Earlier this year, Mrs. K's Toll House Restaurant in Silver Spring expanded its historic brick-and-stone basement to create a new space called the Wine Press. Set beneath the Tudor-style country inn and filled with Americana antiques and working fireplaces, the cellar adds 3,600 square feet and 94 seats to the restaurant, with an attached patio in the works.
The stone entrance may feel rustic (since, according to general manager Spiro Gioldasis, the restaurant is on the edge of the Appalachian mountains), but the atmosphere has a European flair, with custom-made wrought-iron fixtures and row upon row of the 600 wines on offer, 64 of which are available by the glass.Several nooks and crannies offer semiprivate dining space, and the chef’s table, which is set off by glass, seats 16 underneath a medieval-style chandelier. Family photos around the cellar (Gioldasis is brother to owner Konstantina Margas) add intimacy, while the menu includes a twist on Continental and American cuisine, featuring dishes such as gazpacho with lump crab and grilled polenta with wild mushroom and spinach ragout.
The stone entrance may feel rustic (since, according to general manager Spiro Gioldasis, the restaurant is on the edge of the Appalachian mountains), but the atmosphere has a European flair, with custom-made wrought-iron fixtures and row upon row of the 600 wines on offer, 64 of which are available by the glass.Several nooks and crannies offer semiprivate dining space, and the chef’s table, which is set off by glass, seats 16 underneath a medieval-style chandelier. Family photos around the cellar (Gioldasis is brother to owner Konstantina Margas) add intimacy, while the menu includes a twist on Continental and American cuisine, featuring dishes such as gazpacho with lump crab and grilled polenta with wild mushroom and spinach ragout.
Photo: Courtesy of Mrs. K's Toll House Restaurant
Photo: Courtesy of Mrs. K's Toll House Restaurant
Photo: Courtesy of Mrs. K's Toll House Restaurant
Photo: Courtesy of Mrs. K's Toll House Restaurant
Photo: Courtesy of Mrs. K's Toll House Restaurant