Where: Jacksonville Beach, Florida Style: Beach cottage Tea Selection: 20 loose leaf teas by Harney & Sons Teatimes: Monday to Saturday, 11 to 3 (last seating) Reservations: Reservations recommended, weekend dates book up weeks ahead Contact: 904-270-0220 Cost: $34 Mommy & Me Tea Tray; $19.95 Seasonal Tea Tray; $19.95 Sweet Tea for Two; $18.95 Afternoon Tea Tray;$9.95 Sweet Tea for One; $8.95 Spot of Tea Destination Tea Tips: Reserve your teatime well in advance as space is limited in the back tearooms, and leave time to browse in the boutique.
Destination Tea Notes: Dana Roby, owner of Ashes’ Boutique and Tea Garden, wears many hats at her boutique-cum-tearoom, and she wears them well. She prepares a scratchmade afternoon tea menu that is consistently tasty, from tea selection all the way through the dessert course. Also a self-taught artist, Dana features her charcoal sketches on clothing selections throughout her boutique, whose predominantly white motif carries into the tearooms’ decor, calling to mind beach family portraits where everyone dresses in white. Branches and swathes of fabric peppered with touches of greenery separate our room from a baby shower in the larger adjoining room. Service here is gracious and attentive without helicoptering, and we happily relax into a leisurely and delectable teatime.
Walk to the back of Ashes’ Boutique to find two back rooms where afternoon tea is served.
Romantic whites of varying shades decorate Ashes’ tea rooms.
Once seated, guests select their tea menu, choosing from the daily or seasonal menus.
Tea Selection
Like us, Ashes’ Boutique and Tea Garden loves Harney & Sons’ high quality, delicious teas. Our server tells us about the off-menu seasonal specials, including a house blend of the Peach and Wedding teas they’ve dubbed “Summer Wedding.”
We appreciate a tearoom that anticipates diners’ needs, with this tray of sugars, honey and milk.
As a smart way to allow guests to sample 3 teas at once, Ashes’ Boutique and Tea Garden has a new offering: a Tea Flight, for which they are experimenting on presentation. They kindly supply a small dish for us to set aside our smartly labeled tea balls after steeping. Two rounds of hot water are brought and we are encouraged to steep twice, to yield 6 small cups of tea. After sampling the yummy White Vanilla Grapefruit, I order a full pot to share with the table.
Scones & Spreads, Savories and Sweets
As an amuse bouche, our server sets out a plate of craisin nut spread with crackers, which rapidly dwindles to this last survivor.
Appreciating the apple cider vinaigrette to add some acidity to the creamy gorgonzola and pecan arugula salad
The dollop of cream topping this homemade butternut squash soup quickly fades into this delicious concoction.
Tomato Basil soup is a bit bland but has a smooth consistency. We like the touch of serving these in teacups.
What a beautiful tea tray! We begin with fabulous turkey-cranberry tea sandwiches on rosemary bread and fall in love immediately with the cucumber sandwiches on oatmeal bread. We try to guess what makes the spread faintly sweet, but it is a house secret. Honey?
Our server recommends we not miss the pimiento cheese sandwiches on cinnamon raisin bread, vowing that this unlikely pairing is actually delicious, and part of the traditional afternoon tea (we had ordered the seasonal tea tray). She is correct! The pimiento spread is made with finely shredded cheese and salted well to offset the sweetness of the bread. Yum!
For the savory course, the Seasonal Tea Tray includes loaded chicken croissant (note the croissant here is perfectly soft and buttery) and smoked gouda and pear quiche.
There is solidly good baking going on at Ashes’. We happily treat ourselves to a pumpkin pie tart with whipped cream, and a snickerdoodle with baked apples and pears, drizzled with caramel and topped with blackberry. As for the cinnamon scone, it’s not your traditional scone, rather more like a cross between a soft drop cookie and a cake, topped with lemon curd and cream, but you won’t hear us complaining – it’s very good, with a proper zing of lemon.
We love Ashes’ Silent Book Club concept, to which guests bring a book of their choosing, read quietly together while refreshments are served for the first 45 minutes, and then share with one another how they like their books.
Some of the fashion in the boutique is made in Italy (bravissimo!), and Dana’s sweet charcoal drawings are printed on several garments — like a precious family of bunnies on a onesie — but the main draw for us is the selection of Harney & Sons tins.
Oh my this Tea Tim’s all sounds so delicious!!! Lots of great taste sandwiches and sweets! Oh how I would love having your Tea and then shop in your boutique!!!! I would think I was in HEAVEN!!!!
Barbara Black
Nana’s Elegant Afternoon Tea Parties🌸🌸
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Oh my this Tea Tim’s all sounds so delicious!!! Lots of great taste sandwiches and sweets! Oh how I would love having your Tea and then shop in your boutique!!!! I would think I was in HEAVEN!!!!
Barbara Black
Nana’s Elegant Afternoon Tea Parties🌸🌸