Steep Thoughts- The 'Fancy Pants Tea' Edition

I'm running low on black tea, so as my emergency bagged tea steeps, I'm thinking about the amazing restaurants I've experienced in the past week. I've been extremely fortunate to have dined at two lovely NYC restaurants, both of which had good tea choices.

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'

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!