Chef Geoff's — Restaurant in Washington

Good company and good weather. It is very telling that these are the only two good things we can say about our dining experience since they are both outside the control of the restaurant. We had high hopes for this visit, particularly because we rarely have the opportunity to go out to enjoy ourselves. I'm the one that suggested Chef Geoff's on New Mexico Ave as I've enjoyed meals at the Tysons location. Chef Geoff's really let us down.

I ordered the steak which is served with a port wine shallot sauce and blue cheese fondue and requested the cheese sauce on the side. When it arrived, there was a weird-looking orangeish sauce on the side and nothing that looked like cheese sauce. When we finally tracked down the server (as my steak sat, getting cold), she agreed that this didn't look like cheese sauce. While we awaited her return, I tried my steak, and it was extremely dry and tough. When she finally returned with the cheese sauce, I asked about the port wine shallot sauce because the steak didn't seem to have any on it. She first claimed that it was there "around the steak". I said, okay, but it seemed like a lot less sauce than I had had before with the same dish at the Tysons location (you couldn't see any sauce at all). I then tried to salt the meat to pull what flavor I could out of it. Nothing would come out of the salt shaker so I opened it - it was one big clump. That's OK, I thought, I'll get another shaker. I went to an empty table and tried their salt shaker. Same result. So, the next time we saw the waitress, I asked if I could have some salt and explained that I couldn't get any out of the two salt shakers because they were clumps of salt. At that point, she told me that the weird-looking orangeish sauce was the port wine shallot sauce. She indicated that she knew I had not asked for it on the side, that she had placed the order correctly, and the kitchen had made a mistake. However, she did NOT offer to correct the mistake - to us, this is the worst a restaurant can do - you admit the order is in error, but don't offer to correct it. Rather, you expect the customer to live with the kitchen's mistake!

Next, I waited for the server to return with useable salt, as my steak continued to get cold. Finally, I went to another empty table for yet a third salt shaker (the server had taken the first two so I had no ability to try to salvage some salt out of them). The third shaker worked, but by that point my steak was room temperature. I choked down what I could of the dry steak, alternately trying to dip it in the orange sauce/cheese sauce or add salt to it in a vain attempt to salvage some flavor.

Meanwhile, after my request for salt, the server disappeared for half an hour. During our 1.5 hour meal, our server NEVER refilled our water glasses. The drinks we ordered were perhaps the worst that we've had in a restaurant.

We had gone out with high hopes for a rare evening out, away from the kids. We returned home thinking about the worst dining experience we can recall and bitter disappointment.

Oh, in case you're wondering, the server never returned with the salt. I sent this info to Chef Geoff's. In response, David Lynch, the General Manager, sent me an email offering to send a gift card if I provided my address, and asking that I let him know when I return. That was on June 12. I responded the same day with my address, and that I would consider returning because of his nice response.

It's now June 23, and I still have not received the promised gift card. So much for follow-through after being notified of a terrible experience - It seems like Chef Geoff's doesn't really care about...

Meris C. Rockville, MD

8/12/2021 I took a guest to have lunch at Chef Geoff's on New Mexico Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. on August 4, 2021. This restaurant has one of the most charming outdoor eating areas with multiple tables shaded by umbrellas and trees that border their terrace seating. The terrace is on the roof of a lower level of the building so it is not at street level facing the busy street which is an additional factor in its very positive ambiance.

I had made12:30 pm reservations in advance and it was a good thing I did as during our meal every table on their large terrace was full. The person who took my phone reservation answered promptly and graciously. We arrived on time and were immediately shown to our table. Although there were many tables, the size of their terrace allowed good spacing between tables allowing ease of movement for the guests and the serving staff. All of the staff wore masks which was greatly appreciated. ERIN was our assigned server. She was professional and attentive without hovering over us which added greatly to the enjoyment of our stay. She was also knowledgeable about the menu and able to respond knowledgeably to our questions about various menu selections. She did not try to "upsell" us in her comments simply responding to our inquiries. This was especially appreciated as I have experienced some pretty aggressive "upselling" at some other venues which I find very off-putting.

My friend ordered the salmon burger and I ordered a shrimp and pasta dish. Neither of us ordered an alcoholic beverage. My meal was excellent with a generous portion (it was so good I took the leftovers home) that was perfectly seasoned, cooked, and presented. My friend also indicated pleasure with her meal.

I have eaten at this restaurant several times this summer because: their outdoor space is so pleasant their service is attentive without being intrusive their menu changes enough to prevent boredom with what is offered 4. the food is always fresh, tasty, presented attractively with a moderate price point. the parking is easy and free via compliments of the restaurant

I highly recommend this restaurant for its food and its ambiance. I suggest that you make reservations to ensure getting a table. An additional plus is the easy parking which is a parking area on the roof of the building. Take your parking ticket with you as the restaurant will stamp it so that your cost of parking is covered. Just be sure you turn into the right driveway as there is a large office building next door with a parking garage and the restaurant cannot cover your parking in that lot. There is also metered street parking and if you do not mind walking some non-metered parking is available in the surrounding and nice residential area. NOTE: At this time masks must be worn except when...

I have food sensitivities and I have previously eaten at this restaurant and had good experiences. This past time I ate there the waiter was clearly not knowledgeable about food sensitivities/allergies and made multiple mistakes that caused me to eat foods that I am intolerant to and have not consumed in years. Although I stated that I could not eat gluten or dairy before each item that I ordered on the menu, his negligence caused me to accidentally consume dairy and lead to me feeling tired, depressed, inflamed, and experience brain fog. When I ordered the steak and fries, the waiter failed to inform me that the fries were cross contaminated because of their fryer. Thankfully, one of their managers named Maria caught this mistake shortly before we were served and helped me choose a safe substitution. Second I ordered coconut sorbet for dessert after confirming that it was both gluten and dairy-free. The waiter then brought me the "sorbet" with a sugar cookie that contains gluten. After eating a few bites of the sorbet it became clear that they had substituted coconut ice cream that contains dairy. He did not inform me of this and it was only after I questioned the waiter that he admitted the mistake. The manager Maria came over to apologize and comped our meal. They have communication issues and lack of knowledge about food allergies that is alarming considering they specifically label many items on their menu as gluten free. The manager David also called me the next day and left a message asking me to email him, however he has not responded to the email and was unable to be reached when I called the restaurant. This was a...