Daily dispatches on the Washington, DC area's food, restaurant and dining scene.
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It’s a Long Road From Komi to Marvin
One woman's quest to eat through Washingtonian's 100 Very Best Restaurant List.
By
Rina Rapuano
Ashley Messick dines her way through the Washingtonian's 100 Best Restaurants—and blogs it all along the way.
Ashley Messick has a thing for lists—even her book club focuses on reading the 100 best novels of all time. So when the 27-year-old Capitol Hill staffer saw The Washingtonian’s 100 Very Best Restaurants in February, a familiar bell went off, and suddenly she was eating—and blogging—her way through the places on the list. From Komi to Marvin is a blog where she shares her experiences through charmingly snarky write-ups and the occasional Food Porn Pic of the Day. (Shrimp toast at Four Sisters, your honor has been compromised.) Over dinner at Eatonville (a new restaurant that’s not on the list) we got to know the woman who’s showing us the love.
Why did you decide to do this?
“It was completely on a whim. A coworker of mine brought in The Washingtonian’s 100 Very Best Restaurants list on an especially slow day at work. I started crossing off all the restaurants I had ever been to, and after living in Washington my whole life, I had only been to about 35. I knew if I didn’t give myself a deadline to eat at all of them, I never would. So I gave myself one year. When I told my friends about it, they were positive I wouldn’t finish, so I thought starting a blog would be a good way to prove that I actually ate everywhere I said I would.”
How have you been financing it?
“With a lot of creativity. Since I pay for everything myself, I try to look for restaurants that offer special menus. Proof has a great lunch special for $13, where you can order a glass of wine and an entrée from the bar menu. It’d be great if I could order lobster and truffles at every restaurant, but if I did, I’d end up living in my car. Luckily for me, there are just as many great affordable restaurants on the menu as pricey ones.”
What’s your deadline?
“My end date is February 8, 2010. As of right now, I’m on par to finish in time, but I’ve still got my white whale—the Inn at Little Washington. That’s the only restaurant that I’m a little worried about getting to.”
What’s your modus operandi for ordering?
“At first, I really only ordered things with my favorite ingredients—bacon or goat cheese. After a few restaurants, I realized that you can only do bacon and goat cheese in so many ways. Since then, I’ve used the “best dishes” section of The Washingtonian’s reviews to guide me. As long as it doesn’t recommend some eggplant special, I try to leave my meal in the hands of professionals.”
Are you undercover?
“I’m undercover in the sense that I never tell the restaurant I’m reviewing it. But I like to take pictures, and I haven’t figured out a way to do that without the waiter noticing. Hopefully, they just think I am really into photo-documenting my day.”
What’s been the most interesting response to your blog?
“Without a doubt, the most interesting and unexpected response has been total strangers who e-mail me and ask to join me for dinner. At first I thought it was strange, but I figured that if I met them in a well-lit restaurant, I could always flee if they ended up being serial killers. Luckily, it worked out great. I really like it when a reader wants to go with me to their favorite restaurant on the list. That way, I get great recommendations and insider tips.”
Has the project changed the way you think about food?
“It has in the sense that I now think outside the box when picking what I’m going to eat. Some things that sound so disgusting or weird on the menu wouldn’t have stood the test of time if they weren’t worthy. Whether it’s raw mackerel at Kotobuki or rabbit pâté at Mendocino Grille, I’ve learned that it wouldn’t be on the menu unless someone along the way thought it was delicious. And it has made me reevaluate what I used to think was good food. Really good hamburgers just don’t stand up to really good seared duck breast.”
Does it give you a new perspective on being a food critic?
“It does, because now I realize that being a food critic doesn’t always mean eating what you love. I’m not a fan of French food, but unfortunately (for me at least) there are plenty of French restaurants on the list. While I’ve learned that nothing can be too terrible when served in a puff pastry, I still would much rather have some nice souvlaki.”
What’s been your favorite place so far, and why?
“Komi is undeniably the best restaurant I’ve eaten at in Washington. Not only is the food unbelievable, the entire dining experience is comfortable but so special at the same time. I was also really impressed with Kotobuki and Comet Ping Pong—they’re definitely my favorite bang-for-your-buck restaurants.”
What’s your food background?
“I grew up with a mom who’s a great cook, who never dumbed down her cooking to a kiddie level. Since I’m an only child, she fixed me the same dinner she fixed for her and my dad. Eating interesting things when I was young has made me an adventurous eater now. We also traveled a lot as a family, and eating different cuisines opened me up to more than just steak and potatoes.”
Is this something you could see yourself doing as a career?
“I always assumed that a career that required professional eating and critiquing couldn’t be half as great as it seemed, but so far it’s better than I hoped. So who knows? My real dream would be to take over for Anthony Bourdain on No Reservations. I’d gladly eat a lizard if I could do it sitting in the middle of the Amazon.”
What’s up with you and lists?
“I blame it on the Montessori preschool. I take a lot of joy in systematically crossing things off a list.”
Will you do it again next year?
“As long as people want to read what I have to say, I’ll keep at it. Maybe next year I’ll try the Eat Cheap list. I’m sure my wallet would appreciate the change.”
