At first glance you might mistake Eden Café for a cozy residence on East West Lovers Lane. The sweet house is nestled between a few homey businesses (Junkadoodle’s one of them) but it’s in fact a delicious café you shouldn’t miss. Afternoon tea here is more about the bites than the sips, but that’s just fine with Kristin and me. After all, Eden Café owner Karen Kahn is a chef, and her specialty is creating a menu full of homemade dishes. We recently enjoyed a lovely three-course afternoon tea session, and we can firmly say the tea is good, the bring-your-own-champagne part is fun, and the scones are the best we’ve ever had. Ever. Jump for a full review.
We took seats in the sunlit backroom and had the champagne we brought immediately stuffed into a bucket of ice. We decided on the white and green tea fusion to pair with the pretty platter of finger sandwiches. The cucumber sandwich was crisp and fresh; the pimento, zesty; the olive and tomato, a bit bland; and the salmon, delicious. Each one looked like edible art before we attacked. We went next with a honey plum tea, which was sweet even without sugar. (A quick squeeze of lemon added just the right touch to tone it down.) Out with it came a silver tray of breads and scones. Zucchini bread, banana bread, and carrot muffins were moist and flavorful. The lemon poppy seed muffins were heavenly lemony without an obnoxious sugar overload. And the scones were, oy vey, INCREDIBLE. The precious biscuits were served with mascarpone rather than clotted cream. (We’re now eating them this way all the time.) Cinnamon apple, blueberry, and cranberry versions are all delicious and perfectly baked. We probably could have eaten Chef Kahn’s scones all day long, but alas, dessert came and we ordered a wild raspberry tea to accompany it. (A splash of cream in the cup made the raspberry tea taste like roses.) Mousse, served in a dark chocolate shot glass, went beautifully with the tea. The mango tart was light and creamy. Brownies were flavorful and dense from being made with cream cheese. The lemon bars, though they took last place in our lineup of favorites, were tasty. The experience, as a whole, was one of our favorite tea outings. And for $25 (with tip), you can experience it, too. Call up Eden Café and ask for a reservation 24 hours in advance. High Tea is served from 3 pm to 5:30 pm. You won’t be sorry you did.
Ps. For my birthday, Karen hand-prepared different dishes for nearly 14 of my friends and family members. According to the evening’s conversations, every dish was one “one of the best” everyone had ever had. She received a round of applause when she finally got the chance to leave the kitchen. So I highly recommend a cozy, candle-lit, BYOB dinner here, too.
