Komi - 1509 17th Street NW

For our first "review" in D.C. I am posting a review of Komi, the Post's best restaurant in DC. It's hard not to get your hopes up when it is such an ordeal to get a reservation somewhere and all of the other reviews you read say that this is the best restaurant in D.C. and possibly the best on the east coast. However, my expectations were fulfilled and then some. Komi is probably the best meal I've had...ever.

In order to get a reservation here you have to get somewhat lucky and get through the busy phone lines exactly one month in advance of your target day. Its similar to trying to get a reservation at Minibar without the smugness and herd mentality.

Komi is in an old townhouse right outside of Dupont. They have renovated the restaurant recently, but it is still very inviting and doesn't have any of the stuffiness that usually accompanies a top notch restaurant. We all wore jeans and none of the staff had a problem with it. Obviously, with a chef like Johnny Monis, most of the patrons don't know much about food in comparison so it was helpful to have a waiter who didn't shy away from explaining everything we ate.

The degustazione course at Komi will run you 125 bucks, but its well worth it. The waiter asks if you have any food allergies and that is pretty much the last input you have in your meal. The entire dinner was a complete surprise. The 10 small plates you start with range from 1 bite to three and ran the gamut of fresh sashimi to alaskan salmon served in a small martini glass to a caesar salad baked within a crouton.

Somehow, I have NO IDEA how, he had put together the tastes of the lettuce, parmesan, and caesar dressing into a liquid form and baked that in a homemade crouton. This was an interesting small plate, but the highlights were the salmon, a scallop covered with truffle and olive oil and chives, and the entrees.

It isn't really apparent until you get your entree that Monis' focus is on traditional Greek cuisine. We had the suckling pig and the baby goat. Both were phenomenal and did not need any condiments. However, we were presented with homemade hot sauce, tzatziki sauce, hummus, and olives. The hot sauce was Siracha-esque and complimented the pork very nicely. Even more food was presented after the entrees- we had 3-4 dessert plates, the highlight of which was the cinnamon ice cream with honey.

The biggest compliment I can pay Komi and the chef is that throughout the 3 hour meal I didn't once think "when is the next plate coming," "my ass hurts from sitting so long," or "why the hell am I still eating." If you can keep me entertained for three hours I would consider it a success. I give it a 99/100 and would definitely go back if I could save up for 3 months, hah.