Komi (restaurant)

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Komi
Komi handwritten gold logo.png
Komi - Washington, D.C..JPG
Komi (restaurant)
Restaurant information
Established2003 (2003)
Closed2021 (2021)
OwnerJohnny Monis
ChefJohnny Monis
Food type Mediterranean
Dress codeCasual
RatingClosed [1]
Location1509 17th Street NW, Washington D.C., 20036, United States
Coordinates 38°54′36″N77°02′18″W / 38.9101°N 77.0382°W / 38.9101; -77.0382
Seating capacity55

Komi was a restaurant in Washington, D.C. operated by Chef Johnny Monis, serving Italian cuisine and Greek cuisine.

Contents

Komi was located at 1509 17th St. NW in Washington, D.C. [2] It opened in 2003, serving wood-fired pizzas and an à la carte menu of soups, salads, and entrees for lunch and dinner. [3]

In the winter of 2006, Chef Monis shut down the restaurant for two weeks, removing a majority of the tables and re-opening with a prix-fixe multi-course menu priced at $84, only available for dinner. [4] This new incarnation of Komi earned rave reviews, landing the No.1 spot on Washingtonian Magazine's Best Restaurants in DC in 2009. [5] It held this top spot through 2012, as it became one of the most acclaimed restaurants in the city. [6]

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama dined at Komi in May 2010. [7]

Komi earned a Michelin star in the 2018 Michelin Guide for Washington, DC. [8] In his 2018 Fall Dining Guide, Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema named Komi to his ten-restaurant Hall of Fame. [9]

By September, 2022, Komi had closed due to the pandemic and "morphed into Happy Gyro, a… Greek deli-style takeout." [10]

Chef Johnny Monis

Johnny Monis was born and raised in Arlington, Virginia, where his family owned La Casa Pizzeria. [11] His parents were born on the Greek island of Chios, and Komi is named for a taverna-lined beach on Chios where the family vacationed. [6]

Monis enrolled as a premed at James Madison University but dropped out to attend the College of the Culinary Arts at Johnson & Wales University in Charleston, South Carolina. [11] He did not finish culinary school, however, because he believed he was learning more by working at McCrady's Restaurant. [6]

In 2001, Monis was hired to work at the Washington, D.C. restaurant Chef Geoff's, where he was quickly promoted and was named the executive chef of a new Chef Geoff's location downtown. [11] In 2003, Monis quit to open his own restaurant, Komi. [6]

In April 2007, Food & Wine magazine named Monis one of the F&W 2007 Best New Chefs. [12] In 2013, Monis won a James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic. [13]

In 2011, Monis opened a separate restaurant on the floor below Komi, the Thai-inspired Little Serow, which was named one of the best new restaurants in America by Bon Appétit magazine. [14]

Awards

See also

References

  1. ↑ Hiatt, Gabe (September 13, 2019). "Komi Is Swapping Its Pricey Tasting Menu for Vegetarian Diner Riffs Again". Eater Washington, D.C. Archived from the original on December 25, 2024. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
  2. ↑ Sietsema, Tom (October 10, 2018). "Komi's wonders never cease". Washington Post Magazine.
  3. ↑ Sietsema, Tom (January 11, 2004). "A Young Man's Game". The Washington Post.
  4. ↑ Kliman, Todd (September 24, 2008). "Komi". Washingtonian Magazine.
  5. 1 2 Kliman, Todd (February 19, 2009). "100 Best Restaurants 2009: Komi". Washingtonian Magazine.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Harris, Shane (September 5, 2012). "Chef Johnny Monis: Komi's Backstage Artist". Washingtonian Magazine.
  7. ↑ Hennessey, Kathleen (July 6, 2010). "A table and stage for the Obamas" . Los Angeles Times.
  8. ↑ Judkis, Maura (October 17, 2017). "Komi, Métier join the Michelin star ranks, but no D.C. restaurants earn a coveted third star". The Washington Post.
  9. ↑ Sietsema, Tom (October 11, 2018). "2018 Fall Dining Guide". Washington Post Magazine.
  10. ↑ Spiegel, Anna. "Little Serow Has Temporarily Closed in Dupont Circle". Washingtonian. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  11. 1 2 3 Hammer, Ben (May 24, 2004). "Here's Johnny!" . American City Business Journals .
  12. 1 2 "Food & Wine Magazine Names 19th Annual Best New Chefs". Food & Wine Magazine. April 4, 2007.
  13. ↑ Alex Baldinger; Tim Carman (May 6, 2013). "Johnny Monis wins James Beard Award". The Washington Post.
  14. ↑ Knowlton, Andrew (August 14, 2012). "Little Serow Is the 7th-Best New Restaurant in America 2012". Bon Appétit.
  15. ↑ "Complete List of 2013 JBF Award Winners". James Beard Foundation. May 6, 2013. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Komi - a MICHELIN Guide Restaurant in Washington DC". MICHELIN Guide. Archived from the original on December 5, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
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