Tea for Two

Today I experienced a little taste of heaven, I'm certain. I instant-messaged my friend and asked what the chances were of us sneaking away from our work and eating lunch like regular human beings. Usually we eat at our desks, slopping soup all over ourselves and our work, or sometimes it's just too late before it occurs to us that noise we're hearing is our stomachs, begging to be fed. We both agreed we needed a break. I thought we'd grab something at the local grocery hot food line and scarf it down in their cafe. But she suggested a place she had seen down the road.

We walked into Sister's Special Teas and absolutely gasped with delight! The owners have succeeded in creating a spot reminscent of grandma's kitchen. An array of old-fashioned metal-top tables awaited our choosing, and the friendliest of servers greeted us as though he'd been waiting just for us. It was so charming I think we both just felt like giggling! We decided to share the special of the day, a roast beef panini-type sandwich on marbled rye with a hummus-blue cheese-horseradish spread. Sounds odd but believe me, it was to die for! We also shared a birds-nest croissant, a quiche-type dish that appealed to my breakfast-loving friend, which was served with an apple cranberry salad (think Waldorf salad with just a very light dressing). Are you hungry yet? Our beverages were served in real glasses (okay, we opted for water over tea!) and the meals on cut glass tea plates.

Between "mmms" and "aaahs", we chatted about things like an easy way to make meatballs and how we wished we'd taken more time to write down some of our grandmas' special recipes. We drooled a bit over the dessert case, and settled for a scone and nuthorn cookie to go. We left much fuller than we came, and certainly refreshed in spirit. We both agreed this is going to be our little secret (well, at least we don't plan to share with any coworkers)!

I honestly don't know what was the best part: getting away from work, the wonderful meal and charming atmosphere, or just some time spent with a good friend. Possibly the combination of all three. I apologize for sharing a secret most of you will never be able to visit, but if you can't, I hope you'll be encouraged to seek out such a place, or better yet - create such a space for yourself and someone you cherish. Those of you real-life friends who read this blog, you can bet I have a new spot to share with you!