Komi Komi

Komi Menu

1509 17th St. NW (P St.)
Washington, DC 20036
202-332-9200
Map
Cuisine: Contemporary / Greek
Unique Greek-inspired cooking by chef Johnny Monis.
Openings: Dinner Tues.-Sat.

Features


Komi Restaurant Review:


Chef Johnny Monis is a big presence in his own kitchen, filled with busy hands working to produce the restaurant’s impressive food---diners may get a glimpse of him as he coordinates staff and cooks up his creations. As for the food, it’s hard to know where to start, since you will have at least ten mini-bite courses---his famous selections of mezzethakia---before the main show begins. These might include such whimsies as a goat cheese “marshmallow” on thin cheese crackers and a crispy Caesar salad (which is actually a large bread cube filled with liquefied salad) or delicate pieces of salmon with a sorbet. Everything is artfully arranged, almost too pretty to eat, and way more than you might imagine. The pasta course---which is ordered before the appetizer parade---might include fava bean ravioli, spaghetti with crab and sea urchin, or a farro risotto. But all this is the tasty preamble to the night’s drama: a choice of roasted goat (called roasted katsikaki) with dipping sauces and hot, fresh pita bread; slow-roasted suckling pig; prime bone-in rib-eye; and a vegetarian smoked onion flan with walnut skordalia. Meat entrées are for two, and a good thing, as the portions are very generous. But wait: there’s dessert. Oh, no, you might wail, not another bite. Off you go: strawberries with goat cheese, Greek donuts, and root beer lollipops that come with the bill. Note that the wine selection has been carefully culled for the most appropriate pairing with Monis' food. Puzzled? Ask the waitstaff for some suggestions, and yes, you can order by the glass.