Jônt, Washington D.C., 11/21/21

exterior

Jônt is located on the upper floor of Bresca and has a counter for just 14 persons and offers a surprise tasting menu only.  They have 2 seatings each evening and are closed on Mon and Tues.  Chef Ryan Ratino recently received his second Michelin star for the place that opened in Sept. of 2020 and is trying to take the diner on a culinary journey (Jônt).  Where Bresca and the small stairway up are dimly lit the tasting counter room is bright with a light concrete counter and lots of stainless steel in the kitchen.  Music is in the background and minimal art is on the walls but the place has lots of staff.  They offer levels of wine pairings for the meal and had to email the menu to me as it is not printed to give out. They also offered a white truffle option for a $300 upcharge (which we passed on).

downstairs
sign on the way
Frankie and a ‘Michelin’ door hook played
interior
interior
interior
another Michelin guy
champagne greeting
wine
wine
Frankie liked the thin water glass

 

The tasting started with a tart filled with Hokkaido salmon, their roe and  beets.  The crust was made with rye.  The Japanese salmon was very good and the shell ultra thin and crisp.  It was good.

Hokkaido Salmon
closer

 

The next tart was filled with beef tartare with dashi and topped with malosol caviar.  Another very thin shell was stuffed with yummy things.  Very good.

Beef tartare
from the side

 

A potato pancake was topped with dry-aged dairy cow and smoked onion marmalade.  This one had a soft bottom that made it gooier which contrasted with the fried crisp onion strings.  It was another really good bite.

Dry-aged dairy cow
closer
Frankie found a fresh flower

 

A foie gras doughnut was glazed with miso and filled with concord grape jelly.  I love donuts and foie gras and this one didn’t disappoint.  It was great.

Foie gras doughnut
inside

 

A pause for a wipe on a labeled moist towel.

moist towel to clean up
kitchen plating the next

 

Grilled Akashi uni, buttermilk and herbs were with red sea bream.  The fish was lightly cooked and the skin was crisped perfectly and decorated with a strip of scallion.  The lovely Japanese uni was great with the herby sauce and all ingredients blended together to make an even better whole than the individual wonderful parts.

Grilled Akashi uni and sea bream
closer
Frankie spotted Michelin friends

 

Bluefin tuna was topped with reserve caviar and badgerflame beet in a  vadouvan curry sauce.  The amazing sauce  was lovely with the nice fish and delicious caviar.  Perfectly cooked, assembled and coordinated, it was another really good one.

Bluefin Tuna
closer
turned

 

Dungeness Crab was with koshiibuki rice, truffle and cultured butter.  Maitake mushroom was mixed with the rice cooked in a special pot and some crab butter then topped with Burgundy (black winter) truffle.  This is a new item on the menu.  The rice mixture was excellent but the truffle had limited fragrance and taste, even though freshly sliced.  No matter, another good one.

grating truffles
Dungeness Crab, rice and truffle
Frankie sniffed
white truffle

 

Preserved sun gold tomato and raspberry was with lemon verbena and herbs.  A bit of jelly added a sweet contrast to the acidic tomato.  It was a dish of wonderful contrasts resulting in a great combination.

pressing liquid
Tomato and Raspberry
little closer

 

Kagoshima A5 Wagyu cap meat was with black truffle purée and matsutake.   The beef butter meat was lovely with the sticky thick sauce and salty truffle butter.  Everything else on the plate just served as a decoration to the fabulous beef.

Kagoshima A5 Wagyu
closer

 

Pâte de Fruit was made with roasted pineapple and espelette pepper.  This was an amazing flavor explosion in the mouth of sweet and tart flavors.

Pâte de Fruit
closer
Frankie played with corks

 

The next course had several parts – La Belle Farms Barbarie Duck with sauce a la royale, duck sausage with mustard and Asian pear and bone and buckwheat broth.  The duck was dry aged for 21 days and the sauce was made on a press that produced something wonderfully flavored.  The duck was tender and cooked a nice medium rare.   Japanese milk bread was a roll to nicely pair with everything.  The duck leg was made into a smoked sausage served with delicious pear slices and mustard.  It was wonderful.  The broth was more meat flavored with the buckwheat not the dominant flavor.  It was a great course filled with  fun combinations of intense flavors.

La Belle Farms Barbarie Duck
duck closer
Japanese milk bread
Duck sausage, mustard, Asian pear
another angle
Bone and buckwheat broth
another clean up
Frankie found towels with the name

 

Next we had to move rooms and be re-seated in the lounge area.  This is brilliant as it allows the staff to clean up without guest having to watch and then prepare for the next seating. The first dessert went back the ‘tart’ beginnings.  Banana tart with caramel and benne miso was on a crisp shell.  It was sweet and nice.

Banana Tart
inside

 

Amazake Kakigori was with milk and citrus.  Some marshmallow and fermented rice combined with kumquat for a great pile of fun.  It was ground through the machine pictured below.

Amazake Kakigori – milk and citrus
underneath

 

Dark chocolate and Matcha “Forest” was made with a matcha ‘grass’, meringue ‘mushroom’ and a chocolate log filled with ice cream.  The matcha was crispy and alongside was a cup of matcha tea that was to be sipped alternately with the solids.  Lots of textures here and plenty of sweet.  A good dessert.

Chocolate and Matcha “Forest”
closer
inside
matcha drink
Frankie found 2 faces

 

The Box comes to each table and is filled with treats in every drawer.   There was yuzu, chocolate and pistachio flavors in one drawer and another held bonbons of raspberry & marshmallow, strawberry & hazelnut and passion fruit & coffee.  Some madeleines in the top drawer finished the treat-fest.   They varied in goodness but there was certainly something for everyone.

The Box
one drawer
Madeleines
another  drawer
inside pistachio
coffee bonbon inside
marshmallow bonbon inside
inside strawberry

 

Frankie wondered why the Michelin man didn’t have a cat

 

 

 

 

2 thoughts on “Jônt, Washington D.C., 11/21/21

    1. Lol! If you’re still in Key West try and get a reservation at Lola’s. It’s byob and cash only but really great food. It’s small and chef is cooking in the room. The table beside us got in by being on a standby list.

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