Memphis Adventures Winding Down

On Monday, July 16th, our group was diminished to five when Debbie and her mother left for their homes in Louisiana.  But there was one more tea room for us who remained to visit,  The Woman's Exchange of Memphis.

It was founded in 1885, but was known as the Crafts Exchange then, marketing  the handicrafts of the needy.   In 1935, the name was changed to The Woman's Exchange, and it has continued to grow into a thriving, non-profit organization offering items from more than 800 consignors.   It has been at this present location since 1962.  Volunteers staff the tea room and gift shop, which is open Monday through Friday.

Their featured tea of the month [Strawberry] was for sale in the gift shop.

Their posted menu for the day...

This cute antique stove named, Hazel, was in the server's area.

We were seated in the sun room.  By the time we left there was a long line of people waiting to be seated for lunch.  They do a thriving business.

My cousins, Valerie & Vickie [sisters] and their mother [my Aunt Ruthie]. 

I ordered their soup and sandwich combo - potato soup and chicken salad sandwich with homemade bread and butter pickles, potato chips and strawberry iced tea.

And for dessert... chess pie.  Yum!

My purchases from the gift shop were this cookbook and...

A Mary Englebreit tea-themed plate and spreader.

I didn't purchase the framed, embroidered piece below, but I photographed it because I liked what it said.

From the tea room we headed over to the Antique Gallery in Bartlett, TN - another antique mall. 

Antiques and tea go together, which is why this antique mall has a tea room located inside.  It's not open for food service on Mondays, but we were allowed to browse inside the dining area because many items were for sale.   I saw plenty, but had to resist.

Isn't the dining area lovely?

Tomorrow will be my last Memphis post.   I hope you've been enjoying arm-chair traveling with me!

More Memphis, Tennessee Adventures

On Saturday, July 14th, we had 11:00 a.m. reservations at The Grapevine Tea Room in Arlington, Tennessee.   The tea room was established in 2006, and their name was derived from the Bible verse found in John 15:5 - "I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me he can do nothing."  

The tea room is located on Arlington's Historic Depot Square and is rated #3 out of Tennessee's  40 tea rooms listed at http://www.teamap.com,  by Adagio Teas. Reservations are required for Afternoon Tea and holiday events, but are not necessary for lunch or dinner.

Below is the dining room to the right of the front door.

Our table was set-up in the gift area to the left of the front door so we would have privacy.

L-R:  Debbie, Kaye, Aunt Ruthie, Vickie, Me, Valerie and Aunt Dot

The tea room serves Bigelow teas, and we all ordered peach iced tea.  I ordered a cup of their tomato soup and  pimento cheese [without optional crushed pineapple] served on a Croissant.   Homemade pimento cheese spread is a southern specialty which I had never tasted, so I was anxious to try it.   It was very good.

For dessert we all shared a taste of one of their house specialties - A Cookie Monster.  It's a chocolate chip cookie that's freshly baked in a skillet as soon as the order is placed.  When finished it's topped with ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream and sprinkled with pecan pieces.  Sorry...we ate most of it before I remembered to take a picture!

I purchased a bar of soap in their gift shop that I thought was unique, and coordinated with my bathroom color scheme, and  was small enough to fit in my suitcase.  It was handcrafted by Daily Blessings Farm in Hernando, MS.   My bathroom was the only room in the house that didn't have anything tea-related in it, so now it does!  ;-)

After the tea room we browsed the quaint shops around the town square.   S.Y. Wilson & Company, an antiques, collectibles and retail store, was founded in 1893 and is the second oldest continuing business in Shelby County.   The store also has a farmer's produce market attached to the side of the building.

My cousin, Valerie, and I finished our shopping before the other gals, so we sat on the front porch of the store to wait with my aunts.

The town of Arlington was established in the 1830's and was originally known as Haysville, named after the original landowner, Samuel Jackson Hays [a nephew of President Andrew Jackson].  The area began to grow with the development of the Memphis and Ohio railroad and the Withe Depot.  In 1883, the name of the town was changed to Arlington [after the national cemetery in Arlington, VA].

