DLB Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 Johnny`s cooking + Derek`s hospitality = Awesome Restaurant Anything new and interesting at Komi for summer? We are headed here this weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 Scott and I had a great time there a couple of weeks ago. Highlights were the fava agnolotti with curry emulsion, paired with a Gewurtz, and the cauliflower/sea urchin (?) thing in the shot glass, the delicious kid, and the cheese course. It was great to see Derek, the service was delightful, and we appreciated the chance to chat with Johnny Monis after dinner. We're already planning to go back in September to celebrate our anniversary. I will warn you that drinking too much during the mezze will make you order expensive wine with the mains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Rymarz Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 Interesting video of Johnny Monis. http://video.foodandwine.com/?fr_story=65e...&rf=sitemap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DLB Posted July 22, 2007 Share Posted July 22, 2007 I can't say enough about Komi, I really do think it's the best restaurant for fine dinning! We had a wonderful meal last night. I won't go into too many details, however, the food was great and usual, and the wine parings were spot on. I always thought that wine service was Komi's only weak spot; that has now been corrected. I thought they were a lot of really playful and creative dishes served last night, but the Greek Salad gRANITA was very interesting. It was served as a palate cleanser, with each each ingredient that you would find in a Greek Salad, as its own granita, including balsamic vinagar and feta cheese. When you mixed them all together, it was like eating a frozen Greek Salad. Outstanding meal and service all around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 We had a lovely anniversary dinner at Komi last night (regular tasting menu). I think there were 8 mezzathalakia. (I lost count ) The stuffed date is a perennial winner there, no matter how wonderful and cleverly composed everything else is. I loved the combination of flavor and textures from the start of the meal to the finish. One of the very early mezzes sticks with me: the buttered breakfast radish topped with roe. That particular tiny bite encapsulated the whole experience for me. I also loved the tiny sliver of hammerjack with chives and sea salt. It was ethereal and looked almost liquid on the plate. The gyro was also excellent with the tzatziki inside, and the skewer that started with watermelon on the bottom ended with the corn ball with feta at the top. The whole course was a delightful parade of bites. We wanted to order different items for the remainder so we could get bites of each, but we found that we wanted the same things. For the pasta my husband had the pappardelle with goat ragu, which also sounded great to me, but I opted for an upcharge and the corn ravioli with langoustine (and something else?). The meat of the langoustine was incredibly sweet. It almost took my breath away. For the meat, my husband got the bavette, which i got a couple of delicious bites of, and I got the pork confit trio. I can only recall two parts of it: the compressed cake of pork and duck and the moussaka with black truffles. For the dessert, my husband loved the flourless chocolate cake with olive oil gelato, which was recommended by the server. I had the coconut panna cotta with apricot and I (think) basil. I loved the panna cotta and the apricot (sorbet?), but this was probably the only preparation of the evening I didn't quite "get." There seemed to be too much going on flavor and texture-wise, and it didn't pull together for me the way everything else did. The service was--I guess it goes without saying--excellent throughout. Our primary server was delightful and very helpful. She helped us pick wines by the glass. I had chardonnay for the first two courses, and a lighter red that I completely forget, for the remainder of the meal. She recommended a blend (possibly a cab-merlot?) for my husband's main course that he seemed quite pleased with. Re-reading upthread, I see that others are smart enough not to try to recount their meals in detail. So much of the experience is the experience, so it doesn't really convey, I guess. I'm enjoying trying to recreate it, though . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Rymarz Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 Pat, Sounds like it was a fantastic dinner and happy anniversary. I am racking up to many miles on the family car lately on food journeys, so with a rental reserved for a midnight pick up and hotel booked I'll be Komi bound at about 2am. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CajunJason Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 I had my first experience at Komi last week, also for a special occasion. I too ordered the corn raviolli with langoustine and black truffles. Umm... yea, wow. Derek was wonderful as well, and it was quite possibly the best meal I've ever had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ulysses Posted September 10, 2007 Share Posted September 10, 2007 Wooooooooohoooooooooooooo!They certainly know how to recognize the talent... And the hits keep on comin'. This months Wine & Spirits magazine named Derek as one of Americas best new sommeliers. He's ranked up there with the heavy hitters from Jean Georges and Per Se(previously). Congratulations Derek. