Tuesday, July 23rd, was my fifth consecutive month to return to O'Mara's Restaurant for Afternoon Tea. July's theme was Yankee Doodle Dandy, and it was 'just dandy' in every way possible!
They have recently named the dining room where the teas are held, The Avalon Tea Garden. Avalon is a girl's name of Celtic origin, and it's also the legendary island, famous for its beautiful apples, where King Arthur and other characters were carried at death.
O'Mara's new signage advertising their Afternoon Teas.
Patriotic tablescapes for July's five Tuesday teas.
Our table.
My place setting.
I ordered Hazelnut Tea [a black tea], while others at our table ordered the Cranberry Tisane. The Hazelnut was mild and not overpowering. This month the kitchen staff made a tea concentrate instead of putting tea sacks in our teapots. It eliminated the removal of a messy tea sack from the teapot at the table.
Our first course was the Soup Course which had two offerings: Irish Cream of Potato, and Chilled Gazpacho. Since I had never had Gazpacho, I chose that, and it was delicious. Chef Anita posted the recipe on the restaurant's website: www.omaras.net. It's so perfect for summer, and so healthy!
Chef Anita demonstrated how to make individual Apple Tarts [which were on the menu that day]. To make a canned apple filling taste homemade she suggested simply adding 1 freshly sliced apple to the canned filling along with spices [cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg], and raisins, if desired. To keep the crumb topping from getting soggy she uses breadcrumbs instead of flour.
The Savory/Sandwich Course had five selections: Pimento Cheese Sandwich; Asparagus Roll-up; Roast Beef with Blue Cheese Sauce [open faced]; Roasted Sweet Corn Bread Cheddar Cheese Muffin with Maple Butter; and Turkey Cranberry Sage Cheese Sandwich. I enjoyed the variety of savories, as opposed to all sandwiches.
The Main Entree was O'Mara's House Smoked Beef Brisket served with George Washington's BBQ sauce. The printed menu stated: "I can't tell a lie - it's delicious!" And it was!
No one ever leaves an O'Mara's tea party hungry. The slices of Beef Brisket were followed by Brie in Puff Pastry with fresh Sage, Orange Zest and Pecans, served with Fresh Fruit and Crackers.
The Dessert Course was a yummy Blueberry Smoothie; Michigan Cherry Scones with Devonshire Cream; and an Apple Pie Tart with Vanilla Ice Cream.
My girlfriend, Lori, treated her niece, Diane, to Afternoon Tea in honor of her birthday, and Diane's daughter, Ashley, also attended. Ashley is very creative and made their fascinators.
L-R: Linda P., Me, Ashley, Diane, and Lori.
What a great teatime! Sounds like O'Mara's "ups" their offerings with every event. Can't tell you how jealous I am you've been to FIVE of these! I, too, like to see a variety of savories rather than sandwiches only. And with the cooking demonstration, it's
ReplyDeletelike you're getting a free cooking class as well. Oh, and I love the fascinators! What a fun time this was!
That does look wonderful! So much deliciousness. So glad Lori's niece and daughter could join you, and their fascinators were darling, too.
ReplyDeleteMmmmm!!!
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