Café Linger: Dawdle over delectations
Café Linger encourages diners to dawdle over a petite menu of European and American comfort foods paired with beer, wine, tea, and yes, coffee. Don’t linger too long, however — you may break one of the College Park cafe’s rules.
What I would try a second time
Café Linger’s quinoa and kale bowl ($9) just tastes healthy — but in a good way. My guest added a few medallions of well-seasoned chicken for $2 to the heaping mix of cold quinoa, chunks of pineapple and tomato, and strips of kale. A white balsamic vinaigrette was a refreshing addition to the salad and allowed the other flavors to shine.
What I didn’t like
We ended one of our visits with a pair of inexplicably bitter honey cannolis ($6). The accompanying “strawberry house stew” didn’t lessen the taste.
What I would put on Instagram
The millennial in me made ordering the avocado toast ($11) a must for breakfast (don’t worry, I’m not in the market for a house). A piece of whole wheat toast was piled with roasted tomato pieces, slices of half an avocado, and an over-easy egg I added for $1.50. A bright chimichurri sauce set the dish apart from the mainstream versions.
Other eats
Another breakfast classic, chicken & waffles ($11) did a good job of balancing savory and sweet thanks to the maple syrup and bechamel sauce. Still, a lack of crispiness to the lukewarm waffles kept this version from being a favorite.
Not so with the steak frites ($18) later in the day. A pat of herb butter gave the already tender 5-ounce filet mignon an appealing rich, velvety texture. A hill of truffle fries completed the indulgent dish.
How I was treated
Our meal was delivered to our table quickly at this counter-service restaurant. Dirty dishes sat for a bit too long at our table, however, and dessert took so long that we grabbed it to go.
My next visit
More breakfast, possibly brunch, feels like the next step for me at Café Linger.
For bar-hoppers
If coffee isn’t your cup of tea, a small collection of beers and wine are available.
For those with special diets
Vegan options are available by request — as is gluten-free toast.