After shopping, we went back to Vickie's house to visit with her daughter, son-in-law and two darling granddaughters.

Later in the afternoon it was movie time - The Sequel, second movie in the trilogy.

Since tea was woven throughout Lucy Maud Montgomery's storyline, we decided to have our own tea time at intermission [turning the DVD over to side II].   I took a muslin tea sock [infuser] and  two  black loose teas with me [black tea is easiest to prepare because it needs no thermometer - just boiling water], and we enjoyed Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice and SerendipiTea's Persian Nectar at our afternoon movie ritual.   Vickie and Kaye made a delicious caramel corn to eat during the movie viewing too.

 Memphis vacation continued...

Always a Student of Tea

As time progressed, it became evident that opening a tea room was  not going to be a reality for me, so I began focusing my attention on other possibilities, continually striving to find my niche  in the tea world, and having fun along the way.

I have come to realize, the more I learn about tea, the more there is to learn!   I will never reach the point where I've learned everything on the subject.  It will be a life-long pursuit and I'll always be a student of tea.   The adage is, learning is fun at any age!

In March 2003 I headed off to Las Vegas, Nevada for the first Take Me 2 Tea  Expo, which was later renamed World Tea Expo.   During the three day expo, I signed up for several classes and it was a wonderful learning experience.

Shirley [my tea room mentor and also a Magnolia & Ivy alumni] and I enjoyed seeing Kay and Terri again. They taught some of the class offerings, and introduced their new tea product line, Tiara Teas, in the expo show room.   What fun seeing all the booths of tea products!  The expo was a huge success and just completed its ten year anniversary earlier this month.   Later, an extension was added  to the Las Vegas Expo - World Tea East,  [currently being held in Philadelphia, PA in the fall] to accommodate tea enthusiasts from that geographic area.  

L-R:  Kay, Phyllis [me], Shirley and Terri

There was a M & I alumni meet-up.

It was nice seeing Mr. John Harney [of Harney Teas] again, and having our picture taken with him. 

Author and speaker, Elizabeth Knight.

 TEA A Magazine Editor, Pearl Dexter

There just happened to be a tea room in Las Vegas!  Tricia's Teas was located in an antique mall, and we made reservations for Afternoon Tea.    It has since closed, but I'm told another lovely tea room has opened.

Tricia had hats galore to try on.

L-R  Linda, Shirley and Me

In the fall of 2003 I enrolled in Dawnya Sasse's five week, in-depth,  on-line tea course, Start A Tea Business [possibilities beyond owning a tea room].  I was in her very first class, and her course is still being taught today.   With every conference or course I take, my tea horizons  expand a little farther.

Tea journey continued...



Vintage Teas - Sweet Shalom

I'm continuing my blog with visits to great tea rooms - Sweet Shalom, in Sylvania, Ohio.  But first I must share some of their theme teas before they opened at their present location, when their events were held at Otsego Park's Stone Hall, in Bowling Green, Ohio [near Toledo].  Those teas were too good not to include.

I first became aware of the teas when I read a post Chris Kruse wrote to a tea-themed E-group in February, 2003 telling about their Valentine's High Tea she and her long-time friend, Sara Velasquez, were hosting via their business, "Vintage Teas."   It was a doable day trip, so a friend and I made reservations to attend.

As soon as we walked in the door it was a delight to the senses.  First, visually.   Fresh flowers and candles on the buffet table. . .

  

A charming server to greet us. . .

A beautifully set table reserved for us. . .

With a little keepsake place card . . .

A strolling violinist played love songs delightful to hear.  When he came to our table he played "Someone to Watch Over Me."

Our taste buds were treated to wonderful tea - Courtship Tea Blend [which I blogged about in February], and wonderful food. . .

