Arts & Entertainment
Washington Posto
Gifted new pastry chef joins staff of Logan Circle standout

Ristorante Posto (1515 14th St., N.W.) delivers a fine dining experience with a caring and attentive staff and a menu full of mouth-watering selections. The exquisite dishes send your taste buds soaring, so much so that you forget you’re sitting in a former car dealership.
On a recent Sunday evening, my husband and I and three friends dined there. Our table was located beside the wood-burning pizza oven that warmly fills the back of the dining area. The high ceilings and the rich wood throughout create a comfortable yet elegant dining area. Even at 9:30 p.m., the dining room felt energetic with smiling staff bustling about and diners engaging in lively conversation.
Our waiter approached, greeted each of us individually and asked if we would like to start our evening off with one of the numerous wine offerings. We weren’t sure which bottle to order, so he brought selections for us to try from the Enomatic wine system behind the bar. Thanks to this single-serving wine pouring and preservation system, we were able to select a crisp Kerner white that carried a clean and citrusy flavor.
Posto specializes in classic and modern Italian dishes; its staff works with local farms to obtain organic vegetables and they import Italian ingredients. If you’re looking for an affordable dining experience, you can enjoy one of their delicious pizzas and a glass of wine; if the mood strikes you, though, you can savor a more extravagant multi-course meal.
Chef de Cuisine Matteo Venini unveiled a new spring menu last month. He’s a self–proclaimed “meat guy” and his favorite item is the Antra, a pan–roasted duck breast with pearl onions, dried cherries and spinach in a port wine reduction. We decided on seven entrees from the new menu, which included two different pizzas. Some of our favorites were the Piccante Pizza, the Tonnato and the Cappallacci.
The Piccante Pizza included spicy salami and Italian sausage — a truly delicious thin crust pizza made with the finest ingredients and the perfect amount of heat for a spicy food lover like me. The Tonnato is thinly sliced rabbit loin in tonnato sauce, which was light and fresh but intensely flavorful. The Cappallacci consists of handmade pasta filled with scallops, green peas, with nerodini mushrooms and artichokes and a hint of marjoram. The perfectly balanced earthy flavors of this pasta dish were delectable and the plate barely made it around the table as each diner reluctantly passed it on.
Venini prides himself on providing an authentic dining experience and it shows.
We’d barely finished when dessert menus were handed out. New pastry chef Melissa Taylor was previewing items from a new dessert selection that was unveiled last week. Taylor says she “has been savory cooking all her life, but pastry is her passion.” The item she was previewing was the white chocolate orange semifreddo with blueberry compote and rum sauce. She “loves all of the elements of this dessert” and of the three desserts we ordered, this was our favorite as well.
Other additions to Taylor’s dessert menu include an amaretto-soaked almond cake, a “summery” saffron honey Panna Cotta with passion fruit curd, a tour of chocolate plated on what Taylor refers to as “coffee soil,” and an intriguing chilled cantaloupe soup with tangerine gelee. Taylor said when she began at Posto, Venini wanted a dessert soup on the menu, and that’s how the cantaloupe soup was born.
Venini says he “loves the [Logan Circle] neighborhood and loves the people.” With a dynamic new spring menu that doesn’t disappoint, an attentive and talented staff and a gifted new pastry chef, Ristorante Posto is a treasure in an unassuming location where even the most discriminating taste buds will realize their good fortune.

You’ve done your share of marching.
You’re determined to wring every rainbow-hued thing out of this month. The last of the parties hasn’t arrived yet, neither have the biggest celebrations and you’re primed but – OK, you need a minute. So pull up a chair, take a deep breath, and read these great books on gay history, movies, and more.
You probably don’t need to be told that harassment and discrimination was a daily occurrence for gay people in the past (as now!), but “American Scare: Florida’s Hidden Cold War on Black and Queer Lives” by Robert W. Fieseler (Dutton, $34) tells a story that runs deeper than you may know. Here, you’ll read a historical expose with documented, newly released evidence of a systemic effort to ruin the lives of two groups of people that were perceived as a threat to a legislature full of white men.
Prepared to be shocked, that’s all you need to know.
You’ll also want to read the story inside “The Many Passions of Michael Hardwick: Sex and the Supreme Court in the Age of AIDS” by Martin Padgett (W.W. Norton & Company, $31.99), which sounds like a novel, but it’s not. It’s the story of one man’s fight for a basic right as the AIDS crisis swirls in and out of American gay life and law. Hint: this book isn’t just old history, and it’s not just for gay men.
Maybe you’re ready for some fun and who doesn’t like a movie? You know you do, so you’ll want “Sick and Dirty: Hollywood’s Gay Golden Age and the Making of Modern Queerness” by Michael Koresky (Bloomsbury, $29.99). It’s a great look at the Hays Code and what it allowed audiences to see, but it’s also about the classics that sneaked beneath the code. There are actors, of course, in here, but also directors, writers, and other Hollywood characters you may recognize. Grab the popcorn and settle in.
If you have kids in your life, they’ll want to know more about Pride and you’ll want to look for “Pride: Celebrations & Festivals” by Eric Huang, illustrated by Amy Phelps (Quarto, $14.99), a story of inclusion that ends in a nice fat section of history and explanation, great for kids ages seven-to-fourteen. Also find “Are You a Friend of Dorothy? The True Story of an Imaginary Woman and the Real People She Helped Shape” by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Levi Hastings (Simon & Schuster, $19.99), a lively book about a not-often-told secret for kids ages six-to-ten; and “Papa’s Coming Home” by Chasten Buttigieg, illustrated by Dan Taylor (Philomel, $19.99), a sweet family tale for kids ages three-to-five.
Finally, here’s a tween book that you can enjoy, too: “Queer Heroes” by Arabelle Sicardi, illustrated by Sarah Tanat-Jones (Wide Eyed, $14.99), a series of quick-to-read biographies of people you should know about.
Want more Pride books? Then ask your favorite bookseller or librarian for more, because there are so many more things to read. Really, the possibilities are almost endless, so march on in.
Music & Concerts
Indigo Girls coming to Capital One Hall
Stars take center stage alongside Fairfax Symphony

