January 2006 100 VERY BEST RETAURANTS
THE SCENE. This straw-color sliver of a dining room, presided over by a team of smart, shaggy-haired twentysomethings, has the feel of a neighborhood restaurant and the soul and ambition of something much greater. Each night–later rather than earlier–foodies settle in for some of the city's most exciting cooking.
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE. Komi doesn't offer the latest cut of Wagyu beef, and it hasn't hired a publicist. Chef/owner Johnny Monis wins fans by finding beautiful ingredients and using them in simple–but not simple-minded–ways. Each dish on the Greek-inflected menu turns up a carefully orchestrated surprise. Mascarpone-stuffed dates hide a precise few grains of sea salt; tzatziki is lifted above the ordinary by the addition of white-truffle paste and beets.
WHAT YOU WON'T. The dining room can get noisy. Prices are creeping up.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
