Come to Tea in the Garden

Calistoga, California is a little jewel of a town in the Napa wine valley, nestled amongst some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. This is a mellow little town, where the people are friendly and much of the income is from upscale tourist and winery trade. On a corner in a sage green house is the English Garden Tea Rooms, opened in November of 2007 by Jim and Jane Mitchell, Jim's sister Michelle and Jane Stewart. We went to visit the tea rooms in March of 2008 when the place was only five months old, but it was already obviously a favorite amongst locals and visitors, and, as Mary Poppins would say, 'practically perfect in every way'.

The decorating of the rooms and the cooking of the delicacies are both thanks to the talents of Michelle Mitchell. Jim and Jane run the place with the help of Johanna Quinn-Sheridan, the only Irish woman in the bunch and quick to point out that she is from County Cork, thank you very much...still a Britisher, certainly, but a proud transplant from one of the most enchanted places.

The layout is unusual for a tea room, and an explanation of why this place is actually called the Tea Rooms...each little dining room has three or four tables, and with the exception of the Garden Room, each one has a different color theme. We were in the Lavender Room that first day, and every decoration, every detail, echoes the theme. There is a Rose Room, a Primrose Room, a Bluebell Room...and the Garden Room, the largest with four tables that seat six people each, incorporates all the colors of the rest.

Every decoration is delightful, every attention to detail is meticulous. Michelle is a fabulous decorator in addition to being a wonderful cook, and Jim ran his own decorating business for 30 years. Jane has worked in Customer Service in the private and government sectors in England, managed a restaurant and worked in catering. Michelle was a nurse for many years, but it is with the English Garden Tea Rooms that her talents are best appreciated.

The menu is extensive, and 35 different teas are offered. The day we went, three of our party had The Edwardian Tea, three the Princess Diana. We were happy with everything that was included, but decided the Edwardian tea was a better option because it included several unusual and favored items: a sausage roll, two tiny crab-filled vol-au-vents, and a savory scone (White Stilton and walnut). In addition to the teas, which range from a small afternoon snack to a full high tea, there are several classic English lunch items available - bangers and mash, cottage pie, steak and mushroom pie and Cornish pasties.

There are large teas - the 'Elevenses' which contains a sausage roll, two savory and two sweet scones, and a slice of Victoria sponge; the 'Duchess of Bedford', which is the largest selection and includes four tea sandwiches, a sausage roll, a crab pastry, a cream horn, a sweet scone, shortbread, petit fours and trifle. If that sounds like a lot, it probably is! There are reduced prices for two of the same teas in one order. There is a special childrens' tea that includes a choices of beverages besides tea - hot chocolate, orange juice or milk; four tea sandwiches, a sausage roll, a fairy cake, strawberries dipped in chocolate and shortbread.

Reservations are not necessary, but recommended for groups. This is a very popular place in Calistoga; the day we were there the Bluebell Room housed a birthday party, and the Rose Room another kind of group party. Their address is: 1107 Cedar Street, Calistoga, California 94515. Telephone 707-942-4262 and talk to Jim or Jane. Tell them Debora sent you...