I’ve been meaning to try Komi pretty much since it first opened in 2004. It seemed the obvious thing to do – it was close by, the menu looked interesting, and everybody was raving about it – but the excuses were endless: I don’t have time, I’m too poor, no one will go with me, et cetera.
This week, as I found myself following my birthday by gearing up to leave DC for grad school in Atlanta, I realized that I had the perfect opportunity. Why? Well, because that means I was able to convince my parents to take me to Komi for a combined birthday/departure dinner! And so it was that we found ourselves with 8:45 reservations at Komi this Tuesday night.
We arrived, and the host walked us back from the entrance to the end of the long, hallway-like dining room, to the one round table in the place, set apart from the other tables, at the back corner. Right next to the kitchen, with it open door and large picture window to the inside. My father hates sitting near the kitchen, but before he could complain (which he was beginning to do, despite there plainly being no other tables available), I cut him off, saying that I was happy to get to peek in to this famed kitchen. You can’t see much through that picture window, but you get a hint of what’s going on, and I for one enjoyed the view.
We decided to go all-out, and each ordered the complete dinner and wine pairing – which was clearly one of the best decisions I’ve made all month. We began with a glass of prosecco – lightly carbonated, dry, with some mineral flavors – and a small bowl of house-cured olives. These were bright green, but had a texture and mild taste such that my dad commented that if blindfolded, he might have thought them black olives. They were tasty, either way.
After the olives began our flight of small plates, most of which were simply one bit’s worth for each of us – just a taste, leaving room for all that was to come. First, we had a delicious seared Greek cheese topped with steak tartar. Next came the Buffala – creamy mozzarella topped with anchovies over a cucumber-and-something puree, also quite lovely. After that, the first of the evening’s real knock-outs arrived at our table: three dates, stuffed with mascarpone cheese and a few well-placed grains of salt, rosted to gooey heavenliness. Next was the one thing we disagreed on: little sandwiches of pork shoulder and beets that were reminiscent of Chinese pork buns but also different. My mom and I thought these were divine, my dad was blah on them. Then, two at once: a plate of two deliciously battered soft-shelled crabs, and a set of three crostini topped with a fish roe sauce, both quite tasty.
The last of our appetizers were a perfect summer dish, and a perfect cap to this extended first course: watermelon slices, topped with a bit of strong feta and arucola leaves. Delish! The pacing of these plates was slow – there was a good pause between each dish – and I found it perfect. We savored each small plate, and had time for its flavor to fade from our palettes before the next experience began. I should also note that, more than once, we didn’t even notice the servers clearing our empty plates – they were that quick, smooth, and unobtrusive.
Komi
1509 17th St, NW
202-332-9200

Following the appetizer series (which could itself have made a perfectly excellent light dinner), our wine server came and poured our first glasses of wine, explaining each vintage and why it was paired with our respective pasta dishes. I have no idea what the wines were, but they were all Greek or Italian, and very yummy.
For our pasta, my mom ordered the pappardelle in roasted baby goat ragú, my dad the linguini alla vongole, and I the ravioli. Each was delicious, but I think that my ravioli, filled with ricotta cheese and in a light Bolognese, edged the others a touch to be the best (lucky me!).
After pasta, came the ‘main’ dishes. My parents split the whole roasted bronzini, which came out light, fluffy, very lemony and totally delicious, while I also thoroughly enjoyed my white tuna wrapped in speck. The tuna was cooked to perfection, and its speck ‘skin’ complimented the fish extraordinarily well. Though we all had fish, we opted for red wines as opposed to white. Our server presented us with a pair of relatively light, dry reds, perfectly matched to our meals. My parents liked theirs so well, my dad wrote down the vintage: Paunus Cesanese del Piglio – 2003, Lazzio, Italy. It was really, really good.
But wait! There’s more. After our fish course, and some time for digestion, arrived a plate of three cheeses: a soft goat’s blue, relatively mild but still tasty; a Romano surpassing any I’ve ever had before; and a soft-in-texture-but-not-flavor sheep’s cheese, which had a powerful aroma and beginning, but mellowed beautifully in the back of the mouth. There was more fantastic wine here, too.
Finally came dessert. My mom had a selection of sorbets, the highlight of which was nectarine. My dad had baklava gelato – topped with philo and crumbled pistachios, it was absolutely divine. For reasons of personal pride, I would like to say that my dessert, the home-made donuts with chocolate mousse, was the best, but to be fair, the gelato’s competition was fierce. I have to call this one a tie or, in more sensible terms, an “always go with someone who will order the other so you can have both.”
At the end of these many courses, spanning more than two and a half hours, we all agreed that we were full. Not stuffed: just full. And very, very happy. The house-made orange lollipops that came with the cheque were saved for later (I had mine the next day, and it was quite yummy), and we all agreed that Komi had easily lived up to the hype. This is easily my new favorite place in DC.
It’s not cheap – the dinner was $64 and the wine pairing $40, but for the amount and quality of the food, it’s no at all overpriced.