Harney & Sons sells quality tea and tea-ware in a gorgeous, high-ceilinged shop in Soho. Canisters upon canisters of tea go on forever, and beautiful tea sets ranging from the traditional to the quirky are on display. In the back is a tea lounge where you can sit down with a pot of tea and catch up with friends.
We got a pot of sencha to share and what better snack to go with it but a plate of warm vanilla scones? Smear on some clotted cream and a dab of berry jam for the perfect bite.
Harney & Sons
433 Broome St (btw Crosby St & Broadway) New York, NY 10013
It’s a rainbow of macarons! How pretty is this! I have never seen so many different flavors in one place. There must have been over 25 different kinds, including some very unique flavors like strawberry thyme and rose lychee liquor. With so much variety, you’d think that there’d be some hits and misses in there. A friend and I tried several between the two of us, and they nailed every single one.
What makes La Maison du Macaron even better is the large seating area in the back. Plush sofas and leather couches make this a perfect place to catch up with friends or to just take 15 minutes to sit down and enjoy your macarons in peace.
Pumpkin and passionfruit with a cup of tea. Both flavors were delicious and tasted absolutely like pumpkin and passionfruit. The shells were airy and light, and the ganache had the right balance of sweetness.
Here’s a peek at this gorgeous purple, sparkly one. This is the best way to enjoy macarons: slowly, with tea or coffee, and shared with a friend.
Some of the other desserts were enticing too. I couldn’t resist and got the creme brulee as well. Smooth and creamy, it was everything I wanted it to be: the perfect ending to a dessert-filled afternoon.
La Maison du Macaron
132 W 23rd St (btw 7th Ave & Avenue Of The Americas) New York, NY 10011
There’s no better way to spend an evening than hours of chatting with a dear friend over cups of tea and good food. Tucked away on a quiet street in the West Village, Bosie Tea Parlor is a gem that serves excellent pastries, food, and a really affordable afternoon tea service.
On this night, a friend and I got a table in the corner, curled up in their super comfortable couches, and munched and girl-talked the night away. Pots of tea all around. Then tea sandwiches including smoked salmon, egg salad, and cucumber. I love how dainty and cute everything is.
We definitely couldn’t miss out on the desserts here. The “Tea Time” tart is my favorite with a light cream, raspberries, and mini-scones. Did I mention that the scones at Bosie are amazing? Not too sweet, lightly sprinkled with sugar crystals, they are perfect with clotted cream or raspberry jam. I made sure to pick up a few to go before I left.
Bosie also does great macarons. See that half pink half red macaron there? Bacon and maple syrup! I tried a bite, and it really does taste like bacon with a smoky, meaty flavor. It’s very strange, and I don’t think I like it. I’ve also tried chocolate bacon before and didn’t enjoy that either. Bacon in desserts? Not a fan. Try Bosie’s other macarons though – those I am a fan of.
Bosie Tea Parlor
10 Morton St (btw S 7th Ave & Bleecker St) New York, NY 10014
When I was little, I was never interested in having tea parties with my stuffed animals. Instead, I played restaurant, where I was the chef and waitress, and I made my little brother sit there and order food and then pay me money. I suppose that says a lot about me.
But recently, I’ve really gotten into this idea of having tea parties. So when I found out about Alice’s Tea Cup, I promptly dragged a friend there with me. This place is adorable! As in cutesy, girly, chubby-baby-cheeks adorable!
Alice's Blend
The tea menu was extensive, but being the noobs that we were, we got Alice’s blend, figuring that the house blend should be pretty good. And it was! Plus, it came in a super cute teapot.
Cute teapotThe Mad Hatter for Two
We then ordered the Mad Hatter for two, which comes with so much food! You get your choice of 3 scones, 2 sandwiches, and a dessert. We couldn’t finish it and had to take some of the scones and all of the cookies home. Of course, it probably didn’t help that we’d already gone to another bakery in Chinatown and stuffed our faces before heading over here. Such piggies…
Pumpkin, ham and cheese, and fresh berry scones with clotted cream and jam
For the scones, we picked the pumpkin, berry, and a ham and cheese. I was about to type that the pumpkin was my favorite, but I actually really liked the other two as well. I can’t pick a favorite. They were all yummy! And they came with clotted cream!!!! AHHH!!!! I LOVE CLOTTED CREAM! I haven’t had any since being in England last summer, and it’s the best thing ever. If you’ve never had clotted cream, oh man, you’ve got to try it!
Curried chicken salad and smoked chicken breast sandwiches
Both of the sandwiches we got were delicious, although the curried chicken was messy to eat because the diced chicken kept falling all over the place. Maybe I’m just a bad sandwich-eater.
Cookies and chocolate mousse
After these amazing scones and sandwiches, the dessert platter was a let-down for me. The chocolate mousse was great, but the cookies were dry and nothing to be excited about. 4 different cookies, and I didn’t like any of them. Sadness. Nevertheless, Alice’s Tea House was great. I’m curious to try some of the other stuff on their menu. The table next to ours had these french toast bites that looked amazing. That’s what I’m getting next time.
The next weekend, I went to visit a friend in Flushing, and she took me to this lovely teahouse called The Rose House.
The Rose House
I love this place! It would be the perfect teahouse to meet up with a girlfriend and just chit chat over afternoon tea. The atmosphere was classy and elegant, although the prices also reflected that. But it was worth it, and I would come back in a heartbeat.
English rose teaPretty teapot kept warm by a candleIced milk tea
We chose the English rose tea (I think that’s what it was.) and an iced milk tea. Both were great! And to go along with that are desserts!
Cappucino ice cream, rose cookies, cheesecake
I wasn’t a fan of the ice cream. It was more icy and not creamy enough. I don’t remember much about the cheesecake, but the rose cookies were to die for. I could’ve eaten 10 more of those. You can taste the rose in it. Absolutely amazing.
our table
Hmmm, anyone know of any place in Charlottesville where I can get rose cookies?
Alice’s Tea Cup
156 East 64th St
btw Lex & 3rd Ave
New York, NY 10021
A while ago, my friend KN and I spent a wonderful Saturday wandering around Charlottesville downtown and ate lunch at the Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar. It’s a very strange and bizarre kind of place that serves over 50 different kinds of tea, mostly vegetarian options, and it turns into a hookah bar at night. Yep. Very interesting.
And I discovered that the restaurant certainly lived up to all that I imagined it to be. They have this giant fake tree growing in the middle of the place with lots of carved nooks for old books. There’re also lots of pillows so you can choose to take off your shoes and sit on the ground or to be less fun and sit at regular tables. Although I chose to sit at a table because the pillows looked icky.
Tea
KN and I shared a pot of tea, which might have been the jasmine pearls, but my memory fails me. Then she ordered the PMT sandwich with pesto, mozzarella, and tomatoes, while I ordered the Tunisian tuna with a spicy harrissa sauce.
The PMTTunisian Tuna
Both sandwiches came with a side salad too. My sandwich, sadly, was a disappointment, as the tuna was dry and the sauce too spicy. I love spice, but for some reason, that combination in the sandwich was way overpowering, and I couldn’t finish it. I tried a bite of the PMT, which was a lot better. Hahah Maybe I’ll get that one next time. The tea, however, was the best part. There were so many different kinds to choose from, but ask for their recommendations and they’ll point you to the right direction.
Victoria F Hu 