a happy patron
User's reviews
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600 Main, a B and B and Victorian TeaRoom
I have been an afternoon tea lover since my mom and I met an English friend for tea in London in June 1986! Yesterday my friend and I had one of the most memorable teas ever at the new Victorian tearoom, 600 Main, in downtown Toms River. To say it was fantastic is an understatement. From the moment owner Susan greeted us at the door until we parted (I gave her a big hug on the way out), everything--and I mean everything--was absolutely perfect. It is hard to believe that Susan is new at this, for she seems like a seasoned pro to me. Susan has made some changes for the better, I think, since the previous owner ran the tea room. First, outside, the grounds in the front are beautiful now, having been cleared and planted, so that you can really appreciate the façade of this grand old sea captain’s home. Inside the atmosphere seems lighter and airier, perhaps indicative of its new owner. There are additional tea rooms on the first floor now. Susan has added a restroom on the first floor, too, so that tea patrons don’t have to climb the long staircase to the second floor. The tea rooms are immaculate--beautifully appointed with lovely china, linens, and silver, and the baby grand piano now graces the foyer. Susan was attentive as soon as we were seated, starting us off with bottled water and cucumber garnish. Next we had a delicious mushroom soup served in sweet tea cups, and then on to a wonderful celery salad in small martini glasses. Ah, then the scone course, which consisted of one of the best scones ever, tropical, with homemade lemon curd and cream. The texture of the scone was just right. Our pot of tea, a tangerine flavored tea, was brewed to perfection and stayed hot the entire time (a rarity in tea rooms, I have found). The tea was so delicious on its own that it did not require any accoutrements, such as honey or lemon. When the two-tiered tray of sandwiches, savories, and sweets came out I just could not contain myself. The variety and presentation were some of the best I have ever seen in a tea room—each item a gem. The petite desserts were outstanding, and I understand they were prepared by a recent culinary graduate. Kudos to her! Susan, bless your heart for pampering my friend and me yesterday. We thoroughly enjoyed your afternoon tea, and we are delighted that downtown Toms River has its long-awaited lovely tea room. We hope this is the start of great things for you, Susan, for your Victorian tea room, 600 Main, and for downtown Toms River, too.
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The Butterfly Tea Room
My husband and I drove to Cape May over Labor Day weekend with the express purpose of visiting The Butterfly Tea Room. We called ahead for a reservation and had the most wonderful time. The tea room is situated among a row of colorful cottages in West Cape May. In perusing the menu I enjoyed reading about how the owner started her tea room, as a tribute to her mom—how sweet is that? My husband and I each had the copper butterfly tea, which was excellent. I liked the tea sandwiches, but I especially liked the sweets: a scrumptious brownie, a lemon bar, a slice of banana bread, and butterscotch mousse (or was it butterscotch pot de crème?). We also enjoyed our pots of tea, perfectly steeped, as well as our scones with accompanying spreads. Our server was very nice, as was the tea room owner. N.B. On our way back to the car, we enjoyed seeing all the butterflies visiting the huge butterfly bush outside the tea room, which added to the ambience. What a delightful afternoon. We recommend this little tea room highly, without reservation of any kind!
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Teaberry's Tea Room
Like Robbin B, I have been to a number of tea rooms in the Northeastern US and also in Europe, and I have hosted numerous tea parties for the past 15 years. Teaberry's is absolutely wonderful. It doesn't get much better than this. Each of the eight tiny desserts was exquisite, as were the fabulous tea sandwiches. In short, every bite was perfection. The service was excellent, the setting was lovely, and the tea selection was impressive. I enjoyed strolling through the tea shops afterward. All in all I had a very elegant, relaxing afternoon and can't wait to return. True, afternoon tea here is expensive compared to some of the other New Jersey tea rooms; however, the quality, presentation, and inventiveness of the food--together with the fine service and ambience--is well worth the price. It should be noted that there is no pleasing some folks! They are entitled to their opinions, to be sure--so long as they are honest and candid--but I suspect that if they had tea with the Queen of England they would find something wrong, so their reviews should be read with an open mind. The overwhelming majority of reviews for Teaberry’s have been very favorable. Because of those reviews, I was eager to check out this tea room myself, and I am happy to add my positive feedback here.
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Amelia's Teas & Holly
This is a lovely little tea room. The ambience is wonderful--beautiful and very comfortable chairs surround elegant tables; lace curtains adorn large, sunny windows; and beautiful teapot collections strategically placed on the walls provide visual interest without being too cluttered. I also like the fact that the little gift shop is separate from the tea rooms so as not to crowd patrons. The food was excellent--nice variety of flavors and textures. I especially loved the sweets offered--the dark chocolate truffle was divine, as was the luscious almond square--fabulous! The tea sandwiches were very good, though I would have preferred the egg salad with pimento on a softer bread rather than a hard toasted bread. The strawberry scone was crumbly but good, especially with the accompanying almond cream and strawberry preserves. We loved the tea selection. In conclusion, our server was very pleasant. We hope to return soon for another delightful afternoon if we are in the area.
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Sally Lunn's
My husband and I recently had tea on a busy Saturday around 1PM. When we arrived the tea room was filled, but we had to wait only a few minutes for a table. We were pleased to be seated so quickly, especially since we did not have a reservation. Our server was lovely and attentive. We did not have the full tea but had a scaled-down version. We enjoyed our tea selection and agreed that the food was good, so much so that we bought two scones to take home. Our chief complaint, however, pertains to the ambience and level of cleanliness, together with the very awkward position of the restroom. The tea room is much too cluttered; with clutter, it is hard to keep it clean and tidy. We understand how difficult it must be to change table linens when you are so busy; however, we suggest to the owners that you put glass tops on each table so that all you have to do is wipe the glass clean between seatings. When we sat down, we were horrified to see that the lace cloth was not only badly torn, but also soiled with food. This is unacceptable! We recommend that you upgrade your restroom, which is unsanitary (garbage overflowing) and very cluttered. It was difficult to sit down and even more difficult to get to the sink. If possible, you should reconfigure the tea room so that while patrons are waiting in line for the rest room, they are not in the way of the kitchen staff flying past them with trays of food and pots of hot tea. Very kluge, indeed. Sally Lunn's has great potential, if a few changes are made as noted above.