Arts & Entertainment
Washington Posto
Gifted new pastry chef joins staff of Logan Circle standout
Melissa Taylor and Matteo Venini of Ristorante Posto. (Blade photo by Michael Key)
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.
Friday, April 17
Center Aging Monthly Luncheon With Yoga will be at 12 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. Email Mac at [email protected] if you require ASL interpreter assistance, have any dietary restrictions, or questions about this event.
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Social in the City” at 7 p.m. at Hotel Zena. This is a chance to relax, make new friends, and enjoy happy hour specials at this classic retro venue. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Trans and Genderqueer Game Night will be at 7:00p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This is a relaxing, laid-back evening of games and fun. All are welcome and there’ll be card and board games on hand. Feel free to bring your own games to share. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.
Saturday, April 18
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community 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.
The DC Center for the LGBT Community will host “Sunday Supper on Saturday” at 2 p.m. It’s more than just an event; it’s an opportunity to step away from the busyness of life and invest in something meaningful, and enjoy delicious food, genuine laughter, and conversations that spark connection and inspiration. For more details, visit the Center’s website.
Sunday, April 19
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Lunch” at 11 a.m. at Federico Ristorante Italiano. 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.
Monday, April 20
“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 information, contact Adam ([email protected]).
Tuesday, April 21
Center Bi+ Roundtable 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.Visit Facebook or Meetup for more information.
Senior Self Defense Class with Avi Rome will be at 12:30 p.m. This inclusive and beginner-friendly class, led by Instructor Avi Rome, offers a light warm-up, stretching, and instruction in basic techniques, patterns, and striking padded targets. Each session is designed to be adaptable for all ability and mobility levels, creating a welcoming space for everyone to build strength, confidence, and community through martial arts. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.
Wednesday, April 22
Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom upon request. 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.
Asexual and Aromantic Group will meet at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a space where people who are questioning this aspect of their identity or those who identify as asexual and/or aromantic can come together, share stories and experiences, and discuss various topics. For more details, email [email protected].
Thursday, April 23
The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5:00 pm if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245.
Virtual Yoga Class will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This free weekly class is a combination of yoga, breath work and meditation that allows LGBTQ+ community members to continue their healing journey with somatic and mindfulness practices. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.
Out & About
Team DC’s annual gala set for this weekend
LGBTQ sports organization to hold annual ‘Night of Champions’
Team DC will host “Night of Champions Gala” on Saturday, April 18 at 6 p.m. at the Georgetown Marriott.
This will be an evening of celebration and inspiration as Team DC honors remarkable individuals and supports the next generation of LGBTQ student-athletes.
There will be opportunities to support Team DC through auctions. The Silent Auction items will offer an array of unique goods and experiences. Additionally, Team DC will feature an exclusive selection of live auction items for those looking to make a significant impact.
This year, Team DC will recognize six outstanding awardees who have made significant contributions to the LGBTQ community and sports:
- Trailblazer Award – Adam Peck, District Wrestling
- Most Valuable Person Award – Sean Bartel (posthumously)
- Champion Award – Dan Martin
- Clark Ray Horizon Award – Manuel Montelongo, aka Mari Con Carne
- Bernard Jude Delia Award – Dr. Sara Varghai
- Platinum All Star Award – Centaur Motorcycle Club
To purchase tickets, visit Team DC’s website.
Television
‘The Pitt’ stars discuss what season two gets right about queer representation
Noah Wyle and Taylor Dearden spoke with Blade in LA
As season two of “The Pitt” comes to a close this Thursday, stars Noah Wyle and Taylor Dearden are looking back on what this season got right about queer representation.
“There is some intentionality behind it, but it’s not necessarily for the representation to be anything other than human or ubiquitous to anyone that would come into an emergency room,” Noah Wyle, who plays Dr. Robby, told the Los Angeles Blade at PaleyFest event in Los Angeles on April 12. “I know that we’ve done some storylines with some gay couples, and we did a storyline in season 1 where a woman comes in who’s cut her arm, who’s trans. But in both of those storylines, that wasn’t the point.”
Wyle continues, “In doing it that way, and not making a point of orientation being part of the problem that brings you to the emergency room, we have been told in feedback that that has been extremely revolutionary, almost, and extremely appreciated. But that’s true whether we do storylines with any kind of minority or a person with a disability. We try to have a cosmology of cast and representation on the show that’s indicative of what you find in Pittsburgh.”
Dearden, who plays Dr. Mel King, echoed Wyle’s sentiment: “I think constantly battling tropes is always important. It’s not a show about romance; it’s a show about real life and a shift in the ER. The more we represent everyday people going through everyday life, they just happen to be queer, they just happen to be trans, and making it not the plot, is putting everyone on equal playing [field]. You don’t have to have a big coming out scene.”
Queer representation on “The Pitt” is also notable through the actual actors themselves, including openly queer actor Supriya Ganesh, who plays Dr. Samira Mohan (who didn’t attend PaleyFest after the news that she is not returning for season three), and Amielynn Abellera, who plays Perlah Alawi.
“Doctors don’t put value judgments on who they treat,” Wyle concludes. “That’s not a luxury extended to them, and so that’s not part of our storytelling.”
The season two finale will air Thursday, April 16, on HBO Max, while season three has already been confirmed and is currently being written.
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