Capital One Center will host “The Indigo Girls with the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra” on Thursday, June 19 and Friday, June 20 at 8 p.m. at Capital One Hall.
The Grammy Award-winning folk and pop stars will take center stage alongside the Fairfax Symphony, conducted by Jason Seber. The concerts feature orchestrations of iconic hits such as “Power of Two,” “Get Out The Map,” “Least Complicated,” “Ghost,” “Kid Fears,” “Galileo,” “Closer to Fine,” and many more.
Tickets are available on Ticketmaster or in person at Capital One Hall the nights of the concerts.

Friday, June 13
“Center Aging Friday Tea Time” will be at 2 p.m. in person at the DC Center for the LGBT Community’s new location at 1827 Wiltberger St., N.W. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email [email protected].
Women in Their Twenties and Thirties will be at 8 p.m. at Wundergarten. An update will be posted the night of the event on where to find WiTT’s table. There’ll be a Pride flag to help people find the group. For more details, join WiTT’s closed Facebook group.
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Pride Month Happy Hour” at 7 p.m. at Freddie’s Beach bar and Restaurant. This event is ideal for making new friends, professional networking, idea-sharing, and community building. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Saturday, June 14
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Pride Month Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ+ community, including Allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Rainbow History Project will host “Behind the Scenes With the Senior Curator of ‘Pickets, Protests and Parades’” at 7:30p.m. at Freedom Plaza. This behind-the-scenes experience offers a rare glimpse into the creative process behind this groundbreaking showcase of DC’s LGBTQ+ history. Learn about the bold design decisions that shaped the Quote Wall and Hero Cubes and the powerful stories that almost made the cut. Tickets cost $82 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.
Monday, June 16
“Center Aging Monday Coffee Klatch” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email [email protected].
Genderqueer DC will be at 7 p.m. in person at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This is a support group for people who identify outside of the gender binary. Whether you’re bigender, agender, genderfluid, or just know that you’re not 100% cis. For more information, visit their website at www.genderqueerdc.org or check us out on Facebook.
Tuesday, June 17
Bi+ Roundtable and Discussion will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is an opportunity for people to gather in order to discuss issues related to bisexuality or as Bi individuals in a private setting. Check out Facebook or Meetup for more information.
Wednesday, June 18
Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.
“Legends Live Loud: A Queer Karaoke Experience” will be at 7 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This will be a dynamic, Center-wide karaoke event celebrating the brilliance and cultural impact of some of our most colorful queer icons. The Center will honor legends through music, pop culture, dance, and inextinguishable liberation. For more details and to sign up, visit the DC Center’s website.
Thursday, June 19
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Book Club” at 7:30 p.m. at Federico Ristorante Italiano. This book club is co-hosted by EQUALITY NoVa and is another opportunity to engage in a fun and rewarding activity. The group doesn’t discriminate when it comes to genres it reads – from classic literature to best selling novels to biographies to histories to gay fiction. For more details, visit Eventbrite.
Cultivating Change Foundation will host “Cultivating Pride Happy Hour” at 5:30 p.m. at Dacha Beer Garden. This Pride month, the organization is inviting LGBTQ+ people and allies in food and agriculture to come together in communities nationwide. These informal gatherings are a chance to connect, celebrate, and build community, whether it’s over coffee, a cocktail, or a conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
-
World Pride 20253 days ago
WorldPride recap: Festival, parade, fireworks, and Doechii
-
U.S. Federal Courts3 days ago
Judge temporarily blocks executive orders targeting LGBTQ, HIV groups
-
Photos3 days ago
PHOTOS: WorldPride Parade
-
Photos3 days ago
PHOTOS: WorldPride Street Festival and Closing Concert