Chef Geoff Opens Restaurant Not Named After Himself
If the crowds at the two editions of Chef Geoff's are any indication, namesake owner/chef Geoff Tracy knows how to make elegant but simple and tasty food accessible to people who want to eat well without getting attitude. So when we visited LIA’S -- Tracy's new Chevy Chase restaurant -- we expected nothing less, even if it was the restaurant's first day of business.
Although LIA'S (yes, it's all caps) is Tracy's third foray into the D.C. area restaurant scene, it's technically his first restaurant in the ‘burbs. It’s just north of the District line on Willard Avenue off of upper Wisconsin Avenue and across from Hecht’s-Macy’s. Tracy -- who's married to beautiful MSNBC Chief Washington Correspondent Norah O'Donnell -- had hoped to open LIA'S this spring, but inevitable delays caused him to hold off until yesterday.
The verdict? It’s amazing what a sweet and nervous waiter who winks like he’s on a first date can do to smooth over tiny service hiccups on the first day a restaurant opens to the public. And the food was terrific, which helps too.
We started with a nice glass of prosecco and settled down to peruse the lunch menu -- and spy on the crowd: mostly male, mid-30s and 40s, sporting blue oxford shirts, BlackBerries on their belt holsters. They ordered sandwiches and fries and discussed Internet hackers and title insurance.
The aforementioned waiter informed us they did not have the arugula alad with pecorino, lemon and "EVOO" (evil Rachael Ray, take note of your favorite acronym on the menu here), so we ordered the spinach salad instead. It was surprisingly light and sweet, thanks to roasted red peppers and a not overpowering dusting of crumbly, dry feta. Alas, they forgot the pine nuts. The waiter apologized and winked. The bubbles were starting to kick in.
We were happy to be surrounded by the warm glow of light cherry wood and antique pewter-colored tin ceilings with bare glowing filament light bulbs hanging down from cords that somehow made the cavernous space cozy. The impressive-looking glass wall of wine bottles glistened in the distance, but hey, this was lunch, and besides, they offer a dozen wines by the glass, so we paced ourselves.
An entrée of summer fettuccine -- al dente noodles, sweet corn, tomatoes, arugula and mascarpone -- had the requisite creaminess one expects of fettuccine in a cheese sauce, but retained the necessary lightness required for food served when it is 85 degrees outside. Tarty summer tomatoes cut the sweetness of the corn and mascarpone, and the peppery arugula was wilted so as not to steal the show.
Our post-lunch espresso was hot and strong. We’ll have to go back for the raw bar, cheese and speck platters -- and the salami and tomato pizzas. And we’re anxious to try the crispy risotto balls, but we have one question: do people really order gnocchi as an appetizer?
LIA’S
4435 Willard Avenue
Chevy Chase, Md.
(240) 223-LIAS