On the side
ST. JAMES TEAROOM
★★★★
320 Osuna NE, Building D, 242-3752, stjamestearoom.com
For many locals, a visit to St. James Tearoom is a treasured tradition.
St. James Tearoom changes the menu frequently to suit the seasons and roll out events such as a Harry Potterthemed service so that there’s always a reason to come back. To say they have a following is an understatement: If you wait until November to book a table for the holidays, you’ll be out of luck.
The four tea options — regular, gluten-free, vegetarian and nut-free — include three courses of food and three teas with all the accouterments.
The outgoing menu, organized into two acts with an intermission, is based on “The Nutcracker,” Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky’s 1892 ballet.
I ordered one regular tea ($45.52) and one gluten-free ($50.49) version.
The highlight of the savory treats that made up Act 1 was Godfather Drosselmeyer’s Beef Wellington. St. James has perfected the art of beef Wellington.
Savory offerings at St. James include beef Wellington, creamed Brussels sprouts and mushrooms, truffled potato, cheddar quiche and a cucumber tea sandwich with roasted turkey, and orange and cranberry cream cheese.
The savories were backstopped by a strong, rich Indian Assam black tea in which the leaves were formed into small pellets. The Intermission portion of the meal consisted of soda bread and cream scones served with sugarplumscented black tea.
Act 2 brings a colorful variety of sweets, from a rich chocolate truffle rolled in nuts to a tart, airy framboise custard. Craft and creativity make St. James Tearoom a special experience, even in takeout mode.