragu, asparagus, squash blossoms, Pecorino cheese 20," while I got a half orders of that Finferli and "Pappardelle"” carrot pappardelle, tuscan style rabbit ragu, fresh thyme, olive oil 23." My aunt seemed satisfied with hers, but I had been debating between that and the pappardelle and am very glad I chose what I did. One of the finest plates of pasta I've had in a long while. The Finferli was declicious as well, with the mushrooms chopped finely and a bit on the crispy side, which made for a nice textural contrast. The pecorino made for a nice salty and slightly creamy component as it was cut in large shreds rather than grated.

Another service quirk was them bringing out bread after our mains came out when all other tables had it at the start. Our waitress was scolding the food runners in Spanish right at our table for not bringing it out earlier. My mom also got an order of the eggplant parm to go with her half order of pasta, and it came to the table a few minutes after the pastas and again the waitress was scolding the food runner in Spanish. Too bad I speak the language so could understand her, and it just made her look really unprofessional.

Dessert was less successful. I can't seem to find the dessert menu online but it was something like torre di cioccolato -- and I just remember the cake component being dry.

This is a restaurant I've passed numerous times over the years and never paid much mind to, but with how good the pastas were, I will definitely be back soon.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Has anyone eaten at Posto recently? Trying to decide between Posto and Red Hen for a pre-marathon dinner. While Red Hen would probably be the better overall experience, I won't be indulging much with 26.2 miles of running waiting for me in the morning. 

Last I talked with Massimo (a few months ago), he was working the line at Posto full-time. I can't guarantee it still holds true, but he didn't make it sound like it was a fill-in thing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Chef-Owner Massimo Fabbri, who has been at Tosca since it opened, is now cooking full-time at Posto, and for the first time in its history - since it opened over six years ago - Posto is now rated in Italics in the Dining Guide. Taking over as Chef de Cuisine at Tosca will be Matteo Venini, who began as a pastry chef, and clawed his way to the top.

Like Venini, Fabbri started out as a line cook working with Cesare Lanfranconi, worked his way up to Sous Chef, and then to Chef de Cuisine at Tosca where he was making arguably the greatest Italian Food, and certainly the greatest pastas, in the area. Note that this is before the return of Roberto Donna, and the Italian Renaissance in general.

However, his presence as the full-time Chef de Cuisine at Posto is a game-changer, and not only have they been raised to Italic, but they've moved up numerous slots in the 14UP neighborhood. It can not be overstated how important of a change this is.

Has anyone eaten at Posto recently? Trying to decide between Posto and Red Hen for a pre-marathon dinner. While Red Hen would probably be the better overall experience, I won't be indulging much with 26.2 miles of running waiting for me in the morning.

Almost a year ago, I quietly moved Posto up in the rankings in the 14UP neighborhood in the DC Dining Guide. Between that, and some less-than-splendid meals at a couple other previously highly ranked 14UP restaurants, Posto had crept up to #2, behind Etto, while others - who are still living off their old reputations - slipped down.

Last night, I went to a very empty Posto on the day before Thanksgiving, taking a seat at the bar in an empty restaurant around 6 PM - I went so far as to ask the host if they were open, and to ask my wonderful bartender (more on that in a bit) if there were some "easy" dishes I should be ordering, given that it's a holiday, and that surely people were going to be on vacation. He confidently replied that, no, the kitchen is fully staffed, and the entire menu can be ordered with confidence.

It's Happy Hour at Posto from 5:30-7PM during the week, and while some items are only a dollar off, others are substantially discounted. I unwound with a Negroni ($7 at Happy Hour) with equal parts Tanqueray Gin, Dolin Rouge Vermouth, and Campari - it was a beautifully made Negroni, served up and with an orange-peel, and put the happy in happy hour, as it packed something of a punch. Incidentally, my bartender showed his merits later on, when a gentleman to my left ordered a Vesper, and asked the bartender if he knew it (he said no, in his thick Italian accent). Apparently, this gentleman to my left was something of a Vesper connoisseur, as he rattled off the ingredients - one time only, in their proportions, complete with mixing directions (shaken, served in a martini glass) - about two minutes later, out comes his Vesper which he said was amazing, especially given that this was the bartender's first-ever exposure to the drink. This bartender was good.

From the Happy Hour menu, I ordered the Salmone Bruschette ($5, normally $9) with house-smoked salmon, mascarpone, dill, and a little salt and olive oil, and from the regular menu, the Fettucini Carbonara ($20). I don't have the menu with me, so I can't list all the ingredients, but it was a classic carbonara presentation - this is a dish I used to dismiss until I was enlightened to just how difficult it is to execute, and since then, I order it whenever I can.

