On Italian turf

After nearly three weeks in Japan, I've had a distinct craving for pizza and pasta, my favorite comfort foods in life. Thus, Roni and I made a trip to Ristorante Posto for a much needed catch-up and an opportunity to finally explore their much-lauded Italian cuisine.

Posto, as it turns out, is really the Italian food I've been waiting for since moving to DC in 2004. Some people want to go out to eat to enjoy food they either would never attempt to make at home or just know they could never get right. I do too. But I also appreciate the experience of simple, homey, well-made comfort cooking. I yearn to walk away from the meal feeling inspired and having the confidence to repeat the dishes in my own kitchen. Posto did just that for me.

Tom Sietsema from The Washington Post has said, "If there's one course you shouldn't miss, it's pasta. Venini [the Chef de Cuisine] makes all but the spaghetti himself, and whatever shape of pasta you choose is filled or topped with something lovely and cooked as it should be, al dente. Spinach ravioli filled with three kinds of finely ground meat and brushed with thyme butter are delicate treats. Tender cavatelli show up with diced potatoes, sharp olives and a breezy pesto. As for that spaghetti, it's dressed with fresh-tasting seafood, artichokes and a tangy tomato sauce."

As Roni and I peered over the menu I knew that pasta was what I was looking for, but as a sign of good things to come, it took us much deliberation to determine the courses for the evening, but here they are in all of their simple, but beautiful glory:

Bufalina— romaine salad, buffalo mozzarella, grape tomatoes, quail egg, basil breadcrumbs, balsamic dressing

Estiva— endive salad, blood orange, gorgonzola cheese, organic radish, spicy walnut, trevisian radicchio, orange dressing

Tagliatelle— local farm raised goat ragu, sunchokes

Capesante— roasted scallops, yellow tomato sauce, snow pea, fried leek

Go, and please let me know what you have and love!

(Image of Posto from postodc.com)