Located in the Hotel Monaco, Poste Moderne Brasserie is a testament to exquisite foods, prepared amidst a backdrop of United States history. Set in the original 1841 General Post Office, Poste has become a modern-day favorite dining destination of local foodies and a leader in sustainable and eco-friendly practices. At Poste, you are invited to gather around the table, share conversation and enjoy dishes of American cuisine with French influences that are prepared by the most particular of hands, using the freshest of ingredients and the most eco-friendly practices we can employ. Closest Metro is Gallery Place.
Much of Poste's produce, meats and cheeses are sourced directly from the significant onsite garden, the FRESHFARM Market at Penn Quarter and several regional farms, dairies and ranches. The public Dining Room elegantly fills the old Post Office's sorting room - capped by 16-foot-high cast-iron ceilings, it is richly lit by the many original skylights.
January 2010: Poste was our second stop for Restaurant Week and we were seated at a cute private booth near the entrance. The music and atmosphere was festive with a direct view to the kitchen. Our server was very friendly and knowledgeable about each item on the menu. We ordered the wine flight with our meal and it was a good deal. They offered a couple alternatives to the RW menu for a supplemental fee. The food arrived beautifully plated and was absolutely delicious. My crepes were one of the best vegetarian dishes I've ever had and Keith's entree was tender enough to "eat with a spoon". I did not give a 5 for service because we felt each course was a little rushed, most likely because of the RW promotion, but I also think it is faux pas to bring out each diner's meal separately. So one must wait until the other's is served. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and were very pleased with the evening overall. We ordered another round of drinks after dessert, but the Hot Buttered Rum was way too strong, even for Keith. I would definitely come back to Poste again for a special occasion meal.
December 2012: We finally returned to Poste to celebrate New Year's Eve with their seven-course menu. The dining area was minimally decorated with a few black, white, and red balloons as the theme was "cabaret meets speakeasy". Servers were dressed in period outfits that were festive for the occasion and a live band played music the whole night. We were seated in the same cozy booth as our first visit, which made me happy and reminiscent. Somewhat appropriate for the reflections and resolutions one ponders during New Year's Eve, no? I started with a glass of Reisling and Keith ordered a Negroni. The vibe was very laid back and the excellent service and attention by the staff set the tone for an enjoyable evening, therefore I've increased the service score from our first visit. For our amuse buche, we started with Oyster and Caviar - a fried War Shore oyster with warm citrus crème fraîche, topped with American Sturgeon caviar. Keith would have preferred a fresh oyster, as he loves the slippery things, but I was thrilled to have a warm cooked version and the bite was just lovely and decadent at the same time. The citrus zing of the crème fraîche was a perfect way to awaken my taste buds. Next, we ate Escargot that came in green porridge with puffed oats. This was a surprisingly bland dish that was disappointing and warranted me dropping the food score just a hair. Third, we nibbled on the Foie Gras Torchon served with goji berry compote, reisling reduction, and a buttery gougère. The rich spread paired with the heavy puff was a bit too much for my palate, thus I did not finish this course.
Next, we ate one of the star dishes of the evening. The fish course was Pompano served with carrot puree, orange gastrique, baby fennel, lobster and lobster roe. The fish was light and the elegant lobster was accented by the sweet carrots. We really enjoyed this course and decided to order a bottle of Brut to drink for the rest of the evening. Half way through we were treated to our intermezzo of Champagne Blanc de Noir granita with pickled champagne grapes. The mini snow cones were cute and the granita was tasty and perfectly cleansed my palate. Keith also really liked this granita and could have eaten a bigger bowl of the cold treat. For our main course we had a choice between beef or quail and I, of course, chose the latter. The little brick-grilled quail had a delicious honey glaze that had slight Asian flavor and was served with a crisp haricot salad and creamy elephant garlic potato gratin. I have never had quail before and this was pretty good. Even though the body is tiny, the meat is more like dark meat, so it was still juicy. Keith ordered the Beef Wellington, which was actually a deconstructed version of grilled fillet with a mushroom and foie gras pot pie served with glazed baby carrots and beet puree. It was funny how quiet we both were during this course as we were both busy devouring our plates.
As a pre-dessert, we had a beautifully plated yet overly pungent cheese course. Whipped Epoisses was served in a waffle cone along side candied dried fruit and a pecan brittle. The intense cheese was unlike anything we've ever had before and was very overpowering. If you ate the dried fruit with the sweet brittle and a bit of the creamy cheese all in one bite, it was quite good. But there was more cheese ratio to the accoutrement, so much of it was left on my plate. Finally, for dessert we ate a black and white sponge cake with chocolate cremuex and salted caramel ice cream. The cake was light and spongy with nice dark chocolate flavor and the salted caramel ice cream was divine. I would order this dessert again any other night. Soon after, servers came around with complimentary glasses of champagne to toast. The food and service at Poste was just as high quality as our first visit two years prior, and the ambience just as romantic. Pictures of the new dishes can be found below the dashed lines below. Overall, we had a wonderful meal to ring in the new year and am looking forward to more great things to come in 2013!
Total Rating: 4.53
Food: 4.5, Price: 4, Service: 5, Ambience: 5, Accessibility: 5
What I ate:
Much of Poste's produce, meats and cheeses are sourced directly from the significant onsite garden, the FRESHFARM Market at Penn Quarter and several regional farms, dairies and ranches. The public Dining Room elegantly fills the old Post Office's sorting room - capped by 16-foot-high cast-iron ceilings, it is richly lit by the many original skylights.