Both items were extraordinary, with the Bruschette - at $5 - being absolute charity, as there were two gigantic portions, and my only complaint with the carbonara being that there may have been a little *too* much Pancetta (of course, I always had the option to let it sit there, in the bottom of the bowl, and I chose not to exercise it).

In the middle of my Bruschette, Chef Fabbri came out, looking dapper in dress-casual clothing, and ordered a well-earned drink. He and the bartender were speaking a mile a minute in Italian. At some point, when the bartender walked away, I mentioned that there was *no way* I could understand them, despite being fluent in French and trying to learn Spanish. That was my way of saying hello to Massimo without trying to appear like I was currying favor. We talked for awhile, and then he headed back into the kitchen to prepare for some incoming diners - we shook hands, and introduced ourselves. We've talked and written in the past, but we'd never actually met; we didn't say our last names, but I knew very well who he was. I should also add that he did cook or assemble either of my dishes, so at least one other person working the kitchen was doing a bang-up job last night.

Anyway, in the middle of my Bruschette, I switched to a glass of Soave ($12), a very generous pour, well-worth the price, served in excellent stemware at the proper temperature. I was in the middle of an outstanding dinner.

And then afterwards, I was pretty darned full, but asked to look at the dessert menu, and turned my attention back to the second half of my Negroni. Normally, I'd order some sorbet, or something light at this point in the meal (I'm also somewhat notorious for ordering dessert to *start* a meal - why should it be last just because it's sweet?)

It was the night before Thanksgiving, and all through my house, not a creature would be stirring, not even my little louse (whom I took back to his mom's earlier in the day). So I said "to heck with it," and drank dessert with a glass of Zenata Amarone Grappa ($13), one of Posto's top-of-the-line offerings - getting through a glass of grappa, for me, is like getting through a glass of drain cleaner. I *like* it, but there's no denying that both grappa and eau-de-vie smell and taste like hospital disinfectant - I guess you could call it an "acquired taste."

So I sat there over the next fifteen minutes or so, and enjoyed my digestif, being regaled by watching and chatting with the bartender, who, inexplicably, is the gentleman in this video. I can't explain it any more than you can, but if you go to Posto - and you *should* go to Posto - and he's working the bar, then you're in good hands.

After last night, Posto has assumed the #1 position in 14UP in the DC Dining Guide. I haven't had a meal like this on 14th Street all year. Nowhere else will you hear Posto being in the discussion as "best restaurant on 14th Street" (think about it for a moment), but I'm telling you that it is absolutely in the running. Fabbri's permanent placement there has raised it up to the top, and these folks should be very proud of what they've done - it was never like this when it first opened.

I should mention, in fairness, that I saw a pizza being brought out, and from what I gleaned, Etto can rest comfortably on that front.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A Vesper!!!   That both brought back memories and made me laugh:

my bartender showed his merits later on, when a gentleman to my left ordered a Vesper, and asked the bartender if he knew it (he said no, in his thick Italian accent). Apparently, this gentleman to my left was something of a Vesper connoisseur, as he rattled off the ingredients - one time only, in their proportions, complete with mixing directions (shaken, served in a martini glass) - about two minutes later, out comes his Vesper which he said was amazing, especially given that this was the bartender's first-ever exposure to the drink. 

A vesper is a "James Bond style "martini" with both Gin and Vodka and a variation on vermouth.    It is damned strong.   Its really the drink of a "sophisticated" drunk.  I used to drink them.  Just because they packed a punch and they looked cool.    Served them also.  Drink two vespers and it turns you into an idiot very quickly.

Was your bar "neighbor" able to walk a straight line???

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Closed.

damn

*Yes* damn. People didn't realize how good Posto was since Massimo has been cooking there - it was truly one of the sleepers in the city. I'm glad I went one more time fairly recently; had I known they might be closing, I would have been *much* more vocal in urging people to go there.

I had Posto rated as the #1 restaurant in 14UP, and am retiring it in Italic. It was a gem, hidden right under peoples' noses, and nobody knew. From my review:

"After last night, Posto has assumed the #1 position in 14UP in the DC Dining Guide. I haven't had a meal like this on 14th Street all year. Nowhere else will you hear Posto being in the discussion as "best restaurant on 14th Street" (think about it for a moment), but I'm telling you that it is absolutely in the running. Fabbri's permanent placement there has raised it up to the top, and these folks should be very proud of what they've done "“ it was never like this when it first opened."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:(

Does this mean Massimo goes back to Tosca?  I hope so, my last meal there was absolutely sub-standard when measured against Massimo's years.  It would be great to be able to go back to the bar there with Jay behind the stick, John running the FOH, and Massimo in the kitchen.  Tosca was one of my absolute favorite restaurants in the city from 2008-2012.

Sad ending for this place, I think the chef move may have happened a couple years too late.  Also, that space seems to be doomed, which is crazy because it might be in one of the best locations in the city right now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...