173383 Thu Feb 17 18:53:35 -0800 2005 3 14 Washington DC & Baltimore Area 0 931999 Previous meals at Mrs. K's Toll House restaurant on Colesville Road (Route 29) just inside the Beltway in Silver Spring have left me unimpressed. Made me think of Howard Johnson's food. This time, though, I was pleasantly surprised. A starter of cream of asparagus soup, while salty enough to almost raise one's blood pressure, was still comforting and had nice bites of asparagus in it. Better were entrees of a smoked salmon sandwich in a bagel, the salmon not too salty and nice and smokey, the accompanying fries ordinary, and pan seared arctic char. The arctic char, a fish similar to salmon, although drowned in a (tasty) lemon/butter sauce (I spooned most of it off onto another plate), was seared to a perfect tenderness that showed off the subtle flavor of the fish. The haricots verts and carrots that accompanied the char were cooked to a nice crispness and there was also some very flavorful, crunchy wild rice served with the entree. Our server was attentive, friendly, and professional. Go to Mrs. K's at lunch time when you can look out the big windows that surround the restaurant, some of which look out onto homes and yards. Nice, genteel atmosphere and plenty of free parking. Thu Feb 17 18:53:35 -0800 2005 0 foodiejudy 1 932014 I went to Mrs. K's Toll House only once almost 20 yrs. ago for dinner. I seem to remember that they would give you a menu showing what they were serving that evening, and everyone would get the same things. I wonder if it is (still?) like this? Fri Feb 18 01:03:58 -0800 2005 931999 0 gina 1 932023 I haven't been there for lunch, but since my in-laws live about three houses away from the place, we do find ourselves there maybe once a month for dinner or Sunday brunch. I agree about the service. I can't think of one time when we had a bad experience. I enjoy the buffet brunch quite a bit. We were there a few weeks ago and they had pretty tasty crab meat as an ingredient option for the made to order omlettes. Pretty impressive spread with raw oysters, salmon, ham, crab legs, and a bunch of other stuff. Good dessert table too. While the dinners have been pretty good, I do think it's a bit pricy for what it is. What makes it a bit more attractive is if you use a restaurant.com dining certificate, which you can use for dinner or brunch. They're also on opentable.com so you can earn points towards dining discounts there as well. It's been through some changes over the years for the better imo. Fri Feb 18 08:55:04 -0800 2005 931999 0 Markf 1 945804 My husband and I visited Mrs. K's for the first time yesterday for Sunday brunch, and we left very happy, mostly because of the service. It's been a while since I've been somewhere that the servers got it exactly right... pleasant, friendly, perfectly attentive, not overbearing, not rushing. The food was pretty good, too. While $24.95 per person did seem high, the selection of foods was terrific, and the quality was almost uniformly good. Even the coffee was good, which is the real acid test for me. (The lemon bread pudding was far too sweet, though). Lovely atmosphere, great service, and pretty good food... we'll go back. Mon Oct 17 13:09:25 -0700 2005 931999 0 Jennifer