Happy Gyro

Happy Gyro is a month-long pop-up at Komi that offers a $60 prixe fix menu of seven-ish dishes, all made out of vegetables. One is a gyro, naturally, yet made with no meat. A $50 drink pairing is also available. Reservations are available until July 6, 2019. Closest Metro is Dupont Circle.

Keith scored reservations for us and we were seated right by the window, so with these later summer sunsets, we had plenty of glorious light for all the food porn to follow!  (P.S. We had dined at regular Komi years ago, and were scolded for attempting to take a picture, so it was an added surprise and pleasure to be able to freely document our eats on this night.)

First, we started with a taco bite - where the 'meat' was made of seasoned black walnuts, topped with American cheese and lettuce.  It was a fun and playful first bite, yet the least Greek dish of the night.

Next, we had another bite of croquettes made of beets served with a spicy aioli.  The beets were sweet and paired well with the sparkling cider.

One of my favorites of the night was the souvlaki made of thinly sliced mushrooms, topped with mustard seed and served with lemon aioli.  The grill flavor really came through to balance the meaty mushrooms.

Another favorite, and beautiful dish, was the Greek Salad of cucumber, tomatoes, onion on a bed of whipped feta, served with garlic rolls. The tomatoes were incredibly juicy and flavorful - kissed by the sun.  We happily wiped the bowl clean of all the feta with the soft rolls.  I would give this dish 5 stars alone, and it also paired perfectly with a glass of Riesling.

More seasonal vegetables were highlighted in the salad of Asparagus & Ramps with fried potatoes.

Summer Squash & Fried Haloumi were contrasted with dill yogurt sauce.  Another stunning dish with bright Mediterranean flavors that screamed summer.

Next, we shared a Sourdough Waffle topped with tzaziki, radish, and fava beans.  This dish was also very tasty and was paired with a sour beer.

Already full, we were then presented with the namesake - the Happy Gyro - filled with fried tofu skin, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, peppers, garlicky tzaziki all in a chewy grilled pita.  The tofu had the chewy texture, but did not fool Keith.  Nonetheless, he ate the whole thing plus part of mine and we were very satisfied.  This paired with a pet-nat that had a lovely peach color.

Lastly, we cooled off with strawberry ice cream topped with fresh strawberry compote and graham cracker crumbles.  It was delightful!

All in all we had a lovely vegetarian meal at this pop-up.  It was super fun and a great way to highlight seasonal fare in an elevated way.


Total Rating: 4.38
Food: 5, Price: 3, Service: 4.5, Ambience: 3.5, Accessibility: 4.5