Chef Geoff's, a good-size, casual restaurant/bar a few blocks south of the American University campus, is a neighborhood hot spot. On Friday nights, the place is jumping with waits of over an hour. Patrons mill about looking at the handsome collection of photos of Mall monuments that covers the cream-colored walls or waiting at the bar. The young, efficient and high-energy staff -- from the bartender, to the waiters, to Chef Geoffrey Tracy himself -- does a terrific job of making guests comfortable. The restaurant has a charming patio area that it shares with its neighbor, Balducci's. (On a Sunday in warm weather, a table on the shaded patio is a perfect spot for brunch.) Six senior couples milled about just inside the door, as if at a cocktail party, chatting one minute, the next having a look at the handsome collection of photos of Mall monuments that covers the cream-colored walls. The 30-stool bar and its surrounding area are often occupied by young adults who likely call AU home. For those looking to tide themselves over before sitting at a table, the hummus platter is a plentiful sampler of judiciously seasoned Baba Ghanoush, garlic hummus, and olives served with warm slices of pita bread. A choice of 25 wines by the glass and 15 beers on tap, including Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, also provide diversion. The wine list offers plent of variety with a good number of Napa Valley labels for lovers of California flavors. The restaurant's menu is seasonal and ambitious, not bound to any one region. It offers everything from tuna sashimi with won ton crackers to pizza topped with steak and Gorgonzola cheese. With so many options, the menu produces happy meals as well as unfortunate failures. Another sampler selection, this time of soups -- four small portions served in coffee mugs -- was an easy way to decide which one to order by the bowl next time. That would not be the chicken thyme soup, which was a salty, concentrated bouillon. On a return trip I'd choose the black bean -- a puree with a satisfying complexity of flavor; or the pleasant potato-leek soup, which has just the right hint of bacon; or the clean, fresh-tasting butternut squash soup, topped with crunchy toasted pumpkin seeds. In summer, soups include chicken tortilla, a stew-like confection with far too much chicken that overwhelms the spicy broth and comes out like a flavorless stew, and a pleasant gazpacho. A waiter recommended the calamari. "Everybody loves it," he said. Well, not quite everybody. Some of the squid circles were limp, others rubbery, and all were covered with too much sweet, Cajun-influenced seasoning. In another appetizer, the scallops were perfectly cooked but similarly overspiced, and they came with a heavy rice cake that tasted so bland, I thought at first it was made of potato. Big, buttery croutons were the only high point of a Caesar salad made with drooping romaine leaves and a wan dressing. What's a stone pie? Elsewhere it's called pizza, but here it's just disappointing, with odd toppings on a spongy, flavorless flat bread. Diners should opt instead for the nicely composed salad of sliced green apple, tangy blue cheese, toasted walnuts and a sizable serving of the tender, little greens called mache. Or, perhaps, the light spring rolls filled with well-seasoned pork, julienned carrot, red bell pepper and mustard sprouts, served with a sweet-spicy dipping sauce. The restaurant concept of stacking all the elements of an entree into a single pile -- an idea that came into fashion and faded years ago -- lives on at Geoff's. Fortunately, this kitchen has made its mountains out of some very good elements. Take the grilled pork loin chops, for example. On a base of earthy mashed potatoes there was a moist chop grilled to perfection, then some properly wilted spinach, more potato and another good chop, all topped with lacy, crisp onions. Just be sure to ask the kitchen to leave off the sauce, which is a much-too-salty syrup. The same advice applies to two other structured entrees -- the succulent duck breast with warm spinach salad and roasted red bliss potatoes, and a chewy yet flavorful New York strip steak that comes with garlic mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus. Just skip the sauce. One of the best of Chef Geoff's entrees is a good-size wedge of flaky salmon complemented by nutty-tasting lentils and a garlic butter sauce. A chicken breast is moist, bathed in a cumin-rich sauce and accompanied by fat Israeli couscous. A dinner entree called garlic shrimp lasagna might be better suited to Sunday brunch: The portion of firm baby shrimp, bits of bacon and tomato, layered with a little pasta and a light cheese sauce, is nice, but simply too small. The mussels, heaped into a bowl with a garlicky tomato broth, are a substantial portion, but beg more than one small piece of soggy toast as an accompaniment. At lunch or dinner, the weighty, juicy but not greasy cheeseburger, served with a hefty slice of red onion on a respectable grilled bun, is all I want a burger to be. Like a table on a Friday night, Chef Geoff's desserts are worth waiting for. An apple-cinnamon crisp is tart, then sweet, a nice balance achieved. The very dense and chocolaty truffle cake oozes chocolate and mixes perfectly with the espresso ice cream. The root beer float is a nostalgic option, but not the strongest choice on the menu. Or how about a good cookie? Before bed, those extended families, seniors and the AU crowd know that they have a friendly, reasonably priced place to go for cold milk and a homey selection of warm cookies, right in their own neighborhood. --Walter Nicholls and Erin Hartigan (Oct. 3, 2005)
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