September 2009
Suburban Surprise
The Sub*urban Trading Company offers a healthy alternative to fastfoodville.
by Katie Dozier
As I grew closer to the Suburban Trading Co., passing the red Adirondack chairs and summer flowers lining the exterior, a woman stopped to ask me, “What is this place? A grocery store or a café?”
Actually it’s a delicious mixture of both.
Originally, the owners -- a mother and son team -- opened the outpost in Kensington with the vision of it being a small market. However the noise of the local patrons was soon heard, and that noise turned out to be rumbling stomachs that craved prepared foods.
The café has a rotating menu that is conveniently updated on their website.
For lunch, the main offering is a collection of sandwiches. Don’t be alarmed that they sit seemingly prepared in the glass case; although assembled earlier, the sandwiches are treated to a last-second grilling in a Panini press that leaves the bread crunchy and awards them a light char.
My favorite sandwich was the Italian— a luscious layering of sopressata, prosciutto and provolone. The saltiness of the meat was matched by the bitterness of the bread, and when you take a bite, even the melted cheese doesn’t want to leave the sandwich.
Vegetarians need not despair; there was at least one meatless sandwich option on all visits, my favorite being the mozzarella and roasted veggie. With the crisp roasted zucchini and the umami of fresh mozzarella, this is a sandwich so lip-smacking that even a die-hard carnivore wouldn’t miss the meat!
The salads are elegant in their unadorned simplicity. The tomato salad combines yellow, green, and red slivers of many different varieties lightly dressed in olive oil, salt and pepper. The apple salad tosses tart, crunchy matchsticks of green apple with a hint of mayonnaise and a garnish of dried cranberries and flat-leaf parsley. Letting fresh produce speak for itself is a difficult thing for many eateries to accomplish, but the Suburban Trading Co does it with finesse.
The market side of the venture features wonderful rarities like forbidden rice, mulberry juice, and aged balsamic vinegar. Also available are a handsome selection of raw meats and wild shrimp as large as prawns. The Trickling Springs Creamery’s organic milk comes in glass bottles that are as nostalgic as they are addictive. The milk has a hint of sweetness and notes of grass, and it is part of the “local” initiative: the Creamery is in nearby Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.
The market also has a wide assortment of cheeses, from Humbert Fog (tangy goat cheese with ash and notes of pepper) to the Italian staple Parmigiano-Reggiano (a hard cow-milk cheese good on everything between pasta and popcorn). Want the perfect accompaniment for a cheeseboard? Whether you desire a crispy, locally-baked baguette, olive-oil anchovies, or prosciutto sliced so thin that it is almost transparent, you’re in luck.
Dinner is offered every night (except Sundays and Mondays), and features an entrée and accompaniment. The rare roasted strip loin, with savory bread pudding soft as a pillow, was a recent hit.
Whatever you order, don’t forget to save room for desert! As a friend and I bit into a peach galette—a rustic tart roughly the size of your palm—we both agreed it was something truly special. The dough was buttery, tender, and baked to a perfect shade of golden-brown. The peach inside was a glistening jewel allowed to be a little tart, clearly made by a caring hand that didn’t throw sugar where it wasn’t needed.
The raspberry crumb cake was moist, delicate, and the perfect choice to bring to a party of finicky eaters. “It’s not too sweet!” One woman exclaimed with glee as she dove into her second piece. The ginger cake, dusted with a kiss of confectioner’s sugar, tasted like a bunch of ginger-bread men were doing the jitterbug in my mouth.
The interior of the Trading Co. features an “Art Wall” with a different local artist every month. In August, the artist was Eric Butters, whose lavish foliage-filled pastels seemed just as at home as the local produce. The tall ceilings are lined with a mural of birds perched on electrical lines, a peaceful image that is foretelling of the tranquil atmosphere within.
On the downside, there is very little seating inside. Right across the street, however, is a quaint park filled with flowers and a trellis brimming with concord grapes. The Suburban Trading Co will pack up the morsels of your choosing; simply provide the blanket, and enjoy a delicious picnic.
Sub*urban Trading Co.
10301 Kensington Pkwy.
Kensington, MD
301.962.4046
www.suburbantradingco.com
Hours:
Tuesday – Friday 10AM – 7PM
Saturday 9AM- 6PM
Sunday 10AM – 4PM
Monday - Closed
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