RSS FeedPoste Brasserie Courtyard Flutters Verdant
This is the second of a two part series. The first article appeared last Thursday.
We asked Executive Chef Robert Weland of Poste Brasserie how patrons react to the greenery when they sit down to eat at the Chef’s Garden table (photo above), made of Virginia stone and sustainable teak, set outdoors along the 7th Street side of the courtyard. He said that some don’t pay much attention but some take note of the smells that clearly hit our noses when we walked through the area. As far as we can tell, the garden fulfills a number of missions. It provides an added creative dimension to the Poste menu; any item preceded with the word “garden” tells a diner that they are eating a serving picked earlier that day from the courtyard. It demonstrates Weland’s and Kimpton’s commitment to supporting a uniquely interesting and sustainable food concept. Weland also said it reminds the chefs at Poste of the taste that truly fresh vegetables impart to a meal. Lastly, we at PQ Living thought it remarkable to see something we have not seen within the property line of other restaurants around DC – a production garden.
This growing season is moving along so we asked about what comes next? Chef Weland (photo to the left) told us that a greenhouse that will allow winter growing and table seatings is in the budget for 2010. He also pointed out a few slender green slivers that will fill out to be mature asparagus come next year. We spotted grape vines climbing vertical trellises separating one of the lounge areas from the garden table and jokingly asked when the first growth would be bottled. Alas, the grapes on the vine are for display and practical purposes only. DC is the last terroir in the United States that doesn’t have a production winery but we can always hope.
(Disclaimer: We haven’t been to every restaurant in DC, however, we do want to point out that the US Department of Agriculture runs The People’s Garden initiative demonstrating local food production downtown in front of the USDA’s main building at 12th and Independence Avenue [online video]. Agricultural output from The People’s Garden goes to the DC Central Kitchen to support their programs.)
Photos courtesy of Michael Harlan Turkell
Related posts:
- How Does Poste Brasserie’s Garden Grow?
- Poste Reinvents Hotel Monaco Courtyard in Gallery Place
- FreshFarm Earth Day Benefit To Kick Off Poste Patio Season
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Comments
they do offer more than pig…per the website they offer “duck, goat, pig, brisket, lamb, squab, salmon or poussin – all sourced from local farmers”
“Wishful thinking’, if you’re looking for a fabulous meal that features Poste’s garden veggies (and lots of veggies) check out their Market to Market dinner.
http://twodc.blogspot.com/2009/08/poste-market-to-market.html
The night we went we had tons of Poste’s garden tomatoes and they were fantastic.
Thanks J – I am vegetarian so the market to market dinner sounds perfect. I’ve been eating there for 4 years and never saw that option! Thanks!
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It would be really nice if they offered more than pig… if we are talking about sustainability, serving vegetables would be better than a giant roasted pig.