Annabelle’s Tea Room

 

Susanne Brown grew up having daily teatime with her grandmother, Anna Belle Miriah Brien Evans, for whom 4 o’clock tea was an institution. They would chat about what was going on in the little girl’s life, creating memories that Brown cherishes nearly five decades later. “I can still remember what the sugar cubes smelled like,” says Brown.

 Brown held on to the little flowered china tea set that she and her grandmother used. Only now, it’s displayed at Annabelle’s Tea Room, the tribute to her grandmother that Brown opened in Kingsville, Ontario, in 2007.

 It was an idea that had been brewing for some time. Brown grew up and got married, and she and her husband, Rob Ternosky, ran a lawn-care business for more than 30 years. “One day, somebody walked in and offered to buy us out,” says Brown. “My husband always said that when the business was done, it was my turn.”

 And she has made her opportunity shine, putting her 30-year passion for and study of cooking, decorating and antique collecting into her dream. “It was supposed to embody all of the things I loved in the world,” says Brown.

 The result is an accomplished culinary experience and a treat for all of the senses. The house in which the tearoom is located was built in the late 1850s — an original doorknob helped the Browns date it — but its first residents remain a mystery. Located on Kingsville’s Main Street, the house has been a local institution for a century and a half. Older ladies still stop by the tearoom to reminisce about their days as young schoolteachers, boarding upstairs in the former apartments.

The treat for the eyes begins at the front door, when you enter the charming gift shop. “That’s the kind of thing I love to do,” she says of integrating the 1960s-style shop with the historic home. The shop was an addition made by a former owner, a real estate company.

But the visual charm really amps up once you are seated in one of the intimate and lavishly decorated dining rooms, each featuring an ornate fireplace. Brown tries to keep the decorating to period, using many items from her own collection and rotating them from time to time. “We try to make it as elegant as we can,” she says. “Whatever I wanted to do, the house has accepted it gladly. It just says ‘Decorate me.’” At first, Annabelle’s focused mostly on high tea, but “I soon discovered that people wanted a really nice lunch,” says Brown. “There aren’t a lot of places for people, ladies especially, to go in the afternoon.”

 So, she transformed Annabelle’s into a lovely, quiet place for lunch as well as tea. She puts as much of her passion into the menu as she does into the atmosphere. “We try to make it look as good as it tastes,” says Brown. The menu changes daily, based on what foods are available locally. “People always ask us why we don’t have a special,” says Brown. “I say, ‘because every day is special.’”

On the day that we visit, my quiche Lorraine ($12.95, all prices Canadian) is a deep-dish delight of creamy, whisper-light filling and a perfectly flaky crust. It’s almost too pretty to eat ... almost. The homemade cream of asparagus soup, one of my favorites, truly brings out the flavor of the fresh vegetable, and the generous mixed-greens salad with homemade lemon-honey dill dressing perfectly complements the meal.         

 My lunch companion, a serious burger fan, tries the Tea House burger ($12.95), patty-melt-style Angus beef on grilled rye bread, and is impressed by its rich texture and flavor. As our lunch hours are usually squeezed into busy work days, we’re both guilty of a regular shovel-and-run approach to the meal, but this day we spend nearly two hours savoring each bite and the moment, even topping off lunch with a silky lemon-curd tart and a mouthwatering shortbread cookie ($4.75).

Our tea is a smooth cream Earl Grey Green ($2.50 for a personal pot and $5 for a large), selected from several pages of choices. Other tempting menu items included the British sampler ($13.95), a plate of several small bites and a cup of soup, and the pot poulet ($14.95), Annabelle’s signature dish of chicken crock pie topped with a flakey dill biscuit. And of course, Anytime Tea ($14.95) and even Wee Tea ($12.95) for the little ones is always available, carrying on the tradition.

 Although the Annabelle’s experience is as polished as fine silver, Brown doesn’t expect her patrons to dress up for the occasion. Jeans, shorts and T-shirts are most welcome. “I want it to be fun, an afternoon of good conversation and good food,” says Brown. Often, Annabelle’s tables gather three generations of family, which she loves to see. “It’s building a memory,” she says, just like the original Anna Belle did.  

 Info to Go Annabelle’s Tea Room 76 Main St. East Kingsville, Ontario 519-733-0967 annabellestearoom.com