NovelTea Bistro: European Flavor in Clarence, New York

For my birthday, my partner and I decided to make a reservation at an unassuming little place in Clarence, New York, called NovelTea Bistro. The name appealed to us, as we're both tea and book lovers, and we looked forward to experiencing the "European bistro experience" promised by the restaurant's website.

The moment we stepped through the door, we were welcomed by a friendly hostess, who checked our reservation and lead us to a table directly in front of the decorative fireplace. It was 11:00 a.m. on a Saturday, and the place was nearly deserted, so we felt a bit silly about having booked a reservation. Soon enough, though, more and more patrons began to fill in the empty tables around us.

First off, we ordered a pot of apricot tea and then sat back to drink in the atmosphere of the bistro. There is something decidedly European about the decor. All of the tables (small and square) are arranged in one medium-sized room and swathed with gold-hued brocade tablecloths, and red votive candles flicker as centerpieces. The dinnerware and tea service is a smooth, elegant white. The artwork on the walls, all creams and yellows and reds, lends to the warmth of the place, as do the hanging decorative plates and pottery lined up on high shelves. It is a sophisticated but entirely comfortable eatery. Both dresses and jeans would seem appropriate here.

For an appetizer, we started off with the goat cheese pita pizza, described on the menu as "warm and bubbly mild goat cheese with roasted red pepper and spinach on herbed pita." It was served on a round plate, cut into slices. Our eyes grew wide in appreciation with the first taste. It was delicious -- flavorful but still light, the perfect portion size for two people to share.

After much debate, I chose the grilled cheese with bacon and tomato sandwich as my entree, which was served with a small salad. I enjoyed the sandwich; there was nothing especially remarkable about it, but certainly nothing amiss, either. My partner's entree was one of several vegetarian options on the menu, a salad with goat cheese, beets and oranges. After only a few bites, it was convincingly proclaimed to be "divine."

Surprisingly, after we finished our food and our pot of tea, we still had some appetite left for dessert and decided to split a rustic apple tart, which the menu temptingly described as "flaky pastry filled with fresh fruit and served with our own caramel sauce and a dollop of Devonshire Cream." My advice: you must order the rustic apple tart. No visit to NovelTea would be complete with it. Personally, I am not a fan of apple pie or apple turnovers or even apple danishes, but this apple tart is leagues beyond all of those. It's bliss for your mouth, plain and simple.

The "novel" part of NovelTea refers to a bookshop just a few steps outside of the restaurant itself. I highly recommend wandering into it after you've finished your dining experience, as it is quite charming and offers NovelTea t-shirts alongside bestselling books. There is a small used books/sale section at the rear of the store, which is where we found the majority of our purchases. Connected to the bookshop is a culinary boutique called L'Atelier. It is also affiliated with NovelTea and offers the same scones as the restaurant. Unfortunately, we did not try the scones, but, if the bistro's claims are to be believed, they are the "best scones in the world."

Located within half an hour of downtown Buffalo, NovelTea Bistro is open for lunch from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, and can also be booked for special events comprised of up to thirty guests. The prices are reasonable, the service is polite and unobtrusive, and the food (and tea!) is stellar. The moment we stepped out the door, we began making plans to return for a second visit.