'20 Bites' debuts at Poste

Chef Robert Weland brings a new dining experience to Poste. (Sean McCormick for The Washington Post)

Mini: it's just so hot right now. Poste Moderne Brasserie is poised to join the ranks of restaurants offering a gastronomic experience made up of many micro-sized dishes. As early as next week, groups of up to four diners can sign up to work their way through 20 bite-sized courses of the restaurant's contemporary American cooking. The gastronauts will sit at the granite counter at the edge of the restaurant's kitchen.

"Everyone's going to be on their best behavior," says executive chef Robert Weland about the new dining arrangement, which subjects his open kitchen to even closer looks. Courses like a "crispy envelope" of pig's feet with hen egg; tortellini of rabbit confit with burgundy snails; and a smoked mackerel salad with caviar, beets and horseradish will make appearances on the menu, but be advised: the meal plan will change every night. The dishes really will be on the small side, says the chef.

Weland acknowledges that he's not the first chef in town to offer a similar dining adventure (see Minibar and Volt's Table 21), but for him, the new format is all about giving his cooks the chance to experiment. "It's an outlet for the cooks to be creative [and] something we can have fun with," he says.

The price is $75 per person, excluding tax, beverages and gratuity. The restaurant won't offer a wine pairing for each course, but diners can choose a $40 wine pairing (for four wines) and a $65 pairing (for eight wines). Reservations are required. Contact private dining coordinator Stacy Isabella at 202-449-7062 or stacy.isabella(at)postebrasserie.com.

-- Julia Beizer