January 2010: Poste was our second stop for Restaurant Week and we were seated at a cute private booth near the entrance. The music and atmosphere was festive with a direct view to the kitchen. Our server was very friendly and knowledgeable about each item on the menu. We ordered the wine flight with our meal and it was a good deal. They offered a couple alternatives to the RW menu for a supplemental fee. The food arrived beautifully plated and was absolutely delicious. My crepes were one of the best vegetarian dishes I've ever had and Keith's entree was tender enough to "eat with a spoon". I did not give a 5 for service because we felt each course was a little rushed, most likely because of the RW promotion, but I also think it is faux pas to bring out each diner's meal separately. So one must wait until the other's is served. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and were very pleased with the evening overall. We ordered another round of drinks after dessert, but the Hot Buttered Rum was way too strong, even for Keith. I would definitely come back to Poste again for a special occasion meal.
December 2012: We finally returned to Poste to celebrate New Year's Eve with their seven-course menu. The dining area was minimally decorated with a few black, white, and red balloons as the theme was "cabaret meets speakeasy". Servers were dressed in period outfits that were festive for the occasion and a live band played music the whole night. We were seated in the same cozy booth as our first visit, which made me happy and reminiscent. Somewhat appropriate for the reflections and resolutions one ponders during New Year's Eve, no? I started with a glass of Reisling and Keith ordered a Negroni. The vibe was very laid back and the excellent service and attention by the staff set the tone for an enjoyable evening, therefore I've increased the service score from our first visit. For our amuse buche, we started with Oyster and Caviar - a fried War Shore oyster with warm citrus crème fraîche, topped with American Sturgeon caviar. Keith would have preferred a fresh oyster, as he loves the slippery things, but I was thrilled to have a warm cooked version and the bite was just lovely and decadent at the same time. The citrus zing of the crème fraîche was a perfect way to awaken my taste buds. Next, we ate Escargot that came in green porridge with puffed oats. This was a surprisingly bland dish that was disappointing and warranted me dropping the food score just a hair. Third, we nibbled on the Foie Gras Torchon served with goji berry compote, reisling reduction, and a buttery gougère. The rich spread paired with the heavy puff was a bit too much for my palate, thus I did not finish this course.
Next, we ate one of the star dishes of the evening. The fish course was Pompano served with carrot puree, orange gastrique, baby fennel, lobster and lobster roe. The fish was light and the elegant lobster was accented by the sweet carrots. We really enjoyed this course and decided to order a bottle of Brut to drink for the rest of the evening. Half way through we were treated to our intermezzo of Champagne Blanc de Noir granita with pickled champagne grapes. The mini snow cones were cute and the granita was tasty and perfectly cleansed my palate. Keith also really liked this granita and could have eaten a bigger bowl of the cold treat. For our main course we had a choice between beef or quail and I, of course, chose the latter. The little brick-grilled quail had a delicious honey glaze that had slight Asian flavor and was served with a crisp haricot salad and creamy elephant garlic potato gratin. I have never had quail before and this was pretty good. Even though the body is tiny, the meat is more like dark meat, so it was still juicy. Keith ordered the Beef Wellington, which was actually a deconstructed version of grilled fillet with a mushroom and foie gras pot pie served with glazed baby carrots and beet puree. It was funny how quiet we both were during this course as we were both busy devouring our plates.
As a pre-dessert, we had a beautifully plated yet overly pungent cheese course. Whipped Epoisses was served in a waffle cone along side candied dried fruit and a pecan brittle. The intense cheese was unlike anything we've ever had before and was very overpowering. If you ate the dried fruit with the sweet brittle and a bit of the creamy cheese all in one bite, it was quite good. But there was more cheese ratio to the accoutrement, so much of it was left on my plate. Finally, for dessert we ate a black and white sponge cake with chocolate cremuex and salted caramel ice cream. The cake was light and spongy with nice dark chocolate flavor and the salted caramel ice cream was divine. I would order this dessert again any other night. Soon after, servers came around with complimentary glasses of champagne to toast. The food and service at Poste was just as high quality as our first visit two years prior, and the ambience just as romantic. Pictures of the new dishes can be found below the dashed lines below. Overall, we had a wonderful meal to ring in the new year and am looking forward to more great things to come in 2013!
Total Rating: 4.53
Food: 4.5, Price: 4, Service: 5, Ambience: 5, Accessibility: 5
What I ate:
Garden Arugula Salad
arugula, basil, mint, figs, parmesan, pomegranate seeds, aged sherry vinaigrette
♥Winter Vegetable Crepes♥
wood grilled figs, turnips, dill, kale, rutabaga,
local goat cheese, hen of the woods
mushrooms, fennel
Warm Chocolate Bread Pudding
milk chocolate ice cream, toffee
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Oyster and Caviar
Plus Keith ate:-------------------------
Oyster and Caviar
fried War Shore oyster, warm citrus crème fraîche, American Sturgeon caviar
Escargot
escargot in green porridge with puffed oats
Foie Gras Torchon
goji berry compote, reisling reduction, gougère
♥Pompano♥
carrot puree, orange gastrique, baby fennel, lobster and lobster roe
♥Intermezzo♥
Champagne Blanc de Noir granita, pickled champagne grapes
♥Quail♥
brick grilled quail, honey glaze, haricot salad, elephant garlic gratin
Cheese Epoisses
whipped Epoisses, waffle cone, candied dried fruit and a pecan brittle
Black and White
black and white sponge cake with chocolate cremuex
and salted caramel ice cream
Beluga Lentil Salad
slow cooked duck egg, pork belly, crispy shallots
♥Beef Bourguignon♥
Ribs and cheeks, roasted fingerling potatoes, organic market vegetables
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-------------------------
Beef Wellington
Grilled Fillet with mushroom and foie gras pot pie
glazed baby carrots and beet puree
