Komi (restaurant)

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Komi
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Komi - Washington, D.C..JPG
Komi (restaurant)
Restaurant information
ChefJohnny Monis
CityWashington D.C.
CountryUnited States

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. [1] It opened in 2003, serving wood-fired pizzas and an à la carte menu of soups, salads, and entrees for lunch and dinner. [2]

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. [3] This new incarnation of Komi earned rave reviews, landing the No.1 spot on Washingtonian Magazine's Best Restaurants in DC in 2009. [4] It held this top spot through 2012, as it became one of the most acclaimed restaurants in the city. [5]

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama dined at Komi in May 2010. [6]

Komi earned a Michelin star in the 2018 Michelin Guide for Washington, DC. [7] In his 2018 Fall Dining Guide, Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema named Komi to his ten-restaurant Hall of Fame. [8]

By September, 2022, Komi had lost their Michelin star and "morphed into Happy Gyro, a… Greek deli-style takeout." [9]

Chef Johnny Monis

Johnny Monis was born and raised in Arlington, Virginia, where his family owned La Casa Pizzeria. [10] 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. [5]

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. [10] He did not finish culinary school, however, because he believed he was learning more by working at McCrady's Restaurant. [5]

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. [10] In 2003, Monis quit to open his own restaurant, Komi. [5]

In April 2007, Food & Wine magazine named Monis one of the F&W 2007 Best New Chefs. [11] In 2013, Monis won a James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic. [12]

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. [13]

Awards

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Sietsema, Tom (October 10, 2018). "Komi's wonders never cease". Washington Post Magazine.
  2. ↑ Sietsema, Tom (January 11, 2004). "A Young Man's Game". The Washington Post.
  3. ↑ Kliman, Todd (September 24, 2008). "Komi". Washingtonian Magazine.
  4. 1 2 Kliman, Todd (February 19, 2009). "100 Best Restaurants 2009: Komi". Washingtonian Magazine.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Harris, Shane (September 5, 2012). "Chef Johnny Monis: Komi's Backstage Artist". Washingtonian Magazine.
  6. ↑ Hennessey, Kathleen (July 6, 2010). "A table and stage for the Obamas" . Los Angeles Times.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. ↑ Sietsema, Tom (October 11, 2018). "2018 Fall Dining Guide". Washington Post Magazine.
  9. ↑ Spiegel, Anna. "Little Serow Has Temporarily Closed in Dupont Circle". Washingtonian. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  10. 1 2 3 Hammer, Ben (May 24, 2004). "Here's Johnny!" . American City Business Journals .
  11. 1 2 "Food & Wine Magazine Names 19th Annual Best New Chefs". Food & Wine Magazine. April 4, 2007.
  12. ↑ Alex Baldinger; Tim Carman (May 6, 2013). "Johnny Monis wins James Beard Award". The Washington Post.
  13. ↑ Knowlton, Andrew (August 14, 2012). "Little Serow Is the 7th-Best New Restaurant in America 2012". Bon Appétit.
  14. ↑ "Complete List of 2013 JBF Award Winners". James Beard Foundation. May 6, 2013.
  15. ↑ "Komi - a MICHELIN Guide Restaurant in Washington DC". MICHELIN Guide. Archived from the original on 5 December 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.

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