Hollis Blinn
User's reviews
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The Johnston House
My friend and I recently visited The Johnston House to celebrate her birthday. We were greeted warmly by everyone we met, always a welcome experience. We'd arrived a little early to allow for some time to browse in the gift shop before sitting down to tea. Everything there was absolutely beautiful, room after room of lovely, mostly Victorian, gifts...it was a bit like being transported in time to gentler era. When we were seated, we were in for another wonderful experience. There were at least a dozen teas to choose from, from the exotic to the standard Earl Grey. You could have your tea hot, or iced, or both. The food was absolutely scrumptious. There were cold tea sandwiches, warm bruschetta, savory quiches, puffed pastry filled with chicken salad, light as a feather scones with clotted cream and jam. On top of that, there were huge chocolate-dipped strawberries, frosted blueberry bread and tiny squares of some kind of pastry, filled with apricots, that were out of this world. When I mentioned that we were celebrating my friend's birthday, she was given a strawberry shortcake with a lit candle...what a wonderful surprise that was! Everything about our experience at The Johnston House was more than we could have hoped for, from the warm and friendly service and the wonderful atmosphere to the top-notch kitchen staff. All in all, it was just a truly relaxing and memorable afternoon of the best kind.