First, we went to Eleven Madison Park for my husband's birthday. To our surprise, much of the menu had a tea theme to it! We had a few savory courses that were made to look like tea, which made me quite happy. It felt like it was my birthday, too!
smoked apple 'tea'. amazing. |
Some of the tea-related highlights were a smoked apple 'tea' that tasted smokey, herbaceous, and of course like a big juicy apple. A lovely wake-up for the palate. My favorite dish was a 'clam chowder' that is probably the most amazing soup I've ever had. The presentation was gorgeous- it came in a stunning teapot that looked similar to the yixing style (it was made by a local Brooklyn artist, I later found out) and was poured into perfect little cups. Creamy, savory, amazing. Unfortunately I was unable to get a picture that would do the teapot or cups justice, but I had to post them anyway.
gorgeous presentation of the 'chowder'
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the tea cup awaiting the delicious elixir |
The post-meal tea selection is very nice, but in my food coma I forgot to take a picture of the menu. I also forgot to ask where they sourced the teas from. I sent an email to the restaurant a few days ago, but I haven't heard back yet. If I do, I'll post in the comments. I had a delicious oolong that capped the meal off quite nicely. It was served in a tasteful teapot and made me feel quite fancy.
A few days later we went to Gramercy Tavern for a rare night out with friends. It's My husband and I actually dined there on our 3rd date, and it was fun to return. The memories of the romantic, rustic restaurant came flooding back as soon as we walked in the door. We even had the same waiter as last time. They have a nice tea selection from In Pursuit of Tea, but I was feeling worn out and was hoping to go right to sleep after we got home, so I selected the lemon verbena tisane instead of a regular tea. I guess I'm feeling my age...
The tea was quite nice, light yet very flavorful. I was surprised at how much I liked it, since I don't usually drink herbal teas. I need to remember to keep an open mind!
After two fancy dinners, and two sick kids it has been quite a week. I look forward to more fun and tea adventures in the week to come!
I recieved a response from Eleven Madison Park! Here is what they said:
ReplyDeleteThank you for your email. The company we get our tea from is ‘In Pursuit of Tea’. Please see the list of our teas below:
Yinzhen Silver Needle Fujian Province,China
Anji Baicha Zhejiang Province, China Sencha Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan Gen Mai Cha Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
Jasmine Pearl Fujian Province, China Wen Shan Bao Chong Taipei County, Taiwan
Jia Long Oolong Miaoli, Taiwan
Darjeeling 2nd Flush Seeyok Estate, India
Assam Satrupa Estate, India
Earl Grey Tommagang Estate, Southern Sri Lanka
Mt. Olympus Flowers Greece
Lemon Verbena Morocco
Lavender Mint France and Greece Rooibos South Africa