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| 10417 Armory Avenue Kensington, MD 20895 (301) 962-1894 info@cafe1894.com |
| Reviews . . . |
Kensington’s new beginning at Café 1894
by Brian Patterson / Gazette Dining Review
When turkey meatloaf is the signature dish on a menu, it had better be good. And at Café 1894, the
two tasty slabs of baked turkey goodness do rock. A mound of honest mashed potatoes and a
neatly sliced mélange of vegetables accompany the dish.
Café 1894 takes its name from the year Kensington was incorporated. Situated squarely in the
center of town, it accurately reflects the intersection of urban chic and small-town Americana that is
Kensington today. Its charm is in the eclectic attic stock of furniture and décor: an antique desk with
a couple of club chairs, various tables with high back dining chairs and soda shop stools along the
bar. All are very likely stepchildren of the numerous antique shops that surround the place. The
nearby train station is reflected in a motif of neatly framed photos of railroad scenes.
The café has the feel of a neighborhood hangout. Breakfast is served from 8:30 to 11 a.m. in the
front parlor, and the menu is short and sweet. At one table, three senior citizens chat over an
assortment of coffee cakes with tea, while at another, two women indulge in a cup of Fair Trade joe
and a sinful wedge of the house quiche. It feels like the parlor of a country inn, yet it’s right across
from a new Safeway.
Lunch items include house-made soup of the day, plated green salads as well as tuna salad and
chicken salad sandwiches. Chef and owner Duane Rollins is a native of Upstate New York, which
shows in his standout lunch entrée. Beef on kimmelwick — or Beef on Weck, as it’s known around
Buffalo — is sliced roast beef and sour cream on a roll encrusted with sea salt and caraway seeds,
accompanied by greens and horseradish.
Rollins opened Café 1894 in August in the space formerly occupied by Café Monet, and started
serving dinner in January. Our dinner service was a little uneven, forgivable since they have only had
a month to practice, and because the food was so good.
The dinner menu is brief. The soup of the day had been 86ed by the time we got there at 6:30 p.m.,
so we ordered the back up minestrone and a salad. Yet one of our entrees was the first thing to
arrive. Apparently the back up soup had been 86ed as well.
Fortunately, our first bite was of the afore-mentioned turkey meatloaf and it made us happy. So we
took our food as it came. The slow roasted pork tenderloin with mushrooms and port wine demi
glace was good. Medallions of roasted pork were moist, tender and well seasoned, but the
mushrooms could have been cooked down a little more. The sleeper hit was the brown rice, cooked
to a toothsome firmness with flecks of red pepper.
Desserts are simple, homey and rather large. Brownie Mountain is a literal interpretation, a lot of
dense bittersweet brownie with all the snow capped trimmings. The cheesecake was not too dense
or sweet and was well worth finishing.
The bar is a small social hub, well equipped to serve a short list of beers, wines and other basic
mixed drinks. The well-crafted martinis appear to be the most popular. As the crowd grew and the
orders mounted, Peter Fosselman, the Mayor of Kensington, could be spotted waiting tables.
We tested the staff’s ability to pack an order of the rigatoni with turkey sausage to go. The dish —
big hollow noodles and chunks of turkey sausage tossed with fresh tomato coulis and high grade
parmesan cheese — was great reheated later that night. Overall, the room was upbeat and
comfortable, and the service, genuine and friendly. Missteps in service should be ironed out by the
time the weather is warm enough to open the patio. Café 1894 is a welcome new enterprise with the
makings of a classic neighborhood destination.
by Brian Patterson / Gazette Dining Review
When turkey meatloaf is the signature dish on a menu, it had better be good. And at Café 1894, the
two tasty slabs of baked turkey goodness do rock. A mound of honest mashed potatoes and a
neatly sliced mélange of vegetables accompany the dish.
Café 1894 takes its name from the year Kensington was incorporated. Situated squarely in the
center of town, it accurately reflects the intersection of urban chic and small-town Americana that is
Kensington today. Its charm is in the eclectic attic stock of furniture and décor: an antique desk with
a couple of club chairs, various tables with high back dining chairs and soda shop stools along the
bar. All are very likely stepchildren of the numerous antique shops that surround the place. The
nearby train station is reflected in a motif of neatly framed photos of railroad scenes.
The café has the feel of a neighborhood hangout. Breakfast is served from 8:30 to 11 a.m. in the
front parlor, and the menu is short and sweet. At one table, three senior citizens chat over an
assortment of coffee cakes with tea, while at another, two women indulge in a cup of Fair Trade joe
and a sinful wedge of the house quiche. It feels like the parlor of a country inn, yet it’s right across
from a new Safeway.
