David Lindquist

david.lindquist@indystar.com

Given a new name, a popular Geist restaurant will not party as hard.

Bella Vita, 11699 Fall Creek Road, has been renovated and rebranded as LakeHouse at Geist.

General manager Rachel Mills said the LakeHouse concept is geared for the boating life on Geist Reservoir, a 74-year-old manmade lake known for the wealthy athletes and executives who live on its shores.

LakeHouse, which opened Feb. 1 following a month of remodeling, shifted its menu away from Bella Vita's Italian entrees to an increased emphasis on seafood. During warm weather, the restaurant will offer dockside service to customers on boats.

Sunday pool parties, perhaps Bella Vita's defining attraction in recent years, won't return this summer.

Initially billed as "Rehab Sunday," the daytime bash borrowed its bottle service and bikini contest format from the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. In 2016, the weekly parties were renamed "Revive Sundays."

Mills said LakeHouse plans to remove its pool and replace it with a large tiki bar.

“It will cater more to the people who are right around the lake, who were maybe put off by the loud, crazy wildness of what the Rehab and Revive brought,” Mills said.

Live music will be a fixture at the tiki bar, Mills said. Meanwhile, a new stage inside LakeHouse is showcasing acts such as Lemon Wheel (Friday), Andrew Young (Tuesday) and Toy Factory (Feb. 17).

Also new to the restaurant is chef Jay Mills, the general manager's brother-in-law.

“Our goal is to do light, refreshing dishes," Rachel Mills said.

She said the transformation from Bella Vita to LakeHouse underscores a change in ownership at the restaurant, which actually happened more than two years ago. Jack Singh and his brother, Shaan, purchased Bella Vita from Henri and Shelly Najem in 2014.

“We see new faces and old faces every day, so it’s been really great," Mills said of LakeHouse's launch.

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Call IndyStar reporter David Lindquist at (317) 444-6404. Follow him on Twitter: @317Lindquist.