I’m making an effort to inject a little more joy in my daily life (who isn’t?), so I took myself off to the Old Lyme Inn the other day for tea. Like all restaurants these days, the Inn is soldiering on and offering enticing events despite a continuing lack of staff.

The Autumn Tea is served every Saturday from 12 – 2 and enjoyed in a cozy room, hung with American Impressionist paintings on loan from the Cooley Gallery, with a warming fire in the hearth. It’s a sweet spot to while away an afternoon while nibbling treats and sipping Paris Tea (my personal favorite, but a variety are available). The sandwiches are not your usual cucumber and egg salad. In a nod to fall flavors, you’ll find Caramelized Apple, Brie and Honey Butter, Fig, Prosciutto and Arugula, Waldorf Chicken Salad, and Butternut Squash, Roasted Beets with an Herb Goat Cheese. All quite yummy!

A pumpkin scone comes with a pile of sweet cream and cider butter, and the tiered tray is completed with a selection of petit fours, truffles, and French Macarons. Tots can be treated to a Wee Pumpkin Tea with grilled cheese or peanut butter, petite desserts, and hot chocolate. It was more lunch than I usually eat, so I was happy to take the sweets home for an evening nosh!

Brunch every Sunday features live jazz and all your breakfast favorites, and dinner in the cozy bar is a three-course prix fixe served Fridays & Saturdays from 5 – 8 pm.

The Side Door Jazz Club has made a name for itself as the premier jazz venue in Connecticut, and in fact, the world (according to DownBeat Magazine), attracting acts like Dave Meder Trio, Gilad Hekselman Trio, Johnny O’ Neal Trio this month alone.

Also, good to know, the Inn is offering prix-fixe holiday parties (a smart solution for small companies!) every Thursday night. Gather your team and head over for live music, wine or beer (2 included in the price), passed hors d’oeuvres, and a three-course dinner for $68 per person, all enjoyed fireside in the festively decorated Inn!

Check the website for dinner and brunch menus and more info:  https://oldlymeinn.com

Calendar and tickets for Side Door Jazz Club: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/the-side-door-jazz-club-4086763485

85 Lyme Street, Old Lyme
860-434-2600