Alice's Teacup

Update 9/1/08:

More Ch II goodies. I feel like this entry will continue to be amended.

-Earl Grey Lavendar Scone (I want to try the earl grey lavendar tea too)

-Vitalitea: Green tea with hibiscous, berries, and lemon (very fragrant. I loved it)

Update (1/5/08, original post 8/15/07): Since the original post, I've gone to both Ch 1 (upper west) and Ch 3 (upper east near MET). Ch 1 had a lot of round tables, in fact I saw many birthday parties there. Ch 3 has fewer tables but it's just a few blocks east of the MET, which makes for great pre or post museum snack/lunch. I'll list the address of the other two locations and add some more delicious treats I've liked after the original post for Ch 2:

Chapter II
156 East 64th St (at Lex.)
212.486.9200
website

decor:
enchanting, high ceilings, aqua walls with framed magical photos of characters and the Alice in Wonderland statue in Central Park. adorable tea/saucer sets.

tea:
white tea. //Pai-Mu-Tan// a white tea with flowery aroma. detoxifying and healthy.

snacks:
//granny smith apple slices with nutella on white bread// simple and very clean. As my friend Y. said, it has inspired her to make some at home. She also notes it'd be a great after school snack for kids. I actually ordered this out of the kids section of the menu because I was craving apples.
//pumpkin cinnamon scone with cream and berry jam// recommended by our waitress. this was actually a very autumn flavored treat. I need to get more of their scones clearly. Definitely a teatime favorite.
//banana cake with nutella frosting// we couldn't finish this! but I was enjoying the frosting very much.

bottom line:
good atmosphere. great place to chill out for a few hours after walking around Central Park. Also very impressive to take a visitor from out of town. It was my first visit and I thank S. for the recommendation. If you don't like hot tea or tea finger foods, don't bother. It's not a Starbucks! There were a pair of girls who were annoyed that the ice tea list is small and they turned down a bunch of berry flavored sorbet (note to self, try them next time) for plain boring you can get it anywhere ice cream in only chocolate and vanilla flavors. Why did they bother?


Chapter I
102 West 73rd St (near 72rd St stop on 1/2/3)
212. 799. 3006

Chapter II
220 East 81st St. (one block east of Lex.)
212. 734. 4832

Other notable treats (particuar favorites are marked with *)
//Birthday Tea / blend of black teas with tropical fruits and flowers
//Christmas Tea / black tea with exotic fruits, hibiscus, raisins, rosehips, almond, cinnammon and clove / Bob says this smells like Christmas. I suspect because of the cinnammon and clove?
//*Rose Tea Melange / organic white teas, organic roses and seasonally selected botanicals/ This tea has a wonderful smell and tastes light. I didn't care for white teas before going to Alice's.
//*"Not yet but soon to be famous" mocha chocolate chip cake
//Chocolate mousse with assorted cookies / The mousse was sinful, but I wasn't too impressed with the cookies and biscotti. (I'm also spoiled by Dean & Deluca's chocolate anise biscotti).
//Blueberry white chocolate scone / all the berry scones there are great.
//*Lapsang Souchong smoked chicken breast / with granny smith apples and herbed goat cheese on 7 grain bread.

For lunch I recommend the "Mad Hatter for Two" set they offer. Bob and I were so full we were happy to walk around the MET. In fact, we probably needed the energy since the MET was so huge. Besides, if you mix and match the items, you can try 2 different teas, 3 different scones, and 2 sandwiches. Bob experienced the yummy scones and realized he'll never go back to the Starbucks kind. Neither should you! Go try the scones!

Mad Hatter for Two $33
2 pots of tea
3 scones with preserves and cream
2 sandwiches