Thursday, April 12, 2012

My Date with an English Scone and a German Foodie

Alice's Tea Cup Chapter III, 220 East 81st St., New York, NY 10028, 212-734-4TEA www.alicesteacup.com

My Date with an English Scone and a German Foodie

This "chapter" of Alice's Tea Cup is only a few blocks from our apart- ment and I've always wanted to check it out. I am definitely a tea and scones kind of woman. Unfortunately, Brian is not a tea and scones kind of man. That plus the fact that the place always looked a little "delicate" for him to fold his 6'4" frame into. :)

But when my blogger friend, Sofie, The German Foodie, told me she was coming to visit New York, I had my perfect scone opportunity. She, her 16 year old son, and I met there on a lovely spring afternoon and got to to see what all the scone fuss was about. The place is quite small and a bit warm and stuffy. The service was friendly but relaxed. They have food on the menu but, hey, we can get sandwiches anywhere. We came here for tea and scones!

My Date with an English Scone and a German Foodie
Since there were three of us, the waitress suggested one of their combo options which, for $30, would allow us to choose two pots of tea and four types of scones. We opted for an apricot with lemon glaze, signature pumpkin, blueberry with chocolate and plain buttermilk. Along with the scones and pots of tea we got ramekins of butter, jelly and sweet clotted cream.

The scones are, in fact, absolutely delicious and taste like what proper scones should taste like! I was particularly enamored of the apricot with lemon glaze but all of them were terrific. The tea was good, the pots adorable and the whole experience very civilized.

My Date with an English Scone and a German Foodie
I wasn't sure how much kitsch to expect but there was actually only a subdued amount. There is the famous trump loi wall that is very well done and being photographed in front of it seems to be quite the attraction. Otherwise the theme was restrained with just a few fairy wings for sale. One thing that did surprise me was that the famous Alice's Tea Cup Cookbook was not available for sale. That is odd and a missed opportunity for them in my opinion. Sofie has since bought it online but I think they would have had two immediate sales had it been there.

My Date with an English Scone and a German Foodie
Me (left) with Sofie (right)
And speaking of Sofie, she is funny, smart, direct and completely awesome! I followed her blog for some time before finally leaving a comment. But once I did it seemed to quickly open the gates for a fast friendship. Her son, Robert, is intelligent, good natured, well spoken and far from the teenaged brat that I certainly was! :) That makes Sofie a great mother, cook and friend. Go check out her blog and then, if you're in New York, go get yourself a scone.

21 comments:

  1. I thought you came there to have a date with a fellow blogger, now I find out it was all about the scones... ;oD

    No, seriously, second all that, and returning the compliment! I would have never even thought of this place had it not been for you (that's why you always wanna ask the locals), and it was perfect for a BLate.

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    1. We're foodies...food first, lady! :) Nah, actually the truth is that I was thinking about meeting you at an outdoor place near Alice's and bringing the doggie. After a couple of hours of thinking about it, though, it occurred to me that it was a perfect opportunity to try Alice's since I'd never get Brian in there.

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  2. I love Sofie!! I'm so envious you got to meet her in person AND her son. Lucky thing!

    Australians eat a lot of scones. We don't have a long O in our scones either (scons). Afternoon tea of scones, jam and cream is something I've learned to look forward to.

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  3. @Maureen, aaw, love you MORE. :) We just have to start our own food blogger conference! Not only would we meet, we'd get other people to pay for it!

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  4. @Anita For some reason the in-line reply function thingy doesn't work for me... :( Anyway, I WAS JUST KIDDING. The place is too cute AND it was a little nippy that week as far as temperatures went. Plus, I can't really see a tall man in that place - it'd be like visiting a hobbit hole for him. :) Cute, but TIIINNYYY.

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    1. Awe... We love you, too! Next time we're all getting together for scones!

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  6. I read about your meeting over on Sofie's site--I wish I had fellow foodies visiting Alaska! It sounds like you had a wonderful time.

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    1. I think Alaska would be an amazing place to visit. And if I ever get there, we are definitely meeting!

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  7. Those sconed are HUGE!!! I so wish I had one!

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  8. I had my bridal shower there and it was so much food. They have the best scones. Lovely outing!

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  9. Aw blating, I love it. I have a sudden urge to go to New York.

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    1. C'mon down, Kim. New York is very beautiful in spring! :)

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  10. @kayle, what anita said!

    @cucina49, i've been wanting to come to your neck of the woods for a while now. but isn't there a window of opportunity, like may/june before it gets really cold again?

    @kim bee, if you do, meet up w/ anita - you'll have a blast!

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  11. Some day I will have a face to face with another food blogger! However until then I will be envious. I know Sofie was impressed with Alice's Tea Cup so it was a great choice. Those scones look amazing!

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  12. It's so exciting when you meet another food blogger in person! Looks like you two had a great time. Have a lovely weekend!

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  13. That is so fantastic - a friendly blogger and a date with scones, cream and jam? What a perfect day :D

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

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  14. You really got a great shot there of that top photo these scones are perfection! (PS I just love your hair too it's gorgeous!)Sounds like you had a great time with your friend...to happy Sunday to you !

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  15. Such a fun outing!!! I'm so glad you and Sofie had the chance to meet...I'm such a fan of you both :)

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