An Additional Tea Time Offering

I belong to a Facebook group [Christian Tea Time & Hospitaity], and a member recently posted a visit to The Huntington Library, Art Museum & Botanical Gardens in San Marino, CA [an upscale area south east of Pasadena], where she had Afternoon Tea at the Rose Garden Tearoom, situated in the historic rose garden.  

What piqued my interest was following the scone course, a cheese course [$16 ala carte] can be added which I've never seen offered at Afternoon Tea before, and I think it's a great addition.

Apparently it's served on tiered servers or plates and both make a lovely presentation.

I went to their website and their cheese offering consists of Spanish Manchego, California Brie and White Cheddar or Gouda cheeses served with toasties, crackers, assorted fruit [Champagne grapes and California strawberries] and nuts [Marcona almonds or toasted pecans], and fig jam.  That sounds and looks so delicious and I would gladly pay $16.  Would you?   It serves two or more.  I don't know if the management at The Whitney would be open to such a menu option, but I'm definitely going to tell them about it.  Charcuterie is so popular and this is a form of it.

I wish I would have known about this venue when I visited Pasadena in 2019.

Being the history buff that I am, I had to read up on it.  I discovered [in a nutshell] Henry Edward Huntington was a railroad and real estate businessman.  In 1903 he bought the San Marino Ranch [now the Huntington].  He married Arabella in 1913 and in 1919 they signed a trust document that transformed their private estate into a public institution.  The Huntington opened publicly to visitors in 1928 and has grown over the past century to become an internationally renowned collections-based non-profit institution that supports the humanities, the arts, and botanical science.  

The Art Gallery was originally the home of Henry and Arabella and the library was built in 1919.  The Rose Garden Tearoom has recently been remodeled to mixed reviews.  Have any of you been there?  If so, please share your comments.