PlanJam!From your screen to the scene

After a morning with the girls exploring Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, I suggest doing lunch at the Rose Garden Tea Room. With views of three acres of roses, it’s a great place for you and the clutch to get your girl on.

You’ll have tea in high style, but without the worry of snobby dress codes (though people do like to dress for the occasion, casual attire is accepted). Children are also welcome. The cost is $19.95 per person, and while that may sound steep, it includes a limitless pot of English tea and delicious scones. After that it’s a help-yourself buffet with finger sandwiches (cucumber mint, Atlantic salmon with caviar, ham and asparagus and more), domestic and imported cheeses, fresh fruits, seasonal salads, and a variety of tarts, cakes and petite desserts. And being a buffet, it is perfectly acceptable to go back again and again (dieters beware)!

While they aren’t snobby about dress codes, don’t expect to just waltz in and get a table. This place is classy and popular, and reservations are required, especially for groups of 6 or more. And keep in mind that if you just want a place to do tea with the girls, at the Huntington you will have to pay the entry fee to the gardens in addition to the cost of the tea. If you don’t have time to enjoy the Gardens, I suggest getting a tea reservation for the first Thursday of the month, when you can get into the Gardens for free (call 800-838-3006 to reserve your free day tickets). Also, if you are going to the Tea Room with 8 people or more, the cost goes up to $25.49 per person, but that includes the tax and gratuity.

You might want to make your reservations at least two weeks ahead, because they book up quickly, especially for Mother’s Day. No email reservations here, just the good old fashion phone-in kind. For more information and a list of menu items go to:

If you don’t mind doing some advanced planning, lunch with the girls at the Huntington Tea Room is real treat. And don’t worry - you can walk off all those pound packing pastries in the Garden!