Vintage House Cafe--Avon, OH (Detroit Rd. near Avon Commons) [$$]

Due to Grace's exciting interview on Tuesday, we postponed our lunch outing until Thursday.  We trekked further west than usual, and arrived in lovely Avon.  After several wrong turns, we arrived at the adorable and picturesque Vintage House Cafe.  Reminiscent of a little English cottage, it was perched at the edge of a larger property (that would be sensational to tour in warmer weather).  Upon entry, we were in a little niche of knick-knacks and wine accessories.  We were seated in the quieter of two rooms, which the hostess told us to liven up, or try our best.  The hostess also noticed us admiring the glass lamps hanging from the ceiling and she told us her son is a glass blower and he made all the glass lamps in the cafe.  She was extremely smiley and friendly, as was the waitress who then came to take our order.

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Grace:

Growing up in a quaintly decorated home, I was completely comfortable inside Vintage House Cafe. I loved the previously mentioned hanging lamps, the fireplace and mantle, and the optically-teasing brick exposure in certain places on the walls. Both of these elements gave the cafe a very personal and charming feel. The waitress came over to tell us about the day's special, which included egg salad on a croissant, a cup of tomato basil soup, and two blueberry scones. I haven't had egg salad in years, so I could not resist this deal. 

At first, the waitress brought me chicken salad on a croissant and I normally wouldn't make a big deal about it and would eat it anyways, but I had given up meat a few weeks prior so I wanted to stay true to that. She apologized and was very accommodating and quick to bring me my egg salad. Shannon had also gotten tomato basil soup, but she added her saltine crackers to the cup and I ate them separately. We both devoured our soups in no time, all the while commenting on how fresh the tomato chunks were. 

My egg salad was just what I was hoping for! There were, however, a lot of onions in the egg salad mixture, which made me weary about how my breath would be later. Despite all the onion, it was still so great, and the dill was a subtle seasoning that wasn't overpowering. I was debating how I would conjure enough willpower to consume the two blueberry scones after such a filling meal. The scones came with a creamy frosting that they were to be smothered in. Even after I was done with the first two parts of my meal, I noticed the scones were still warm and when I bit into the first one (about fifteen minutes later), I couldn't help but sigh in pleasure. I needed to share this experience with Shannon, so I offered her half of my second scone. 

When we were done with our food and done paying, the waitress told us to peruse the upstairs of the building. I noticed all the funny wall decorations they had lining the stairwell. There was a tea room to the left at the top of the stairs and we couldn't help but think of the future and having birthday parties for our little girls up there someday. Okay, I'm getting ahead of myself, but it was adorable and decorated in a Victorian manner my mother would love. There were a lot of charming and feminine items for sale, and I really wish I had extra money to spend on one of those St. Patrick's Day wine stoppers I was so greatly admiring. 

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Shannon:

Walking into Vintage House Café reminded me of playing dress up and having tea parties with my sister and my mom.  The decorations were adorable and artistic.  Learning that the hostess’ son crafted the lamps made me wonder if the other decorations were also created by local artists.  I particularly liked the hinged room divider on which a country house was painted.  When our waitress first brought us our menus, I noticed that the wrap I saw on the online menu was not listed.  When she came back to take our drink orders, I asked her about the Dange wrap.  She promptly left to check with the kitchen if they could make it, saying it was both delicious and very popular.  She returned with the good news that the kitchen had all the ingredients to make it.  Instead of French fries, I upgraded to breaded mushrooms, and I tacked on a cup of the tomato basil soup to start.  I couldn’t wait for my meal to arrive.

Grace and I had time to chit chat about her plans for her boyfriend’s birthday that night until our soups came and we were focused on spooning the hearty and creamy broth into our mouths.  The tomato chunks and chopped basil were both proportionately perfect to the amount of broth, and the side of saltine crackers was a salty and crunchy companion.  We slurped these up just in time for our entrees to be set down in front of us.  My wrap was poised so half of it was facing up, so I first saw how colorful the contents were.  Mandarin oranges, shredded lettuce, grapes, almonds, and toasted coconut all wrapped up and drizzled in an orange mimosa vinaigrette.  This wrap was unlike anything I’ve ever had.  The contents were mostly sweet, though the almonds added a slightly salty and savory component.  Everything was crisp, despite the copious amounts of delicious dressing.  The breaded mushrooms paired wonderfully, as a saltier companion.  I finished half the wrap and then devoured the mushrooms before starting on the second half.  The dressing did not want to stay inside the wrap, but I improvised by dipping the wrap in the pool of vinaigrette on my plate.  There were no leftovers coming home with me today!

After lunch, Grace and I checked out the gift shop upstairs.  The gifts and handcrafted items for sale started on the stairway’s first landing, so we browsed as we ascended.  There were cute owl clutches, feathery hats, crepe flowers, wine accessories galore, and more blown glass lamps.  The high tea room was adorable and beautifully decorated, definitely somewhere I would love to sip chamomile and nibble on a cucumber sandwich.  We made our way through the three rooms and back down stairs again, talking of tea parties we used to have growing up.  Before walking to the car, we walked around behind the café to see there was a little patio that beckoned for us to come back in the spring.

Vintage House Café was a darling place to eat.  It certainly cheered up the rainy Thursday we were otherwise having.  I cannot wait to go back and sip tea in spring.

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Outside Vintage House Cafe

Sign

Tomato Basil soups

Dange Wrap and Breaded Mushrooms

Egg Salad Croissant and Blueberry Scones with sweet cream

Blown glass lamp

Gift stairwell

Fireplace in eating area

Fireplace

Gift shop corner

Gift shop room

Blown glass lamp for sale

Desert display

Gift tables

Other seating area

Patio area

High Tea room

Hats and flowers for sale

First landing of gift stairwell

Room divider

Decorative grating

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Vintage House Cafe would be the perfect place for a weekend brunch or afternoon tea, especially in the springtime!  So grab your high tea hat and boa, and head to Avon!