Day 20 Vacation Journal

On Wednesday, my sister and I took our mother to a Tea Room in Hershey PA. Let me stop a moment to gain my composure. Okay, I’m back. Let’s just say we all felt like we died and went to heaven for about two hours!

First let me just say, as Marsha and I were looking on the Internet for Tea Rooms near our mother, I personally wanted to go here. My sister, being a “high tea” connoisseur was hesitant regarding the place I had chosen. The cost per person seemed a bit high for tea. As we arrived, the outside of the Café did not look like there would be a quaint little tea room inside, my sister said to me as we were entering, “If this isn’t any good it’s on your head! LOL” I too started to get nervous as we walked in and I did not see anything that resembled a tea room. But… we were greeted by a lovely young lady who showed us to an area that was transformed into a beautiful looking Tuscan style café. Our table was elegantly set with our first course already placed at our seats. Immediately my sister and I sighed in relief that we (or I) had made the right choice! Now my thought was, “Does this taste as good as it looks?”

The waitress offered to take a picture of the three of us along with a picture of our table setting. She was extremely attentive and sweet the full two hours that we were there. Two hours you may wonder? Oh my yes! We had five courses of the most flavorful food for any tea we have ever had! Marsha even does tea’s herself and has never had anything like this either! She had said that she has been to teas where she has gone away hungry – NOT at Palmdale Café! Let me share our menu with you:

In champaign glasses we had a delicious blend of fruit sparkling punch. We made a toast to our beautiful mother. Awe, are we not the sweetest daughters? LOL

On the table was an array of tea choices. Beside my place setting was a lovely teapot so I could play “hostess with the mostess!” LOL

1st course: Two cranberry scones, Devonshire cream, and a marvelous apple spice jam. I think we must have sounded like little pigs because of all the moaning and grunting we were making as we savored every bite.

(we did not get a pic of this course)


2nd course: Three half sandwiches of tuna salad and chicken egg salad on homemade blueberry bread and cucumber, pimento, on a special spread (to die for) and bread.



3rd course: A cup of homemade Tomato Basil Bisque Soup with tiny bunny shaped crackers. Oh my, this was so tasty.


4th course: Melon and Fruit Salad Flambé with feta cheese. Okay, I just died and went to heaven here! This was a beautifully blend of crisp garden salad and vegetables with feta cheese, crispy pecans and a nice selection of fruit and red onion, with Ken’s Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette.


Let me just say right now, by this time we were wondering where we were going to stuff the rest of the food! Our young waitress said as she took away our plates “are you ready for dessert?” We looked at one another and laughed as our mother said, “I don’t know where we will put it!” Oh my, she came out with three plates of desserts that I’m sure would have been a great picture of our faces at that moment!

5th course: Strawberry and cream (maybe butter cream?) layer cake, a slice of cheery crumb cheese pie, and two petite fours. NOT small slices of cake and pie, big regular servings! This was NOT for us to share! NO… we each had ALL this! Alright, we finally asked for a take home box. We could not eat it all!

By this time the owner/chef came out and graciously talked with us and made us feel completely at home. Our mother told her it was the best food she had ever eaten. Now that is saying much for someone who has lived 86 years!

Our only “problem” with the Café was that it did not have a little gift shop, but they told us of a place in the Hershey Outlet Mall that has an assortment of gifts. Oh, how wonderful, we could walk this wonderful meal off by shopping! Just what three women love to do! We spent another 1 ½ hours or so in this quaint gift shop. We used restraint here, and only bought a few items. Marsha and I both said we could have spent a great deal of money in this place. Our hubbies should be proud of us!

Of course in our family, what’s a day out without going to Wal-Mart! LOL.

My hubby had called me and asked if we had saved any food for him! “Are you kidding?” I exclaimed. I told him maybe a little dessert, but we had managed to eat everything except a little of our dessert. Poor Jim had to make himself a ham and egg omelet for dinner! By the time we came home we had been gone over 6 hours!

We were exhausted, full, satisfied, and truly blessed. We had a very good day!

Oh, and another gift for our mother – Marsha and I behaved ourselves! Yes, I know, it’s hard to believe! But not for long…. We will be together again in North Carolina at her home around the 1st of July! Our husbands are already rolling their eyes! LOL!

If you are ever in the Hershey PA area we highly recommend this wonderful quaint little café.

Palmdale Café http://thepalmdalecafe.com/
1736 E. Chocolate Ave.
Hershey, PA 17033
717-533-3100