I love a good, clever name and driving around the Bay Area, it's easy to spot some good ones. Passing by places like The Grateful Head - a hair salon, or Mom's the Word - a maternity store, always makes me smile. And for some reason, MFM always cracks up whenever we pass this restaurant in the South Bay called Thai-phoon. Well, here's another funny, creative business name to add to that list: DarTEAling Lounge. Ha. Makes you smile, right?
Its name is just one of the reasons to adore this SOMA tea spot, where I met my friend (I haven't thought of a foodie name for her yet, so I'll just call her Mamma M. for now) for afternoon tea. We ordered the SerendipiTEA (love it!) for two ($40), which is great because it allows you to try a little bit of a lot of things, but somewhat stressful if decision making is not your forte. Because you get 12 tea sandwiches, two pots of tea, salad, scones, petit fours, cookies and more sweets. And we're talking LOTS of menu options to choose from.
Its name is just one of the reasons to adore this SOMA tea spot, where I met my friend (I haven't thought of a foodie name for her yet, so I'll just call her Mamma M. for now) for afternoon tea. We ordered the SerendipiTEA (love it!) for two ($40), which is great because it allows you to try a little bit of a lot of things, but somewhat stressful if decision making is not your forte. Because you get 12 tea sandwiches, two pots of tea, salad, scones, petit fours, cookies and more sweets. And we're talking LOTS of menu options to choose from.
The teas came first, the exotic-sounding Latin Quarter for me (a yummy black tea blend of vanilla and grenadine, which was great with splash of milk and sugar) and less-caffeinated Cherry Moon for her, a floral-y, fruity green tea. Choosing the sandwiches was a lot harder as they all sounded so good - and the ones we selected (turkey with pesto, darjeeling curried chicken, and strawberry and cream cheese) were delicate and delicious.
I think a tell-all sign of a good tea spot would be its home-baked scones, and theirs were good, if not a little on the non-traditional side (we detected coconut and chocolate chips that day). And there was so much food we each ended up taking a box of leftovers home.
It was almost like time slowed down a little, being here. It felt special for so many reasons. The place itself, which was warm, cozy and inviting. And the food and tea, with the wide array of delicious choices, the way it was thoughtfully presented, all the nice, soft and flowery details. But perhaps the most special thing of all was spending the afternoon chatting and laughing with the beautiful, glowing Mamma M., who, a few months later, brought one very lucky little guy into this world. Hello and welcome, Baby K.
SAMIWICH'S TASTE RATING
1 comments:
I'm honored to be mentioned in your blog! What a lovely, sweet review. It was a special treat indeed, our little tea for two. Can't wait for you to meet Baby K!
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