Glenwood Tea Room serves up a perfect balance
A LADY WHO LUNCHES
Over
the past few months, the lesson has played forth in many different ways
that we should enjoy the people, places and things we adore, while we
have them. That applies to eateries, too. Fortunately for us, as talk of
the Glenwood Village Tea Room closing circulated last year, Kera
Hamilton and her husband, Jarred, stepped in to keep the Highland
treasure open and thriving.
They
have found a beautiful balance in keeping everything we love, while
adding their own special touch. The menu still features our anticipated
soups, sandwiches and salads, all made with the tried and true recipes
found in the restaurant’s cookbook. The noticeable changes are the
slightly shorter name, Glenwood Tea Room, and slightly expanded menu.
Don’t
let the words “tea room” deter you. This is not just your grandma’s
place to wear a fabulous hat for tea, although on occasion we ladies
still do, and it is great fun. You do not have to know about, or even
like, tea to enjoy their menu. Kera said that “they have something for
everyone, and there’s no reason to feel uncomfortable.”
My
beau can attest to that. On a recent visit he was quite impressed with
the hearty BLT he ordered. Glenwood’s Maple BLT ($11) features mounds of
maple-baked bacon, greens, provolone cheese, tomato, honey, mustard and
mayonnaise sandwiched between thick slices of toasted Milton’s
Multigrain wheat bread. Always the explorer, he also likes to sample the
latest teas available, hot or cold.
Last
week he ordered the Chicken Rice Crepe topped with a Béchamel Sauce
& Mini Regal salad ($14.75). Chicken, garden rice, mushrooms and
carrots are served in a light crepe shell topped with béchamel sauce. It
is served with a cheddar scone and spring greens, apples, mozzarella
and walnuts topped with lemon-pepper sweet cream dressing.
When
he hears about The King’s Favorite Sandwich ($14.75), featuring baked
chicken layered with bacon and provolone on a toasted croissant, it will
probably be his next choice.
I
am usually an adventurous eater, but I could not resist ordering the
Afternoon Tea Experience on both of my recent visits. Realizing how
close we came to not being able to have this treat if the restaurant had
closed, I have indulged. The Afternoon Tea Experience ($20) has a touch
of all my favorites beginning with a lovely choice from black or
flavored teas served in a lovely teapot. My favorites are the
fruit-based teas, which are naturally lightly sweet, so I started with a
warm decaf apricot-peach blend.
The
experience comes with soup, tea, sandwiches and scone. First, you have
your choice of either their famous Victorian Soup (an authentic
Victorianera cream soup made with asparagus, onions, mushrooms,
broccoli, cucumber, chicken and ham puréed together with light cream) or
my favorite, a delicious Tomato Cream Soup (also available in cup $4/
bowl $8).
After soup
is served, a decorative tiered tray of finger sandwiches is delivered to
the table. There is an enticing assortment of fresh-made pimento
cheese, turkey and cheese, and scoop of delicious chicken salad.
However, in my opinion, the best and prettiest on the tray are the
delicately flavored open-faced sandwiches in cucumber and strawberry.
Now,
let’s talk about those delectable scones. In the past, a scone for me
was simply a tasty way to transport lemon curd and cream to my mouth.
That opinion changed when I tried the Glenwood Tea Room’s White
Chocolate Apricot scone. The warm, fluffy goodness was such a delight
that I had to take a picture of my beau’s happy face when I shared a
bite. While flavorful, the scone itself was not overly sweet, which made
it the perfect vehicle for a touch of lemon curd and cream.
In addition to their traditional scones ($4/ea.) in buttermilk, pecan praline, cranberry orange and chocolate chip flavors, Kera said that they enjoy creating special seasonal scones, too. Recently, they celebrated Mardi Gras with a King Cake-flavored scone. Currently, they are serving a Carrot Cake Scone, and will be baking up batches of Lemon Blueberry Scones very soon.
As if that isn’t perfect enough, they have sandwiches called the Scone-wich with a dollop of chicken salad served over spring mix, tomato, mayo and chutney on a cheddar scone. The menu is so full of wonderful dishes like Chicken Chutney Pecan Salad ($10.75) or Canadian Bacon and Gouda Quiche with Artichokes ($14.75) that you will have to read all of their descriptions for a true appreciation.
Not only is the Glenwood Tea Room a peaceful oasis where anyone should feel comfortable enjoying lunch, it is a great place to celebrate. Birthdays, bridal parties and office lunches are ideal reasons to make reservations, plus the Glenwood hosts special events. Recently, they held a Mommy and Me event that included the Afternoon Tea Experience, tea pot decorating, a Razzberry Salon service and Soul Rebels Photography. Find out more about upcoming occasions and seasonal scones by following them on Facebook or calling. Enjoy!
Lynn Laird is a writer, fine artist and self-professed bon vivant living in Bossier. With her “Flair for Cooking” blog, she seeks out interesting ingredients and techniques to help make everyday meals just a touch more fabulous. She can reached at [email protected].