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wine Guy 23 Posted September 13, 2007 Share Posted September 13, 2007 And the hits keep on comin'. This months Wine & Spirits magazine named Derek as one of Americas best new sommeliers. He's ranked up there with the heavy hitters from Jean Georges and Per Se(previously). Congratulations Derek. the name from J-G is great, but got to give high regards to Fernando at NoMi, and Jesse from midwest, and west. great talent there too. but as well, props to derek for the award. modesty, and smiles, with research go a long way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Horoscope Posted September 23, 2007 Share Posted September 23, 2007 We went for the first time last night. I hope we can go again soon for a special occasion! Some of the wonderful small dishes mentioned above by Pat were also on our list of small dishes last night, like the radish with butter and roe, and the amberjack with chives. We were also treated to the famous date filled with mascarpone and the gyro with goat meat. In addition we had a sweet roasted green pepper from the north of Spain (shaped like okra) with a cup of pumpkin soup with pine nuts; a roasted fig with orange mint and a tiny fritter on top; and octopus with avocado and a quail egg on lentils. The quail egg was a surprise. Wow! If you have never been to Komi before, you can expect the small dishes to take about an hour. We opted for the pre-selected 3 wines and were very pleased. The sommelier was so enthusiastic. I wish I had a better memory for what we had, but I remember that my wife had a dry German Reisling with her small dishes and I had a sparkling wine made with grapes from Greece. Her second wine, with the pasta, was a Greek Chardonay that was aged in oak barrels, whereas mine was not oaky and had a much different flavor (that's probably obvious to those of you who know your wine, but it was news to me!). Our last wine with the main course was an Italian Santa Barbara Chardonay. My wife's pasta course was a corn-based ravioli with a scallop. Mine was heirloom tomato risotto with shitake mushroom and quail egg on top. That may have been my favorite dish of the evening, along with the octopus I mentioned before. For our main course we split the Bronzini for two. (You remember your Godfather families? Tessio, Clemenza, Tataglia, Bronzini ) What a wonderful fish! It was baked in that salt dome thing, how you say? Very fresh! We were treated to a float of homemade Concord grape soda with ice cream. For my wife, the flourless chocolate cake with olive oil gelato that Pat mentioned above. For me, the Greek donut hole with chocolate mousse, and coffee. That was our dinner menu. We didn't opt for the degustation that has more courses. I sort of which we had so that we could have sampled the cheese plate. We were there a little over two hours, so we really didn't feel overwhelmed. The pacing was very well done. The service was excellent. Definitely now on our list of places to go on special occasions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Dente Posted September 24, 2007 Share Posted September 24, 2007 I always thought Rocks looked vaguely familiar. While flipping channels last night I came across an old sci-fi classic and realized where I had seen him before: The Time Machine-- Starring Don Rockwell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Slater Posted September 24, 2007 Share Posted September 24, 2007 I always thought Rocks looked vaguely familiar. While flipping channels last night I came across an old sci-fi classic and realized where I had seen him before:The Time Machine-- Starring Don Rockwell Rod Rockwell......hmmm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ol_ironstomach Posted September 25, 2007 Share Posted September 25, 2007 No way, man. I have it on good authority that Rocks looks, dresses, and is armed exactly like ->this<- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mktye Posted November 2, 2007 Share Posted November 2, 2007 My olive-oil-lady (nee cheese-lady) sister and her husband were visiting from California and they are big into Mediterranean food, so the choice of places to take them to eat was pretty obvious -- we braved the high-heeled racing crowds last Tuesday to have a marvelous dinner at Komi. Opting for the degustazione menu was also an easy choice and one that was not regretted. I've been to Komi a number of times and it still somehow manages to exceed my very-lofty expectations every time we go. Everything was wonderful with the highest of the highlights being the gnocchi. They were in a spinach sauce, topped with a Greek yogurt sauce and Osetra caviar. The accompanying sauces were excellent, but the gnocchi themselves were perfection and stole the show. Really. Absolutely faultless in taste and texture. If you go to Komi and see a gnocchi dish on the menu, order it! Other standouts were: the initial mezzethakia, a radish topped with sweet butter and trout roe that was simple but delicious and a great way to start the meal; a crab salad mezzethakia with just the right amount of lemon and acidity; and the other pasta course dish that contained an earthy trio of eggplant, snails and rabbit (my sister had previously never had snails she considered worth eating). Of course, all the other dishes (including the perennial favorites -- the stuffed dates, octopus, foie gras balls, gyros and roasted goat), the well-composed cheese course, the desserts (donuts and pumpkin ice cream!) and the wines Derek recommended were exceptional. Not a mis-step the entire night. Lastly, a special shout-out to our server, Sean, and to Derek for answering all of our zillions of questions and being such sweethearts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jparrott Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 I have seen the future. And it tastes great. Risotto of sea cucumber and razor clam, with a side of raw geoduck, and a bit of seaweed pesto. The single best thing Johnny M. has put in front of me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanCole42 Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 After almost two years on these boards, I finally met Don Rockwell in person. WOW! Not what I was expecting. What I WAS expecting what THIS: What I