Mad Tea Party

When I was visiting my sister last month, we went out for lunch at the local tea room.  We ordered high tea for two.  We had our choice of many different teas from an extensive tea menu, including one the owner described as 'like Lipton'.  We asked why she'd have one that we could get anywhere and she told us that many people come in asking for a tea that tasted similar to Lipton tea.  Odd.  Why go to a specialty tea room to get a tea that you could pick up in the grocery store?

When we first entered the shop, we were tantalized by the aromas of the different blends of teas that were sold by the ounce.  The shop also had different accessories, including infusers, cups and saucers, tea pots, tea presses, etc.  The scone of the day and different salads were also available by the pound.

The tearoom was on the other side of the shop.  It was beautifully decorated with linen tablecloths (protected by a glass cover), crystal water goblets, and gorgeous cups and saucers.


This table was to my right.  I love the delicate flowers on the cup.  All of the cups and saucers were mix and match, which made for a fun, eclectic look.



This was my cup, saucer, and luncheon plate.  My family and I have a habit of turning the china over to see where it was made.  (That's what happens when you grow up near potteries).  My cup was made at Homer Laughlin China (home of the famous Fiestaware...and 1 mile away from our hometown.)  Drinking from it made the tea even better.  ;)


This was my sister's cup, saucer, and luncheon plate.  I love the blues!  Very classy!





And this was the sugar bowl, filled with adorable little sugar cubes.  We also got some lemon for our water or our tea.

After checking out the tea list, we decided on a pot of winter white Earl grey.  It came highly recommended and we wanted to try something that was a specialty of the house.  It didn't disappoint!  (I'm not a tea connoisseur, (and neither is my sister), so we asked the owner for the recommendation.)

We were a bit shocked when our tea came out.  Not because of the aroma, but because of this tea cozy.



It was a bit tacky, a bit kitschy, a bit....well, I don't know, but at least it had my two favorite colors on it and it kept the tea hot.  After all, that is what a tea cozy is supposed to do, right?  :)

We ordered high tea for two, which came with a variety of finger sandwiches, scones, and mini  pastries.  I thought I had died and gone to heaven.  The presentation was gorgeous.  (It also happened to be St. Patrick's Day, so all of the cream on the pastries was tinted green.)




The sandwiches from left to right were:   cucumber, egg salad, chicken salad, tomato basil, and ham and cheese.  My sister and I were such dorks.  We would take turns choosing a sandwich, then we'd taste it, then we'd talk about it.  When we got to the tomato basil, her eyes suddenly got really big and she said, "Oh!  I forgot you hated tomatoes."  I told her that I have an extremely sophisticated palate (ha ha) and besides, I was going to put on my big girl pants and just eat it.  And I was glad I did!  It was delicious!  Seriously, my favorite sandwich.  Mom would be so proud of me!  ;)

We did the same process with the scones next.  Here is what we had to choose from:




From front l-r:  lemon poppy seed, cranberry, and lavender.  OMG.  Each was amazing.  The lemon poppy seed was extremely lemony.  The cranberry was oh, so yummy, and the lavender?  Heaven.  It was filled with cream and some sort of jam. 

The pastries were also very yummy.


From front l-r:  pecan tassies, coconut balls (for lack of a better word), lemon poppy seed cookies (my fav), cherry tarts, mini brownies, and little white balls with mini chocolate chips.  After Margie tasted the pecan tassies and declared them delicious, I told her that is what a pecan pie tastes like.  Then she asked me why she has never tasted pecan pie?  I don't know, dear sister, since I made one AT YOUR HOUSE at Thanksgiving 2 years ago.  ;)  Next time, just try it.  You'll never know whether you'll like it or not, ok?  ok.

Disclaimer:  We had most of the pastries boxed and took them to her house since we were stuffed by the time we got to them.  We grazed on them for the rest of the afternoon.  :)

After we enjoyed our food, we sat for awhile and just enjoyed our tea and each other.  We laughed (trying not to draw too much attention to ourselves), cried (what can I say, I cry a lot), and just really had a nice time together being the dorky sisters that we are.  We vowed that the next time Mom was with us, we were going to do this again.  We all three had high tea a few years ago and had such a wonderful time.  We also decided that we would never submit our husbands to this because their stomachs aren't as delicate as ours, and they would be wondering where the heck the real food was!  ;)


My cup of yummy tea.  Cheers!

My sister has a very busy schedule because she teaches Spanish at a cyber-school full time, is a mommy to two daughters, and is going to college for her PhD.  I was extremely happy to have this time with her.  She is definitely my hero!  I love you, Margie!  Thanks for lunch and thanks for the wonderful memories that we made!
xoxo