Finally, A Restaurant that Keeps Improving

[Click any of these photos for a full-sized view.]

We’ve all had the experience. A new restaurant opens nearby. We drop in for a meal. It’s Terrific! Nothing like it around. A welcome addition to the neighborhood. Great food; great service. Dining areas, parking lot, and even the restrooms all perfect. A new “great find.”

Months pass. Sometimes six. Sometimes as few as two. This “latest and greatest find” now isn’t quite what it used to be. Usually, the condition of the facility is the first to go. Not as neat and clean as it used to be. Then the service takes a hit. Finally, the once-legendary kitchen no longer produces those terrific dishes. Few survive.

Well, here’s one restaurant that’s only gotten better since the Allens, Carol, Kelly, and their dedicated crew, opened the doors in April 2008. Every month, it seems, brings a change. A new must-try dish on the menu; new blends of tea, perfectly brewed; a whole new look for the downstairs Café or upstairs Tea Room. That’s over seven years of improvement!

My wife and I have been enjoying lunch, tea, and even high tea, here since early 2009. We drive up from Columbia every chance we get, and we’ve yet to be disappointed.

After visiting for more than three years I mustered the courage to ask Carol Allen to sit for a CarolinaConsidered interview. She finally agreed. Click here for a listen and more photos. Carol explains the origins of the Tea Room and gives a few hints of her plans for its future.

Laura’s Tea Room has a new website. If you haven’t visited for a while go on over to www.LaurasTeaRoom.com for a look around. Julie Buffington has done a great job. Maybe I can persuade her to redo the CarolinaConsidered website one of these days.

Oh, and next time you visit the Tea Room be sure to add your e-mail to Carol’s list. Her posts are a great way to start your day. And, she provides up-to-the-minute news about Tea Room happenings. Including sales! There must be some way to sign up electronically, but I couldn’t find it.

So, there you have it. Finally, a restaurant that actually improves over time. In Ridgeway, South Carolina! 

Walking back up Palmer Street to the truck during our last visit I snapped the photo above. That’s in front of Emma and Lillie’s Cottage Goods. One of Ridgeway’s newest businesses. What a place! You’ll have to stop. 

High Tea at Laura’s Tea Room, Ridgeway SC

Last week we had High Tea at Laura’s Tea Room in Ridgeway, South Carolina. Yes, “high tea” at Laura’s Tea Room deserves capital letters. It’s a remarkable experience. We visit Laura’s Tea Room in Ridgeway fairly often. But usually time permits only soup and a sandwich at the downstairs cafe. While that’s well worth a drive to Ridgeway, High Tea upstairs is nothing short of spectacular.

So, schedules cleared and reservations secured, up the stairs we went to the impressive second floor tea room proper. My wife selected a hat and sat down to chat with a special tearoom guest while we waited for our table. We’ve met her here before, but have been asked not to mention names …..
On Wednesday Carol Allen and her crackerjack staff provided a special menu. You can see it here on the right. Chuck full of goodies. Click the small image to open it into a more readable size.
Can you imagine? “Cherry green iced tea”? I couldn’t. Fortunately my wife -- she of more eclectic taste -- gave it a try and encouraged me. Well! It was good. More than good, really. A perfect beginning for this special meal.
Now, if “Spring Cherry Green Iced Tea” hasn’t surprised you, check the “Pot of Mango Chili Tea” just below it. Mango Chili? Oh my. I had a cup. But Junko finished the rest. Even said she enjoyed it.
Now, I’m no fanatical consumer of salads. They’re fine. Usually. I’ll eat them when served. But mostly to be polite. All the while looking forward to more substantial offerings. Most sit-down-type restaurants start you off with some sort of salad. Ho hum.
Well, if you share my indifference to any dish that requires a “salad” label, click on the photo above. take a close look at the salad Laura’s Tea Room serves with High Tea. This was really good. The lettuce was fresh. Seriously fresh. As was everything else! So, when you go for High Tea, don’t ignore, or just pick at, the salad. It’s part of the experience.

Same with the soup. Perfect flavor. I can’t imagine that any part of that cup of soup ever saw the inside of a can. It sure didn’t taste like what I was raised on.
All of this leads up to the Main Event: Savories and Sweets. They’re listed on the menu above. Too many to summarize here. All sorts of things.

You have to see it – and taste it – to believe it. Nothing there from a box. All prepared right in the Tea Room kitchen downstairs the night and morning before.
So, there you have it. If a confirmed meat-and-potatoes fellow like me can look forward to High Tea at Laura’s Tea Room it will suit anybody.
Sometimes it’s possible to get in for High Tea without a reservation, but not usually. Call ahead and let the staff know how many will be in your party.
Reservations are at 803-337-8594. And visit the Tea Room Facebook page by clicking here. Carol keeps it up to date.
Enjoy!

Interview with Bird House Creator Extraordinaire, Brian Baldwin of Ridgeway, South Carolina

Where does “craft” leave off and “art” begin?
Last Friday we drove from Columbia to Camden, South Carolina, for another lunch at the Palmetto Coffee Shoppe. Outstanding sandwiches, coffee, and dessert. With the added attraction of Mr. Jeff Clark performing right in the dining room. What a treat!

On the way to and from Camden we passed an early model pickup parked beside Route One.

Both times we passed by the truck had attracted quite a crowd, covered as it was with unusually shaped bird houses. We weren’t in the market for another bird house. But after sitting at home for less than five minutes I couldn’t resist a return visit.
So, back down Route One to have a closer look. Well, I got to see the bird houses and also got to meet Mr. Brian Baldwin, their creator. Here’s a short interview with him and a few more photos.

(Should your browser fail to display the video above, click here to go directly to YouTube.)

As he explains in the video, Mr. Baldwin maintains neither an e-mail address nor a web site.
His snail-mail address is:
“64 Settlers Drive, Ridgeway, South Carolina 29130”
But it’s probably easier to reach him by calling:
Home: 803-272-5962
Cell: 803-337-6070
Keep on the lookout for Mr. Baldwin and his remarkable creations as you drive South Carolina’s highways. Be sure to stop.

Laura’s Tea Room Gets Better and Better!

(Click the photo above to access the Tea Room’s fancy new website. Lots more information there.)

Yesterday my wife and I drove to Ridgeway, South Carolina, for one of Laura’s Tea Room’s famous high teas. It turned out to be the best yet. During the four years since Carol and Kelly re-opened The Thomas Company they’ve made lots of changes. One thing that hasn’t changed though is the quality of their teas and food.

This is a quick snap of the second-floor tea room from our table next to the exposed original brick wall. I mean!

And here’s a table for two just like ours but next to the front wall with its huge windows overlooking Ridgeway’s Palmer Street. Everything you need to enjoy a real cup of tea. Right down to the napkin holders. This is a charming room.
Here’s a view of the mezzanine from the second floor. Ladies can choose one of those fancy hats on the way to the dining room if they’re so inclined.

Best not to ask how many brands, or even types, of tea Carol & Co. serve here. The list goes on and on. Something for every palate. From good solid English breakfast tea, brewed and served properly, to unusual flavored varieties. Like iced and sweetened pomegranate green. “Pomegranate Green”??? Well, it was excellent. And I never drink flavored teas.
Click this link, tearoom@truvista.net, to sign up for Carol’s excellent newsletters. Carol’s posts will make your day. Every issue a different theme. AND, she lets us know about special events and even discounted specials through the newsletter. Wish I could write like that!
Oh, and speaking of food, here’s a short video of what we had to eat during our last visit. Just too much to describe in words. Enjoy.

(Click here if your browser fails to display the embedded video)