qryan

It is a small, narrow room with low lighting. It is not a "formal" restaurant, but most people are dressed nicely and one certainly would not feel out of place dressed up. To me, Komi seems to be as dressy as you want to make it. I

I'm going to Komi tomorrow night and was wondering if anyone had any advice on whether to go with the normal tasting or the Degustazione. I have been twice before, but not in 9 months and I am just wondering how the menu structure today (in terms of how many courses, etc.) relates to the one of old, and if the Degustazione still involves some choice. Also, anyone know if it's possible to order the Degustazione (if it is more food) without the wine pairing? Thanks! I'll definitely report back.

I have a Wednesday opentable dinner reservation for 2 at Corduroy (8:30) that I will not be able to make it to. Just thought I'd see if anyone wanted it before I cancel. Send me a PM if you want it.

I'll be having dinner in the Bistro Room tonight... anyone have any suggestions of dishes that have been good lately?

FWIW, I would strongly consider Eve's tasting room as well. With only one visit at each (2 at Citronelle), my ranking would probably be: 1. Eve / Citronelle 3. Maestro 4. CityZen

First dinner at Rasika last night. I found parts very impressive and parts not as much; overall I think it's a great concept and wish there were more progressive Indian restaurants, and I will definitely be back. The space is great and it's a fun bar with genuinely interesting cocktails and a very friendly and enthusiastic bartender. My girlfriend had the special drink last night, which was some sort of basil vodka with champaigne poured over a frozen strawberry core; really excellent. I had an infused woodford reserve bourbon, which was also nice. As for the food, the Calamari Balchao was a tasty spicy calamari appetizer was really good, with an appealing sauce, but the calamari was slightly overcooked. We split a Goa Shrimp Curry, which was outstanding, and the shrimp were top quality, although the sauce tasted a little like a super luxurious buffalo wing sauce. We also had the Chicken Green Masala, which I liked, but did not find terribly exciting. The chicken was a little overcooked, and the sauce was as interesting with the others we had. We also had the Dal Makhani, a lentil and onion side dish, which was almost perfect. The nan was exceptional. There were a few service annoyances, although not many. It was a packed night, and we were on time for an 8:30 reservation, were told our table would be ready within 5 minutes, but it was really 25 minutes. This doesn't bother us because we would rather wait than be rushed when we were eating, but it made us pay a little more attention to the service. Our waiter was very friendly, but would disappear for very long periods of time, and we had to ask him a few times to refill completely empty water glasses. Overall, probably my favorite Indian experience in the District, although I like Heritage India a lot too. Not as good as the best Indian I've had (e.g. Tamarind Bay in Cambridge, MA). It has the potential to be a great restaurant, though, and the food is almost there. The wine list was good, we had a nice Gewurtz, but maybe a little sparse on the low end for a restaurant like this. With a little more care, I would want to go more often. Right now, however, I might rather spend the same money elsewhere. I'll definitely give it another shot in the near future to see how the rest of the menu tastes.

Great to hear that it's getting booked up. This seems like the sort of restaurant that RW can do wonders for. I have an 8pm on Wednesday for RW, but I'll probably try to make it to Corduroy at least once more before then.

Just thought I'd say that I think it's TRAGIC that Corduroy isn't busier. Most people I talk to have never heard of it, and I've yet to see the dining room near full. Someone needs to start a campaign to get people through the doors, even though I like having it always available and always reasonably priced (for the food you get). Not much to add, but Corduroy has become the one restaurant in DC, more than any other, that I long to go back to the second I leave; with more time and money, I would be a twice-a-week regular. I've had better meals, but no other place has me coming back so consistently. I think it's the wine list or the brief simplicity of the menu. My three meals in the last month have been perfect, culminating in the softshell crabs for me last night, the scallops for my girlfriend, and the lobster carpaccio and blueberry tart. Nothing more to say except that I really want to go back soon and try the sunnyside farms chicken.

I just wanted to let everyone know that I canceled a minibar reservation for 2 on this Wednesday night at 6pm because I was called away on business. I know that they are completely booked until they close for the month of August, so if anyone has been meaning to go, call ASAP. They are also threatening to charge me for the cancellation if they don't fill the seats, so replacements would be nice for me too. Thanks

First time at Komi last night, and I usually try to reserve judgment on places until I've been a few times, but this was just extraordinary. Very low lighting, and I liked the sparse room. Very easy to talk, but not deafeningly quiet. I also liked that they, without asking, let us try wines by the glass and bottle before ordering them. I will be back soon, but here are my recollections, without taking notes or pictures. The crackers were great, but they came at a point when we could barely eat anymore. My gf and I went for the tasting menu, which had the following courses. Some descriptions may be off; there was a lot of wine and more food. I know people have described all these before, but hell, it was so good I want to relive it: 1. House cured olives: Good way to start the meal, and top-notch olives, even though I'm not a huge olive fan. 2. Roasted dates stuffed with Marscapone: Just extraordinary. Very simple, but possibly the best two bites of the meal. Very much a highlight. 3. Fresh mozzarella with white anchove, asparagus, etc: Also great; maybe the freshest cheese ever, and the anchove added a perfect taste of the sea. 4. Fried soft shell crabs with chick peas and cuttlefish: Possibly the most crab meat I've ever found in soft-shell crabs, and perfectly fried. The portion was HUGE for a tasting menu appetizer. My girlfriend doesn't like fried food and liked these. Given the later meals, maybe a little rich at this point at the meal, but it was a highlight as well. 5. Gyros, Pita stuffed with pork and tsadziki: Perfect execution of this dish, but we were already starting to get a little stuffed and we hadn't even hit the main courses. Very tasty, but probably the plainest and least impressive course so far. 6. Brioche with whipped salmon roe: Very good and small and suprisingly light. 7. Watermelon salad with feta and arrugula: So good that I could have used more (maybe instead of the Gyro), and I don't know why more restaurants don't do this. 8. Pasta Course: Me: Pappardelle with goat ragu; GF: Black macaronia with crab and hot peppers. We basically split these and both were great, but I don't know which one was better. I think I liked the pappardelle better objectively, but at this point in the meal I probablye prefered her macaronia, which was lighter and more refreshing. 9. Mains: Me: Roasted (or grilled?) lamb with eggplant napoleon (my description is off, as the wine was beginning to set in); GF: White tuna wrapped in speck. Both were great, but the white tuna was the clear winner. While the lamb was perfectly cooked, and a great cut, it was maybe a little boring compared to the perfectly cooked escolar and its accompaniments. I think the escolar was probably the highlight of the meal. 10. Three cheeses: no idea what they were, too full to think at this point 11. Desert: Three sorbets, including vanilla yogurt, rhubarb, and peach belini; we both thought the Rhubarb was the winner. Also a crespelle with lemon sorbet in the middle, which was great, but at this point we were more excited about the sorbets. 12. House-made lemon and salt lollipops.

Thanks for the recommendations; I'm eagerly awaiting the meal. I'll report back. Ryan

I'm going to Komi for the first time tomorrow night and I'm wondering how to maximize the experience. Is the tasting menu available on weeknights? (I've heard conflicting reports) And I've seen the escolar, suckling pig, and the tagliatelle with goat ragu zelously recommended here; any other suggestions or thoughts? Thanks!