Oliver T's Market

A friend recently told me about a unique specialty food and beverage store in Grand Blanc, MI called Oliver T's Market.  One Saturday a month [eight months of the year] they host an Afternoon Tea [which is really a high tea] at 12:00 noon and 2:00 p.m.  The teas are $22 including tax and tip.  Grand Blanc is about 56 miles north of where I live, so it's a doable drive.  My girlfriend, Linda, was up for the ride, so off we went last Saturday.  We attended the 2:00 p.m. seating since the 12:00 o'clock seating was sold out.  

It was windy and poured down rain all day, so a tea outing was a welcomed diversion.  Below is Oliver T's Art Deco style building.

They have a separate tasting room for wine and beer tastings, so that's where their teas are held. 

The cozy room accommodates about 20 comfortably.  There were 19 attendees [10 tables] at the 2:00 p.m. seating.  There's no program, only a delicious and substantial high tea meal.  They don't offer loose-leaf teas, but carry a huge selection of quality tea bags.  For Saturday's Halloween Tea each table had a selection of Twinings teas to choose from.

I began with Mixed Berry [a black tea], and the first item we were served to go with our tea was a Pumpkin Scone.  A teapot of hot water was placed on each table and refilled when necessary.  Throughout the meal I also drank Lady Grey and Lemon Twist tea.

One of the owner's wives [it's a family run business] came around to take our order.

I ordered Butternut Squash Soup.  It was delicious!

It was followed by a Chicken Crepe, and a Mixed Greens Salad with Artichokes and Mandarin Oranges with an Orange Vinaigrette Dressing. 

Linda with another family member of the business.

Dessert was a large Pumpkin Cupcake with Italian Buttercream Frosting.

A good time was had by all.

The certificate below shows the Red Hatters have found Oliver T's!

After the tea, we browsed the large store.  There's a gourmet deli section, bakery section, imported chocolates, gourmet coffees, wines, and almost every other kind of specialty food and beverages you can imagine.  A large section was devoted to tea and tea equipage, but at this point no loose-leaf tea.  I saw Bigelow Teas, Stash Teas, Mighty Leaf Teas, Twinings Teas, and a huge selection of Republic of Tea Teas, but surprisingly no Harney & Son's Teas.

It was fun to browse the store.

We headed back home with full tummies, and in agreement that it was an enjoyable afternoon.