Delightful setting for a spot of Sonoma West "country" afternoon tea — the newly launched Muir's Tea Room is located in a sweet, painted white one-story Victorian with partial wrap-around porch, in Sebastopol.
Light, bright and welcoming, the interior is a lovely blend of modern and eclectic with a good bit of the Scottish nature-man's influence to keep things from being too girly.
The twist of this particular tea room is a novel menu nodding to the teachings of Scottish/American naturalist conservationist and founder of the Sierra Club.
Though this be dairy country still, a January visit to Muir's on a balmy Sunday afternoon served as a reminder that come summer time, farmers in the region will undoubtedly be facing another season of acute water shortages.
It is hard to imagine a time when the majority of Americans won't depend upon dairy products and meat as a significant part of our diet, but lots of people already live without very much, or any of it at all.
I knew in advance that this was the premise of this particular tea room, but I hadn't expected it to be completely so.
Call me old fashioned, but it took me back a bit to contemplate a cup of black tea without a drop of ordinary cow's milk. Offered soy or coconut, I opted for soy and it wasn't too much of a distraction after all.
Meat free for afternoon tea wasn't maddening to me and I was pleasantly impressed with a tasty vegan sausage roll.
Butter is the biggie for me when omitted from the baked goods in an afternoon tea. Though beautifully presented and individually hand crafted, I'm more partial to a buttery base for traditional scones and shortbread in particular.
Tea time with friends is always a wonderful way to spend an hour or two and a first visit to Muir's Tea Room was certainly no exception. Our hosts were friendly and service good.
A plant-based menu for Scottish/English style tea time featuring finger sandwiches,
petit fours, fairy cakes, pastries and pots of tea provided me plentiful food for thought. Just because I've never dreamed of a teatime spread made in such a way doesn't mean that it wasn't, in fact, surprisingly good.
A.A.Milne's writings were just as much a part of my childhood in England as daily cups of milky tea. Mulling it all over, I couldn't resist sharing this link (click here) to one of my all-time favorite of his poems, The King's Breakfast, in which his majesty tries his best not to be too picky and imperious in his penchant for a wee pat of butter.
Click here for a link to Muir's Tea Room, its menu and its opening hours.
OK...Have you a new camera, or taken classes? Lately your photos have been really superb! INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW :-)
Posted by: Frankpetaluma.wordpress.com | Tuesday, February 03, 2026 at 12:09 PM
You are not going to like this Frank, but these shots were taken with my iPhone 6!
Posted by: frances rivetti | Tuesday, February 03, 2026 at 12:22 PM