Lunch items include house-made soup of the day, plated green salads as well as tuna salad and
chicken salad sandwiches. Chef and owner Duane Rollins is a native of Upstate New York, which
shows in his standout lunch entrée. Beef on kimmelwick — or Beef on Weck, as it’s known around
Buffalo — is sliced roast beef and sour cream on a roll encrusted with sea salt and caraway seeds,
accompanied by greens and horseradish.
Rollins opened Café 1894 in August in the space formerly occupied by Café Monet, and started
serving dinner in January. Our dinner service was a little uneven, forgivable since they have only had
a month to practice, and because the food was so good.
The dinner menu is brief. The soup of the day had been 86ed by the time we got there at 6:30 p.m.,
so we ordered the back up minestrone and a salad. Yet one of our entrees was the first thing to
arrive. Apparently the back up soup had been 86ed as well.
Fortunately, our first bite was of the afore-mentioned turkey meatloaf and it made us happy. So we
took our food as it came. The slow roasted pork tenderloin with mushrooms and port wine demi
glace was good. Medallions of roasted pork were moist, tender and well seasoned, but the
mushrooms could have been cooked down a little more. The sleeper hit was the brown rice, cooked
to a toothsome firmness with flecks of red pepper.
Desserts are simple, homey and rather large. Brownie Mountain is a literal interpretation, a lot of
dense bittersweet brownie with all the snow capped trimmings. The cheesecake was not too dense
or sweet and was well worth finishing.
The bar is a small social hub, well equipped to serve a short list of beers, wines and other basic
mixed drinks. The well-crafted martinis appear to be the most popular. As the crowd grew and the
orders mounted, Peter Fosselman, the Mayor of Kensington, could be spotted waiting tables.
We tested the staff’s ability to pack an order of the rigatoni with turkey sausage to go. The dish —
big hollow noodles and chunks of turkey sausage tossed with fresh tomato coulis and high grade
parmesan cheese — was great reheated later that night. Overall, the room was upbeat and
comfortable, and the service, genuine and friendly. Missteps in service should be ironed out by the
time the weather is warm enough to open the patio. Café 1894 is a welcome new enterprise with the
makings of a classic neighborhood destination.
Cafe 1894
by Libby F. / Yelp.com
This sweet bistro takes the place of both a former home accessory store and Cafe Monet.
Owner/Chef Duane Rollins named the place after the year in which the city of Kensington was
incorporated.
Its tiled floors, wood banquet tables and soft green walls make for an inviting dining experience. It is
nice to see the owner making rounds to all the patrons, whether they be his friends or new patrons.
Belgium Waffles are homemade, as is the quiche I had for breakfast. They serve Reunion Island
coffee,
Dinner and private functions are catered to in the larger dining area (former Cafe Monet). They
serve alcohol too, which for a Mo Co cafe is rare!
I am looking forward to the patio dining in the warmer weather! I plan on having many more dining
adventures here, especially since a portion of their monthly earnings goes to support great charities
such as MCHS and PAL (People Animals Love).
by Libby F. / Yelp.com
This sweet bistro takes the place of both a former home accessory store and Cafe Monet.
Owner/Chef Duane Rollins named the place after the year in which the city of Kensington was
incorporated.
Its tiled floors, wood banquet tables and soft green walls make for an inviting dining experience. It is
nice to see the owner making rounds to all the patrons, whether they be his friends or new patrons.
Belgium Waffles are homemade, as is the quiche I had for breakfast. They serve Reunion Island
coffee,
Dinner and private functions are catered to in the larger dining area (former Cafe Monet). They
serve alcohol too, which for a Mo Co cafe is rare!
I am looking forward to the patio dining in the warmer weather! I plan on having many more dining
adventures here, especially since a portion of their monthly earnings goes to support great charities
such as MCHS and PAL (People Animals Love).
Cafe 1894
by Geoff / Chowhound
. . . "Nice, cute, small place that used old mismatched plates from the antique shops nearby.
Friendly staff. We both had a slice of spinach quiche, which was perfectly fine. Excellent coffee." . . .
by Geoff / Chowhound
. . . "Nice, cute, small place that used old mismatched plates from the antique shops nearby.
Friendly staff. We both had a slice of spinach quiche, which was perfectly fine. Excellent coffee." . . .