ANNE BRALY: I'm not a hot tea fan at all, so high tea's out for me. But I've discovered there's so much more on the menu at The English Rose.
It's a great place for lunch and something different from other downtown eateries. Take, for instance, my finger sandwiches presented on a tiered tray with my scone on the top and delicious lemon curd on the side. It was a beautiful presentation, and I really enjoyed the cucumber/cream cheese and the egg salad/watercress sandwiches.
I can't say the same for the tomato/cheese. The tomato had no taste, and neither did the cheese, really. But you can't expect a good tomato this time of year anyway. I also thoroughly enjoyed every bite of the potato/leek soup, and I couldn't believe how big the half cup was. With finger sandwiches and a scone, I didn't need the bread that came with the soup. It was an awfully starchy meal but a good one.
HOLLY LEBER: I opted for the afternoon tea, which consists of finger sandwiches, a scone with clotted cream and jam, several biscuits and, yes, a pot of tea. I've probably reached my carbohydrate quota for the week - or I would have if I had a specific carbohydrate quota. There are less bread-inclined lunch options, including a vegetarian casserole for which I'm grateful in theory if not in actuality this time around. They also offer a number of traditional English desserts, including spotted dick and Knickerbocker glory.
Though presented beautifully and cut in precise triangles, the finger sandwiches didn't make too much of an impression on me. The egg salad was well-mixed and the cucumbers fresh, but I'd assess the sandwiches at a simple good, without embellishment or fanfare. The latter part of the meal was more pleasing - I'm a fan of a good cream tea on occasion. Clearly, I am not the poster girl for the South Beach Diet.
ANNE: I couldn't agree more. In this day of bigger, better, more colorful sandwiches with loads of toppings and exotic cheeses, Engish Rose's are simple but satisfactory. I really wish now that I'd gone with the Dover sole stuffed with scallops and crabmeat or the chicken-vegetable pie.
I was impressed with the number of people there for lunch - even men, which surprised me a little. It sure did get loud once they came in, didn't it? Before, it was just a pretty little tearoom where voices didn't extend much beyond the table. The look of the restaurant is pleasant. I enjoyed "window" shopping in the front gift shop. There's an impressive assortment of tea sets and other goods from the Motherland.
HOLLY: British cuisine is typically unfussy, without a variety of bells and whistles. If the Times of London ever wanted to drag me across the pond to run their paper or if Prince William decided he'd much rather have an American journalist than Kate Middleton, I'd definitely have to take frequent advantage of the plethora of Indian restaurants available there.
But as I am happily ensconced in Chattanooga, I'd place English Rose on my list of occasion eateries. It's not a weekly visit, but it's good for a birthday lunch, a place to take a visitor to town or a Saturday brunch (they're closed Sundays). The atmosphere is as much a part of the experience as the food, if not more so.
Go. I dare you not to be a little charmed. Try not to break anything.
E-mail Anne Braly at abraly@timesfreepress.com. E-mail Holly Leber at hleber@timesfreepress.com.