Something’s afoot at the Turtle Dove Tea House & Gardens.

Saturday, December 01, 2001

Something’s afoot at the Turtle Dove Tea House & Gardens.

The tea house is hosting a murder mystery dinner theatre, &uot;A Taste for Wine and Murder,&uot; Friday and Saturday, Dec. 7 and 8. The doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the murder is at 7.

This mystery is set in the wine region of Napa Valley, Calif. Five years ago, Barry Underwood, owner of the prestigious Underwood Wine Estates, mysteriously disappeared during the valley’s annual wine festival. A massive search at the time failed to turn up any clues and the case has been in the FBI’s unsolved files since then. Now, five years later, it is once again the annual wine festival in Napa Valley. Last night, family and friends gathered at the stately Underwood mansion to celebrate. At midnight, a minor earthquake shook the mansion, causing an old wooden floor in the wine cellar to buckle. Barry’s well-preserved body was discovered under the cedar planks. It is a clear case of murder, and you are one of the suspects.

Gwen Reiss, owner of the Turtle Dove Tea House, has been hosting murder mystery dinners for about 4 1/2 years. Actors from Albert Lea Community Theatre, Minnesota Festival Theatre, and others Reiss knows who seem to fit the parts act out the scenes between meal courses. Those there for the dinner solve the mystery.

&uot;I can’t say enough about our actors,&uot; Reiss said. &uot;They call themselves the Turtle Dove Tea House Players, and they loved to be ‘picked on’ by the audience. Of course, then the audience gets ‘picked on’ back.&uot;

Reiss said there are people who have come to every murder mystery dinner the tea house has hosted. One woman goes so far as to dress like Sherlock Holmes. Another group of women from out of town has come all dressed like Miss Marple.

&uot;Children are welcome too,&uot; Reiss said. &uot;We had a 12-year-old solve the murder once.&uot;

The Turtle Dove Tea House Players have 10 different mysteries in their repertoire, and perform one every two months, as well as for special parties. They range from &uot;A Taste for Wine and Murder,&uot; to &uot;Lethal Luau,&uot; &uot;Chinese Takeout,&uot; and &uot;Eat Drink and Be Married,&uot; a favorite for grooms’ dinners.

&uot;Some of our actors want to write one and tailor it around the tea house,&uot; Reiss said.

Of course, the food fits the theme of the murder mystery. Reiss said the chef at the tea house for the murder mysteries is Steve Luegge.

For &uot;A Taste of Wine and Murder,&uot; the menu includes: Sauvignon Wild Rice Chicken Soup, Napa Valley Salad, Underwood Apple Stuffed Chicken Breast or Stuffed Underwood Pork Loin, D’Asti Green Beans with Pimento, Euro Rolls with butter florets, and Raspberry Merlot Fudge Torte and Coffee, Tea or Lemonade. The price of $35 per person includes all the above as well as gratuity and tax.

Reservations are needed to attend. Call the Turtle Dove Tea House at 377-9381 or stop by at 510 W. Main St. in Albert Lea.