Posto: A dining room fit for models

THE HILL
By Elana Schor
February 25, 2009
http://thehill.com/cover-stories/posto-a-dining-room-fit-for-models-2009-02-25.html

“Welcome to the new Italian Renaissance, where fresh fish replaces frescoes and vino supplants da Vinci. The capital has become a hotbed of chic yet affordable pizza-and-pasta spots, from Locanda to Mio to Posto, a new Logan Circle offering from the owners of downtown favorite Tosca.

Posto is housed in a former auto showroom, with high ceilings and simple, cool lighting that draw the eye to several illuminated images of winding Florentine streets mounted on the walls. The dining room is curiously reminiscent of a cafeteria for supermodels – if catwalkers had a taste for tagliatelle, that is.

New arrivals are steered to the hostess station at the front of the restaurant, where one might expect aloof service to match Posto’s high-minded design. But the staff is unfailingly affable, making diners feel at ease even during half-hour waits in a crowded entryway. Since it first opened in the foodie-rich heart of 14th Street NW, Posto has suffered from that most welcome restaurant curse: instant popularity.

And it’s no wonder that the crowds are flocking to Massimo Fabbri’s menu, which blends accessible Italian comfort food such as creamy polenta and spinach tortellini with side dishes so simple they seem revolutionary in this era of trendy eats…”