Review: The Gotham Lounge at The Peninsula

On a rainy Sunday, I met up with a friend for afternoon tea. Went to The Plaza Hotel only to find out they were fully booked and we were turned away. A quick walk over to the Four Seasons and found out they no longer have afternoon tea service. Finally, we went to The Peninsula and thankfully, the third time was the charm. 

SETTING:
Afternoon tea is served in the hotel lounge so the room is not just for tea. The tables are spaced far enough apart so you don't feel like you're joining in on the next table's conversation. The lounge has a very business casual feel to it, perhaps a little too corporate. It didn't feel special.

SERVICE:
Great, except for one misstep. When the tiered tray was brought over, the server didn't stop to tell us what was being served. I like it when they go over what's on each plate on the tray. 

TEA & TEA SELECTION:
Small but varied tea selection. I got the Earl Grey Supreme, which was very good. Perfect for a rainy day.

Three-tiered tray for two.

SAVORIES:
Five finger sandwiches each. All made with fresh bread. The sandwiches were all very good, with nice touches of caviar. I really liked the egg salad and the smoked salmon sandwiches. Nice presentation and tasty!

SCONES:
Odd, we were given three scones for the two of us. I've always gotten even numbers of scones so I was a little surprised. Not sure if they forgot to give us another one or if that's how it's served. With the scones came the clotted cream, lemon curd and strawberry preserves. Scones weren't warm, but the size was good. 

SWEETS:
The pastries were adorable but they were a miss with me. The cakes were too dense and it didn't taste freshly baked. I ate only a couple of bites of each one.

OVERALL:
The afternoon tea here is $55 per person, which is the same cost as the tea at The Pierre, St. Regis, and the Ritz-Carlton but The Peninsula isn't on the same level as those three. Mostly, it's due to the setting. If the lounge had a more of a elegant or posh feel, it may be worth the cost. If this was a $40 tea service, I would have been very happy, but it's definitely not worth $55. 

LOCATION: The Gotham Lounge at The Peninsula | 700 Fifth Avenue at 55th Street | New York, NY 10019 | 212.956.2888
AFTERNOON TEA HOURS: Daily from 2:30PM - 5:00PM
COST: Traditional Afternoon Tea $55 | Menu

Review: Two E Bar/Lounge at The Pierre

The Pierre used to be my favorite place for tea for many years, then they went ahead and moved afternoon tea out of the Rotunda, a gorgeous space in the hotel used just for afternoon tea. Everything was white glove service, down to the servers pouring the tea for you. They would keep the teapots at a nearby smaller serving table and would magically appear to pour your tea just before you saw the bottom of the teacup.

They no longer serve tea in the Rotunda -- now it's served in the Two E Bar/Lounge. 

SETTING:
The Rotunda was THE BEST place for afternoon tea. I was upset that they had moved it to The Two E Bar/Lounge, which is a space not exclusive to afternoon tea, unlike The Rotunda. The setting is a lot more casual, but it does feel grand and the decor is art deco.The tables are nicely spaced apart and it never gets packed in there, so that gives it an intimate feel.

SERVICE:
Service is great. I was looking for a refill of hot water and just as I was going to ask, the server already had the hot water carafe in hand, heading over to our table. 

TEA & TEA SELECTION:
There's a small tea selection with just two kinds of green tea. I went with the Lung Ching green tea, which got a little bitter too quickly. More hot water helped dilute the bitterness.

Afternoon tea three-tiered tray for two. One thing to note right away, EVERYTHING is miniature, which, of course made me swoon.

SAVORIES:
Carefully thought-out mini savorites and sandwiches filled the top tray. Everything was fresh and damn tasty. No stale bread here. A good variety and just the right amount of savories.

SCONES:
Perfectly sized and made the same day, the scones were very good. Served with Devonshire cream, lemon curd, and raspberry jam, the scones were enjoyable, flavorful, and moist.

SWEETS:
A fantastic selection of sweets. A lot of them and all none more than two-bites. The marshmallow meringue  was especially good. Oh, and the tarts were also a highlight. They were super fresh and delicious.

