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Category: Restaurants [Edit]
Neighborhood: Dupont CircleDupont Circle (Red)
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Komi! This is one of my favorite restaurants in town. The food is really creative and delicious, the service is wonderfully attentive and the space is very intimate and relaxing. When you visit, you'll most likely taste dishes whose ingredients you wouldn't have thought to combine but make so much sense they way Monis presents them. The sampling dishes change all the time and are really impressive and memorable - and for the main course, the pappardelle with baby goat ragu and the suckling pig are divine. It's a low-pressure, high-quality dining experience that you'll want to repeat.
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A little Komi math:
Johnny Monis
12 course degustazione tasting menu
3 paired wines
+ incomparable service
_________________________________________________
2.5 blissful hours worth every single penny of the $350 price tag
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I love Komi. It's the best restaurant in DC. It's expensive, but not for the quality/amount of food, or the service. Komi has the best service in DC, including a great somolier. It's the perfect special occasion place.
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Impeccably simple decor, service fit for royalty, the nicest sommelier ever, a cute chef, and the culinary creations divine/delectable/DELICIOUS. By far, hands down, the best (and my favoritest) restaurant in DC.
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Komi is the best thing in DC, period. My wife and I have dined there on 7 or 8 occasions and each time it gets better and better. Usually I'm not a big fan of places that serve dishes with names that I cannot pronounce or come from parts of animals that I have no business putting in my mouth, but this place does an astounding job on both.
Since all the other reviews go into great detail on specific dishes, coupled with the fact that I've been there so many times that I can't possibly comment on each dish, I won't go into much detail on the food other than it is insane. The dates and house-cured olives are my favorite menu constants. I also find that late spring/early summer is the best time to go - their menu changes often. Not to say that the fall and winter fare is bad, it's just not nearly as varied or fresh as the spring/summer. Their softshell crab is wickedly delicious.
Another nice thing about this place is the servers don't make you ever feel awkward. At most places where you're paying $100+ a head, there never fails to be an awkward moment with the maitre de, or the waitstaff, or the table-crumb-scooper guy, or the bathroom towel guy. When I'm dropping three days work on dinner with friends, I don't want to cut through the red-tape formality that goes along with it. From a customer's standpoint, nothing about Komi strikes me as pretentious. The staff are young, attentive, and knowledgeable. Plus when you get up to go pee, there will be a new napkin waiting for you when you get back. (There was a time right before Derek was brought in when the sommelier was pretty bad... almost prick-ish. He was let go and a few months later we saw him at Citronelle, undoubtedly a better fit!)
The only bad thing about Komi is it was the first place we tried when we decided to sample DC's fine dining options. Since then nothing has quite lived up to it in our eyes. God, Komi... why do you have to be so awesome?
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Solid 4 stars - I know this is a rather parsimonious rating in light of so many 5-star reviews, but reading nothing but great reviews of Komi undoubtedly elevated my expectations. On top of that, the occasion for our dinner was our anniversary.
The food: I am in agreement with everyone here - it's inventive, flavorful, balanced, beautiful and at times, surprising. And if you are a foodie, it's worth an experience. The hit of our dinner was the grilled whole sea bream (for two). It was incredibly fresh and unpretentious - grilled such that the skin was charred to a light crisp. We didn't even want to put lemon juice on it to mask its natural flavors; instead we sprinkled only a little oil and fleur de sel (provided).
My "pasta" course involved a light broth that came with cuttlefish, little clams, and huge razor clams. I normally love seafood broth and I enjoyed this one. My only complaint would be that the razor clams were extremely fishy - in a way that threw off the entire plate. My boyfriend chose to have a tagliatelli w/ blueberries and quanciale (Italian bacon), which he thoroughly enjoyed (but wished for a larger portion).
The servers bring out a small parade of nibblets before serving the first course. I am under the impression that these change from time to time. It's probably where you get to taste the creative side of Johnny Monis - and in all, a real treat. Here, they accommodated my dietary needs (when it comes to meats, I only eat poultry and seafood).
The service: overall, the service was pleasant and polite. Indeed, there were two hiccups for us that seemed to put a pall over the beginning of our meal.
