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Jul. 1st, 2006 08:28 pmSo today, for my birthday (which is actually Wednesday), ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
stophittinyrslf took me to a surprise place (which I actually guessed), which turned out to be L'Espalier's "Fantasy Tea." It's an afternoon tea, with deliciousness. We got all gussied up for going out to nice places and headed in to Boston for the afternoon.
It was a pleasant affair-- they did serve a somewhat silly cocktail made of a little raspberry lambic and a lot of champagne-- it should be easy enough to reproduce, considering that somebody else there asked about the ingredients and they turned out to be using Lindeman's, the most easily-findable lambic... Very tasty and refreshing after a walk through the heat.
They have 3 choices, the basic pastries and stuff plate, that plus more sandwichy almost-a-meal things, and a cheese platter. I actually didn't choose the cheese platter, mainly because I got a look at the selections on their cheese tray on the way in and was actually familiar with a good number of them. They did have the 5-year-aged gouda I like, though... (The person at the table next to us read their cheese flyer out loud with a little skepticism: "It says some people eat it like candy." I refrained from saying, "Like ME! Yum!" But only barely.)
I was sort of addled after our walk through the humidity of the Back Bay and neglected to mention that we were vegetarians. When our server looked somewhat distraught that we hadn't done more than pick at what was on our plate, I apologized and told her. They were kind enough to take back what we'd actually ordered (and had already had delivered) and bring us a selection of not-on-the-menu vegetarian treats. They were lovely and delicious, and when the pastries and so on appeared, they were also lovely and delicious. It was a good assortment of tastes and textures, and didn't end up being too sweet or too rich, although both sweet and rich were there in various combinations.
The tea was, as expected, very good as well, brewed to perfection and served until we got tired of drinking it. I wasn't counting, but I'm pretty sure I downed at least six cups over the course of an hour.
All in all, it was a lovely afternoon, and L'Espalier's tea is highly recommended. If you were trying to impress somebody, you could hardly make a better choice (unless they didn't like tea, although there were enough actual tea options that everyone should be covered, from black teas and the usual Earl Grey to a couple of herbals and even red berry tea. They also served coffee for a more Continental feel).
stophittinyrslf took me to a surprise place (which I actually guessed), which turned out to be L'Espalier's "Fantasy Tea." It's an afternoon tea, with deliciousness. We got all gussied up for going out to nice places and headed in to Boston for the afternoon. It was a pleasant affair-- they did serve a somewhat silly cocktail made of a little raspberry lambic and a lot of champagne-- it should be easy enough to reproduce, considering that somebody else there asked about the ingredients and they turned out to be using Lindeman's, the most easily-findable lambic... Very tasty and refreshing after a walk through the heat.
They have 3 choices, the basic pastries and stuff plate, that plus more sandwichy almost-a-meal things, and a cheese platter. I actually didn't choose the cheese platter, mainly because I got a look at the selections on their cheese tray on the way in and was actually familiar with a good number of them. They did have the 5-year-aged gouda I like, though... (The person at the table next to us read their cheese flyer out loud with a little skepticism: "It says some people eat it like candy." I refrained from saying, "Like ME! Yum!" But only barely.)
I was sort of addled after our walk through the humidity of the Back Bay and neglected to mention that we were vegetarians. When our server looked somewhat distraught that we hadn't done more than pick at what was on our plate, I apologized and told her. They were kind enough to take back what we'd actually ordered (and had already had delivered) and bring us a selection of not-on-the-menu vegetarian treats. They were lovely and delicious, and when the pastries and so on appeared, they were also lovely and delicious. It was a good assortment of tastes and textures, and didn't end up being too sweet or too rich, although both sweet and rich were there in various combinations.
The tea was, as expected, very good as well, brewed to perfection and served until we got tired of drinking it. I wasn't counting, but I'm pretty sure I downed at least six cups over the course of an hour.
All in all, it was a lovely afternoon, and L'Espalier's tea is highly recommended. If you were trying to impress somebody, you could hardly make a better choice (unless they didn't like tea, although there were enough actual tea options that everyone should be covered, from black teas and the usual Earl Grey to a couple of herbals and even red berry tea. They also served coffee for a more Continental feel).