Imagine spending a spring morning sitting on a shady brick patio, birds chirping, gentle breezes blowing, relaxing with a friend over breakfast. Miss Aimee B’s Tea Room in St. Charles provides that idyllic setting to enjoy a leisurely breakfast or a quick morning business meeting. And in May, this hidden breakfast gem will celebrate 20 years.
Owners Sherry Pfaender and Judy Howell opened their tea room in a 140-plus-year-old house that was family-owned until 1982. At lunch, it’s bustling and boisterous, but breakfast is a respite. The atmosphere is more relaxed and the portions seem larger than at lunchtime. Even the shops in The Upstairs Market Place are open for business. And you can always order the famous lemonade or dessert, like bread pudding. “It’s eggs and bread,” Pfaender explained. “What’s the difference?”
Inside, there are three dining rooms in all their Victorian glory. The tables are cozy and at lunch, it’s hard to keep your ears on your own conversation. Rooms are bright and sunny. Expecting the usual lunch crowd, I was pleasantly surprised that there are fewer guests on a weekday morning, so there’s room to spread out (just ask for a larger table if you need room to work). On Saturdays, things pick up a bit since Aimee B’s hosts breakfast showers and tea parties.
Although tea rooms are typically considered ladies’ domain, it was great to see men enjoying breakfast at this one, mixed in with couples, groups of girlfriends, moms with young children and solo diners.
Take your pick from decadent or hearty selections – both are satisfying. On the sweet side, you’ll find the Dutch Baby Oven Pancake ($7.75). While I’m not a pancake lover, this “baby” baked in an iron skillet was delicious and dense with a rich, buttery flavor. It was topped with blueberries and bananas, a perfect pairing. To push it over the edge of indulgence, order it with the options: whipped cream, maple syrup and caramel, raspberry or chocolate sauce. It’s like having dessert
for breakfast.
Aimee B’s praline french toast ($5.75) is thick slices of French bread flavored with lots of cinnamon, topped with a mixture of oats, pecans and brown sugar. Two pieces of bacon, while overly crisped and thin, gave it the ideal sweet-salty combination.
If you lean more toward savory egg dishes, the potato and sausage pie ($7.25) is a substantial wedge of hash browns, eggs, sausage and onion baked until the Cheddar cheese bubbles. Served with a choice of bagel or toast, it’s a filling meal.
The egg strata ($7.25) is a tasty combination of mushrooms, ham, cheese and artichoke hearts layered with bread soaked in an egg mixture and baked. Its “pretty peppers” (red peppers in a sweet brine) provided a mild spiciness, but the tomato chutney on the side tasted suspiciously like jarred salsa. This generous portion is also served with a bagel or toast, but I substituted a lemon poppy-seed mini-Bundt muffin. It was light with a sugary glaze, but I could’ve gone for more fresh lemon flavor.
I couldn’t pass up Aimee’s Eggs Benedict ($8.25), a twist on the usual. The thick English muffins (toasted on one occasion but not on a return visit) and a slice of Canadian bacon are topped with fluffy scrambled eggs, a nice change from poached. The two roasted asparagus spears balanced on each muffin redeemed the hollandaise sauce made from a mix.
The kitchen is fast and you can easily get in and out in an hour. Servers are friendly, accommodating and attend to every little detail (like shamrock sprinkles on your mocha). The tea room name is a bit of a misnomer because the tea that’s served from little chests is bagged; the coffee likewise was fine but nothing special. The orange juice, on the other hand, is good − and I’d really recommend the lemonade, made with milk (that’s the secret ingredient). It’s creamy, tart and sweet all at the same time.
While you may not be up for a decadent breakfast every day, when you are, head to Aimee B’s for a treat. And although it’s technically outside this column’s domain, allow me to note that starting April 5, by popular demand, the tea room will open in the evening on the first Thursday of each month.
This article appears in Apr 1-30, 2007.