Reviews on the web and from my friends seem to suggest that the restaurant would practically bend over backwards to make sure you get what you can and want to eat. This is, in hindsight, an unrealistic takeaway on my part. My boyfriend and I wanted to experience the longer, degustazione menu (5 courses), but a few items on the menu were heavy on meats I couldn't eat. I would have happily accepted vegetarian substitutions for these items. To my surprise, the waiter told us to just stick with the regular tasting menu (3 courses). So vegetarians beware - your options are more limited.
The second gaffe came when we were picking out wines. We initially wanted wine pairings, but were told that the pairings begin with white wine (perhaps a wine cocktail) and progress to the reds. For me, that is a recipe for a serious hangover, so I asked if they could substitute whites with reds - again, the waiter dissuaded us from the pairings and suggested we just order bottles to make things easier.
We then asked the pleasant sommelier for a wine recommendation. Perhaps sincerely, but perhaps also sensing of our apparent youth, his finger immediately landed on the cheapest bottle on the list (it was $36). My boyfriend gently suggested that we were celebrating a special occasion. The sommelier nodded and his finger flipped to the most expensive bottle on the menu (it was $150). What happened to the "next level up" recommendation? Feeling very awkward at this point, we contemplated indulging in the expensive bottle - but in the end, came to our senses and ordered something more reasonably priced.
Putting that behind us, we had a wonderful anniversary dinner. The food was pleasing on the whole and the casual atmosphere allowed us to enjoy each other's company.
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I gave Komi 4 stars, simply because I still have Jose Andres' "Minibar" and "2941" as the top bar to which others are compared.
Komi was pleasantly smaller than I had expected. It was easy to find in Dupont in a great location. The service was impeccable. A server is there at every blink of the eye and it didn't feel stuffy like at Restaurant Eve.
The tasting menu was great - each dish outdid the other and there was a method to the madness. Every sampling that came out set the stage for the next. The pasta was so fresh and melted in my mouth.
I made a HUGE mistake in the way I ordered. This might have to do with why I gave it only 4 stars versus 5. I like to be adventurous and instead of choosing something myself, I often let the waiter/waitress or the chef choose my meal (without telling me what it is until I'm finished). I chose that style of ordering for the main course. Typically, when I do this, I get something on the menu changed up a bit or something that might not even be on the menu or sometimes, just whatever the waiter might think is the best thing on the menu. I've had nothing but great experiences from doing this. In this instance, they brought me the sardines. I suppose this method backfired, as I feel that they brought me the item that they needed to get rid of most. I was fine with them, but they were a little dry and didn't have the pizazz I was hoping from how great the experience had been. I wanted my main plate to be the icing on the cake and it was such a let down.
Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of my meal plus the roasted rack of lamb the other two at my table had ordered.
I'd certainly revisit Komi and I think it's one of the best restaurants in DC based on overall quality of food, presentation, and experience.
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An ultra creative meal served that takes several hours to enjoy. The service is outstanding and the atmosphere bright and cheery. According to the waiter the restaurant went from nearly 70 person seating to just 42. You are not sitting on top of other patrons and it is easy to have a conversation. The small bites that lead to your first course are unusual, unexpected, and lead you to wonder with excitement about what comes next. The caesar salad in a crouton and the marscapone filled medjool date were my favorites. There were a few sushi pieces in one of the servings too. It is difficult to peg this restaurant as any one style of food. You can count on the element of surprise visually and your taste buds will be very happy. I am headed back to this restaurant for a second trip. I will update this review if necessary. It most likely will include more raves than rants!
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What a fantastic experience!! Everything from the food to the wine to the service to the ambience was absolutely stellar. The wonderful, interesting food avoids pretention, while the wine pairings add new dimensions to the meal. I still have food dreams about the figs with mascarpone! I'm a vegetarian & the menu they prepared for me was one of the best meals I've had at a fine-dining restaurant. A fantastic place, well worth the expense!
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The food was good but wasn't consistent from one dish to the next. The large clam, slow-cooked egg, goat shoulder...they were all delicious. 4 stars-- 3 for overall experience and 1 extra for the chef. THere are other restaurants with the same quality of food for 1/2 or 3/4 of the price.
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One of my favorite places to eat! I love komi and I love the degustazione tasting menu. If you are willing to spend $$$$$ for great food, then come here.
I went here once, and the food was fantastic! I'm going back there on Friday and I know that the meal will be absolutely out of this world.
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O-V-E-R-R-A-T-E-D
Reservations were for 9:15. They sat us at 9:40 with no apologies. Service was spotty overall. Food was good, not great. Definitely not the foodie paradise that I'd been told it was. Overall we were disappointed.
