Day Tripping – Barbara’s Victorian Tea House & Gift Shop
Woman in the Middle | January 17, 2015Yesterday I had afternoon tea at Barbara’s Victorian Tea House and Gift Shop in Rancho Cucamonga. Having tea is so much fun. So many different things to eat, and at a slower pace. Having tea isn’t just a meal, it is an experience, and at Barbara’s both the food and the experience are very enjoyable.
Barbara’s is located in a historic Victorian home, located in what was the town of Etiwanda, which is now part of Ranch Cucamonga. While it is surrounded by modern homes now, It was easy to imagine this home sitting in a vineyard, or perhaps surrounded by alfalfa fields back at the turn of the last century.
My two friends and I were given a table in the foyer of the home. When we arrived it was already set with beautiful china, just waiting for our arrival.
A cake stand was sitting in the middle, just waiting with loads of good things to eat. There are two tea menus you can choose from. The queen tea and the princess tea. When I made reservations I opted for the Princess Tea. It included four assorted tea sandwiches, soup, fruit, scone, dessert, and, of course, tea, lots of tea. Believe me, there was plenty to eat and we even took a little bit home.
When we arrived and were seated, Barbara explained how our afternoon would go. First would be the hot soup, then the scone, then the fruit, then sandwiches, and finally, dessert. She handed us the tea menu and asked us to pick out two teas to go with our food as well as a dessert tea to end with. We soon had a small bowl of Barbara’s cream of potato soup, made from her secret recipe. It was certainly delicious, and I wished I could have a much larger bowl of it, but if I had I wouldn’t have been able to eat the rest of the goodies on the menu.
Our scone came next and it was delivered hot from the oven. It came with cream and apple butter to smear on the scone if you liked. I am bot sure what flavor of scone we were served, but I know it had some dried cranberries in it as well as spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg. The warm scone was delicious with both the mock Devonshire cream and the apple butter it was served with.
Next came the sandwiches. There was a traditional cucumber and cream cheese, chicken salad, tomato and cheese, and egg salad. I particularly enjoyed the egg salad.
At this point we were all getting full, but we still had dessert to enjoy. It included a small lemon square and a chocolate covered strawberry. For our dessert tea we chose the almond pecan tea, which smelled and tasted delicious. We ended up staying at Barbara’s until three, just talking and enjoying each other’s company and the hot fragrant tea. Oh, that every afternoon could be spent that way!
My friends and I at our tea. The lady on the left was my mother’s very best friend and I am so lucky to still have her in my life at the wonderful age of 92! Even better, while we were having tea, we found out latter that her first great grandchild was being born. All the things you see behind us are gift items for sale at Barbara’s.
Reservations are required at Barbara’s. It is located at 7491 Etiwanda Avenue in Rancho Cucamonga. Barbara’s phone number is 909-899-1700. The Princess tea, which I described here, was $23, plus tax and an 18% gratuity, which is added to all bills.
barbarasvictorianteahouse.com
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