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New Alpine tea room brings 'romance' to lunch
By Betse Esparza / Managing Editor
Sweet and sophisticated, perfect for lunch with the girls, Romancing the Scone on 5th Street, co-owned by Shannon Marshall and Carol Teague, is 20 years in the making.
Marshall said she was inspired by old movies and childhood books, like Anne of Green Gables.
"They would always take tea. I thought it was so neat," she said.
The two women both moved to Alpine about six-and-a-half years ago.
Marshall's husband, David, is a Border Patrol agent stationed in Alpine. They have two children, Branin, 20, a student in Austin, and Halee, 18, who works in the tea room, who will leave for Austin in August, where she plans to attend culinary school to become a pastry chef.
Teague's late husband, Eloy, was born and raised in Alpine. They have three grown children, including Michael, 22, a student at Sul Ross. Teague also works for TransPecos Banks in Alpine.
The two, who attend the same church, met for lunch one day when the idea for either a candy shop or a tea room was born. The gentleman who owns the building in which Romancing the Scone is located was at the same restaurant, and the three struck a deal. "This was just the right timing for us," said Marshall.
And so began the collecting.
Romancing the Scone is appointed in a very feminine, Victorian tea room style, complete with teacups and pots, classical figures, artwork, books, rugs and antique furniture - most of which was found at garage sales.
"We collected it for a year. We had 'Sanford & Son' in our houses," said Teague, alluding to the popular television show about a junk dealer and his son. "It was lots of hard work getting it ready."
She and Marshall said they always prayed before hitting the sales, hoping to find dozens of little treasures.
A good majority of the décor is from this area.
"That was the fun part - collecting," said Teague.
Other than the main dining room, Romancing the Scone has three tea parlors: "The Rose Room," pink, plush and floral, seats four; "The Library," with books, of course, hats and a somewhat masculine touch, seats two; "The Gold Room" is the biggest of all and seats six.
"We can always pull in more chairs," said Teague.
The tea parlors must be reserved 24 hours in advance. Service includes between nine and 11 servings of tea per person for an hour and a half, along with a light menu that can include finger sandwiches, trifles, cookies, candy, croissants, stuffed mushrooms, shorted and, of course, scones.
"We always have scones," said Marshall.
The duo said they have the most fun on days when the parlors are reserved.
"We close off the curtains for them and we hear giggling," said Marshall. "I just think women don't take time to pamper themselves, and that's what we want to do."
"We have man things in here, too" said Teague, pointing to a dartboard.
"My husband made sure," said Marshall.
The tea room is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Lunch, however, is served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the dining room, and includes a daily special along with the regular menu - chicken salad, egg salad and tuna salad sandwiches on whole wheat bread or a croissant, quiche, soups and desserts.
A special menu during special hours on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 13, will be available, and Teague said they plan to open on prom night as well.
"We will open for special occasions for people," said Teague, noting that they recently hosted a baby shower and have a retirement party on schedule.
The two have combined their recipes for the menu, "and we're still looking," said Marshall.
"I'm expecting that we're going to be booked all the time," she said. That's the goal. Sometimes, we actually get to pour ourselves some tea."
Comments? E-mail editor@alpineavalanche.com
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