OVERALL:
The food and presentation on the three-tiered tray is one of the best in Manhattan. Definitely in my top 5 places in New York for afternoon tea.

LOCATION: Two E Bar/Lounge at The Pierre | 2 East 61^st Street at Fifth Avenue | New York, NY 10065 | 212.838.8000
AFTERNOON TEA HOURS: Daily from 3PM - 5PM
COST: Traditional Tea Service $55 | Menu

Review: The Lambs Club at The Chatwal Hotel

Located in midtown at The Chatwal Hotel, The Lambs Club offers an a la carte afternoon tea experience. 

The menu is split in two: The savories, scones, and sweets on one side and a selection of teas on the other. Depending on how hungry you are, you can pick from one selection from the food column for $6, three selections for $16, and six selections for $29. Teas are priced separately, ranging from $6 - $12. Everything is made in house.

SETTING: 
Tea is served in the upstairs bar/lounge area. Aside from tea, they also serve cocktails in the same space and it got a little noisy later in the afternoon around 4:30PM when the bar area started filling up. This was unfortunate, since I like the space to be fairly quiet and after a while, I had to talk in a louder voice to be able to chat. The crowd at the bar did come in waves, so there were moments when it wasn't as loud. Next time, I'll be asking for a seat toward to back, away from the bar. 

SERVICE:
Very friendly and knowledgeable. Very good.

TEA & TEA SELECTION:
Tea from Le Palais des Thés makes up the tea selection. Just the right amount of teas on the menu with 3-5 selections per type. I went with a green tea, the Long Jing Green. It was lighter than i expected, but very good.

The tea is brought out already steeped, and without tea in the pot. This means no refills of hot water and once the tea runs out, you'll need to get another pot. The good thing is that there's no bitterness once you get to the teapot from the tea steeping for too long. The bad thing is, you have to pay for a whole new pot.

SAVORIES:
I chose six selections from the menu. Smoked salmon blini with caviar and Tête de Moine, a cheese and jam plating. The salmon was good as was the cheese, but I didn't find anything special about the cheese and jam, so I'll probably skip that next time.

SCONES:
There's just one on the menu, the buttermilk scones, although mine came with currants. Served with clotted cream and housemade jam, you get two per order and I really enjoyed them. Great size, served warm and great texture. Tasted great.

SWEETS:
I ordered the Hazelnut Dacquoise (pictured above next to the scones), canelés, and petit fours. The Hazelnut Dacquoise was excellent, but TINY. The canelés were excellent. One of the best I've ever had. The petit fours were just ok, nothing exceptional. I would skip on this as well, on any future visits. 

I made a mistake in getting too many sweets, instead of more savories. Next time, I'll need to make sure I get just two desserts max. Things got overly sweet towards the end with what I ordered.

Note: Portion sizes seemed off since each selection is considered to be the same price. Some were on the small side (you get ONE blini) while some, more than enough (two scones and two canelés). Would I prefer flat pricing for their afternoon tea? YES!

OVERALL: 
I'll be going back, especially knowing what to order and where to sit. 

LOCATION: The Lambs Club New York | Menu | 132 West 44th Street (btw 6th Ave & Broadway) | New York, NY 10036 | 212.997.5262
AFTERNOON TEA HOURS: 2:00PM - 5:00PM
COST: $6 - $29 (food) and $6 - $12 (tea)

Review: The Crosby Bar at the Crosby Street Hotel

The Crosby Bar is one of my go-to places for a quiet lunch with friends. I'm a fan of their burger, but without the avocado, and will usually get that if I'm there for lunch. It never gets packed in the afternoon, which I love, and usually pop in without a reservation. 

SETTING: 
With an indoor area and two outdoor seating areas, it's easy to find a cozy table to chat over afternoon tea. From the restaurant, the hostess led the way between the reception desks in the lobby to one of their terraces. It's a great setting for afternoon tea; It's pretty and relaxing. 