Don't believe the hype.
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If I could afford to blow off $200/person for dinner everyday, I'd definitely do it here. I dined here a few weeks ago so I don't remember the whole menu, but from some of the reviews I see here, I got a lot of the same dishes.
Basically, it was 2 hour meal consisting of 12 dishes of ultimate BLISS! My eyes kept rolling back as I took every sinful bite, slowly savoring every morsel of flavor that hit the palate. It was like an amusement park for your taste buds with all the different textures and combination of flavors ...so yummy. I also got the wine pairing, which was great.
It's a really cool date place...but not a first date unless you're a high roller. :)
Located in Dupont, right beside Sushi Taro, parking SUCKS! But it's worth the walk to this place. Mmm mmm mmm.
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My lovely lady has hankered to try Johnny Monis' creation for the longest time. This past Tuesday, with a pair of our friends, we had an amazing degustacion experience.
We opted for the $104 tasting menu (of which I will list below, a good portion borrowed from Karen H's entry).
The dinner itself was approxiamately 2.5 hours. It's difficult to label Chef Monis' flight of dishes. There were for instance, greek dishes influenced with a Japanese touch.
The rare combination of ingredients the Chef uses is what most impresses me. It's straightforward yet at the same time, daring without pretentiousness. The service was outstanding and uninvasive.
An amazing experience had by us all.
Bravo, Chef!
1) Flute fish and amberjack sashimi with sea salt and chives in olive oil. Uni vinaigrette sauce. Spoonful of chopped scallops with chopped peanuts topped with lobster roe and pickled radish.
2) Caesar salad fried crouton with gooey center
3) Breakfast radish with tarragon/fennel yogurt dip
4) Dates stuffed with mascarpone cheese with sea salt
5) Beef tartare in fried cone topped with parmesan foam and chives
6) Mini pita burger with goat patty, house pickled cucumber, and caramelized onion
7) Goat cheese marshmallow sandwiched by cheezit-like crackers. Side of espelette pepper jelly.
(Second Course) Fava bean caramella w/charcoal grilled octopus
(Second Course) Tagliatelle w/guanciale & morel mushrooms
(Main Course) Monkfish roasted on the bone w/crushed cauliflower, lobster, and fenigreek(?)
(Main Course) Slow roasted leg of lamb (outstanding!)
(Main Course) Flash fried soft shell crab
(Dessert) Greek donuts
(Dessert) Sorbet desert in a shot glass.
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Add me to the list of Kool-Aid drinkers (I guess for Komi, it would be fruit gazpacho with tarragon foam drinkers). Almost everything is insanely delicious and nearly every bite is novel. The only thing I did not go head over heels for was the phyllo cone of beef tartare with parmasean foam and quail egg. That was simply because the the egg and beef are so delicate in texture and flavor that they were overwhelmed by the itself-delicate phyllo.
As others have mentioned, the medjool date filled with mascarpone is amazing because of the balance added by rock salt and the slightly carmelized edges. All the mezzethakia, including the beef tartare, were notches and notches above everything I have ever eaten in D.C. and despite being novel, were substantial, thoughtful, and reflected Chef Monis' unfailing palate. The entrees are less whimsical than the mezzethakia. We shared the spit-roasted goat, which was a simple piece of meat divinely cooked. It melted like chocolate in my mouth. It came with a little array of sauces, from a slightly sweet rhubarb compote to a garlicky babaghanoush-like sauce, but the meat was best with just a squeeze of lemon juice and some of the lovely green oregano salt provided on the side. For dessert, the polenta shortcake with macerated strawberries was nice, but not mindblowing, although the Greek donuts with chocolate mascarpone pudding were.
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The food? Unreal. I expect that fully half the joy of a meal at Komi is watching the expression of the person sitting across from you. They smile, they giggle, they sigh satisfied sighs as they experience something unexpected (and outrageously good). A new favorite, and deservedly so. I cant wait to go back.
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Flawless. What an experience! We indulged in the degustazione, which included over a dozen dishes, some small bites plus pasta, meat, dessert courses. Everything was incredible. Presentation was creative and beautiful. Goat, lima bean ravioli with octopus, beef tartare with quail egg in a little cone, pasta with sea urchin, and on and on . . .
Komi is extravagant and I won't be able to return often . . . I just hope J. Monis considers opening a more casual spot, something like Nobu Next Door.
