The DC Write-Up

Unlike most fine-dining restaurants that pride themselves on glamour and showiness, Komi is a restaurant that thrives on mystique and simplicity. The exterior of its location on 17^th St. NW is non-descript, with a few closed windows and the name in bold red and black. The website is equally sparsea blank white background with a small viewing window that shows a procession of pictures of a man gathering vegetables. A sign nearby reads “Komi” in what appears to be Cyrillic. The menu options below invite the user to contact them for more information, and the menu is a mystery other than that it’s set at 125.The reason for the lack of information (or at least one of the reasons) is that Komi is a tasting restaurant, which offers a continuing series of delicacies to make your night one to remember. Each new treat is even more delicious when you don’t know what to expect. Suffice it to say that the majority of the food is Greek- and Italian-influenced. Of course, it’s the job of restaurant critics to expound on the food, and if you’re interested in knowing more about what awaits you, you can check out reviews from Frommer’s, the Washington Post, and the DC Foodie. In 2009, the Washingtonian named Komi the city’s best restaurant.If you dig even deeper, you can deduce that the man in the photographs on the website is probably none other than owner and chef Johnny Monis. Despite his young age, Monis has created a slice of heaven in his small restaurant, one that tastes great no matter what you’re expecting.