Meeting a New Tea Friend

One of the nicest things about blogging is meeting someone from 'blogland' face-to-face for the first time. Last month, a reader responded to a post I wrote about black teacups, and after a few e-mail exchanges we discovered we live in the same city, and grew up in neighboring cities when we were young.  I asked Kathryn if she'd like to meet for tea, and we chose last Saturday [Dec. 3rd] to meet at Royal Treat Tearoom in nearby Roseville, MI

Our reservations were for 11:00 a.m. and the tearoom was filled with guests, but we had a cozy table for two at the back of the tearoom all to ourselves.

[L-R:  Kathryn and Me]

The tea we ordered to go with our scones was Lady Grey. 

The tearoom had the cutest sugar containers on each table - a teacup glued to a clear glass candle holder.   This is a perfect way to repurpose a cracked teacup.

Kathryn and I each ordered their Quiche and Salad combo.  My Quiche was Broccoli Cheddar. Yum!

We visited until 1:30 p.m. sharing our tea journeys with each other.  I told her about my first tea party in 1998 when I was invited to a surprise birthday tea a friend at church gave for her mother's 70th birthday.  [I blogged about that tea party here.]  Ironically, as we were leaving the tearoom, the friend who hosted my first tea party and her mother were arriving for tea! It was so nice seeing them again, if only briefly.  Mrs. Paratore [the mother] said, "We just love this place!"

Kathryn gave me a gift bag with two teas I'm anxious to try.  Joy by Tazo - a blend of black tea, oolong, jasmine green tea, with hints of peach, and Bigelow's new Peppermint Bark, a minty chocolate herbal tea.  Both sound delicious.  Thank you so much, Kathryn!

It was such a pleasure to meet Kathryn and sip tea together while chatting about our mutual passion for tea.   The Girl Scout song is so applicable - "Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold!"

Lunch at Royal Treat Tea Room

Yesterday I took a short break from preparations for my upcoming Hudson's program, and my hubby and I went to the Royal Treat Tea Room for lunch.  I blogged about the tea room earlier this year [March 7th].  The post can be read here.  A lot of people must be 'Google-ing' the tea room because the post has had 286 visits. 

Lunch at the tea room was an impromptu idea, so I didn't call for reservations.  When we arrived, the parking lot was full, and when we stepped inside, so was the tea room. Immediately I spotted a lady I knew, and she told me her Bible study group came following their study session.  I had heard the tea room was doing great business, and yesterday's visit confirmed it. 

Fortunately, there were two tables 'for two' at the back of the tea room, and Jennifer Colombo, the owner, told us to pick one.  I chose the table where I'd be seated on the "Queen's Couch" as Jennifer referred to it.  

[Jerry and Me]

I went to their 'tea station' and selected our tea - English Breakfast.  Then Jennifer came with a plate of her homemade scones - there was a variety of 8, and they bagged up what we didn't eat to take home.

  

As I mentioned in my previous post, scones are Jennifer's specialty.  She bakes them by the hundreds in a bakery next door to the tea room called Just Delicious Scones and sells them wholesale and retail.  They can be purchased at many local businesses including Nordstrom's, Hiller's and Hollywood Markets, and upscale fresh produce markets such as Vince & Joe's, Nino Salvaggio's and Randazzo's.

Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding in April 2011 was her inspiration to make 'royal scones' and serve them as a treat in a 'royal tea room.'

Jennifer's scones are Scottish-style, which means they're a little more cake-like. They're delicious with a cup of hot tea!

There's fresh flowers on every table, and a bell to ring when service is needed.

A plate of scones precedes the lunch entree, which is either their homemade chicken salad, or a slice of quiche and with a green salad.  Both are $11 plus tax and tip.  Tea and scones are just $6.00.

Jerry and I opted for the quiche and salad.  Our choices were Bacon and Mushroom, Broccoli and Cheddar, and  Ham and Cheese.  I chose the Bacon Mushroom and Jerry got the Ham and Cheese. The quiches are made on site, and are absolutely delicious with a light flaky crust.  It's obvious Jennifer has a background in catering.

It was a delightful break for both Jerry and me, and he didn't mind a bit that he was the only male patron.

[Jerry]

Jennifer's business is a family affair, as her three children often help out at the tea room, and yesterday her husband, Scott, was manning the cash register.

[Jennifer and Scott]

Jennifer's tea room and scone business were recently [August 4th, 2014] featured on channel 7, WXYZ Detroit [ABC]. Jen told me originally she only planned on a place to sell her scones, while providing a place where people could sit to eat them and sip tea, but it evolved into a full-scale tea room.

For local readers their address is: 28750 Utica Rd., Roseville, MI 48066.  Their phone number is [586] 859-8814. Their hours are Mon.- Fri. 6:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Sat. 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.  Go early [7:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Mon. - Fri.] and get their Early Bird special price of $8.00 for their Tea, Scones, and Quiche.  [8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. on Saturdays]

Kudos to Jennifer, and best wishes for continued success!  Jerry and I agreed, we'll be back!

Royal Treat Tea Room

I recently learned about a scone shop called Just Delicious Scones, that relocated to a larger building, and is now a tea room called Royal Treat Tea Room.  It is located in the neighboring city of Roseville.  They don't have a website, but they do have a Facebook page. For local readers, their address is 28750 Utica Road.  

I decided to check it out this afternoon.

A small group was having a tea party at the back of the tea room that was just concluding.

A lovely lady named Gail was working.  She remembered me from when I worked at Tea by Three tea room.  Since it was late in the afternoon, and I was by myself, I didn't plan to have tea, but I called ahead to ask permission to take pictures for my blog, and the owner graciously granted permission.  It's a cute tea room that accommodates about 50.

Scones and unique baked goods are their specialty, and they outsource them to local food establishments.

I wanted to purchase some scones to go, so I asked Gail which scone was the very best seller. She said it was the first scone that Jennifer [the owner] made, cranberry-apricot. So that's what I bought. The scones sell for $.75 each.   I definitely plan to return when I can sit down for tea and lunch.

They carry a wide variety of boxed teas.

When I got home the cranberry-apricot scone made the perfect treat with a cup of apricot tea.

It was yummy!