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As I'm slurping on my $0.89 pork-flavored ramen, I'm trying to transcribe my scribbles from the back of a business card that documented the magnificence I consumed at Komi a few nights ago. How else can I afford this $125/person taste-bud meltdown without resorting to ramen for a month?
But let me tell you, it is oooh-sooo worth it. Every single ramen flavor packet I'll have to eat for the rest of the month.
You go in, pick your 'second' and main course, and your drinks. They do the rest. You are started off with a series of small dishes, "mezzethakia". This is where all the fun happens. Every one of these is a treasure. It's a unique and new experience with each small bite. Johnny Monis is a genius at combining foods that work together in unexpected ways--in flavor, texture, and aesthetics.
It was just SO FUN eating there!
Here's the best recollection of our night there, your mileage may vary:
*** SPOILER ALERT! ***
1) Flute fish and amberjack sashimi with sea salt and chives in olive oil. Uni vinaigrette sauce. Spoonful of chopped scallops with chopped peanuts topped with lobster roe and pickled radish.
2) Caesar salad fried crouton with gooey center
3) Breakfast radish with tarragon/fennel yogurt dip
4) Dates stuffed with mascarpone cheese with sea salt
5) Beef tartare in fried cone topped with parmesan foam and chives
6) Mini pita burger with goat patty, house pickled cucumber, and caramelized onion
7) Goat cheese marshmallow sandwiched by cheezit-like crackers. Side of espelette pepper jelly.
(Second Course) Fava bean caramella w/charcoal grilled octopus
(Second Course) Tagliatelle w/guanciale & morel mushrooms
(Main Course) Monkfish roasted on the bone w/crushed cauliflower, lobster, and fenigreek(?)
(Main Course) Slow roasted local iberian(?) pig with blood sausages, loin, and shoulder in curry sauce and spring carrots.
(Dessert) Greek donuts
(Dessert) Some kind of sorbet I cannot recall
I just realized how hard it was to recall everything we had. There were so many! When do you get to try so many different things in one night? In a table for two? Maybe if you were at some fake fancy dinner party *shriver*....
I would rave about each dish, but then this review would get really long. I'll just point out that my favorites were (2), (5), (7), and...basically everything else.
(3) was a little out of my taste though. The radish tasted super green. I had to mask the green-ness with the dip. But I think it was good as a breakpoint between (2) and (4). It helped clean the palate a bit, since both of those were on the rich side.
The second courses were very yummy. The octopus was burnt just right. My main course, the monkfish, could've used more sauce. The sauce was so good, but not enough to engulf the fish in it. The meat was cooked very tenderly though. Still an excellent dish.
And the finale--the donuts. I never liked donuts before--until Komi's donuts. I never could have imagined donuts to be SO GOOD. It's unbelievable. I wanted to ask them to sell me a box of it so I could take it to the office the next morning. I would be the star of the office forever. Really, you have to taste it.
*** END SPOILER ALERT ***
Oh yeah, the servers were awesome and knowledgeable. You can tell there was a lot of detail and attention put into this place. The chef is there every night. Wish he had came out to say hi!
Oh, I just finished my ramen. I guess that'll do for now. Komi, I will be back for you again someday.
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I have been wanting to try this place for a long time. It's always written up in Food & Wine and I couldnt wait. They definitely met my expectations.
My bf and I had our anniversary here last night and went for the full deal. We got the 5 glasses of wine with the full spread of food.
The experience was awesome. The restaurant is gorgeous. I loved all the different plates that were brought out. The only 3 I wasnt a fan of involved caviar/roe/foie gras. No matter how many times I taste these 'delicacies,' I dont like them.
Other than that my mouth was treated to amazing wines and amazing flavors.
The rioja really stood out. The lobster with hearts of palm was one of the tastiest bites I've ever had. The mini gyro, hamachi and the tagliatelle were incredible. Finally, the goat shoulder was unbelievably tasty.
I cant afford this place often as a student, but I have to say it was worth every penny ($231/person w/ tip for the real deal).
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Our dining experience at Komi was unforgettable. Every dish was unique and the flavors were amazing. Thumbs up to the chef who was named one of Food and Wine's top chefs in 2007. No wonder he's a top chef...I am definitely coming back!!!!