SERVICE:
There was a drawback to sitting in a rather empty outdoor space. Service was sporadic and it was hard to find a server when one was needed. Overall though, it was good.

TEA & TEA SELECTION:
It appears they source their tea from a couple of vendors. Some are from Harney and Sons and some from Mighty Leaf Tea. I got the Organic Karigane from Mighty Leaf Tea which is a green tea. It was flavorful and served loose leafed in a pot and with a strainer.

SAVORIES:
SCONES:
SWEETS:
On the three-tiered tray,  the top tier had clotted cream and jams. The second tier had an assortment of sweets and the bottom had sandwiches on one side and scones kept warm in a linen napkin on the other. 

The tea sandwiches were served cold, which was off-putting. I would have preferred it room temperature. They all lacked flavor and were all a bit bland. None were memorable in a good way.

The scones were warm! Loved that. Two per person with one fruit, one plain. Tasted great and I had it with a good size serving of clotted cream and jam. The only thing I would change is the portion size. They were too big so I was only able to eat half of one scone. I like them to be on the small side and bit more dainty.

Sweets were good and the fruit tart and mini cannoli were my favorites. I didn't care too much about the macaron, but that's just a personal preference since if I'm going to have one, I want one from Laduree. I did like the variety of sweets served.

OVERALL:
At $34 per person, this is a great option for afternoon tea. Bonus, they serve afternoon tea all day. 

LOCATION: The Crosby Bar at the Crosby Street Hotel | 79 Crosby Street between Spring & Prince Street | New York, NY 10012 | 212.226.6400
AFTERNOON TEA HOURS: All day
COST: $34 

Review: Lobby Lounge at the Mandarin Oriental New York

I've been to the 35th floor of the Mandarin Oriental hotel a handful of times for afternoon tea and for spa services. I'm always impressed by their superior customer service; the staff is exceptional. If you get a chance, book a treatment at the spa; in my book, it's the best spa in NY. 

SETTING:
Go to the Mandarin Oriental hotel entrance on the north side (on 60th Street) of the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle. Take the elevator to the 35th floor. Walk straight to the wall of windows overlooking Central Park and that's where you'll find the Lobby Lounge, where afternoon tea is served daily. The lounge is spacious and open but tables are far enough apart that it feels private. The lounge during tea service, is also used to serve coffee, cocktails and a light menu. I tend to favor settings that are used exclusively for tea service, but an impressive view overlooking Central Park makes up for it. When reserving your table, ask for a table right next to the window.

SERVICE:
AMAZING. Really, amazing. Any request made is taken care of immediately and with ultimate care. They make your problem, their problem and you really sense that they care, perhaps even more than you do.

TEA & TEA SELECTION:
Tea is from Tealeaves and they have a small selection of each type of tea. I wished there was a bit more of a selection with about 3-4 choices per type. Loose leaf teas are served in tea filters in a pretty white teapot.

SAVORIES:
SCONES:
SWEETS:
They were still making scones when they brought out the three-tiered tray, so the top tier had a fluffy cake for us to enjoy while we waited for the scones. Below that were two trays of savories. Delicate and tasty, I enjoyed it all.

I had two of the cakes, which reminded me of madeleine cookies, which I love, so they were a hit with me. A little after, the scones were served with housemade marmalade and whipped cream (instead of clotted or Devonshire cream). Scones were a good, manageable size and they were great, since they came straight from the oven. I did miss the cream though.

A variety of sweets arrived on a plate and replaced the empty plate of eaten savories. It was nice to have a big selection, but I would have liked it a bit more if they had given two of each piece so it would be easier to share. I would have been fine with a smaller selection in this case. 

OVERALL:
Very good with the high-level service and the panoramic view drawing me back for repeat visits.

LOCATION: Mandarin Oriental New York | 80 Columbus Circle at 60th Street | New York, NY 10023 | 212.805.8800
AFTERNOON TEA HOURS: Daily from 2:30PM - 4:30PM
COST: $38