Lunch at Poste in DC

Earlier last week I was invited to taste test a relatively new menu at Poste prepared by Chef Dennis Marron.
I have been to Poste several times in the past. In fact, DC Food Bloggers held their first Happy Hour at Poste: that's where I met a few bloggers who are now my friends.

I was joined by another area blogger who is now a friend: Stacey. To round up the lunch crew, Stacey brought her super cute 6 month old son, and we had the lovely company of Charissa and Elaine.

We decided to start with a few nibbles before ordering our main course:

Pork Rillettes grilled country bread, whole grain mustard, pickled vegetables

The dish was served in a mini Staub pot on a rustic cutting board. Underneath the layer of fat, there was smooth and delicious pork goodness. It easily spread on the crunchy slices of bread and was contrasted by the in-house made pickled vegetables. We were off to a good start.



Never one to say no to fries, I was happy to try two types of frites: the truffle ones (on the right) were my favorite! Sometimes I feel that the truffle flavor takes over an entire dish, but this was not the case here.

I had a hard time choosing my main course, but then I saw a dish that had polenta and chanterelles, and the decision was made!

Veal Blanquette
braised veal breast, creamy Anson Mills polenta, chanterelles, pearl onions, carrot salad

I expected the veal breast to be served in one piece, like a chicken breast, but instead it was similar in texture/presentation to pulled pork. Good thing I love pulled meats. Polenta was smooth and rich, but the plate could have used a bit more of it. The mushrooms were sauteed with pearl onions and were a great side. I did not understand the purpose of a carrot salad: it looked pretty on the plate, but lacked in flavor.

The next three dishes were chosen by my lunch companions, and I got a bite of each one (I'm talking about the food):

Rockfish“Clam Chowder” manila clams, bacon braised potatoes, chowder cream

This was the first time I've tried rockfish: it is a white fish that reminded me of halibut. I liked the firm texture of the fish and the crispy skin, but thought it was a bit too salty.

Flounder Almondine
almond brown butter emulsion, haricot vert

This dish was very pretty, and the taste did not let you down. The haricot vert were crispy, and the flounder almost melted in your moth. Despite the brown butter emulsion, I felt like I was tasting something incredibly healthy.

I can't find the description of the last dish, but it had chicken, tomatoes, arugula and baked goat cheese. Visually, I liked everything about this dish, but thought the chicken was pounded too much. Poor chicken.

And we could not leave without dessert! We ordered two to share:

Chocolate Pot de Crème
chantilly cream

Chocolate-Mint Torte blood orange crème fraiche ice cream

The Chocolate Pot De Crème was a dream! I must admit I almost wish I had ordered it for myself, but who needs all the calories? It was decadent without making you feel like you have consumed four pounds of butter. I also really liked a simple presentation of this dessert.

Alas, the chocolate-mint tort disappointed me. I was expecting something similar to a flourless chocolate cake, and perhaps that was my own fault. This was definitely a consistency of a cake. Although the blood orange ice cream was refreshing and pretty, the mint topping had a slightly scary color and had a bit too much mint flavor for my taste.

Overall, this was a great lunch and we received Chef Marron's home-made apple butter to take home.

Have you been to Poste lately? What were your favorite dishes?