Originally published Sunday, December 2, 2007 at 12:00 AM
Southeast Eats
Discover tea and treats at this Secret Garden
The holiday season was in full swing when I was driving on West Valley Highway next to the Old Cannery Furniture Warehouse in Sumner. People were riding in...
Special to The Seattle Times
The Secret Garden Tea Room & Gift Shop
Address: 1711 Elm St., SumnerPhone, Web site: 253-826-4479, www.sgtea.com
Hours: Tea room open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays until Dec. 23
Menu, prices: Tea sets featuring a pot of tea, scones, fruit, sandwiches, sweets and savories cost $8.95 to $29.95 a person. The Victorian Christmas Tea is available until Dec. 23.
The holiday season was in full swing when I was driving on West Valley Highway next to the Old Cannery Furniture Warehouse in Sumner. People were riding in horse-drawn carriages and the bridge into town was decorated with lights and red bows.
It was the perfect route to take to The Secret Garden Tea Room & Gift Shop for lunch and tea.
After years at Factoria Mall in Bellevue, the restaurant and gift shop moved to the Herbert Williams House last year. The Victorian mansion, built in 1890, was a great place to spend a Sunday afternoon.
My companion and I ventured to the tea room to try the Victorian Christmas Tea ($29.95): five courses of sandwiches, pastries and other treats, sparkling cider and a pot of tea for each of us.
I tried the Raspberry Patch tea, which smelled as delicious as a bowl of raspberries, and my companion chose the Caramel Toffee tea, which she enjoyed with lemon and milk.
The meal started with a creamy soup of Italian sausage and red potatoes served in a tea cup. Next up were fresh-baked scones with raspberry jam, lemon curd and Devonshire cream, and then sorbet in a miniature tea cup, which we took home as a souvenir.
We ate almost every bite without thinking about the courses still to come.
We were overwhelmed when our waiter brought out a three-tiered tray with three types of sandwiches; fruit; truffles; and bite-sized vegetable quiches, pastries, cheesecake, gingerbread rolls and shortbread.
We took our sweets home, so we had room for the final course: wonderful Victorian cranberry pudding cake with buttery vanilla frosting.
We spent two hours in the tea room and then browsed the gift shop. It was worth every minute.
Janica Lockhart: 253-234-8603 or jlockhart@seattletimes.com
Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company

2009 fireworks time lapse
With strict parking rules enforced at this year's July 4th celebration on Wallingford Ave North, less cars and more spectators filled the streets.
Entertainment | Top Video | World | Offbeat Video | Sci-Tech
nwjobs

Post a comment

Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
Tax tips for new independent professionals
Post a comment
nwautos

Choosing a new sedan? Weigh the impact of your choice on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment
nwhomes

Find a new home or condo that fits your lifestyle.
Search New Developments
Builder Directory
- Plasma and LCD beware; OLED screens ready to go mainstream
- Former NFL MVP McNair killed
- Russell Branyan, Mariners fight off the Red Sox
- Palin takes to Web for hints of political future
- Fourth of July festivals and fireworks in Seattle, the suburbs and beyond
- Landmark Smith Tower mostly vacant
- The Blotter | Man pistol-whipped after argument at nightclub
- Property taxes: Appeals shoot up in King, Snohomish Counties
- Desert-lobster dispute turns pair into sagebrush heroes
- Larry Stone | Mariners deserve big All-Star contingent
- Palin resigning as Alaska governor
768 - Seattle Mariners at Boston Red Sox: 07/04 game thread
244 - Seattle Mariners at Boston Red Sox: 07/05 game thread
171 - Former NFL MVP McNair killed
99 - Hatred for the NBA runs deep, but don't take it out on the players
91 - Palin links resignation to 'higher calling' and blasts media in Facebook posting
90 - Tukwila residents rally against light-rail noise
79 - Property taxes: Appeals shoot up is King, Snohomish Counties
64 - Mariners score unlikely win over Red Sox in battle of bullpens
58 - Tent City on campus: UW stalls decision
51
- Plasma and LCD beware; OLED screens ready to go mainstream
- Merchant Marine veterans fight for recognition
- Property taxes: Appeals shoot up in King, Snohomish Counties
- Hard times for tourist towns means good deals for travelers
- Close-up | Prison guards intercept carrier pigeon with a cellphone
- Pre-grill drill: marinate steaks
- Concert Review | Green Day blasts off 4th weekend with KeyArena show
- Amtrak cleared for 2nd daily train to Vancouver, B.C.
- Lake Washington's sockeye run may hit a record low
- The People's Pharmacy | Estrogen mimicker found in sunscreen





