Two for Tea?

Over the years we've eaten our way through every imaginable taste trend and done our part to fulfill many an entrepreneur's dream of culinary success. We've eaten steak at Nick's and crab at Captain Herbert's, a boat that floated downtown until a flood washed it up. In a time of space needles and World's Fairs, we dined at The Top of the Tower. We've seen Ethiopian come and go, The Capri burn down, and we've witnessed the overdue arrival of Thai and Vietnamese. We enjoyed homecooked Sunday dinners at Wright's Townhouse until Walgreen's opened up shop and rubbed shoulders with state politicos at the polished bar at O'Malley's on Main Street until a parking deck replaced it.

Most bygone restaurants have been replaced by up-and-comers like the slick Granite on Grove, the innovative GrayWolf Grill and the open-kitchened Millie's. The one element of Richmond dining that is gone for good is the venerable tea room.

Woe betide the soul who never tasted the Chesterfield's fried chicken, Mrs. Morton's rolls or had the pleasure of viewing a lunchtime fashion show to the tunes of Eddie Weaver at Miller & Rhoads. The now extinct downtown tea room of yesteryear was a Southern tradition with baked apples and pork chops, worthy of visits with your grandmother or your best friend.

Peter Grover, executive director of the Association for Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, lived at the Chesterfield Apartments at 900 W. Franklin St. when he was an art history grad student at VCU in the late '70s. As a frequent patron of the Chesterfield Tea Room, located on the first floor of the apartment building, he remembers the delectable Southern food and the atmosphere. "The place had tremendous Southern charm. Everybody was on friendly terms — it was a grand tradition."

Grover ate among the regulars, most of whom lived upstairs. There was the woman who always wore gloves and a different hat every day and the many couples who sat in the same seats every day, lunch and dinner. Grover recalls the waitresses teasing him about dates that would accompany him on occasion, calling them "Pocohantases." Says Grover, "I did marry one of those Pocohantases — I guess she succumbed to the charm as well."

At the time, the tea room was owned by Glenn Hesby who operated it for some 35 years. He and his wife took over operations in 1943 from her parents who had founded the restaurant in 1903. The Victorian dining room decor — marble fireplace, white linen tablecloths, wooden tables — created an atmosphere of elegance. Hesby retired in 1985 and the Chesterfield continued operation under new management until it closed in October of 1988, ending an era of the longest continuous running restaurant in Richmond.

Next to go was the venerable Miller & Rhoads Tea Room, located on the fifth floor of the downtown store. The department store dining room was part of thousands of patrons' memories and its January, 1990, closing brought many back for one more frozen fruit salad and assorted sandwiches.

Over the years models of all ages strolled down the fashion show runway at lunchtime and stepped down into the sea of tables, offering customers an up-close look at finery. Ladies wore their Sara Sue hats and a few lucky children had turns sitting on the organ bench with the reliably entertaining Eddie Weaver. Lots of children had tea with Santa and former little boys, taken there by their grandmothers, still wax poetic about the club sandwiches, the perennial Santa Claus cake and the vanilla ice cream served with green butter mints.

"Twooooooo? Would you like to sit in the front or back?" That was the friendly, sing-songy lunchtime greeting of Julia Bell Morton, proprietor of Morton's Tea Room at Franklin and Foushee streets. Mrs. Morton lived upstairs and opened the downstairs of her 1880s brick brownstone home to diners at lunch, dinner and for banquets. Until it closed in July of 1991, ending the tea room tradition in Richmond for good, Morton's was beloved for its hospitality and, perhaps above all else, fresh yeast rolls.

Mrs. Morton and her husband Sam opened the restaurant in 1952; she continued to run it with the help of her nephew after Mr. Morton died in 1980. Her warmth welcomed both regulars and newcomers who returned day after day for Southern specialties like sausages and apples, yams and all manner of chicken dishes. She'd drift from table to table inquiring, "Everything all right?" in her melodic way. And the wait staff was stellar — one diminutive gentleman was designated "Happy Birthday" singer most likely due to his amazing tenor quality.

On the last day of business at Morton's, loyal customers lined up down the front sidewalk and out the swinging iron gate for just one more taste. One longtime patron recorded the final moments with a video camera, making an impromptu tribute to Mrs. Morton who was too ill to come downstairs. Diner after diner crooned a fond farewell: "Mrs. Morton, we love you and we'll miss the rolls!"

Those of us who loved the homey feeling of the Chesterfield and Morton's and the all-dressed-up ambiance of Miller & Rhoads Tea Room lament their passing still. There was something special about choosing your favorite from a menu that had been nearly constant for decades. Until some daring young entrepreneur decides that tea rooms are retro cool and opens up in a vintage space somewhere, we'll settle for the next best thing — the British interpretation at The English Garden out River Road. In fact, we've seen plenty of former downtown tea room patrons nibbling on scones and tea sandwiches at this quaint new establishment. Back to Fabulous Food