For more than 90 years, Mrs. K’s Toll House was a fixture on the main drag of Colesville Road in Silver Spring. However, after a long decline, the historic restaurant closed last year. Now the property is blooming again as Zinnia, a multi-concept beer garden-tavern-café-fine dining restaurant from the team behind Takoma Bev Co. in Takoma Park. The garden and tavern concepts opened at the start of the month; the other elements are set to debut early in 2022.
Though the exterior of the building looks largely the same, almost everything else has changed. Owner Chris Brown and his team tread delicately as they rethought the operation. The idea was to modernize the food and drink offerings and overhaul the service, while still having “that old, authentic Toll House feel,” says Brown. “It was a tough task because the neighborhood has come here for so many years. They’ve come here for major celebrations; they’ve bought their Christmas trees here for 30 years.”
Now the sprawling garden has more than 150 seats spread across it. The reservations-only stone patio offers a more traditional al fresco experience, while the pods of antique lawn furniture and cozy seating spread across the rolling lawn is first come, first served. “The idea is to create these little nooks channeling the old Mrs. K.’s from the 1930s,” says Brown.
Longtime fans shouldn’t worry: The gazebo is still there. So is the small pond, and the little bridge, all of which were staples of Mrs. K’s charming gardens. One new addition is raised garden beds, home to herbs and vegetables destined for the kitchen and the bar. Keep an eye out for Tromboncino squash, radicchio, green beans, turnips, dill, and basil.
Executive chef Brad Feickert, who handles the kitchen at Takoma Bev Co. and spent time at Bryan Voltaggio’s Volt and Oz in Arlington (both now closed), put together a menu for the garden emphasizing shareable bites with broad appeal. Think house-made German style brats, cheesy fries, pimento cheese-stuffed deviled eggs, coconut shrimp, and a quartet of wings, including Buffalo and garlic-parmesan. “Being a beer garden, you have to have a pretzel on the menu,” says Feickert, who obliged by creating an oversized one designed for a group.
Plant-based options abound, including sweet and spicy deep-fried cauliflower, blistered shishito peppers with poblano aioli, zucchini fritters, and a play on tartare: beets sassed up with herbaceous green goddess dressing.
Currently, there are no holdovers from the old menu, but Mrs. K’s great granddaughter recently stopped by to share some beloved recipes, including one for buttermilk biscuits that Feickert is especially excited to revive.
Ten beers are on tap, mostly from Maryland, including options from Union Craft, Silver Branch, Peabody Heights, and Denizens. Frozen drinks focus on three crowd pleasers: piña colada, daiquiri, and a blend of the two known as a Miami Vice. Beverage director Dylan Greer gets more creative with the cocktail menu. The mojito-inspired Sugar Snap features sugar snap peas, while the tequila and mezcal-based Jalisco Express incorporates jalapeño, cucumber, and basil. For the zero-proof crowd, there are house-made sodas, cucumber-mint lemonade, and hibiscus flower tea.
The inside’s tavern menu is its own proposition, featuring a selection of shareable dishes, salads, and more individualized entrees – a half-pound burger, oak-smoked short rib over polenta, and cacio e pepe. It launched after the garden menu, so it may be tweaked in the coming days.
When the café opens, morning and midday options will be similar to those at Takoma Bev Co. Expect tartines, bowls, sandwiches, and pastries, which can be enjoyed in the café or the adjacent lounge. Around 3 p.m. the lounge will transition to being the anteroom for the fine dining restaurant, so patrons will be encouraged to put down their laptops and pick up a glass of wine instead. The dinner menu is still being hammered out, but Brown envisions the offerings to be in the general New American category, similar in style to the food at St. Anselm and Republic in Takoma Park.
Additionally, after many delays, Brown and his team are putting the finishing touches on Soko, a boutique butcher shop and deli across the street from the Takoma Park-Silver Spring Co-op, which they hope to open by the end of November.
Zinnia is located at 9201 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring. The garden is open Monday-Thursday 3 p.m.-8 p.m., Friday and Saturday 12 p.m.-9 p.m., Sunday 12 p.m.-8 p.m. The tavern is open Monday-Thursday 3 p.m.-10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 12 p.m.-10 p.m., Sunday 12 p.m.-10 p.m.
