A Formal Tea in a Beautiful Place...in A Shopping Mall?

A Victorian tea room, beautifully decorated and with every touch in place, in the middle of a shopping center? It seems to be an oxymoron, but Lisa's Tea Treasures is indeed such a place (two, actually). The Lisa's we visited in October of 2004 is located in The Pruneyard in Campbell, California; there is a second location in Santana Row, San Jose. Lisa's is a true Victorian tea room -- even the waitresses wear authentic costumes.

Our friend Maika joined us for our tea ceremony that day, accompanied by her 11-month old daughter Sequoia. Sequoia is an unusual baby in that she is clearly an old soul; she sat at the tea table and happily ate cookies and her own tea sandwich. Before the main menu arrives a jar of cinnamon/sugar cookies is placed on the table, along with a dish of candied violets to sweeten the tea in a special way (they taste great, by the way, and not in tea!)

Lisa's has an advantage over a lot of tea rooms; because they have plenty of space and serve a high volume of customers, Lisa's offers something many tea rooms cannot; each customer may choose their own tea service from a vast menu. Here are some of the choices:

THE DUCHESS' DELIGHT: Afternoon tea in England

A scone with Devonshire cream and preserves; two each of Egg Salad Supreme and Cucumber Mint tea sandwiches, a Broccoli Potato and Cheese pot pie and dessert -- the desserts are chosen from a selection of six. Tom had this tea, and his pot pie was so delicious we all wanted one -- but by that time we were too full!

LOUIS XIV'S FAVORITE -- Afternoon tea in France

A scone with Devonshire cream and preserves; Parisian Chicken Croissant tea sandwich, Roquefort Pecan tea sandwiches, Brie en Croute and dessert.

MY LADY'S RESPITE - Traditional Afternoon tea

A scone with Devonshire cream and preserves; assorted tea sandwiches (Egg Salad Supreme, Chicken Tarragon, Cucumber mint, pesto nut and Roast Beef with Tomato and cream cheese), a delightful petite savory and dessert.

Amanda had this menu and loved it; her only complaint was that there were no salmon tea sandwiches -- her very favorite!

VENETIAN'S ROMANCE - Afternoon Tea in Italy

A scone with Devonshire cream and preserves, Goat Cheese with Sundried Tomato sandwiches and Pesto Nut tea sandwiches; Roasted Garlic and cheese puffs and dessert.

Sandra and Maika had this menu; they were particularly fond of the garlic puffs, which were quite delicious. Maika thought the pesto nut tea sandwiches were a little strange; I tasted one and wouldn't choose it myself, but it was still tasty.

SUMMER REGATTA - Afternoon tea in California

A scone with Devonshire cream and preserves; Tuna salad tea sandwiches, Goat Cheese and Sundried Tomato sandwiches, mini Mushroom tarts and dessert.

I had this selection, and the whole thing was delicious. I traded one of the mushroom tarts (fabulous) for one of Maika's pesto nut sandwiches; it wasn't really an equal trade -- my tarts were far superior.

There are many more choices, and when we went there was also a special Harvest menu. Sequoia had one of the sandwiches from the special menu -- cream cheese, brown sugar and sliced apples. Her first tea sandwich at the age of 11 months, and she loved it. It is also possible to order a salad or soup, and there is the Court Jester's Surprise, a special afternoon tea for children, which includes tea, cocoa or milk, peanut butter and jelly tea sandwiches, pigs-in-a-blanket, fresh fruit, goldfish crackers and a sweet.

We loved everything about this place; the ambiance, the food, the gift shop! And the costumed waitresses, the service...perhaps Lisa's will do well enough to expand into more locations; I'd request one in Sonoma County, California. Before we left I bought some candied violets and sugar cubes decorated with tiny yellow sugar flowers, for a tea party/baby shower I'm hosting.