The Shade Tree Cafe

driving down 518, i noticed the signage «Shade Tree Café». outside of the former «Pear Tree Tearoom location. remembering the reputation of PTT, i thought i would stop in to see what was going on.
upon entry we were greeted by a friendly staff member Casey, and seated ourselves. the menu at STC is pretty simple and specific (not a bad thing). the options of sandwich, salad, soup (a la carte or combo) had a nice variety. also offered were entrée lunch items, like beef or chicken lasagna (which i eyeballed from afar and it looked AMAZING).
what a pleasant treat to be presented with a hot broth before you order. my friend and i both opted for the half sandwich/​soup combo. chicken salad on croissant/​potato soup for me, and chicken salad on croissant/​broccoli cheddar soup for her. the chicken salad was tender not mushy, shredded not chopped, moist not dry… basically it was yum! my potato soup had a delicious flavor. my only regret was that it was purée style and not chunky as i prefer. i forgot to ask my friend how her soup was. it too appeared to be a purée. our total was $ 8.11/ea which i thought for the service and portion was acceptable.
the owner Lisa stopped by our table and shared her enthusiasm for our patronage. i really hope TSTC does well in Pearland, it is a great break from the chain doldrum! will definitely return to try the lasagna!