The Tuck Box - Breakfast/Tea, Carmel

Dolores St. between Ocean & 7th Ave.
Carmel, CA 93921
(831) 624-6365
Parking: street parking
Hours: Open Daily 7:30am - 2:30pm, No reservations
http://www.tuckbox.com/

Last Visited: December 2008

Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 3 to 4 stars
Price: $$

I first heard of the Tuck Box through Rachael Ray's $40 a Day television show. Constructed in the late 1920s, and used as a restaurant as early as the 1930s, the building is just so cute that it's hard to resist wanting to check it out. If you know a little kid whom loves fairy tales, this is the perfect place to show him or her.

I have now had the pleasure of visiting The Tuck Box twice, both times for breakfast. During both visits, it's been fairly packed, but the wait has been reasonable (less than twenty minutes) in my opinion.

The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and afternoon tea. Each table has fresh preserves available, and you can also purchase these in addition to the scone mix that they make through the restaurant and website.

Enter the restaurant and note the high ceilings. One of the best places to sit is in the breakfast nook adjacent to the window if you want to watch all that takes place. I enjoyed sitting there during my second visit.

- Smoked Salmon Benedict - Two poached eggs top smoked salmon on the two toasted English muffin halves and all are covered in a beautiful Hollandaise Sauce. A tomato slice garnishes the plate. The smoked salmon is delicious and I was happy with the dish. $12.75

- Waffle - Home made from their scratch recipe with fresh eggs and buttermilk. Served w/whipped butter & syrup, this waffle is a little flatter than some, but tastes great and is a reasonable price. $6.50

- Scones - You must get these scones. Unlike the type you might find in some bakeries, this is served like a pie with individual slices. The top is slightly crisp and buttered - it's wonderful with fresh preserves (orange marmalade today) and whipped cream. Must try these! $4.50

- Tea - I appreciate that they gave us a large pot of tea to enjoy. $2

The atmosphere is quaint, the food is good, and prices are okay. The servers are accomodating, though there is room for improvement. The Tuck Box will likely continue to be a stop on my Carmel visits.

Another item to note - The Tuck Box doesn't take credit cards, so have your cash ready.

The Tea Cozy - English Tea, Cambria

4286 Bridge Street, Cambria, CA 93428
(805) 927-8765
Parking: street parking
Hours: Wed through Sun 11am - 4pm
http://www.teacozy.com/

Last Visited: December 28, 2008

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 to 5 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

First things first. You may not know what a tea cozy (or cosy for Brits) is, so let's get everyone on the same page. It's a padded cloth or wool covering used to keep a teapot warm. It can be knitted crocheted, sown, and more. In North America, they came into fashion around the mid-1800s.

Owned and operated by Tina Nickell, the Tea Cozy is located in Cambria's historic downtown. The Thorndyke House was built in the 1870s and this quaint cottage gives the place a romantic and rustic atmosphere. Walk into the place and the wood floors and carpeted rooms invite you to either go to the store in the rear where you'll find lovely tea, jams, biscuits, and other items or wander into the dining areas or soak in the assortment of decorations all around.

There are dishes, teapots, framed items (like the picture of the queen), and of course, you can find more than a tea cozy or two. The knitted ones look so home made and warm, and of course the variety of patterns and colors are fun to look at. If you enjoy knick-knack shops, you'll love this place.

The tea menu offers numerous choices including green tea, black tea, flavored and blended teas. You'll find items like Peppermint Rose - a Moroccan mint blend with rose petals, Glory Bee - a blend of blueberries, pomegranate, and vanilla, Lapsang Souchong, Mango Indica, and Green Gunpowder. It was a little bit before noon when the four of us arrived, so we tried a variety of items and two pots of tea.

- Royal Tea for Two - You can order royal tea for one and add additional people to the order. We ordered royal tea for two and enjoyed an assortment of three tea sandwiches (your choice), cakes, petit fours, homemade scones, homemade preserves, double Devon cream, fresh fruit plus a continuous pot of tea. The tea pot comes in a tea cozy. You can see from the photo how cute the three tiered server looks and all of the cream and preserves accompany the offerings. Choices of sandwiches include English cheddar and chutney, salmon and cucumber, cream cheese and tomato, or egg salad and sprouts. The food is good and the items are fresh. It's not meant for someone with a huge appetite, but will suffice for most folks whom desire a light lunch. $35

Also, you can add champagne for $4.50 or add sherry, wine, or port for $3.95.

To supplement our meal for four, we also ordered their special tea sandwich that was featured on the monthly menu. Tea Sandwiches are available $4.75 or the Special Sandwich is available for $5.75

Other members of our party split a soup and salad combination. Other items on the menu include soup and choice of sandwich (alternately, you could get a salad and choice of sandwich), British Pasty which is a combination of meat and vegetables baked in a pastry shell, fruit and cheese, and frittatas.

For four people, our bill was about $70 for lunch (including tip) and we were comfortably full. It's a delightful shop to visit, and while service was a little lacking due to the sudden rush of people without reservations, it was certainly leisurely. We sat for quite some time before someone came to take our order, and then we sat some more as we awaited our first pot of tea. The food came a bit after that and the check also took some time to come. This is not a good place if you need to rush and be somewhere else after, but if you have the time and don't mind that the pace may be slower, you'll enjoy the atmosphere. This is an excellent spot to take your grandmother, mother, aunt, niece, or daughter to spend some quality time and chat.