100 Very Best 2014What must it feel like to be Rob Weland—to watch as younger,
lesser lights garner TV time and you, a passionate, accomplished chef, fly
under the radar of the food scene?
It’s a testament to Weland’s character that he appears content
to stay in his kitchen, tend his herb garden, and send out some of the
most exciting plates in Washington. As at Poste, where he manned the
kitchen for seven years, Weland aims for clean presentations and flavors
that pop—as with his gnudi, whose cheesy richness is tempered
with a gentle, vegetal sweetness (in summer a vibrant green-pea purée, in
cooler months a mélange of chanterelles and corn). The all-Euro wine list
is one of the best in the area, full of great finds and delicious
obscurities.
Don’t miss: Chicken-liver bruschetta;
avocado crostini; carrot-and-Marcona-almond salad; hamachi with
grapefruit; wood-roasted goat; lamb belly with fava-bean pesto; warm
brioche sandwich with prosciutto and fontina; goat-cheese cake.
Open: Tuesday through Saturday for dinner, Sunday for
brunch and dinner. Moderate.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
