|
Mattheison, who earned his toque during a five-year apprenticeship at Lespinasse — the one in New York, not the one that went belly-up here two years ago — works wonders with some of his dishes. The risotto, made with fat-grained, high-in-starch Arborio rice and served with fava beans and wild mushrooms ($13.50 at lunch, $16 at dinner) is nothing short of sensational, although you can skip the fava beans as far as I’m concerned.
So are starters like the warm goat cheese tart with tiny heirloom tomatoes ($9) and the crab cocktail with pickled papaya and green Zebra tomatoes ($11), or entrees like the duck confit with field greens, balsamic and pistachio oil ($15) and salmon paillard with baby watercress and warm herb emulsion ($14), all of which I sampled at several lunches with colleagues and ex-colleagues in August.
Still, even with Mattheison’s skilled hand at the range, which is in open view of half the restaurant, there can be mishaps. That was the case with the Atlantic halibut I ordered at dinner one Code Red evening when the temperature was still in the 90’s at 7 p.m.
I chose the dish, as I often do, by noting what people at nearby tables were eating. When it arrived, it looked just like the fish my neighbor was enjoying: lightly browned on top and perched atop a bed of haricots verts and baby red and yellow tomatoes, bathed in herb vinaigrette and accompanied by Yukon Gold potato gnocchi ($20). It was served in a white dish the size of a TV satellite dish.
But when I cut into the alabaster flesh, it was obviously undercooked, so I asked our waiter to take it back to the kitchen. He apologized and did so with dispatch, returning shortly with a replacement that was cooked perfectly throughout. It’s a superb dish.
My wife, meanwhile, tackled her huge bone-in rib eye steak ($26), which I talked her into ordering because a woman at the next table was eating it and it looked tantalizing. Also, I knew she wouldn’t let a recovering heart patient like me order it, and wouldn’t be able to finish it and she’d take it home and I’d have it for dinner the next day — which is exactly what happened.
The steak, from Georgetown Farms — I didn’t know they had farms in Georgetown — was served with dandelion greens and pommes frites. I sampled it and although it was great, I’ve come to the conclusion that steak, no matter how well prepared, is essentially boring after a few bites.
The best part was the frites, served in a conical metal contraption and wrapped in a page of The Washington Post that proclaimed, “D.C. tax-free week!” The frites were better than McDonald’s, but unfortunately, the tax moratorium applies only to back-to-school clothing and not to food.
We shared an order of Prince Edward Island mussels, served with tiny slices of Serrano chiles, thyme and lemon verbana ($9). But the dish would have been better off without the mouth-searing chiles.
Poste offers some excellent side dishes, including the frites ($4); a succulent summer squash and eggplant combination ($4) that my wife loved, as well as saut
| 
