Local Chef Johnny Monis has been best known for Komi, his 17th Street NW Mediterranean restaurant that for years topped everyone’s list for the city’s best eating experience. But now he’s getting rave reviews for Little Serow, the Northern Thai eatery that occupies the basement space below Komi.

Among those reviewers is GQ‘s Alan Richman, who in the magazine’s March issue ranks Litter Serow as the country’s most outstanding restaurant for all of 2012. Despite being critical of the wait and decor, Richman was won over as any critic should—by the food. He writes:

Little Serow is transformational. The preparations are exquisitely focused. The spicing ascends and then descends, as harmoniously as musical scales. This was my finest eating experience of 2012.

Last August Bon Appétit included Little Serow on its list of the country’s top 50 restaurants.