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The Harp & Hearth
45 Wall Street
Madison, CT
203-245-1414
Hours
Tue - Sat: 11:00am to 4:00pm
Sun: 12:00pm to 3:00pm (summer only)
#5
of 21
in CT
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Two friends and I went to tea at the Harp & Hearth and were pleased with our choice.
Lauren had never been to tea, so it was a whole new experience for her.
Lauren ordered the orange spice tea, I had Darjeeling, and Susan had English Breakfast. We each had our own pot of tea with an infuser so we could remove the tea leaves when the tea was properly steeped.
We began with six finger sandwiches which were; tuna salad, egg salad, and cucumber with herbed butter. They were freshly made and very good.
We then had currant scones with Devonshire Cream and strawberry jam. These were served warm and were excellent.
For dessert I had flourless chocolate cake, Lauren had banana chocolate bread pudding, and Susan chose the cranberry apple tart which was served warm with whipped ... (more)cream on top. All were deemed excellent by us.
We enjoyed our leisurely tea which is served 1:30-3:30. Our server, Stacey, gave us good service in a friendly, but not intrusive way.
The gift shop abounded with beautiful items from Scotland, Wales, England, and Ireland. A great place for unique baby and wedding gifts.
Lauren loved her first experience of taking tea and the relaxation it brought. A new devotee to tea has been born!
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- Carole H. King, Tea Lady 03/26/08
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My best friend and I were looking for a nice place to spend some time chatting quietly and thought having tea would be a splendid idea. I am so glad we found The Harp & Hearth. This was our first time going to a teahouse and now plan to travel to different ones around the state to check them out. We decided on tea and finger sandwiches. I had the Darjeeling while she enjoyed the Chai. We sampled each others teas and found that both were delightful. The sandwiches were delicious and I also had a cup of soup which was excellent. The staff were wonderful and our server was very pleasant and had some very good advice about the menu. I would recommend spending some time here. I know that we'll be back. As a matter of fact my friend brought her husband a few days later and thay also had a lovely time.
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- Beatrice Whitelaw 12/10/07
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The Harp & Hearth Tea Room has taken over which use to be the British Tea Shoppe and for the good. The afternoon tea I experienced was so relaxing! I chose the House Blend of black tea (served in a white ceramic pot with a removeable infuser) and I was happy with that. My friend Barbara, chose an herbal blend of Passion Fruit Orange, a rosy festive pink color.
Our tea sandwiches were three in number; an egg salad with truffles (quite a chance from standard egg salad but excellent), tuna salad, and cucumber with herb butter. The sandwiches were layered with white and whole wheat breads. The sandwiches tasted so freshly made, which I am sure they were! We had our choice of currant scone or choice of several desserts. We chose a warm apple, cranberry, pear crisp with a dollop of whipp... (more)ed cream on top which slowly melted over the warm crisp. That was outstanding and inspired me to make a new recipe I had at home featuring cranberries and pears. My expectations were low for this tea room, and I was pleasantly surprised by how the tea room has changed. There are eight tables; six, two tops, and two, four tops. The tables are covered with burgundy cloths with a white runner topped with glass. No reservations are taken for two people I was told.
We had no problem getting a table as it was 1:30 on a week day. Tea is served from 1:30 to 3:30 and lunch from 11:30 to 4:00. Chef Gerald McDonald adds a contemporary twist to the traditional tea, making it more sophisticated from a culinary standpoint. The gift shop holds beautiful items from Celtic countries as well as food products.
All in all, a relaxing well-prepared tea by any standards!
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- Carole H. King, Tea Lady 11/15/07
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