Bonheur: Tea Time in Talbot
“There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea,” wrote Henry James in his novel Portrait of a Lady. While the Chinese have been enjoying the leafy beverage for centuries, it is assumed the tradition of English high tea began in the mid-19th century when Anna Russell, 7th Duchess of Bedford, craved a bite to eat to assuage her hunger between lunch and dinner. According to tea lore, she asked for some bread and butter and cake to be brought to her room and a custom was born. Soon her little creation became a national pastime for society ladies with tea served in porcelain cups and cake served on silverware. A fellow member of the aristocratic class, the Earl of Sandwich, whose invention of two slices of bread with a piece of meat in between, added another dimension to the mid-afternoon ritual enjoyed in the drawing rooms in Great Britain’s finest estates. Almost two centuries later many Brits still enjoy their cup of tea, mostly in a mug with a biscuit on the side.
For those on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the afternoon tea experience is within reach at Bonheur Pie & Ice Cream Shop in Easton, part of the Bluepoint Hospitality group. Its interior design evokes a botanical garden, with patterns of flowers against a green background covering its walls. The vibrant atmosphere and subtle yet elegant touches–such as a small stool for handbags at each table and pink elephant wallpaper in the ladies restroom–are just some of the details that make the experience pleasure and, well, fun.
The menu development was spearheaded by Executive Director Ben Chekroun, together with Pastry Chef Jim Hutchison. They drew inspiration from their experiences of afternoon tea in Europe – Jim’s personal favorite, The Ritz in Paris and, for Ben, The Dorchester in London.
Hutchison, from New York City’s famed Four Seasons Restaurant and a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, creates sweet and savory confections to accompany the Mariage Frères Parisian teas served at all Bluepoint venues. Bluepoint Executive Chef Harley Peet adds his touch to the menu with a variety of tea sandwiches served on various house-made breads prepared by Head Baker Glenn May.
Bonheur offers two tea menus, each a delicate culinary pageant of color, scale and, most of all, flavor. Bite-sized and easy to manage while sipping, the offerings are presented in such a way to impress even the most jaded epicure.
For something on the lighter side, The Versailles tea menu includes lemon and fruit tartlets, a Madeleine, Gâteaux de Voyage Marbre (a traditional French tea cake with chocolate and candied fruits), vanilla pate a choux (think: the most amazing cream puff you ever had), and a scone with clotted cream and seasonal jam. A macaron and a piece of La Maison du Chocolat complete the canvas, which is the perfect word to describe what is on the tiered stand.
The Dorchester tea menu offers pastries as well as sandwiches—smoked Scottish salmon and crème fraîche, English cucumber and cream cheese, and Jambon and Beurre (ham and butter)—enough to entice Queen Elizabeth herself to make the transcontinental journey, or anyone in need of a respite from the demands of the 21st century.
For the ultimate splurge, The Bonheur Experience for two comes complete with a half-bottle of Krug Champagne and Ossetra Caviar.
Servers in bright floral attire and welcoming smiles are prepared to answer questions and offer suggestions, add to the fanciful and fresh milieu. Being housed in an ice cream shop lends a convivial vibe to this otherwise staid British ritual, with sounds of conversation and laughter looming over the tinkling of tea cups and silverware. While suitable for the characters of a Masterpiece period drama, a musty, old English library this is not. The scene is a delicious blend of whimsy and refreshment, fit for those celebrating a milestone or anyone simply saluting the end of a long work week.
Served Fridays at 1pm and 3pm, reservations are recommended as seating fills up. Champagne is available, by the glass or bottle, adding an air of happy hour to an already happy hour, or two. After all, Bonheur is French for happiness.
Bonheur Pie & Ice Cream Shop
5B Goldsbrough Street, Easton, Maryland
410-464-7879
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