I expected to find Avocado Toast on the menu at Café Linger, a new coffeeshop with food in College Park. I’m pretty sure a coffeehouse can’t pass city inspection without Avocado Toast on its menu. I expected to find a Croissant Egg Sandwich, too, and I wasn’t even surprised by the Smoked Salmon & Avocado Tartare.
But Spaeztle? That I didn’t expect. Or Cod Fritters. And even Steak Frites, considering the place closes most days at 7 p.m.
But there they were, and there I was, so I ordered the Spaeztle (which for the record is spelled Spätzle on the menu). I had just returned from, among other places, Germany and was feeling bad that I hadn’t had any of the traditional egg noodles the entire trip.
Café Linger tosses its Spaeztle, which were uniform enough for me to wonder at first it they weren’t actually bucatini (they weren’t), with cream and mushrooms and tops it with frizzled fried leeks. The sauce was creamy and the mushrooms delightfully chewy. The leeks added a nice bit of crunch.
But it still seemed an odd thing for a coffeehouse menu.
Café Linger took over the freestanding building that was once home to New York Pizza Deli. It’s a moderate sized space, and pleasant, with various seating scenarios — a couch over here, communal tables there, some comfy chairs. There’s a children’s play area and, just next to it, an old upright piano, a proximity that made me shudder.
It’s a place that indeed might make you want to linger. However, small table signs with house “rules” might make you want to consider how much time you spend there.
No one knows better than I that something written in a humorous tone might not be read that way. I’ve often wished my word processor had a Facetious font.
I can only guess — or hope — that the rules were written with tongue in cheek. Unfortunately, some of them come off as simply cheeky. I support most of the items on the list, especially the requirement of purchase. I just wish the writer had found a nicer way to say it. But maybe that’s explained by item #8, which states that the owners have attitude.
Want to see the attitude? Just try to follow rule #4 without violating rule #1.
Café Linger is at 2912 Edgewater Drive, Orlando. It is open for breakfast and lunch Tuesday through Sunday and for early dinner Tuesday through Friday when it closes at 7 p.m. The phone number is 407-930-0473.
