The Delamar Hotels have added yet another offering to their ever-growing list of experiences. They recently launched their Afternoon Tea program which can be enjoyed at all of their locations.
We recently paid a visit to Artisan in Southport to get the tea on this new offering. Guests can enjoy this Afternoon Tea every Wednesday from 2:00 – 4:00 PM. For $50+ per person you will enjoy a variety of signature sandwiches, pastries and desserts as well as a selection of green, herbal or black tea served in your own individual teapot.
Tea for two and two for tea, a scone for you, petit fours for me. What a charming way to spend an afternoon, isn’t it? Simply slow down and sip; a flavorful cup of tea asks only this of us, to take time and relish all it has to offer. Around our state, there are tea rooms of every shape and size-with gardens and sunrooms, quirky themes, historic leanings-yet all encourage you to stop, steep, and slow down. Make sure to scroll the entire listing, as we first list those establishments that regularly offer afternoon teas, then follow it with a listing of interesting places around the state that hold special event and holiday teas. This is a great year to explore the world in a cup…
May and June in New York City are a special time. The long winter and the soggy April showers give way to sunny days and warmer temps. New York City is a walking city, and on a perfect Spring day, I donned my pearls and a “little black dress” and headed into the city for a visit to the newly reopened Tiffany & Co on Fifth Ave. to check out the Blue Box Café by Daniel Boulud for my version of Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
Downtown Stamford appears to be a Connecticut diner’s dreamland: dozens of bustling streets dotted with happening restaurants, bars, gastropubs, and more. Yet, amid this buzz, nineteen-year-old Sabrina Wang noticed a problem. “The [area] has a lack of good dessert places,” opines the UConn business management student. Daringly, Wang set out to fix this dearth, opening Shiro Dessert with the help of investors on May 14th.
The bistro serves up a handful of East Asian inspired drinks and desserts, from honey toasts to milk teas to fruit ades. In curating the menu, Wang “made sure to cater to the trends” of similar beverage shops throughout the state. This influence is most evident in the mango popping bobas that customers can add to any drink. But the impact of East Asian cuisines goes much further. Shiro’s menu is filled with ingredients popular in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Taiwanese dishes — Matcha, Yuzu, Lychee, Jasmine, and more. Even Yakult, a sweetened milk product popular throughout Japan, takes a front-and-center position on the menu.
It is the most popular drink in the world-are you surprised? Beyond coffee, beer, and even sodas, tea reigns supreme with over 159 millions Americans consuming it each day and 2 billion people drink it every morning around the globe. White, green, black, oolong, pu’erh, herbal; the variety of flavors within these types is almost endless and there is so much to be explored. There are teas for different times of day, flavor palates, health benefits and even ailments (rumbly tummy? Ginger!). If you haven’t started exploring the wide world of tea, it might be time. Tea-time, that is.
P.S.-The prize for the country that consumes the most? Turkey, followed by Ireland. The UK comes in third. Who knew?
Here are 11 spots for great tea in Connecticut. Happy shopping!
I initially held off on sharing my tasting notes for Fortina's epically unique "underground" dinner last week, as it felt like a tease to share an eating adventure that could not be experienced by our readers. Well, all that has changed. The private dinners that began as a way for the Fortina culinary team to stretch their legs, experiment with flavors and dishes, and ultimately serve to inform new menu items, can now be booked by YOU. Here is a little inside scoop on last week's carefully orchestrated 8 person dinner/performance, complete with 10 courses, alcoholic icees, an opera singer, a comedian, escargot served on a VCR, and heck of a lot of fun.
Dig Inn, a highly successful natural restaurant with 13 locations in Manhattan and one in Boston is opening its first suburban venture on January 12th at 112 S. Ridge Street at the Rye Ridge Plaza. Dig Inn mindfully sources ingredients to deliver wholesome meals at a reasonable price, democratizing good, food. Along with the company's signature menu with farm fresh options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, this location will include new and unique features specifically created for Westchester County.
The Rye location will feature family packages, long tables for communal noshing, private nooks for working and reading, and cooking classes with our head chefs. In addition, it will offer an intimate 10-seat chef’s counter, serving vegetable-forward entrees, including mushroom tartare on flax crackers, and black lentils, grilled chicories, and butternut squash conserva…perfect for date night.
