First tearoom of the year: The Emerald Chandelier

Late last year, my friend Cheryl and I agreed that we needed to schedule a teatime to have something to look forward to after those long gray days of winter. When it came time to get the event on our calendars, we quickly decided on the Emerald Chandelier in Griffin and went last Thursday. This was Cheryl's first visit there, and she enjoyed it as much as I did!

Since the tearoom's menu changes every two months, I was eager to see what they would be serving this time, and the offerings included Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup, House Scone with Devonshire Cream, Raspberry Scone with Lemon Curd, Pepperoni Rose, Mushroom-Gruyere Tartlets, Matcha Chicken Pesto Puff Pastry, Cucumber Salad Tea Sandwich, Tiramisu with Petit Four, Lemon, Honey & Almond Cake, and Dark Chocolate Strawberry Fudge.

These were some of the best savories I've had in a while, and I would be hard-pressed to say which was my favorite, although I'd probably go with the Matcha Chicken Pesto Puff Pastry (at top right) because it was so delicious, and the pastry was hot and flaky.

I hadn't had any rich chocolate in a while, so I devoured the Dark Chocolate Strawberry Fudge and also the Tiramisu with Petit Four, which was cleverly served in a small stemmed glass.

I sipped their Snowflake Black Tea, and Cheryl had the Berry Limoncello Green Tea, and our server was great and checked on us regularly to be sure we had all we needed. It was a beautiful afternoon with a fun friend (among her many gifts, Cheryl is an absolutely fabulous storyteller), and I'm so happy to have a nice tearoom nearby where I know we'll always dine well!