GOT was THIS: This thread should be called DonRocks is a RockStar / International SuperSpy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halloween Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 Well. I don't know to say. Thanks to everyone at Komi, and thanks to Meaghan for making my first visit to Komi since Damon died so fun and memorable. Meaghan, please tell everyone about our meal and Derek's amazing wine magic. They were amazing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenlover Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 We dined at Komi last night. The mezze course was quite an experience. I am not going to try to recount all the courses. Highlights for me were a lobster salad with heart of palm and hazelnut and a mini ice cream cone made up of wagyu tartare with some kind of foam on top. The other highlight was my pasta course: tagliatelle with snails, sweetbreads and mushrooms. Service and wines were very good, especially an Austrian varietal whose name I can't remember. I am probably in the minority here, but at the end of the day I don't think the meal justified the check. I have no complaints; everything we had was very good to excellent. Call it heightened expectations. For this type of check I expect an epiphany (aka 'holy shit moment') and although it was a great meal, I didn't really have an epiphany. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youngfood Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Is the spit-roasted katsikaki a must try dish? We're going to celebrate her birthday on Friday and I was excited to try some goat, but the online menu suggests it's only available for two and we generally prefer to order different items and share so that we get to taste more things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jparrott Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Is the spit-roasted katsikaki a must try dish? Yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Is the spit-roasted katsikaki a must try dish? We're going to celebrate her birthday on Friday and I was excited to try some goat, but the online menu suggests it's only available for two and we generally prefer to order different items and share so that we get to taste more things.Scott and I usually do the same thing, but contented ourselves with different pastas for variety before feasting on the goat. We weren't sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youngfood Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Yes. Scott and I usually do the same thing, but contented ourselves with different pastas for variety before feasting on the goat. We weren't sorry. Thanks. We'll do the same! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenlover Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Is the spit-roasted katsikaki a must try dish? We're going to celebrate her birthday on Friday and I was excited to try some goat, but the online menu suggests it's only available for two and we generally prefer to order different items and share so that we get to taste more things. The goat didn't excite me as much as the mezze or pasta courses, which is not to say that it wasn't delicious. It was. The other entree options I can remember from Friday night were salt roasted fish and suckling pig. I was wavering between goat and pig. My plus one wanted the goat, so that's what we had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisa7 Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 Is the spit-roasted katsikaki a must try dish? We're going to celebrate her birthday on Friday and I was excited to try some goat, but the online menu suggests it's only available for two and we generally prefer to order different items and share so that we get to taste more things. We were told by friends we had to try the sea bream and I am so glad I took their advice. It is also a dish for two, and was fantastic. We saw many people around us eating the goat and were glad to have a light main dish after so many small plates and a pasta course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbogrrl Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 As expected- Komi was wonderful last night. It was a slightly delayed birthday dinner, but very much worth the wait. The only damper on the evening was a table of four nearby, who inflicted a series of abuses on their wonderful server- most of the party arrived 25 minutes late, and then they ordered, and then *ten minutes later* two of them recalled that Oh, dear lord, they were Catholic, and thus couldn't eat meat- it was Lent! And Friday! Even so, accommodations were made, and still they complained about everything, and then- they left, abruptly, in the middle of the meal. I guess, mostly, this is a question out to the gruppe- what does one do? It feels wrong to just sit by quietly, which in the end is basically what I did. I tried to catch the servers eye, and smile, and if they had come over to my table I *would* have broken my silence and told them what I thought: that they had done everything right, and sometimes people just suck. But they were trying to go on with their job, and I really didn't want to break their composure after they managed to keep their head up and smiling despite the stresses. But man, do some customers suck. That said- Thank you, to everyone at Komi, for such a good evening. I hope to be back soon. (Who knew that I liked radishes?!) _turbogrrl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojoman Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 As expected- Komi was wonderful last night. It was a slightly delayed birthday dinner, but very much worth the wait. The only damper on the evening was a table of four nearby, who inflicted a series of abuses on their wonderful server- most of the party arrived 25 minutes late, and then they ordered, and then *ten minutes later* two of them recalled that