Tucked away in a Harper Woods [MI] residential neighborhood - about ten miles from my home - is St. Sabbas Orthodox Monastery. They serve a tea luncheon on Tuesdays and Thursdays in what they refer to as the Royal Eagle Russian tea house, and dinner on Thursday evenings from 5:00 - 10:00 p.m. when the tea house transitions into a restaurant.
I went to a tea luncheon there in September 2010, before I started blogging, but shared the visit in June, 2012 after I became a blogger. You can read the post here. They've changed their menu and serving procedures since then.
A visit to the monastery is like stepping back in time to Old World Russia. In today's society where "anything goes," it's refreshing to see an establishment with a dress code - no shorts, short skirts, or tank tops. At the entrance gate a greeter asks that all cell phones be silenced.
~ Cucumber Sandwiches ~
A visit to the monastery is like stepping back in time to Old World Russia. In today's society where "anything goes," it's refreshing to see an establishment with a dress code - no shorts, short skirts, or tank tops. At the entrance gate a greeter asks that all cell phones be silenced.
~ Below is the entrance to the tea house/restaurant ~
I met up with seven friends, and as you can see it was a beautiful fall day for our outing.
[Church]
[Linda and Louise]
[Barb]
[Our Servers]
Tea Menu
A peek at the interior of the tea house/restaurant. Below is an ornate, wooden, handcarved piece. Is it an altar? I'll ask next time.
~ Samovars galore, in all sizes and styles of metal and porcelain. ~
We each had our choice of tea from an extensive list. I selected blueberry black tea. We drank from a Russian tea glass and holder called Podstakannik. I love the Blue Willow teapot.
~ The meal began with Russian Borscht ~
~ Black Forest Ham, Cucumber and Lox, and Brie ~
~ The meal began with Russian Borscht ~
~ Black Forest Ham, Cucumber and Lox, and Brie ~
~ Cucumber Sandwiches ~
~ Tender Chicken Kabobs and Salad ~
~ Scones and Dessert ~
~ The bill was brought to the table in this box ~
~ The bill was brought to the table in this box ~
~ Mural painting on an alcove wall ~
It was a lovely way to spend a fall afternoon and enjoy Old World charm. The monastery has a gift shop, which I visited and made a purchase. After the monastery we went to my favorite antique store La Belle's [which I've blogged about several times]. More purchases... they'll be shown in an upcoming post. None of us left the store empty handed.
