Lia's
4435 Willard Avenue
Chevy Chase, MD 20815
(240) 223-5427
$10-$27
Grade: C-
For more than seven years, Chef Geoff's has been a fixture on the AU campus scene. Located just a block away from campus, the fare ranges from basic (cheeseburgers and stone pizza pies) to elegant (seared yellowfin tuna and rack of lamb with mint pesto). The restaurant has earned student approval.
With this impressive background, it seemed logical that Geoff's new dining establishment would follow in the footsteps of his eponymous first offering. Unfortunately, a recent visit to Lia's left much to be desired.
First the good: Nestled in posh Chevy Chase and not far from AU hangout Clyde's, Lia's offers an inviting atmosphere for the Bethesda elite. A contemporary fireplace greets visitors at the door and leads invitingly into a spacious bar area. Flat- screen televisions bracketed by wine bottle chandeliers hang over drinking customers. Large bay windows allow outsiders to glimpse the revelry inside.
In the main dining area, the walls are painted in a soft, sun-swept orange, reminiscent of a Tuscan villa when paired with the cream-colored floors. Running along the length of one wall, a contemporary wine rack contains hundreds of bottles while separating off private parties who reserved the back room.
On this particular evening, the back room was being occupied by a Washington bigwig with Secret Service in tow. For potential diners this proved problematic as seating space was limited and reservations carried little weight. This possibly could have been excused if the host staff had patiently explained the circumstances and apologized for the inconvenience. Instead, some diners were seated nearly half an hour after the scheduled reservations with little explanation as to why they were shut out for so long.
Lia's not only suffered from inattentive hosts, but also from underqualified waitstaff. One such server was confused about the meaning of duck confit, had to refer to the menu several times when questioned and spilled wine on the table multiple occasions while trying to pour. At Ruby Tuesday, this could be forgiven, but at a restaurant charging as much as $30 for some entr?es, this seemed unacceptable.
Speaking of the entr?es, several were lacking in flavor. The steak was a little undercooked and lacked seasoning. It was left unfinished. The aforementioned duck was very fatty and offered little meat. It was also pushed aside.
Lia's only really shined when it stuck to its Mediterranean roots. The seafood risotto was well cooked and offered sumptuous scallops sitting on a bed of spicy rice. An appetizer of gnocchi was also well received. Bits of prosciutto ham laced the creamy white sauce, while abundant spring onions offered a contrasting texture to the thick gnocchi pasta balls.
Despite these small successes, the experience at Lia's was mostly disappointing. From problems with staff to uninspired dishes, there was nothing at Lia's that warranted a return visit. With so many local choices offering cheaper international cuisine, Chef Geoff needs to address some of the problems with his new restaurant before its novelty wears off and it starts to suffer from its missteps.