Heart-shaped Scones with dried cherries, served with raspberry butter and lemon curd.

Vegetable frittata made with potatoes, mushrooms, broccoli, onions, cheese, garnished with red pepper cut-out hearts

A Roma tomato stuffed with egg salad

Cucumber sandwiches with avocado and cream cheese spread

Russian cream with cherries, and heart-shaped chocolate truffle cake

Following the meal there was a program about the history of Valentine's Day and a Valentine contest [three categories - beautiful, humorous and romantic] for those who wanted to participate.  What a fun afternoon, and Chris and Sara didn't leave out a single detail!

*  *  *

The following October I returned with a different friend for "A Taste of Tea and Treachery Mystery Tea."   What a nice touch to have someone taking photos as a keepsake of the event.

The event was publicized this way:  "October brings memories of the fun of dress-up.  We invite you to come dressed "fit to kill" [optional] as in the Victorian days of Sherlock Holmes and help us solve the mystery of the disappearance of Mistress C. Nomore, the tea lady!  Join the suspense in the tea parlor with good food, good company, and good fun.  There will be prizes for the best costumes." 

Buffet Table

Attendees

Our Table

Fun Menu Description:  The plot will thicken as we tuck into a meal of kneadless violence scones with Devon cream, lemon curd and jam.  Crooked cucumber sandwiches, fowl play sausage banger rolls, Sherlock's savory tart, sweet revenge pumpkin bread pudding with cinnamon mousse and quick and painless raspberry chocolate cookies.    All served with steaming cups of St. James' Sherlock Holmes tea.   [I purchased a tin to take home.]

Visiting the Windy City - The Walnut Room

Although it's only a five hour drive from where I live to Chicago, I've only visited the Windy City three times.  I've enjoyed each visit [except for driving on their freeways during peak, rush-hour traffic!].   Today's post is about my June, 2011 visit.

The trip was spurred by two things.  First, Angela McRae's blog posts at Tea With Friends,  about department store tea rooms, memorabilia, and recipes.   Her book, Dainty Dining,  came out after my trip, but it merits mentioning in this post.  If you don't have it, consider getting a copy.  It's a great addition to a tea lover's library.  It will evoke wonderful memories about  department stores of bygone days.

Second, as a tea writer for Miss. Kitty's Journal, I knew the magazine's 2012 spring issue  was going to feature department stores, so I was doing extensive reading and research  for my article.   I wanted the privilege of dining in a department store restaurant that was formerly known as a tea room, and The Walnut Room is one of the few still in existence. Affectionately known as the grande dame of the 7th floor,  it is located in Macy's State Street store, in downtown Chicago.   [Formerly Marshall Field .] 

The words "tea room" are no longer part of The Walnut Room's title, but they were when it opened on September 30, 1907  with the original name, "The South Tea Room."  The wall's Russian Circassian Walnut paneling prompted many ladies to refer to it as the walnut room, so it was officially renamed, "The Walnut Room," in 1937.   Pictured below is the beautiful 17 ft. marble fountain in the center of the restaurant.

The restaurant's ambiance is warm and charming with its original walnut paneling, Austrian crystal chandeliers, and white linen covered tables.

Below is the current menu cover.  [The entire menu can be seen at Macy's website.]

I ordered the restaurant's signature dish - Mrs. Hering's Chicken Pot Pie.  Legend says the pot pie was responsible for Marshall Field establishing the store's very first tea room in 1890.  The website audio of the Walnut Room provides the story.

The salad of mixed greens and mandarin oranges with their signature toasted sesame dressing preceded the pot pie.   A small selection of China Mist teas in nylon sachets were available for tea patrons.   I chose a full-bodied organic berry, black tea.

Mrs. Hering's Famous Chicken Pot Pie

 

The waiter seated us at a table overlooking State Street so we could view all the activity below.

We topped off our  lunch with Frango Mint Chocolate Ice Cream Pie.  Yummy!

The perfect ending to a memorable dining experience!