Friday, April 20, 2012

Dining with Miller & Paine

The latest addition to my collection of department store tea room memorabilia is this sweet little dish from the Miller & Paine Department Store's tea room/cafeteria in Lincoln, Nebraska. I love the small (5 x 7 inch) oval shape and can just picture it being delivered to ladies' tables.

I love that every store's tea room or restaurant seemed to have its "signature" food items, and Miller & Paine was apparently known for its cinnamon rolls, about two of which would fit perfectly on this dish. Although the original recipe doesn't seem to be available online, a company called Runza continues to sell cinnamon rolls made from the Miller & Paine recipe today. (If I thought I could eat 4 dozen, I might consider placing an order!)

This Warwick dish tells me plainly it was "MADE EXPRESSLY FOR MILLER & PAINE, Inc." in LINCOLN, NEBR., and the online seller I bought it from says M&P was a great department store and she remembered eating in the tea room there. If anyone reading today has ever had a Miller & Paine cinnamon roll, I'd love to hear your review!

13 comments:

  1. Another fun department store tea room acquisiton, and your collection continues to grow.

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  2. Very pretty. Love the apricot colour.

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  3. Such a pretty dainty dish. the flowers remind me of nasturiums which I love (for the colors not the "scent"). It is a nice addition to your collection.

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  4. Lovely dish! We have Runzas in our area but I've never eaten one of their cinnamon rolls.

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  5. Once again, learning something new!!

    Love your new header too!!

    Have a wonderful weekend.

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  6. This is a fun addition to your collection!

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  7. I love this plate, just lovely. Now I would love a cinnamon roll please.

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  8. Great post, Angela! Such a pretty design - something about it reminds me of Art Deco (maybe it's the angles and the bright colors?) It still amazes me how those Tea Rooms had such beautiful dishes...Joanie

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  9. I remember going to Miller & Paine as a little girl with my grandma. The cinnamon rolls are one-of-a-kind, there has never been even a close second in my opinion. I also remember having these same cinnamon rolls paired with chili in our school lunches in Nebraska back in the 1970's... my favorite and just the thought of these brings back so many wonderful, warm memories. Thank you RUNZA for bringing these back so now I can share these with my girls and they can share them with theirs and so on... They really are to die for!

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  10. I've had them, you could eat 4 dozen, I promise.

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  11. I worked at the M&P Tea Room while attending the University of Nebraska Lincoln in the early 80s - probably 1983. The cinnamon rolls and the chicken pot pie were the big sellers and were to die for! Some days we would each get 2 of the rolls at the end of our shift - yum, I sure did love those. However the Tea Room was a tough place to work since most of our customers were older ladies who could be quite demanding and the tips were generally in change. I don't think I ever received a dollar bill the entire time I worked there.

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  12. An email after having afternoon with the guys: Now Parker can say he's had tea and crumpets. I’d open a tea room if I thought the little old lady soup and salad crowd still existed . . . but they all died.
    “Would you like a cup or a bowl (of minestrone)?” Can you imagine being 10 or 12 and your Mom drags you around to tea rooms so she can have lunch with the next door neighbor while shopping?
    The nice little basket of crackers, rye crisps, melba toast and sesame sticks and SOUP and SALAD. You have to have a cheeseburger or grilled cheese and be on your best behavior while the ladies have their insidious soup and salad! You’re dressed in an argyle sweater with a white shirt and bow tie and slacks that have become floods . . . and you just WANT TO DIE!

    Two days later you’re in a bar with your Dad and the barmaid asks: “Who is this handsome young man? I just want to take home.” For what? I don’t want to know. YOU JUST WANT TO DIE!

    If it wasn’t the soup and salad it was the barmaids and CC7’s! JUST SHOOT ME!

    That’s why Parker ended up with tea and crumpets. At least he’s good-natured about it.
    Miller's Tea Room. Someone shoot me!
    Thank you,

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