Posto Perfect in Logan Circle

(Credit: Laura Carlson, Special to Metromix )

Logan Circle has been heating things up lately with new eateries; most recently Posto, an Italian bistro joined the neighborhood. The dynamic team behind Tosca opened this newest venture, located next to The Studio Theatre on 14th St. Floor to ceiling windows, high ceilings, stark furnishing and bright artwork gives a stylish nod to the open space, which once housed the restaurant Viridian. Diners can choose from the 100-seat dining room or lounge at the bar or communal table which divides the two.

An enomatic wine bar adds to the sleek décor, while keeping up to 24 wines by the glass at the perfect temperature. That's all before you even get to the Northern Italian-inspired menu. The chefs native Italian roots, Tuscany and Lombardy, are both represented in Posto’s menu. Their modern twist on Italian classics are evident in their Tentacolo pizza; it's served fresh from their wood burning oven and complete with grilled octopus. For the carnivore-lovers, there’s the Guance entrée, braised veal cheeks on a bed of sautéed spinach and mashed potatoes. If you’re feeling less adventurous, you can’t go wrong with a Margherita pizza, a homemade dish of tagliatelle pasta with a rich pheasant ragout, a three-meat ravioli drenched in a butter thyme sauce or a rich dish of yellow polenta served with braised pork luganega sausage.

“We wanted to be simple but not boring. We wanted to try something different and connect on the Italian classics,” says executive chef Matteo Venini. Venini clearly succeeds in this with a tortelli stuffed with ricotta, spinach and walnuts alongside a heavenly butter, sage and parmesan sauce. Finish off your meal with their version of tiramisu, a delicious blend of mascarpone crème and vanilla mousse accompanied by a chocolate sauce shot and coffee ice cream. Smaller appetites can indulge in antipasti plates and some interesting “primi” salads. Nightly specials, almost 100 wines by the bottle and fresh produce grown by local farmers are a few of the things you can expect.