High tea is a rare indulgence, and The Plaza’s Palm Court is quite the decadent place for such an occasion. I finally took the plunge, as it was a bucket list item of mine, and did not regret it!
Nestled into one of the green velvety booths, we poured over the tea menu to make our selections while taking in the opulent dining room. Gorgeous flower arrangements, shiny mirrored surfaces and the clientele all provided quite the sensory experience.
After placing our order, we clinked our glasses – in a truly luxurious move, we chose to accompany our afternoon tea with champagne – and continued to take in our surroundings. Before we knew it, our individual pots of tea arrived with cards confirming our selections, followed closely by a three-tiered golden tray. The table provided a reflection of our miniature sandwiches – traditional crustless cucumber, lox (for a nod to the Big Apple), egg salad, turkey and cranberry, chicken salad and an itty bitty roast beef baguette. They were quite filling for being so small!
The scones were warm and enveloped in a silken napkin. The small pots of devonshire cream, lemon curd and preserves were quickly employed on the surfaces of the plain scones, adding a rich sweetness to the dense texture and melting from the subtle heat. The seasonal scones did not seem to warrant such an accompaniment, and were also wonderful (I saved mine for consumption later).
The desserts, the true highlight, were delightful. The miniature key lime tart was sweet, the meringue spongy and the filling had a bite to it. The fruit tart was tiny, and the berries made a strong statement. I am not a fan of cheesecake, generally speaking, but was happy to sample the Plaza’s version (though unfortunately it did not convert me completely). The tiny black and white eclair was quickly forgotten, while the intensely chocolately orange triangle was the highlight, flavor-wise. The most stunning execution was the white chocolate and cranberry cake, which made up for the lack of strong fruit notes with the beauty of the assembled package, while the pistachio macaron turned into my second to-go item.
It is quite the filling experience. I recommend replacing lunch with such an excursion, as the trays provide more than enough sustenance for a meal. Absolutely worth trying once, I don’t anticipate I will turn into a Plaza regular any time soon!
Until next time,
SugarSource
SugarSource 