On 14th St, just steps away from U St, you probably won’t see Jônt right away. Its unassuming sign will not jump out at you, but when you step inside and go through the nearly 30 dishes on the tasting menu, it becomes apparent that this is a one-of-a-kind experience in the heart of DC.

This was our experience at the two Michelin Star restaurant. When you walk into the restaurant, it is elegant, and the small number of seats at the tasting counter creates an intimate feeling. The next thing you will notice is the music. With a mix of Nelly, Drake, and others, it may not feel like the vibe of this quality of restaurant; however, I think it creates a more fun and relaxed atmosphere and reduces the stuffiness that can sometimes come from a Michelin Star restaurant. We were shown to our seats, and soon the dishes started flowing.

The night began with a selection of small bites. Some of them included a doughnut with foie gras and fuyu persimmon, lamb neck and lacto carrot in a steamed bun, and a sakuramasu and gamtae seaweed croustade. Each bite was extremely unique and complex. My favorite was the lamb neck and lacto carrot steamed bun because bao buns are one of my favorite foods, and it reminded me a bit of that.

Six dishes came out one by one that were light and refreshing before the heartier ones. One highlight was the bafun uni with English pea, chawanmushi, kombu, and soy milk, which was well balanced, and the creaminess of the uni was great. Another was the kinki with cancalaise, sake lees, and winter citrus. The crispy skin of the kinki elevated this dish for me and added a nice texture. Finally, there was the Koshiibuki rice with Niigata king crab, maitake, and truffle. The chef added so much truffle that we could not see the rest of the dish below it. You can’t beat that!

The main courses were very good and featured amazing ingredients. First up was the A5 Wagyu with broccoli, sunchoke, and coffee brown butter. The dish featured two cuts of wagyu, and both had a melt-in-your-mouth/buttery texture. The broccoli added a nice freshness to the dish. The final savory course was dry-aged barbary duck breast accompanied by a sauce à la royale leg & thigh dumpling with a “Fujisan bread” bone & buckwheat broth. This was some of the most unique duck I have had with its intense dry-aged flavor along with the leg/thigh dumpling. It was a great ending to the savory courses.

Another unique aspect of Jônt is that you were moved from the counter to the bar area for dessert. These dishes were a great ending to the night and featured “Tasting of Strawberry,” which had different strawberry-infused delights. My favorite was the lemonade bomb, which is exactly how it sounds: a little ball that exploded in your mouth with strawberry lemonade. The flashiest dessert was the murasaki sweet potato, dulce ganache, and white miso, which looked like a bird’s nest and was packed with caramel flavor. Finally, various chocolates came in a wooden box with different compartments that rounded out the night.

This meal was amazing. The ingredients were fantastic, and the techniques used for each dish were very well done. It was an extremely unique experience, and I highly recommend it for your next special occasion. Check out some photos of the evening in the Restaurant Gallery section.