Indie♥Ogden

Ben lomond suites: Afternoon Tea at 11:41 PM

I am loving the resurrection of tea time! Not only is the food a perfect midday snack to hold you over for dinner ( or gorge yourself and leave you stuffed all day like i do) but it is a great excuse to get dressed up in those clothes you never get a chance to wear and practice all those manners your mama tried desperately to teach you.

I was so delighted when i was given the opportunity to go to the Ben Lomond suites for their afternoon tea. many times i had biked by this swanky establishments and peeked in the windows at all the beautiful decor. So, today i got all dressed up and headed out with my tot for a tea time adventure.

As soon as we were seated we were given strawberries with creme Chantilly which lasted about 2 seconds. The creme Chantilly was sweet and fluffy and was very fresh and soon after a hot cocoa and some euro cookies came out for the huntress. After a bit the rest of our party arrived and we ordered our teas: BAI MU DAN, GOLDEN MONKEY, EARLY GR E Y AND GINGER PEACH. The teas are from Tea Zaati out of salt lake who donate 7% of profits to featured charities who are making a difference in the world.I have to admit it took quite a bit for our tea to come out but it gave us plenty of time to gab about life and how we wish we could be one of the res hat ladies.

The teas were all yummy and mine, the bai mu dan, was subtle and nutty and smelled like fruit trees. Everyone loved their teas and it was nice to be able to browse and smell the flavors in their little dishes on the table behind us. I love that that Tea was local and a portion went to good causes. The owner of Tea Zaati was there and even stopped by for a little hello.

Once our teas came our sandwiches quickly followed. i was pleasantly surprised by the graped in the egg salad sandwich and i have to say i kind of loved it. The tuna was well made, nothing fancy just a classic recipe (why change a good thing right?) however the tomatoes with goat cheese and basil was amazing. I believe they use bee hive cheese and now i simply must take a visit to their place, the cheese was creamy and tart and everything i love about goat cheese only amplified. It was so good i ate the entire tray and even swiped some from my friends tray as well. I could live off that cheese and it is something you just can not miss.

Once we were stuffed to the brim our desserts came out, how did i forget there was dessert? I wish i would have saved more room but i got in a good amount of sweets regardless. The lemon scones were lovely and had plenty of zest though i wasn't fond of the jam, i prefer creme fraiche or Mascarpone Cream unless the scone is plain . The Shoo Fly cake was just the right amount of spicy with ginger and i loved the crumble on top. I believe it usually comes with whipped cream and i can see how that would perfectly compliment its flavor.

Afterwards, once we were able to hoist ourselves from our seats, we took a little peek around. The artist Darnel Haney was in attendance and i perused his art and had a little chat with him. His work is beautiful and i love the paintings of the musicians with their instruments. We listened to the piano player for a bit and then went to the ballroom to check out the view of downtown.My friend Candice fell in love with the dance floors and i wanted to lounge in the window for days. The feeling of the hotel is cozy and welcoming and there is so much to look at that you just don't want to leave.

I loved having tea time with my lady friends and daughter and i think it everyone had an overall delightful time. A little fine tuning and this will be the perfect fancy retreat for mothers and daughters, social groups or a special lunch date. Since it is only once a month you should definitely give it a try and with very few upscale establishments its worth the money to experience fine dining. My suggestion for them would be to leave a pot of brewed tea at the table as we only got to try 2 cups of tea with a long break between. I think the Ben Lomond suites are certainly on the right track to Tea Time success. If you want to try them soon be sure to check out their GROUPON for half off! Be sure to check out their WEBSITE for more info on their afternoon teas and featured artists.

For more photos of today's Tea time check out Indie Ogden's facebook page

What if you want tea time the other days of the month? GO HERE to learn about other tea times in Ogden.

Labels: afternoon tea, ben lomond suites, first friday ogden, foodie review utah, tea zaati