I treated my best friend from high school here because that's the kind of cool friend I am. Ok, I admit--supposedly, in return, someday she is supposed to treat me to some spa weekend when we are in our 50's since she will be making triple my salary (I hope she remembers this agreement)...This place was absolutely fantastic! Although the decor is a little sterile, the tasting menu coupled with matching wines was probably one of my top 10 dining experiences in life so far...yum.
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First visit:I fell in love with Johnny Monis last night.
Second visit: I am now an evangelical Johnny Monist.
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This place is soooooooooooo bad. I have eaten at experimental cuisine places all over the country, and only one has missed the mark as completely as Komi does. There was simply no guiding culinary intelligence behind the dishes that they cooked up. Dates stuffed with cheese were good, but standard; anything off the beaten track was misguided. The atmosphere and service were also very mediocre for a place this expensive. There is simply no basis for the prices.
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Would have gotten five stars if I could've ordered more of the ceasar salad croutons, roasted figs and pork belly gyros. Three of the most delicious small plates I have ever had!
While certainly expensive (dinner for 2 & wine $320 +) it was an incredible meal I will not soon forget. I was most impressed by how light and clean everything tasted and the incredible attention to detail. Definitely recommend for special occasions and all foodies.
YUMM!! I love this place! The series of small dishes you get are like an adventure for your taste buds. I get excited trying to figure out what I'll get next! I can honestly say that the hot dates with mascarpone and sea salt is one of the best things I've ever had in DC...it's both sweet and salty, and plays with different textures...amazing! The main dishes you get however, are just ok-- they're good, but nothing spectacular. If I could, I'd trade them in for more small plates!
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So my fellow foodie and friend, the fashonista femme fatale Jess and I headed here for food, fun, and fabulous fare...
So I called ahead and told them I was a vegetarian and they were not only accommodating, Jess said next time she'd go with the vegetarian options as well since she liked them better.
Oh yes the olives...oh hell yes. But the winner tonight...ding ding:
The grape gazpacho with microherbs and stuffed peppers. WTF mate? This dish was so complex it was hard to get my brain around it. The mascarpone stuffed medjool dates were a close second. I loved the agnolotti and the quail egg, avocado and lentil dish as well. As an entree, I had a trio of candy striped beets, apple, faro and cream, a soft polenta, grilled romaine and roasted garlic, and white beans, green olive, and poached egg. It was fantastic!
The desserts were yuzu cream with huckleberries and doughnuts with chocolate mousse. Both were great.
The service was fantastic. We loved our server and the sommelier.
The downside:
Jess' entree was mediocre. She ordered the morcilla and foie gras stuffed guinea hen. In a uncharacteristic display of discontinuity, the hen was accompanied by a small square of moussaka that was fantastic and a wonderful, but greasy fried pig feet ball. Why? What did these have to do with the center of the plate. They did not complement or contrast with the main dish and washed out the hen. The hen was heavy, underseasoned and quite boring frankly. Maybe it was because everything else was so good that it was hard to live up to the high standard set by the opening dishes. As well, the heirloom tomato risotto with idizibal cheese foam was the only other dish to disappoint. Again, it wasn't bad, just not up to the standard of the rest of the meal.
I suppose if you have 14 courses and 2 are less than stellar that's pretty good. It was just disappointing that it was the two Jess chose.
Overall it was fantastic and I would certainly return.
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Everything about this dining experience is perfect. But go with a lot of money in your pocket -- and a lot of time on your hands.
First of all, the thing I didn't really understand from the reviewers here is that Komi gives you only two dining options.
You can choose an $85 option with a series of their signature small plates (like about eight of them!), a pasta, an entree and a dessert. Wine pairings for this are $35, I think, for three glasses.
OR, you can choose a more expensive option, about $105 (?), where you get more small plates but the chef selects the rest of the food for you. Wine pairings are a bit more expensive but you get five glasses.
Everyone at your table has to agree on which option to do, or else it would screw up the timing of the meal.
Also, for the entrees, many of them are listed as "for two" and those carry an extra cost. But it's worth it for the quality of the ingredients and the experience -- such as a whole fish brought to your table, oh the drama!
When three of us dined there last week, we opted for the $85 option because we wanted to have some control over what we ate.
Everything was great. The service was impeccable, the somalier was excellent and the atmosphere was just right. I would go back again and again, although I have the feeling many of the small plates would be the same from night to night.
