Afternoon Tea at the Plaza Hotel

You may recall seeing my February birthday card [below], when Steve and Sharon said their gift would be treating me to Afternoon Tea at the Plaza Hotel during our recent trip to NYC. On Saturday, May 14th, the gift became a reality. Our reservations were for 12:00 o'clock noon.

It was a gorgeous day for a walk through Central Park, and since it was a Saturday the park was especially busy.

~ We stopped to pose beside some beautiful flowers ~

The Plaza Hotel came into view at the south end of Central Park.  The 19-story luxury hotel opened its doors in 1907, and is one of America's most celebrated hotels.  It underwent a $450 million restoration in 2008.

 Plaza Hotel Address.  I learned that Fifth Avenue divides East and West Manhattan.

~ Revolving entrance door ~

The beautiful hotel lobby.  No less than 1,650 crystal chandeliers were purchased when the hotel was built.

~ Jerry & Me, and Steve & Sharon ~

~ Palm Court where Afternoon Tea is served ~

We were one of the first to be seated for Afternoon Tea so the court was practically empty, but by that time we left it was completely filled. No walk-ins were accepted, and reservations were a must. Below is a before and after picture.  A lot of men were in attendance. The dress was smart-casual, which was good for us since we had other sight-seeing plans after we left the Plaza.

If there's tea in Heaven, I hope it will be like Afternoon Tea at the Plaza Hotel!   Below is the menu, and we all ordered The New Yorker Tea.  Our waiter graciously gave me a menu as a keepsake - thanks to Steve's inquiry.

I ordered Thé des Amants - A fruity, spicy black tea that developed notes of apple, almond, cinnamon, vanilla, and ginger.  I also bought a tin of it to bring home.

I know it's improper to turn your cup over in public to see who the china manufacturer is, but since there was hardly anyone else in the court when we arrived, I took my liberties.  The china is made in France, and is designed exclusively for The Plaza by Bernardaud.

~ Steve & Me / Mother & Son ~

~ Jerry and Sharon ~

Jerry took a picture of me, taking a picture of the tea tray.  ;-)

Bottom tier was freshly baked, warm scones with double Devonshire Cream, Lemon Curd, and Preserves.

The middle tier was six sandwiches and savories:  Lox and Bagel, pickled Cucumber, Cream Cheese, house cured Pickles, and Alfalfa Sprouts;  Deviled organic Egg Salad with Dill Pickle Relish, on White Bread; House made Turkey, Cranberry Aïoli, with Romaine on Whole Wheat Bread;  English Cucumber with pickled Red Onion Cream Cheese, on Rye Bread; Roasted Chicken Salad, Celery, preserved Pear, and Walnuts, on Whole Wheat Bread; and Prosciutto Cotto, with Gruyère and Dijon, on Ficelle Baguette.

The top tier was seven divine pastries and sweets:  White Chocolate and Cranberry Pistachio Cake; Key Lime Tart; Chocolate and Orange Ganache Triangle; Black and White Éclair; Fresh Fruit Tart; New York Style Cheesecake; and a Pistachio Macaron. Several of these had to be put in a take-out container to eat back at the guest house.

Because we were in NYC celebrating our 50th Wedding Anniversary, they also brought out a complimentary plate of desserts for Jerry and me.

Thanks, Steve and Sharon for one of the nicest teas I've ever been to!  I could have left NYC contented after having tea at The Plaza, but there were still a lot more wonderful events yet to come.

In the photo below a sweet little girl was enjoying an 'Eloise Tea' with her mother and grandmother, as she sat reading the story of Eloise.   Don't you love her hat?

Ironically the portrait of Eloise is just outside the window from where she's sitting. More about Eloise in my next post.

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Today I'm joining Rose Chintz Cottage for No Place Like Home

Antiques and Teacups for Tuesday Cuppa Tea, and
Bernideen's Tea Time Blog for Cottage and Garden Blog Party