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| Pouring tea at Dushanbe |
When a tea room shows up in Bruce Richardson's
Great Tea Rooms of America, I know two things: its going to be good and I want to go there. Last month, I had the great fortune to be in Boulder, Colorado with the opportunity to visit one of the entries in Richardson's book - the
Dushanbe Tea Room - and it was, in fact, very, very good!
The tea room itself is a gift from Boulder's sister city in Tajikistan and the decor reflects the unique craftsmanship of many of the country's artists. The brightly colored carved ceiling, white plaster wall panels and bronze sculptors are visually stunning and, alone, would be worth the trip.
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| Beautiful carved ceilings from artists in Boulder's sister city in Tajikistan |
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| A fountain surrounded by bronze sculptures fills the center of the tea room |
The food, however, is equally amazing. My sister-in-law and I went for afternoon tea (of course!) and sweets and savories were all fresh and delicious. General Manager, Kasi Tenborg, joined us at our table for a chat and explained the restaurant's mission of farm-to-table as well as the history of the Boulder tea room. (For more on all that, see The Detroit Tea Examiner's article "
Dushanbe Boulder Tea Room provides a unique setting with a creative menu".)
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| General Manager, Kasi Tenborg, visited our table and explained the tea room's history |
To start our meal, we were served an "amuse bouche" (a French term that literally translates "to amuse the mouth") of asparagus soup with goat cheese. Served in glossy-white, demi-tasse cups, the soup was as appealing to look at as it was to taste. Asked how one should properly convey the soup to one's lips, our waiter told us using spoons was the proper method. The only suggestion I would add here, is that it would be delightful to have miniature utensils for such purposes.
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| An amuse bouche of asparagus soup with goat cheese was fabulous |
Our afternoon tea came with a variety of scrumptious sandwiches and desserts, along with scones served with cream and lemon curd. Dushanbe also has a line of their own tea which was served in individual tea pots to accompany the repast. We sampled four different teas and our favorites were Earl Grey and Boulder Tangerine.
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| Afternoon tea menu and fresh flowers adorned our table |
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| Sweets at the top of our three-tiered tray |
After tea, we stopped at the retail counter and purchased some tea for home for everyone in the family - including the dogs. Yes!, it's true - the Boulder Tea Room also carries a line of tea for canines. Back in Michigan, I brewed some for our two dogs: Baylee drank it right from the bowl, but Chloe preferred hers mixed in her food. But more about that to come.
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| Some of the items for sale include dog tea! |
The Dushanbe tea room scores big on ambiance, service and cuisine. Now that I've been to this great tea rooms in America, I can't wait to go back!
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| My sister-in-law holds our take-home treasures outside the tea room |
1 comment:
That looks like a wonderful tearoom experience. One of my favorites is The Tea Room in Savannah where I actually ran into Bruce Richardson doing a photo shoot for his book.
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