I would also suggest getting the wine pairings. All the selections were excellent. The orange lollypop at the end of the meal is also a nice, surprising touch.
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The meal I had at Komi, yea though it was quite a while ago, stands out in my mind like it was yesterday. Our very evangelistic server brought us closer to Jesus with each course. Amazing meal, from the homemade crackers to the lollipops that come with the check. I actually recreated the amuse bouche they served me at Komi for a dinner party to rave reviews... it was a simple recipe, I just never would have THOUGHT of it. I guess that's why Johnny is where he is!
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I was astonished at the quality of the food and service here. It is like an inner city Inn at Little Washington almost. Better than nearly every place else I have eaten at. The people that run this love food, and it shows; this is waaaaaay more than a business.
Reservations are hard to get, for good reason.
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I had the best olive I have ever had in my entire life at Komi.
I am actually content knowing I will probably not eat another olive so divine, tender, sweet and luscious in my life ever again.
Hats off to the host and hostess. When I first called to make a res they were very nice and asked if this was a special occasion. Indeed it was! My cousin/best friend was leaving DC and I wanted to send her off having with a most fabulous dining experience on the brain. It is safe to say I succeeded!
Wine list: great! We wanted to start with bubbly and asked if we should go for the greek or italian. We were told the Greek sparkling was good, and since we have never had sparkling from Greece before we got a bottle....yum!
A couple stand out items: the octopus with quail egg....oh my goodness!
The Gazpacho made with grapes?!?!?! With a side of these grilled peppers that were grilled to perfection....pure lovlieness.
For our entrees we got the steak and the sturgeon. Neither of us had ever had any sort of beef steak that had so much flavor ever before in our entire lives. Wow, so amazing.
And there we are snapping pics of almost every dish, which inspired the waitress to ask why? I told her my cuz was leaving town. This was around the time of dessert. After bring out a bottle of a Greek red wine we ordered (also very yum) the server brought us a dish, "a gift from the pastry chef" with the words "good luck" written on it in chocolate sauce and a sweet cream gelati in two spoons! How sweet of them!
The wine list is great because you can get reasonably priced bottles and glasses (like we did) or move to higher end items and not feel strange either way.
The restaurant was more casual than we had expected. I love the simplicity and homey-ness of it all.
Save up your dough and try this restaurant. It is about time the "does DC have its own amazing cuisine?" debate is laid to rest. This restaurant proves it is so.
Truly inspiring food!
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There's no shortage of "fine dining" restaurants in Washington, D.C. however they seem to spawn more from ostentation and from what expense account diners are willing to spend than from love of food or epicurean aspiration. I am continually disappointed at the many soulless dinners I've eaten in the district - always hoping that this one or that will convince me that remarkable fine dining experiences are to be found here and that I just haven't sussed them out yet.
Considering that chef/owner Johnny Monis recently won Food & Wine Magazine's annual Best New Chef award, I doubted we'd be able to get a table ringing the night of, but we did.
I liked the casual vibe of Komi as soon as we entered. While nothing stunning architecturally or design-wise, I appreciated the unpretentious vibe of the place and seeing chef Monis himself cooking in the kitchen!
Two set menus are offered, dinner at $78 which includes an extensive mezzethakia course followed by pasta, an entree and dessert and the degustazione for $150. While $78 is certainly not cheap, for what you get at Komi it's an incredible value!
Our meal began with house-cured California olives sprinkled with sea salt (you'll notice chef Monis' affection of sea salt throughout the initial courses, as it's gently sprinkled atop many of them). Olives are one of the few things I don't like to eat. In fact, I might go so far as to say I kind of detest olives. Nonetheless, I popped the tiny green fruit into my mouth. The result was surprising. I may have even uttered, "yum." There was none of the overpowering acridity I typically associate with olives. Instead there was the pure, clean taste I have come to link with fruity olive oil.
Next tiny radishes topped with butter and roe arrived. I have a thing for radishes and butter, so I loved tossing this tiny gem into my mouth.
A pristine slice of amberjack topped with a sprinkling of sea salt and chives came after the radishes. The freshness of the fish was critical to this dish. It's something any sashimi-lover would be impressed with.
Cauliflower and sea urchin puree with caviar arrived next, in a shot glass. The textural elements of the caviar made this a fun "soup" to slurp.