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Comments
I think that Central Eater is a bit on the ABW (angry black woman) side if ya know what I mean. I think anyone who enjoys this blog would LOVE KitKatNickNackEatDC.blogspot.com
Check it out!! xxx
Posted by: NickNack, Sep 13, 2009 02:03:52 PM
A girl who is afraid of French food OR Indian food is adventurous?!
Posted by: come on!, Jul 14, 2009 02:20:26 PM
I love this blog. I have it bookmarked in my favorites and find myself checking it regularly for new posts. I have lived in DC for 14 years and enjoy eating out, so I find “From Komi to Marvin” to be highly entertaining and helpful with navigating the Washingtonian list. I think the genius of this blog is that the author adds another angle to Washingtonian’s reviews. Seems to me that not everyone will agree with the reviews, since no two people are the same and enjoy the same types of food. So what would you expect? As for the comments about the author not being an adventurous eater, I think Jose Andres would be insulted if people didn’t think that his creations at Minibar, like cotton candy foie gas, fall into the adventurous category.
Posted by: Catherine, Jul 10, 2009 10:47:40 AM
I agree.. her blog is hilarious.
On the other hand, she’s not a very adventurous eater. So as a foodie, I found myself disagreeing with a lot of the things she said in her blog.
For example, she mentioned that the tuna carpaccio at WestEnd Bistro "didn’t taste like anything"
Um actually the tuna carpaccio tastes like tuna carpaccio, and it’s delicious. This is actually one of my favorite carpaccios in town (Teatro Goldoni has yummy carpaccio also).
I still applaud her doing this though.
Posted by: Georgetowner, Jul 08, 2009 09:39:37 AM
Love the blog- I think it is hilarious and spot on! Confidential to Ashley- punctuation such as periods and commas go inside the quotation marks! Sorry this drives me crazy!
-an editor
Posted by: Avid reader, Jul 07, 2009 02:03:19 PM
I just read the KitKat blog and it pales in comparison to the this blog. Komi to Marvin is alot more descriptive and I appreciate the gutsy approach when she orders. I think her catchy taglines and unique approach to critiquing these restaurants are both reasons why Washintonian has chosen to highlight her achievements and not the Kitkat self promoting types who want to ride along in the wagon. Stay on the sidelines radio flyer.
Posted by: Central Eater 2009, Jul 06, 2009 11:56:07 AM
A friend and I have undertaken a similar task however our blog is probably a lot better. We aren’t real food critics, just two college kids who like to binge eat! The blog is called KitKat & NickNack eat DC. You can read our blog on blogger.com or follow us on twitter. Our favorites so far have been Jackie’s, Oyamel, and Zaytinya. I question why some of the restaurants are even on the list as they are rather mediocre (Johnny’s Halfshell and Black Market Bistro for example). In addition, it’s rather curious that so many of the restaurants on the list are on 14th street, I’m getting quite bored with that street as a result. Anyway, we hope to complete the task at hand by the holiday season!
Posted by: Katarina Alharmoosh, Jul 02, 2009 04:40:21 PM
I have been working on the 100’s Very Best Restaurant List since 1997! I am STILL not all the way through - setting a deadline was a good idea.
Posted by: Lisa Shapiro - DC Restaurant Examiner, Jul 02, 2009 09:25:04 AM
The point is not the criticism, the point is the list; the blog is the commitment to the list. My wife and I have been working our way thru the American Film Institute’s top 100 movies of all time. The discipline of the list leads you to films you might not otherwise have selected. There’s been a few clunkers, but far more often there have been pleasant surprises. I think we’re going to sponsor a couple of her meals...
Posted by: PAL, Jul 01, 2009 01:52:26 PM
She is an adventerous eater but is scared of eggplant and French food?! Hmm...
Great idea, though, I’d love to be in her place and do the same thing. Unfortunately, my salary isn’t high enough for all of that eating out!
Posted by: kelly, Jul 01, 2009 10:51:28 AM
Jennifer - I don’t think she’d really consider herself a "critic" in the traditional sense of the word. She is just a normal gal who likes to eat and started a blog. Any following she gained after that was purely luck...
She’s certainly not being paid for her efforts, which I think is probably the first step in being a true "restaurant critic!"
Posted by: LAT, Jul 01, 2009 09:59:28 AM
I find it really strange that someone that doesn’t like tapas, Indian food or French food is a restaurant critic. I guess people like reading other people’s experiences even if they aren’t necessarily a great critic.
The blog was interesting for that reason, reading someone who doesn’t seem to absolutely love all sorts of food, eat all sorts of food. But I wouldn’t consider it a serious critique of restaurants.
Posted by: Jennifer, Jun 30, 2009 06:48:08 PM
Tonight my roommate and I are hitting bar #11 on our quest to go to all 75 of The Washingtonian’s Top 75 bars in DC. I guess we’re not as original as we thought.... but we are drinking well.
Posted by: Dani, Jun 30, 2009 01:06:26 PM
Yay for reviewing this blog! Love following her.
Posted by: Julie, Jun 30, 2009 12:11:14 PM
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