Nicole
User's reviews
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Lovejoy's Tea Room
I've visited Lovejoy's almost a dozen times now and the times I've strayed, I've regretted (most recently, see my review of Secret Garden). The first time I took my boyfriend (last year) he was very apprehensive that the tea service would leave him hungry, but ask him now and he'll heartily affirm that he's been full at every visit (he's only missed one of my tea trips since). Lovejoy's has my favorite tea, Yorkshire, which I always order though I've tried all of my guests' tea choices and they have been outstanding as well (Taylor's Tea Room Blend is recommended by the servers and I recommend it too, also the Spiced Citrus was quite pleasant). Tea is loose and steeps wonderfully, plus you get to use the cute tea strainers. I can't say enough about how filling the Queen's Tea is (two full sandwiches=8 quarters, coleslaw, salad, scone with a berry preserve that is great! and devon cream, crumpet with lemon curd, fruit, petit four and shortbread cookie), but there's also many smaller tea services that are priced excellently ($13.25 gets you one sandwich, scone with toppings, fruit and shortbread cookie). There are many worthwhile goodies on the a la carte menu: Savory Beef Pastie was delicious!, quiche (I tried one with mushrooms but I don't know if variety changes) was delicate and moist--a great value with salad at $7.95, and extra sandwiches can always be added onto a tea service for $2.95. With so many sandwich choices you'll want to add on another one or two because they are all scrumptious. Roast Beef with Horseradish is very flavorful, if you like this type of spiciness you can step it up to a hotter notch with the Ham and English Mustard, the mustard offers quite an interesting bite. Chicken-Apple-Walnut is one of my regulars, the fruit and nut mix is perfect, Egg and Onion is quite delicious, and there's always Cucumber or Salmon with Cream Cheese (tried and true, but the other combinations are so spectacular it's hard to settle). Service is always helpful, especially for first-timers. They've never forgotten to warm my tea before I need to ask and every visit has shown efficient service that doesn't intrude on my catch-up sessions with friends. The tea room is usually very crowded so a reservation is a must if you don't want to wait away half your afternoon, but service really is handled extremely well considering how many tables/parties they can accomodate. The room is decorated like a grandmother's house, but the company is anything but stifled so it's not a minus. Tables are seated with chairs as well as couches, a very comfortable touch. I love the doilies and mismatched tea china, the whole ambiance is fantastic. I highly recommend this tea room for any occasion, though I haven't tried how service accomodates a large party/shower. - Nicole 03/03/06