Oh, dear lord, they were Catholic, and thus couldn't eat meat- it was Lent! And Friday! Even so, accommodations were made, and still they complained about everything, and then- they left, abruptly, in the middle of the meal. I guess, mostly, this is a question out to the gruppe- what does one do? It feels wrong to just sit by quietly, which in the end is basically what I did. I tried to catch the servers eye, and smile, and if they had come over to my table I *would* have broken my silence and told them what I thought: that they had done everything right, and sometimes people just suck. But they were trying to go on with their job, and I really didn't want to break their composure after they managed to keep their head up and smiling despite the stresses. But man, do some customers suck. That said- Thank you, to everyone at Komi, for such a good evening. I hope to be back soon. (Who knew that I liked radishes?!) _turbogrrl We love, love, love Komi too. And we have always had great service there so I totally believe that they handled these a$$holes well. Regarding the incident you witnessed, FWIW, I don't think trying to raise the spirits of the servers following some jerkwad customer behavior is your job. I only think you should communicate with your server about your experience with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chef4cook Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 We love, love, love Komi too. And we have always had great service there so I totally believe that they handled these a$$holes well. Regarding the incident you witnessed, FWIW, I don't think trying to raise the spirits of the servers following some jerkwad customer behavior is your job. I only think you should communicate with your server about your experience with them. I have to agree with 'mojoman' and will also say that by injecting your personal feelings at that time would only serve to fuel an already nasty situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbogrrl Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 I have to agree with 'mojoman' and will also say that by injecting your personal feelings at that time would only serve to fuel an already nasty situation. To be clear, I wasn't referring to injecting my personal feelings while the party was still there; that clearly wouldn't have done anything to improve the situation. I was referring to after the abrupt departure, when their server looked a bit shell-shocked, but was carrying on with the job. Clearly, the best solution is to go back and be a happy customer as soon as possible, and bring more people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisa7 Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 How often does the menu at Komi change? We were there for the first time in January and fell in love. We would like to go back this summer, but only if it is a different menu, especially the small bites. From what I read they are serving the same bites now as we had in January. Do these change? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synaesthesia Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 Anyone who thinks that three hours at Komi is like being held prisoner needs a readjustment or some new friends. I took my aunt, uncle and cousin out for dinner tonight, and we managed to stretch our meal out for four hours. We had fun - enjoying the excitement of wondering what was going to come out next. I could see how it would be arduous if you weren't kept afloat by conversation aside from discussing the food that was in front of you or if your companions were boring. But anyway, the meal was fantastic. Everything was superb and felt very different from what I've had at other restaurants. I think the extreme variety made me much more excited about the food, and I felt somewhat refreshed as it's very different from what I've been eating of late. The highlights - pretty much all the crudo (so fresh and crisp tasting!), the suckling pig was melt in your mouth delicious with an amazingly crisp skin, mango lassi-like drinks. I was surprised about the dates though. As much as everyone raves about them, I don't know if I understand them in comparison with the rest of the meal - except that they are very popular. Everything else had a ton of contrast in color, texture and in flavor. This seemed a bit flat with only sweetness and softness. It's not that they weren't good, but I don't think that they were anywhere as interesting as the other things we sampled. Nonetheless, we all walked away feeling very happy and fulfilled. We'd experienced a lot of food that was both interesting and delicious. And Derek poured us some really interesting stuff. Thanks to all the folks at Komi for taking such good care of us. I was really trying to make it a special thanks to my family, and it was! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synaesthesia Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 What I wouldn't give to have a Komi Grill like the old Galileo Grill and have goat or suckling pig sandwiches... esp. just a few short blocks away. <sigh> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpschust Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 Congrats to chef for his 2008 Beard Award nomination! