Dish of the Week: Mascarpone-stuffed dates with sea salt
Where: Komi

Congratulations to Komi, which received a fourth star in the 2008 Washington Post Dining Guide. A definite splurge for most diners, most visitors to Komi find themselves wowed by the clean, simple flavors of the dishes and great technique. More than just fine dining, it is a place to take pleasure in really good, simple things.

One of Komi’s signature dishes is the mascarpone-stuffed dates sprinkled with sea salt. It is a simple recipe in practice, but as was pointed out by Todd Kliman in his chog this week, is complicated in execution. The dates need to spend just the right amount of time in the oven to get the perfect point of caramelization without burning.

For those who want to try and sample the luxury without the dough (a.k.a. those paying attention to all the screaming newspaper headlines that make you want to buy gold coins and stuff them under your mattress), you can try out Eat DC’s recipe, which she admits isn’t quite the same. It just verifies the fact that Komi deserves its place at the top of the local list, joining CityZen, Restaurant Eve, and the Inn at Little Washington.

As for the rest of the Guide, it was a surprising list. Some notables have lost stars (Citronelle) or dropped off the list completely (Vidalia). A chain restaurant, Nando’s Peri Peri, found its way on to the list with its admittedly delicious grilled chicken. Equally surprising is Tom Sietsema’s continued love affair with Jaleo, to which he awarded three stars, making it equal to Proof. Great Wall Szechuan House seemed to be a token cheap eats in D.C. pick, especially in the face of the great Szechuan fare at Hong Kong Palace in Falls Church. Et Voila was a Belgian shocker at 2.5 stars – a recent visit included Sysco-like frozen fries and a mediocre steak in a cheap red wine sauce.

As usual, the Guide seems a little detached from reality, especially in these trying times. Sietsema writes in his introduction, “We’ve consolidated all the basic information you want about every restaurant — location, type of cuisine, star ratings and the page number of the review — into one index.” Excuse us, but what about prices? Now, more than ever, it is important to talk about price, not just value. And giving a nod to the economy in your introduction is not enough. We want a cheap eats guide, and fast.

Photo by EssG