I’ve been to Lia’s (A Chef Geoff restaurant) a bunch of times now, both because of its close proximity to my boyfriends house and because of their great Happy Hour specials. For the most part, I find the food at Lia’s to be over priced and mediocre. The entrees range from $15 to $30 and although the portions are substantial the quality of the food isn’t particularly amazing. But anything off the Happy Hour menu is fairly priced, especially the beer and burgers.
The decor at Lia’s reminds me of Macaroni Grill. The restaurant has low lighting and a cozy feel in the bar area and a very nice and cavernous feeling dining room that is almost always empty.
The staff is polite and friendly. The waiters aren’t snobby and they make you feel at home. The bartenders are also very nice, and once you go in there a few times they seem to recognize you and remember what you like to order.
The food at Lia’s is only okay (mediocre). To me there is nothing incredible or creative showcased there and if you are ordering off the normal menu it can be very overpriced. According to my boyfriend, the burgers are good and if you make it for Happy Hour (or all day on Mondays and Wednesdays) they’re only $6 for a burger and choice of side. He favors the gorgonzola burger served with shoe string french fries. The burger itself is small and the toppings and french fries are generously piled high. Other sides such as the salad (soaked in dressing) and steamed spinach (over salted) were unmemorable…as far as good qualities go.
They did some things well. I loved the fattoush salad which is like a Greek Salad but had a more lemony dressing; It was fresh, light and very filling. I really enjoyed the small plates of appetizer salads that we ordered as appetizers. We ordered the House Jardiniere, eggplant caponata and the garbanzo and tomato salad. I found that everything but the garbanzo and tomato salad (which had way too much oil in it for my taste) was very good. Oh, and fair warning – they may seem small but these plates are extremely filling, which I learned the hard way. 🙂 The complimentary foccacio bread that is served is delicious and very reminiscent of Macaroni Grill. The chicken sandwich is very good but a bit too heavy on the mayonnaise for my liking; it is served on huge slabs of foccacio bread with several large pieces of chicken inside, so it isn’t for nibblers! Grab that sandwich with both hands and dig in!
No outing to Lia’s is complete without sampling the gigantic glasses of beer that Chef Geoff restaurants are famous for offering. Half a glass of one of those is enough to get me tipsy and partially full. So bottom line for Lia’s – Come for the Happy Hour specials and beer. Skip the ridiculously priced entrees and go to Macaroni Grill for your Italian fix.
Lia’s 4445 Willard Ave.Chevy Chase, MD 20815
(240) 223-5427
-JNF (Jacqueline, a Guest Writer)
