High Time For Tea: The British Tradition Is An Elegant Oasis In The Afternoon

Today, people seem content to interact by way of increasingly impersonal technologies — now old-fashioned phone calls have given way to e-mails, text messages and instant message conversations. As much as most of us now depend on these technologies to make plans and keep in touch with distant friends and family, there’s an argument to be made that these interactions are a pale shadow of real, face-to-face conversations.

The perfect antidote to the complexities and barriers of modern life is an afternoon spent engaging in a ritual that is inefficient, un-modern and purely frivolous — the British tradition of high tea.

Whether it goes by the name of afternoon tea or high tea, most venues offer similar options. Individuals pick their tea, ideally a loose leaf variety, and are presented with a selection of savory tea sandwiches, petits fours, scones and spreads. Tea is accompanied by a pitcher of cream or milk, a bowl of sugar cubes, and thin slices of lemon. While at one point high tea was actually an evening meal, today most options should not be considered balanced meals or even snacks. They are indulgences and should be enjoyed as such.

The only purpose of afternoon tea is to pass the time with friends, talking about anything and everything, enjoying comfortable chairs and delicious treats.

Teas for catching up

• The Inn on Negley

Owner Liz Sullivan has made the Fernwood Tea Room an oasis of calm and comfort in the heart of bustling Shadyside. Tea as a break from shopping is a long-standing British tradition, and this tea room is perfectly suited to the role of easing tired feet and rejuvenating the spirits.

Better yet, skip the shopping altogether and simply go straight to tea. The spare, elegant beauty of the Fernwood room inspires appreciation of simple things — a comfortable chair, a strong cup of tea, a good conversation.

Fortunately, the plentiful array of food displayed on a traditional three-tiered stand, and your frequently refilled pot of tea, will provide sustenance for hours of conversation and relaxation. Walnut pesto-and-cucumber and chicken salad were fantastic sandwich fillings, and scones come with strawberry jam and house-made creme fraiche.

• Sunnyledge

The Sunnyledge tea room is practically unmatched for sheer loveliness. Heavy silver and chandeliers glitter in the warm light filtering through large windows; high ceilings, paneled walls and period furniture intensify the feeling that one has just walked into an Edith Wharton novel. It is the perfect setting for assignations or celebrations.

The kitchen takes pleasant liberties with more traditional afternoon tea accompaniments. On my visit, egg salad and scones were present, but so were toasts topped with chopped liver with red onions, and smoked chicken breast with spicy mustard. Sweets included miniature fruit tarts and a sticky, scrumptious miniature pecan pie.

Teas for people watching

• The Omni William Penn

At the Omni William Penn, tea is served on a small raised platform, separated from the lobby proper by a brass railing. Private enough for intimate conversation, it also provides unparalleled opportunities for observing the human condition. One could easily spend an entire afternoon simply watching people wander through the stunning lobby, imagining random details of their lives.

The Omni serves loose-leaf Peet’s tea in small thick pots so that water stayed remarkably hot. Sandwiches and petits fours, served on a platter rather than a stand, were delicate, beautiful and delicious, particularly the smoked salmon and a tiny sacher “torte.”

• The Frick Cafe

The Frick Cafe is a lovely place to sit and talk, but thanks to the interesting social mix and close-together tables, it’s hard to resist eavesdropping on the amusing conversations of other guests. On one Sunday afternoon, I vacillated between a lively discussion of Ian McEwan’s “Atonement” and a guest’s placid interrogation of a server about the gluten content of various menu options.

The egg salad, chicken curry and herbed cream cheese tea sandwiches were delicious and fairly substantial; however, as the Frick also has a lovely lunch menu, it’s tempting to supplement with a bowl of soup, such as the winter vegetable soup that was being served on the day of my visit.