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookGuy Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 I finally made it to Komi last night when a friend who claimed she wanted to pump money into the local economy treated me for my birthday. We ordered the tasting menu and three glasses of wine apiece and had a fine old time with the various tastes including what we were told was goat. One thing that really helps is not worrying about what is being served and just enjoy the various tastes. The service, both food and wine, was fantastic. It reminds me of my two favorite restaurants in Chicago, TRU and Charlie Trotter's, although slightly less expensive. I do appreciate that people don't have to dress up to eat there. It was a relaxed 2 1/2 hours of pleasure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpschust Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 I finally made it to Komi last night when a friend who claimed she wanted to pump money into the local economy treated me for my birthday. We ordered the tasting menu and three glasses of wine apiece and had a fine old time with the various tastes including what we were told was goat. One thing that really helps is not worrying about what is being served and just enjoy the various tastes. The service, both food and wine, was fantastic. It reminds me of my two favorite restaurants in Chicago, TRU and Charlie Trotter's, although slightly less expensive. I do appreciate that people don't have to dress up to eat there. It was a relaxed 2 1/2 hours of pleasure.only SLIGHTLY less expensive than TRU? It's like 1/4 of the price of TRU Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookGuy Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 only SLIGHTLY less expensive than TRU? It's like 1/4 of the price of TRU TRU's web site lists its tasting menu as $145. Komi's is $104. This is less than a 40 percent difference and not four humdred percent. One way that TRU and Trotter's differ is in the ambiance. They have plush decor and walls decorated with art. Komi is rather spare in the decor. I was trying to come with a similar experience and not match dollar for dollar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpschust Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 TRU's web site lists its tasting menu as $145. Komi's is $104. This is less than a 40 percent difference and not four humdred percent.One way that TRU and Trotter's differ is in the ambiance. They have plush decor and walls decorated with art. Komi is rather spare in the decor. I was trying to come with a similar experience and not match dollar for dollar. I know I was exaggerating, though last time we ate at Tru the final bill was about 3-4 times what we paid at Komi to do the full meal. The food and the experience is totally different, though both are incredible experiences in their own right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe H Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 I cannot believe that a restaurant on this level would close for a private event on a Saturday night? Is it me or is this sheer insanity? What possible event could justify a public Saturday evening closure in the Spring? I believe he is also nominated for a national Beard Rising Star award where many judges will only have the opportunity to eat his cooking while they are visiting D. C. Closing on a Saturday night during the "window" for Beard votes does not either help him or help the city who is honored when one of its restaurants or chefs receives national recognition. Perhaps, I'm over reacting but I do not understand the logic of a decision like this. Close your restaurant on a weeknight; keep it open to the public on weekends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ulysses Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 Definitely not insane. Restaurants generally make it expensive for private functions/buy outs, in fact most take into account the weekend diners and slap a 20 to 40% mark up for Fridays and Saturdays. We don't want to give up those nights, we want you in our places but sometimes(actually more in DC than almost anywhere else except maybe L.A.) an organization comes along and makes us an offer we can't refuse. And this doesn't mean we are selling out, it just means that we are doing business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe H Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 Name one single three or four star Washington Post restaurant that has closed for a private function on a Saturday night in the last six months? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waitman Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 I cannot believe that a restaurant on this level would close for a private event on a Saturday night? Is it me or is this sheer insanity? What possible event could justify a public Saturday evening closure in the Spring? Barrelfulls of unmarked bill, probably. Plus the advantage of not having to hear a bunch of cherry-blossomers whine about the size and weirdness of their courses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe H Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 Some of those Cherry Blossomers might be out of towners who have a vote for Beard; he's nominated for a national award which only leaves judges several weeks to visit the restaurants. Closing to the public on a Saturday night during one of a handful of available nights.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waitman Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 Some of those Cherry Blossomers might be out of towners who have a vote for Beard; he's nominated for a national award which only leaves judges several weeks to visit the restaurants. Closing to the public on a Saturday night during one of a handful of available nights....One of five available that week, right? One of 25 this month, right? Name one single three or four star Washington Post restaurant that has closed for a private function on a Saturday night in the last six months? And this is significant, why? For the record, CityZen was closed for Private function on a Friday night in December. Even the bar, dammit. I heard three Beard Association judges and Tom Sietsema yelling into cell phones about it in the lobby, but to no avail. Fortunately, since it was an event the regional sales reps of some car company (Nissan maybe?) I went home and changed into my best plaid blazer and was able to successfully crash. Not get a chance to bring an out-of-town guest? Miss your anniversary 20-course extravaganza? Dish...no one rants like this for nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferhat Yalcin Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 Joe H , I honestly think you have no reason/right to complain and attack the restaurant`s decision maker(in here it is Johnny) at all. Komi is not a government operated place. It is owned by an individual and operated by him. He can close anytime, open any day, serve anything he wants. For this reason if you dont like it which you dont have to, just dont go there and dont trash the decisions. when you open your own restaurant you can keep it open as much as you like. And Im sure nobody will complain when you decide to close for a private function. