My girlfriend and I had reservations for Afternoon Tea at The Swan House Tea Room in Findlay, Ohio on October 30th, but with superstorm Sandy's broad reaching side effects, we rescheduled for Friday, November 9th.
Below are three photos from a previous visit in June 2004, when it was under different ownership.
.jpg)
.jpg)
It's about a two hour and 15 minute drive to Findlay from my house, but from my girlfriend's house it's about an hour less. Our reservations were for 11:00 a.m. We were on the road by 9:30 a.m. and arrived in plenty of time.
This is the beautiful Victorian Italianate house on Sandusky Street where the tea room is located.
Below, Bev [on the left], is the current owner of Swan House, with her friendly hostess who greeted and seated us. Christmas music was playing softly in the background to provide holiday atmosphere for their Christmas open house.
The photo below is the elegant tea room. We were the first reservation of the day to be seated, but by the time we left many of the tables were filled with guests.
The table was set with Blue Danube china, with a silver swan napkin ring. Blue Danube is a high-quality white china pattern with vivid
Meissen blue floral designs on the rim and bowl of the plate, which is
scallop-shaped with edges beautifully trimmed in blue. Swans symbolize many things, some of which are love, fidelity, and royalty. They have a strong association with Greek mythology.
I ordered pumpkin cream black tea - very smooth and not spicy.
Scones were brought out first...
with Devonshire cream, lemon curd, and preserves.
Three tiered server with their November menu items.
Bottom tier: Orange Cranberry Muffin, Baguette Slice with Almond Cheddar Spread [my favorite item on the entire tray - would love to have the recipe!] and a Grape and Cheese Kabob.
Middle tier - Savories: Crustless Cheesy Herb Quiche, Mini Ham Puff, and Turkey Tea Sandwich [a ground turkey salad].
Third tier - Desserts: Chocolate Chai Latte Cookie, Pumpkin Bar and their Signature Swan Cream Puff pastry.
Afternoon Tea is $17.50 per person and includes tax. Gratuity is additional.
[L-R: Sandy & Me]
It was a very enjoyable Afternoon Tea. The only difference that I noticed in this visit compared to 2004 was the servers previously wore black dresses with white pinafore aprons, and they don't wear those anymore. The new owner has maintained the same standard and pretty much the same procedures of the previous owner. I highly recommend The Swan House, and one of the perks for visiting The Swan House is going to Jeffrey's Antique Gallery afterwards, which I'll be blogging about tomorrow.
How delightful! Everything looks delicious, and spending time with a friend makes it extra good. Thanks for sharing it with us.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful place to relax with tea and delightful food and a good friend.
ReplyDeleteI had heard about The Swan House and it is wonderful to see your photos and read your details.
Thanks for sharing
I have plates, cups and saucers very similar to those and I love them! It all looks very lovely. Tho I must confess, it's a little early for me for Christmas decorations. I have a solid "not until after Thanksgiving" rule. :-)
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, if I lived nearby I would put aside my rules and make a bee-line to this tea room. It looks lovely and is a very reasonable price! So glad you have this within driving distance.
ReplyDeleteThis tearoom has been on my list for a long time.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful place. The tearoom itself is elegant, the menu looks perfect and I think it's quite reasonable! So nice to meet a fried for tea!
ReplyDeleteRuth
I see you were seated at "my" table, often a squirrel plays on the front steps. Swan House is one of my favorite tea rooms and fortunately I live close enough to visit monthly. It is located half way between my daughter and I. Bev and her staff do an excellent job. I also visited years ago and notice the difference in "costume". Bev said she worked at the tea room when they wore the black dresses and aprons and hated dressing in costume. Bev is a tea room owner who believes in pampering her customers. Tea is bottomless. Many times my daughter and I arrive for the 11:00 tea. If they are not busy, you can find us still there at closing time. It is the perfect tea room! (And yes, I usually stop at Jeffreys on my way home, as well as Dietsch's chocolate shop for a half pound of maple clusters.)
ReplyDeleteSips and Smiles,
Teresa
Nice tea and love their original take on the finger foods. And the price is good value!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful home! Great architecture! The tea room looks really nice and the food good. I enjoyed seeing photos of you and your friend as well as the owner and hostess. Have a good week, Phyllis!
ReplyDeleteHi Phyllis,
ReplyDeleteWhat fun to go to the lovely tearoom with your friend! Did I tell you our closest tearoom is two hours away? Its always worth the time to travel to a tearoom! The tray looks so pretty and a great selection. That swan is so cute! A nice plus is the antique store close by! Thanks for sharing your tea and have a great week.
Nancy
This looks like one of the more elegant tea rooms I've seen lately, and that menu sounds terrific--and a good price, too! Love the swan pastry, which reminds me of the ones they have at "our" Swan House in Atlanta!
ReplyDeleteI miss the original Swan House and the elegance of the black costume's. I love the Swan House and what it brings to Findlay! Our last visit mad me leaving a little sad because our server wore a less than tasteful outfit. Skirt too short blouse low cut. Not proper for a proper tea.. the gift shop was a little sparse. But, other than those few things Bev is a wonderful women and she is going a great job!
ReplyDelete