Then a dish with a clear, cult-like following - warm dates stuffed with mascarpone and Greek yogurt and topped with sea salt - showed up. I can see why folks are so mad about this one. It's INCREDIBLE. And I'm not even that crazy about dates! I'd order a dish of these if given the chance!
Our server brought a plate with two grass green peppers and two tiny shots of gazpacho topped with micro basil. She suggested we eat the peppers first since one in ten is very spicy. Neither of us managed to get a fiery one. The gazpacho was a perfect treat on such a hot summer night.
I wish I'd brought a camera that performs well in low-light to capture what came next. Perfectly cooked octopus plated with pig knuckles and lentils on top of which was an ethereally thin slice of avocado and a quail egg. This incredible plate marked our journey into the hot dishes.
Next was a creamy fresh corn and ricotta kefte with a paprika saffron aioli. This was one tasty friend ball of heaven, let me tell you!
The first of two tasty bites on a stick arrived just then. This one was steamed pita bread which encased an oxtail croquette. I began to wonder if things could get better.
Then summer on a stick - in the form of watermelon with whipped feta, toasted hazelnuts and a sherry vinaigrette was placed before us. "I love watermelon and feta!" I said out loud.
The watermelon concluded our mezzethakia course. Next we shared the pappardelle with milk-roasted baby goat ragu and the fava bean and mint ravioli. Thankfully these were small portions giving us the chance to taste these gorgeous pastas without filling up too much.
We chose the Branzini for two for our main course. Our server brought the whole fish, encrusted in salt to the table for our inspection. Then she took back into the kitchen to have it deboned and plated for us alongside some wonderful local rapini.The fish was moist and perfectly seasoned so as not to overpower the taste of the fish itself.
At the behest of many, we ordered the delicious Greek donuts for dessrt along with the strawberry shortcake.
Komi is the restaurant I've been wanting to find since moving to Washington, D.C. - a place where food is elevated to art but without being fussy or unfun. At Komi, I was served the meal I hoped for but did not get at Citronelle. The whimsy and creativity displayed by chef Johnny Monis is exceptional and even moreso when you consider he was not born until 1979 and opened Komi at just 24! The district is a better place because of Komi.
NOTES:
Plan for dinner at Komi! It's a lengthy meal - bet on around three hours - so bring someone you really enjoy talking with.
Bring a camera that performs well in low light, you'll want to take pictures of this food.
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Komi is one of the most unique dining experiences you will ever have. The dining area is intimate...they don't even allow groups larger then 5 or 6 people, reservations are a must. The menu is pricey- but it is well worth it. You pretty much spend all evening eating (7 or 8 courses if you like) The chef prepares two menu options and two pasta options. The food is like a heavenly explosion in your mouth. The wait staff is incredibly knowledgeable of the food and background behind each course. The chef/owner has a unique food point of view. The pastry chef is a friend of mine and he is well amazing. He does a concord grape sorbet with little peanut butter cookie things. The perfect ending to a perfect meal.
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I cannot recall the last time a restaurant so far exceeded my expectations. Maybe the night my wife and I dined at Komi all the stars were aligned perfectly in the universe. But we walked away believing Johnny Monis just may be one of the best and underrated chefs in the country.
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An amazing experience that takes your palate on an unforgettable journey. The 7 little mezzethakia were both interesting and unique. From a mini sashimi like trio, to an indescribable caesar salad "crouton", to the beef tartare ice cream cone it was fun and exciting experience for your eyes and your taste buds. For the pasta dish I decided on a delicious tagliatelle with guanciale and mushrooms that was finished with the season's first blueberries...yum! My only complaint its that there wasn't more! I then had a delicious monkfish with cauliflower, which by the way transcended any cauliflower I have ever eaten in my entire life. To finish it off I of course ordered the greek doughnuts. It was a delightful experience that I cannot wait to repeat.
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Went here on a date last week, and I have tried quite a few places in Dupont C, but this was a pleasant surprise. The med spin on classic steak was definitely unique.
I would go back to try a few more selections.
HW
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One of my top three favorite restaurants in DC. Note that this is a tough reservation to get because it's a small place (and reservations are pretty much necessary) and now, at least on weekends, it's tasting menu only. Chef-Owner Johnny Monis isn't just talented; he's ADORABLE.
Favorites include mascarpone-filled dates sprinkled with sea salt, any lamb dish, watermelon with feta in summer, housemade crackers, those delicious Greek doughnuts and goat ragu over papardelle.
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