The Frick’s grounds will captivate your attention even in winter, but lovers of beautiful things will also appreciate details like the heavy silver, art deco tea strainers set in silver holders……

Teas for indulging

• The Hyeholde

There’s something particularly splendid about having tea in a castle. Yet one of the Hyeholde’s loveliest aspects is the warren of small rooms broken up by stairs, doorways and plentiful windows that manage to be both beautiful and inviting, rather than imposing.

Tea and Hye tea both come with an assortment of small bites that showcase the talents of the kitchen. Our selection included small cups of bacon and mushroom bisque with a julienne of red apples, a warm salad of cubed fried potatoes with bay scallops, and house-made lavash with pate de fois gras and luscious caramelized pears.

Hye Tea comes with one of a choice of three larger dishes. A quail stuffed with quinoa was incredibly moist and perfectly cooked (still pink in the middle), and was served with a thick honey sauce that somehow managed not to be too sweet. Spicy prawns with fried bananas were unexpectedly refined, and completely delicious.

Sweet offerings were slightly more traditional, including ginger and chocolate chunk scones, dark chocolate squares topped with candied kumquats, lemon squares with blueberries, and a variety of cookies.

The tea menu offers a few more unusual options that are well worth trying. Devotees of Earl Grey and Darjeerling should broaden their horizons and consider Truffle Tea, with notes of tobacco and chocolate, or Meringue, a mix of lemon and white tea.

• The Chateau LaFayette

The tea room at the Chateau LaFayette at Nemacolin incorporates elements of rococo style without going overboard. Glimmers of gold and pink, fanciful arrangements of flowers, palm trees, and curvaceous armchairs and sofas offer a happy compromise between style and comfort.

A unique and memorable addition was the delivery of a “tea box,” a beautiful wooden box with small vials of the different teas, so that our noses could guide our selection.

Though accompanied by a small selection of egg salad and ham tea sandwiches, the emphasis here was primarily on sweets. The scones (in flavors of raisin, cinnamon and chocolate chunk) were the best that I sampled, especially when spread with lemon curd and devonshire cream.

Whether you’re fortunate enough to be a hotel guest or simply stop in for the afternoon, tea is a wonderful way to indulge in a taste of this elegant escape in the beautiful Laurel Highlands.

Tea rooms visited

• Inn on Negley, Shadyside, 412-661-0631; tea served daily, noon-4 p.m., reservations required. High Tea, $18; Tea and Sweets, $10; Cookies and Cocoa, $6.

• Omni William Penn, the Palm Court, Downtown, 412-281-7100; tea served Monday-Saturday, 2:30-4:30 p.m., reservations suggested. Victorian Tea, $17 per person, Royal Tea, $24 per person, Children’s Mad Hatters Tea, $10 per person.

• Hyeholde, Moon, 412-264-3116; tea served Monday-Friday, 4-6 p.m., reservations required. Tea, $15; HyeTea, $25.

• Chateau LaFayette, Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, Farmington, 724-329-8555; tea served Saturday, Sunday, 3 p.m.-5 p.m., reservations required. Afternoon Tea, $20.

• Frick Cafe, Point Breeze, 412-371-0600; tea served Tuesday-Sunday, 2:30-5 p.m., reservations recommended; Afternoon Tea, $16; Royal Tea, $22; Assorted Cheese Platter, $11; Scones, $7.

• Sunnyledge, Shadyside, 412-683-5014; tea served Tuesday-Sunday, 3-5 p.m.; walk-ins welcome; Afternoon Tea, $16.

A few other places to have tea

• Johnston Tea House, Mars, 724-625-2636; tea served Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, two seatings, 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., reservations required; afternoon tea, $17.50.

• Purple Rose Tea Room, Bloomfield, 412-687-2301; Tea served Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m., reservations required.

• AntiquiTea, West View. Currently closed, it will be opening at a new location sometime in August 2008. For updates, visit www.myspace.com/antiquitea or call 412-921-5894.

• Alexandra’s Tea Room, Springdale, 724-274-4490; tea served Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., reservations required; afternoon tea, $17.50.

This article was taken from: post-gazette