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty L. Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 Some of those Cherry Blossomers might be out of towners who have a vote for Beard; he's nominated for a national award which only leaves judges several weeks to visit the restaurants. Closing to the public on a Saturday night during one of a handful of available nights.... Joe, with all respect, I don't quite understand this. In the ordinary course, both "Cherry Blossomers" and the rest of the public would not be able to walk into Komi off the street and be served -- it is booked with reservations for every evening it is open, especially on weekends. OK, so in this case a single party -- presumably many, many weeks or months ago -- booked all the tables for one evening, rather than having those tables booked by three or four dozen distinct parties -- again, well in advance. In both cases, if you had called up for a reservation a week ago, you would have been told "Sorry, we're booked; can I interest you in a table for [first available date]?" What's the problem? The distinction? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmmboy Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 Name one single three or four star Washington Post restaurant that has closed for a private function on a Saturday night in the last six months? I can't speak to Washington, but in NYC I have been to Nobu, Montrachet, Tabla and 11 Madison Park for weekend buyout events, and in LA have been to Chinois and Spago for weekend buyout events. I see no difference between a weekend and a weekday. The restaurant, as Ulysses noted, charges a significant premium over their usual take to compensate for the good will hit from diners like Joe, but it certainly is an acceptable and widespread practice among even the finest restaurants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waitman Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 Actually I'm beginning to suspect that Monis suspects that the party tonight is a party of Beard judges in town for the Cherry Blossoms and posing as periodontists at their annual convention. It's not surprisng that they'd choose this week (Newseum opening, too) as it's a well-know fact that food and and an appreciation for other aesthetic delights goes together. Ask anyone on this board. My sources tell me that this years's Whitney Biennial is drawing packs of the same people who choose Food and Wine's Hot Chefs and the guys that do the "100 Things we Like" thing for the end-of year Saveur. A pack of paunchy middle-agers was spotted in front of that new Momofuko place, the one with only 12 seats, causing a near riot in Lower Manhatten last week, pounding on the kitchen entrance and demanding seats and exclusive interviews. I'm not saying that they were food journalists, but friends tell me that they smelt of Parker 98-point "garagiste" Bordeaux and and day-boat scallops. The entire town of Yountville -- including all three Keller restaurants -- was occupied by suspected West Coast Guide Micheline critics after a Bay Area theater festival last autumn (except for six Japanese tourists who were able to get a table on the less prestigious second floor of the French Laundry). And it's well known that during the eight days of the Nice Jazz Festival, you can't get a spoonful of Brandade de Morou without bumping elbows with someone from Gault-Millau. I think this Monis guy knows something we don't.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jparrott Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 Not to mention that if a Beard judge were to have wanted to come to Komi last night, he would have had to have booked some two weeks or more before the nominations were announced. But I guess my real question, Joe, is, why do you care? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdt Posted April 13, 2008 Author Share Posted April 13, 2008 Not to mention that if a Beard judge were to have wanted to come to Komi last night, he would have had to have booked some two weeks or more before the nominations were announced.But I guess my real question, Joe, is, why do you care? Two weeks? Try closer to a month. This rant really does not make much sense at all. I wonder if we would have seen this if it had been a certain other prominent chef? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antonio Burrell Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 I wonder if we would have seen this if it had been a certain other prominent chef? OUCH! Wicked burn... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtpleasanteater Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 I think its funny people are pouncing on this but the statement "Kincaid's serves fish as well as Le Benardin does" got no response. Edited to clarify that the statement about Kincaid's, while equally silly, is far worse than the statement about Komi because it could cause someone to waste their money, while this statement about Komi is built around the idea that a good restaurant is worth going to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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