Our next gastronomic adventure took us BACK to the Grand Floridian, but this time we went to the Gardenview Tea Room for Afternoon Tea.
This was my request for the trip and Thomas agreed after I showed him several reviews on the dis (especially oybolshoi’s). Once we decided on it, I think he was excited about it.
We got to the tea room and it was really quiet. There were only about 3 other parties having tea. They seated us in the very back of the room right next to the large plate glass windows so we could enjoy a very beautiful view while enjoying our tea.
We had decided that since we were attending
MNSSHP this evening, that this would be our “dinner” for the evening so we arrived hungry.
Our waitress came over, gave us our menus and found out this was our first visit to the Tea Room. She offered us some tips on choosing a tea and was in general an EXCELLENT server. She even took a picture of the two of us together at our table. I wish I had’ve written down her name!
Because I had spent a large amount of time studying the menus of all the places we were planning on eating, I knew I wanted the Grand Tea. Thomas didn’t have a clue what to order so I suggested he try the Prince Edward’s Tea. He really isn’t much of a sweets eater. A lot of the time, too many sweets give him a tummy ache. The lack of so much “dessert” and the addition of pate and nuts was why I suggested this one for him…
Here is what allears.net has to say:
The Grand Tea - The classic English tradition of Afternoon Tea, Grand Floridian style. We offer you a variety of tea sandwiches, scones and jam tarts, followed by your choice of our freshly baked tea pastries or English trifle, accompanied by a glass of Domaine Ste.-Michelle sparkling wine and your choice of tea. $25.50 per guest (Example of tea sandwiches may include: cucumber with watercress, shrimp salad with dill, chicken salad with almonds, grilled pear with gorgonzola, and egg salad, each on a different bread.)
Prince Edward's Tea - A delicious array of assorted pates, and English Blue Stilton, the "King" of English cheeses, served with marinated fresh berries, and Cumberland sauce. We then offer our delicious fresh-baked scones served with rich Devonshire cream. Your choice of our tea with a glass of our Fonseca Bin 27 Character Port. $21.00 per guest
After much deliberation, I chose the Mad Hatter tea (a black tea blend) and Thomas chose the Osmanthus Oolong.
The front is Thomas’ Oolong, the background is my “Mad Hatter’s.”
Here is what allears.net has to say:
Mad Hatter - A blend of passion fruit, pomegranate, and vanilla for a clean and sweet finish. Perfect with decadent desserts and companions.
Osmanthus Oolong - Top grade oolong tea from Formosa delicately scented with rare Osmanthus flowers for a broad and unique flavor. Highly coveted and prized for its champagne aroma and deep rich flavor.
I LOVED my tea. They were right – it went PERFECTLY with the rich, decadent desserts I shoveled down my throat in there! Thomas liked his okay, but he now knows he prefers stronger teas and will, in the future order a black tea or a strong herbal tea.. I couldn’t help him there, so he was on his own!
Here is the place setting when we sat down at our table:
First we had our “entrées” and drinks. Thomas got his port (which he STILL didn’t care for) and I got my glass of sparkling wine (which I’m not crazy about).
This is a picture of my “wine” and in the background/side you can see Thomas’ drink.
Then our first plates.
My sandwiches were: shrimp salad, pear & gorgonzola, cucumber & watercress, and chicken salad. I was also given an onion tartlet.
Thomas had berries, pate, blue cheese, and he asked the waitress for some extra crackers. The plate came with 2 pieces of crostini and it wasn't enough to eat with all the goodies!
To be continued...
) we would also love to share the experience with a group of friends. Wouldn't that be a great evening?
You could get whites and I can get reds and we can compare! Then we can gasp and groan over the cheese course together too!
Next time I'm near Stinktown 
I will bring some Wabash Cannonball 
) so we headed over to DTD for a little shopping and walking (too many calories consumed the night before.
I have told DH that when I retire I want to live on a farm, raise a few goats, and make artisan goat cheese to sell (if I don't eat it all myself first!).
