Picture it. A spread worthy of Bridgerton – scones, herbal tea, finger sandwiches. Now imagine enjoying it while touring downtown Dallas on a pink double-decker bus. KERA producer Alexsis Jones and I just had to get the tea on this experience.
We knew the Tea Around Town bus was trending on TikTok, but when we actually saw one drive by in downtown Dallas. It hit us. This was the chance to eat girly snacks while riding a PINK bus! The opportunity was just too good to pass up.
So downtown we went to pick up the tour on Main Street in front of the Old Red Courthouse.
While we waited for our coach to arrive, we got to know some of our fellow tea goers, who were dressed in various shades of pink to commemorate the event.
Aliyah from Dallas was there with her friends, Candy, Sarah and Marisa, celebrating her birthday.
"I love a tea party,” Aliyah said. “And this is so cute and pink! How can you not want to come to this?"
Indeed. But we had to cut our conversation and our affinity for tea parties and the color pink short, as our double-decker coach pulled up just then.
A SEAT WITH A VIEW
We headed to the top level, where we were seated at pink booths loaded with goodies and Bridgerton-style music ushering us along.
As we got settled, our tour guide, Dee Blair, greeted us and readied us for our mobile tea party.
It was Dee’s job to point out historical landmarks and interesting tidbits about Dallas on our 90-minute trip around downtown, the arts district and Victory Park.
Even though I was “that kid on the field trip” who shouted out the answers to many of his trivia questions, we both still learned a lot. The double-decker bus sported a glass ceiling that gave us fresh views of the city. And best of all, someone else was driving.
If you want to venture outside of North Texas, you can catch the Tea Around Town experience in 10 other cities, including Houston, New York, Miami and LA.
MORE THAN TINY SANDWICHES
So, on to the important part. The menu.
We tried classic tea party sandwiches, like cucumber and chicken salad, but there were also some fancy ones in the mix, like a Napoleon Alaska, which was smoked salmon on toasted rye and a mini lobster roll.
There was a delicious assortment for the "sweets" course. Standouts included a bite-sized New York-style cheesecake, a mini lemon meringue tart and a red velvet cake topped with a mini Ferrero Rocher.
And of course, the party started with scones. To those who are not familiar, scones might look like ordinary biscuits, but when you add clotted cream and jam, they go from ordinary to sublime.
It should be pointed out that our server, Amy Duran, poured six different hot teas on a moving bus without spilling a drop or scalding any of us.
Amy says the job is definitely a workout.
“Sometimes you get off work, you still feel like you're moving. I joke with my boyfriend that I'll be a pro skateboarder by the time it's all said and done.”
A THUMBS UP REVIEW
As our coach approached its final stop, we decided to check back in with our fellow tea goers for a review.
“It was so fun and unique,” Aliyah said. “It was amazing.”
The group decided a second trip was in order—the next time with younger relatives and daughters.
You just can't go wrong when you combine a tea party with a pink bus.
