227 Main St.
Falmouth, MA 02540
(508) 457-1666
June 15, 2014
Wave your pinkies in the air like you just don’t care!
That’s what Mom and I did on Father’s Day after visiting
Dad’s grave at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne. We decided to forego the typical Cape Cod
seafood lunch and treat ourselves to a gourmet tea service complete with
freshly baked scones and cucumber sandwiches.
We had driven past Molly’s a handful of times in the past. Located in adorable Falmouth center, Mom and
I figured that Molly’s – a genuine tea room – would not be as crowded as some
of the other restaurants on Father’s Day.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say that they took their dad out
for high tea. I’m sure all the men were
lining up for lobsters and clamboils elsewhere.
I was lucky enough to score a parking space nearby (not
easy to do) and once inside the tea room we were greeted by Jillian – an
excellent server who was very helpful and knowledgeable throughout our entire
visit. Mom and I chose a table at the
back of the restaurant and took a few minutes to explore the menu (click here to view).
Always the sleuth, Mom had already researched something
called the “Queen’s Luncheon” – a three-tiered tray loaded with mini sandwiches
and desserts ($14.95). It also came with
a scone served with lemon curd and house made clotted cream. For $2.75, you could add an additional
scone. Of course, this is exactly what
we were going to get. Since we were in a
tea room, we also ordered – you guessed it – a pot of tea ($4.50 a pot). The
tea we chose was called “Paris,” and it was described as “a rich blend of
black teas, currant, caramel and citrus with a hint of lemony Bergamot (orange)
and vanilla.”
When the tea came, the pot was in a blue and white tea
cozy and Jillian brought over our teacups and saucers along with a little hour
glass. She flipped the glass and told us
to wait until it finished emptying so that our teabag could steep for the
appropriate amount of time. When the
sand was out of the top, Mom took the cover off the pot and pulled out the
strainer and placed it into a tiny silver cup.
Very fancy stuff. The aroma of the
tea – you could really smell the vanilla, caramel and citrus – was heavenly. I asked for milk and there was already sugar
on the table, so we gussied up our teas and took a sip. It was absolutely delicious. We both loved it and apparently everyone else
does since Jillian had to go in the back to make sure it was still available. It has a very mild flavor but the taste was
distinct.
Our scones arrived next.
I chose lemon cranberry and Mom went with the white chocolate
raspberry. Both scones came with little
silver dishes of clotted cream and lemon curd.
The scones were – hands down – the best we’ve ever had. Scones get a bad reputation because they’re
often so hard and tasteless. Not
these. They were both full of flavor and
the texture was soft and moist – almost more muffin-like than scone. The lemon curd was cool and tart and the
homemade clotted cream was amazing. It
was sweet, creamy and was a perfect fit with our warm, fruity scones.
White chocolate raspberry scone.
Lemon cranberry scone.
We were still munching the scones (they were big) when
our tray arrived. It was definitely fit
for a queen ... or two! There before us
were three tiers of beautiful sandwiches and pastries. Jillian gave a quick rundown of what was on
the tray. On the top we had two crab
salad croissants, curry chicken salad in a pastry shell and tuna salad in another
shell. The second tier had a brownie
filled with raspberry and topped with white chocolate shavings, a lemon tart,
an apple crisp and a gluten-free chocolate crispy/cookie/gooey thing. On the bottom was an array of crustless
sandwiches including cucumber with cream cheese on white bread and egg and tuna
salads on wheat. Mom and I were in
heaven.
Since Mom doesn’t do cucumbers, I ate those while Mom had
the tuna and egg salads. I later tried
the curry chicken and crab salads.
Everything was fantastic. I loved
the cucumber sandwiches because they didn’t overwhelm you with cucumbers. They were sliced thin and had a layer of
cream cheese underneath. Every bite was
perfect. The salads – all mixed with
various vegetables – were flavorful and the breads were very soft. As for the desserts, the chocolate pastries
were rich and thick while the fruit pastries were tangy and refreshing. The
little apple tart was even topped with real apple slices!
I couldn’t take my eyes off the table next to me because one
of the women was drinking something that looked like a glass of sangria. When I asked Jillian what it was, she said
that it was their homemade raspberry iced tea.
I ordered one (Mom opted out) and it was even tastier than it
looked. It even came with a free
refill! I was one caffeinated queen.
Our grand total came to $26.16, which Mom and I thought
was an excellent price for the food and the presentation. We’ve seen tea services priced much higher,
but we can’t imagine that they would be any better than Molly’s. Even the restaurant itself was clean, quaint
and the perfect getaway from bustling Main Street. We wouldn’t change a thing about our experience.
You may not think a few tea sandwiches and some drinks
would fill you up until dinner, but Mom and I were stuffed. If seafood isn’t your thing or you’re looking
for something a bit fancier than strapping on a plastic lobster bib, give Molly’s
a try. Pinkies up!
