100 Best Restaurants 2009: Poste

Reviewed by Todd Kliman , Ann Limpert , Cynthia Hacinli , Rina Rapuano , Eve Zibart

No. 27: Poste

Poste (Hotel Monaco)

555 Eighth St., NW
Washington, DC 20004
Phone: 202-783-6060

Cuisines:
American, Modern

Opening Hours:

Wheelchair Accessible:
Yes

Nearby Metro Stops:
Gallery Place-Chinatown
Archives-Navy Memorial

Price Range:
Expensive

Dress:
Business Attire

Noise Level:
Chatty

Reservations:
Recommended

Special Features:
Party Space, Weekend Brunch

Parking:
Valet

Website:
Click here to open in new window.

Best Dishes
Steak tartare on brioche; a slow-cooked hen egg on toasted brioche with hollandaise and black truffles; wild-mushroom consommé; spit-roasted poussin; a crisp-skinned filet of sea bass capped by a red-wine-poached egg; a loving ode to salted caramel, a multipart dessert that never descends into gimmickry.

Price Details:
Lunch appetizers, $7 to $15; entrees, $10 to $18.
Dinner appetizers, $7 to $14; entrees, $19 to $27.
Three-course pre-theater menu, $30.06.
Brunch entrees, $10 to $22.


 

Reader's Rating:
No Reader Reviews

Cuisine: The very definition of contemporary American cooking—by turns playful (a tartare on brioche that conjures a burger on a bun), light (a Kona-kampachi sashimi), and dexterous (a crispy sea bass resting on a fluffy brandade of cod and surmounted by a red-wine-poached egg). The menu changes less often than at some of its bistro rivals, but the kitchen, under chef Rob Weland, is remarkably consistent.

Mood: The busy open kitchen, fronted by newspaper cones waiting to be stuffed with freshly made French fries, looks out onto a retrofitted space as soaring as it is bustling.

Best for: Before- or after-game/theater dining; weekend brunch—one of the best in town.

Best dishes: Chicken-liver-pâté bruschetta; roasted pork belly with apples; charcuterie board of rabbit terrine, fennel salami, porchetta, and bresaola; oversize ravioli stuffed with goat cheese; wild sturgeon with beets and mini-pierogis; roasted poussin with apples and cider vinaigrette; cones of truffled French fries; chili-spiked pot of chocolate crème.

Insider tips: The bar menu is not extensive, nor is it intended for a full meal, but there are some fun treats ideal for postgame snacking, and the wine list is good.

Service: ••½

Open Monday through Friday for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Saturday and Sunday for brunch and dinner. Expensive.

See all of 2009's 100 Best Restaurants